"Trust and mutual respect are key components in dealing with our drivers. They have to believe that I am available when they need me and that their settlements will be on time and correct."
It seems that whenever the prospective expediter asks the question, “How do I get started in this business?” the response is, “Drive for someone else first.”
A good answer. In the majority of cases, the best way for the expediter wannabe to get his feet wet is by trying out this business on someone else’s dime. As a matter of fact, many drivers find their relationship with their truck owner so profitable that they remain with that owner instead of purchasing their own equipment.
The fleet owners of expediting play an important role in the industry. They provide expedited carriers with multiple units and they provide a vocation to those sub-contractors who are not in the position to buy a truck.
It’s not always a day at the beach, however, this relationship between fleet owner and driver. We’ve heard the stories from both sides of the aisle; the fleet owners who make impossible demands of their drivers, provide poor equipment, are late or incorrect in the settlements, etc.
From the fleet owners: the drivers are lazy, they treat the equipment poorly, they take too much time off, and so on.
What should a driver look for when shopping for an owner? What are fleet owners looking for from their drivers?
The fleet owners and drivers profiled here seem to have reached a happy compromise and they speak highly of one another.
Here’s what they tell us.
Joe Manley
Joe Manley is the Operations Manager of family-owned DJ Trucking of Perrysburg, OH. His technique of retaining drivers is a simple one: “The main thing is pay them well, pay them on time and be honest with them.
I’m upfront with my drivers and I have one standard for all the teams – no favorites. And, it’s important to be consistent in how you do business with folks.”
Joe tells us that fully half of his fleet is composed of drivers who felt that their previous truck owner was less than honest with them.
“Drivers want to know that they’re going to be treated like human beings, not money making machines,” says Manley. “Treat them and talk to them as humans. Respect them for who they are.”
Joe continues, “We’re a Christian-based organization, but we don’t preach to people. We do want them to know that we’re praying for them and we want them to succeed.”
“When I’m recruiting drivers, I tell them these are my priorities: First, their safety and well-being; secondly, we want them to prosper and do well; thirdly, we all want to make a little money because this is a business.”
Joe says that he tells his drivers that they are independent contractors and that he will not micromanage them – they are in their own business and their own boss.
“I certainly will help them and want them to call us, particularly in the early stages of their business. If we can help them with their business, their success is our success. We want them to succeed as quickly as possible as well, because we want them to be happy and to stay with us.”
Gene and Cathy Bales operate a 2004 International 4400 with an 84-inch sleeper for DJ Trucking. Gene says that among his requirements of a fleet owner: “Good pay is always number one, and the settlements have to be correct and on-time.”
“The owners have to be accessible in case of an emergency, and they have to provide you with good equipment.”
DJ Trucking maintains a fleet of 25 trucks, the majority of which are Freightliners.
“We’re moving into Class 8 platforms such as the FL112 and Century Class models. Our team operation trucks are setup with 300-350 hp motors and drop axles in the 46,000 GVW range. They’re equipped with 84-inch or 96-in condo sleepers.”
“We understand that the drivers have to be comfortable; we drove for years ourselves and we know what keeps drivers happy, particularly Husband/Wife teams.
Gene and Cathy say that another important ingredient in the fleet owner/driver mix is, “Mutual respect. We understand that the owner has to make truck payments, so you have to stay out here and keep working, but we want to deal with someone who won’t give us a hard time if we want to take a little time off.”
Gene says that he has served for a short time as the Operations Manager for DJ Trucking, so he has a unique perspective on the fleet owner/driver relationship.
“The folks at the company are all friends of mine,” he says.
The Husband/Wife teams are the way to go, Joe says, because they’re more consistent and they last longer in the business. “Besides,” he adds, “they take better care of the truck.”
The majority of DJ Trucking’s fleet is leased to Tri-State Expedited, but the company also has five trucks leased with Landstar Express America and five with Con-Way NOW.
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“I’ve got a bunch of cowboys contracting with me!” says Tony Celender, the owner of Pittsburgh Express “They’re real hungry and they want lots of miles. I don’t have any problem motivating these guys.”
“I don’t consider my drivers as working for me, I have a friendly relationship with them. Sometimes I’ll go on a run with them just to get to know them on a personal basis.”
Scott Krepps drives one of Tony’s vans he and says, “I found Tony’s ad on Expediters Online.com around the beginning of August of this year. After we spoke, I started driving for him about a week later.”
“He’s a nice guy to work for; he’s concerned about you personally. He’s fair and patient to work with.”
Tony continues, “Finding good drivers is the hard part, but once you find them, you have to respect them and let them make their own choices. The dedicated drivers know what they have to do and the time-sensitive drivers all get an equal shot at the freight.”
Scott says, “I have a dedicated run that takes me into eastern Pennsylvania cities like Harrisburg, Lancaster and so on. If something happens where I have personal business in the evening, Tony will take my dedicated run and switch me to his local runs so I can take care of my obligations. He’s real flexible and understanding.”
Tony sums up the relationship he enjoys with his drivers: “We’re all on a first-name basis and we operate with mutual respect.”
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Larry and Sherrill Rader of Sherman, NY field a modestly sized fleet of four trucks, all Class-8 based. They have husband/wife (H/W) teams in all of their straight trucks and all of the units are signed with Panther II transportation.
“We’re real happy with Panther II, we’ve been with them for around five years,” Sherrill says. “We have a good rapport with them and they keep our trucks moving.”
Roger and Wanda Sanders are one of the Rader’s teams and Wanda has high praise for her truck’s owner: “They are straightforward and honest, but very fun-loving. We have developed a friendship with the Raders and we spend time with them when possible.”
“They have been very supportive when we needed them. Roger and I just moved from Indiana to Tennessee and Larry and Sherrill let us use the truck to move.”
Regarding the Rader’s background, Sherrill says, “We drove for a couple of owners before we got into our own truck so we can see it from both sides. We had our own dairy farm business for 32 years and we felt that we were competent enough to go on our own in the truck, but one of our owners felt it was necessary to check up on us every day. We didn’t appreciate that.”
“With our drivers, we tell them right off the bat that we want them to treat that truck as their own. We trust them to do the work as we would do it and we’re not going to be looking over their shoulders all the time, so I feel that trust is very important.”
“Like I tell Larry Rader, you might own that truck, but it’s my truck,” states Wanda. “We try to maintain it as though it were ours. We pay for fuel and personal expenses, and they cover tolls, maintenance costs, and everything else.”
“I send spreadsheets from my laptop to the Raders. They send me a handwritten spreadsheet. The settlement is just about always correct.”
“If we spend money for an oil change or minor repair, I will just pay for it out of pocket, and then send them a monthly expense invoice. They are real good about reimbursing us.”
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Pat Smythia is the owner of Freedom Express of Linden, TN. Her company fields a fleet of ten straight trucks (teams only) that are leased with Panther II Transportation and Tri-State Expedited Services, Inc.
Pat, who founded her business six years ago with one truck says, “I look for people who enjoy the business. I think they’re happier and they stay longer. People who have been in expediting before are valuable to me.”
She continues, “Sometimes, the drivers who come to expediting from conventional trucking have a hard time adjusting to this business. They want to run non-stop and expediting doesn’t work that way – there is some waiting time.”
“I think it’s best to put the big truck teams on in the third and fourth quarters. When a truck driver starts in expediting during the slower first and second quarters, they will possibly become discouraged and quit. Once they become accustomed to the way expediting works, they
“Trust and mutual respect are key components in dealing with our drivers. They have to believe that I am available when they need me and that their settlements will be on time and correct.”
Mark and Stephanie Moore of Athens, AL are drivers with Freedom Express. They’ve been in the expediting field for two years, and had experience with two truck owners before beginning their business relationship with Pat.
Mark begins, “We started out with Schneider National in full-size trucking, but we didn’t care for that. Because Panther II is right down the street from Schneider there in Seville, OH, we talked to a Panther II driver and he told us about expediting.”
“Honesty is the most important thing we look for with an owner,” says Mark, “because we were with one owner who took us for a big ride. We have to feel comfortable with the owner and his policies.”
“We found Pat Smythia through the Free Classifieds on Expediters Online.com and after meeting her, we liked the way she presented her opportunity.”
“We went with Pat because she had a lease/purchase arrangement available and we had wanted to become owners ourselves. In this system, we make the truck payments and she receives a small percentage of the truck’s gross revenue.”
“It’s more profitable for us than our previous agreements with the other owners where we were doing a split on the revenue. We have eighteen more payments and the truck (a 2000 FL80) is ours.”
“We’re very happy with Pat and this system. As a matter of fact, when we pay this truck off, we’ll probably buy another from her. We like expediting because it’s faster paced and we have a lot of freedom.”
“Mark and Stephanie are really good people and a good team,” states Pat Smythia. “They are buying their truck from me and they have plans to develop a fleet of their own. I like to help people get in the business if I can and Mark and Stephanie have that entrepreneurial spirit.”
“We stay in touch with Pat – we’ll talk to her a couple of times a week. I recently trained a father/son team for her in our truck, and I hear that they’re running very well and are happy with their choice of company. Pat has a great reputation in the business.”
Kelly Shively is the owner of Shively Transport, based in Johnson City, TN. This lady expediter operates a three-tractor fleet leased to FedEx Custom Critical.
She says that honesty; communication abilities and business sense are the characteristics she looks for when considering a driver. “Expediting experience is also a plus,” she says, “so they know what to expect. But, I’m always willing to work with the right couple or single person if they’re willing to team.”
“I have a gentleman, Richard Freeman, who has a number of years of driving for me and is good trainer. He can evaluate the drivers and make a determination of whether they can make it or not.”
“Kelly is a very good owner, I’ve been with her since 2000,” Richard Freeman tells us. Richard drives a Kenworth T-2000 with Shively Transport, and runs as a single.
“This used to be a male-dominated industry, but now you see that women are making inroads as fleet owners with the expediting carriers.”
He continues, “What I’m looking for from a fleet owner is that she has to know the industry. She also has to know how to treat the driver and she has to be willing to work with the driver.”
“She does all of that extremely well. I’ve never had a problem with getting time off; she makes sure that I’m paid on time. If something of an emergency nature comes up, she’s right on it. I hold Kelly in the highest regard.”
Kelly says, “Expediting can be an adjustment for the OTR truck driver who is used to rolling up the miles. In this business, you can work half as much and make 100 percent more.”
Ms. Shively says that because of her background as both a driver and owner in conventional and expedited trucking, she has a handle on what the driver is looking for in an owner.
“Trust between driver and owner is essential,” Richard says. “They’re turning someone loose with a $100,000 piece of equipment. From the driver’s point of view, you can’t be out here wondering about the equipment’s reliability. Kelly is real good about maintaining her equipment and if anything goes wrong, she’s right there.”
“It helps that Kelly is a driver as well, she knows the road and what the driver goes through.”
