The road to success (whatever your definition of success might be) in expediting is a simple one: Own one truck and operate it profitably or own a number of trucks and do the same thing many times over.
Be forewarned – There are many stories of expediting entrepreneurs who, after taking the multi-unit ownership route, found it more involved and fraught with pitfalls than they envisioned.
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.
Joe Manley is the Operations Manager of family-owned DJ Trucking of Perrysburg, OH. He says, “We work with the experienced driver as well as the newcomer to expediting. I tell the beginners that before they commit to buying a truck, get with a fleet owner, whether it’s DJ Trucking or someone else, and learn if this business is for them.”
“This is one way that we’ve grown our fleet – there are a number of people who don’t want to purchase that $100,000 truck and would rather stay with a fleet owner like our company.
Manley 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.
Manley continues, “But, we are very pro-active in watching the beginner drivers. We get a report every day on all of our trucks and if we see a better way for the new driver to operate his/her business, we’ll try to help them. Their success is our success.”
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.”
“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.”
“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.”
Manley’s fleet equipment: DJ Trucking has been moving into Class 8 platforms such as the FL112 and Century Class models. His team operation trucks are setup with 300-350 hp motors and drop axles in the 46,000 GVW range. These units are equipped with 84-inch or 96-in condo sleepers.
Manley says that DJ Trucking began in the early 90’s when he, his father and brother entered expediting by driving for an owner. His father, Darrell Manley, began to purchase cargo vans and straight trucks to develop his own fleet and the two brothers entered the business after a time.
Manley’s brother has since go on to other ventures, while Joe stepped out of the truck and became the Operations Manager three years ago. The fleet has grown to a total of 32 trucks, with the majority of the units leased with Con-Way NOW.
Manley continues, “The secret to building a winning fleet is to take care of your drivers, that’s all there is to it. You have to pay them what is fair and adequate. If you’ve told them you’re going to pay them such and such, then that’s what you’ve got to do come hell or high water.
If the pay is wrong, you fix it. If there is an error in the settlement, you’ve got to make it right. If there’s a mistake, no matter how far back, you’ve got to make it up to the driver. To me, that’s just the right way to do business.
I can deal with the carriers, the truck dealers, maintenance and all the other problems, but if I don’t have drivers who are excited and motivated to run our trucks, I have nothing. That’s how our reputation grew and that’s one of the ways we grew our fleet – by doing the right thing by our people.
Manley says that philosophy pays dividends with the carriers as well: “We have 26 trucks signed with Con-Way NOW and a solid relationship with the company. I think part of that is because our drivers speak highly of us and that Con-Way NOW doesn’t hear complaints from them about their truck owners.
Manley says that can sometimes be a daunting proposition with a larger carrier, even for the owner with a sizeable fleet: “At a really big carrier, you can become just a number and it’s difficult at times to find the right person to talk to. We’ve been able to develop a professional relationship with Con-Way NOW and it’s a good fit.”
It’s important to grow that partnership with the carrier. You’ve got to meet the people in the company, talk to them face-to-face and build a rapport.
“There are a lot of entrepreneurs who have chosen an expediting career, says Manley, and these are intelligent, motivated people who don’t want to be treated like steering wheel holders, but rather be treated like professional business people.”
Manley again addresses the contractor relations aspect as being key to building a winning fleet:
“We don’t have a big turnover and the reason for that is that we treat our drivers well. We pay them right and we troubleshoot their issues.
“We take any issues that they may have with the carrier and we’ll take it to the table for them. We get the problem resolved and that’s what the driver wants.
“The only problem I want them to be concerned with is the load that they’re on or the next one. I know what it’s like to try to make money behind the wheel while at the same time, you’ve got problems with the carrier. We try to take that off their minds.”
