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  FTC Transportation, Inc. (FTCT) doesn’t operate to fill its trophy case with safety awards. Instead, this company’s fleet of trucks are on the highways completing a mission. Doing it safely is simply part of the company’s culture. “We don’t work safely to win awards,” said Emory Mills, director of safety and driver education for FTCT. “We work to be safe.” That doesn’t mean the company’s safety achievements go unnoticed, however. During the Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) annual convention, FTCT was honored with the 2023 National Fleet Safety Award for small carriers. Based in Oklahoma City, FTCT consists of just 25 trucks and a total of 33 employees. While FTCT acts as a broker and freight carrier, it is a wholly owned subsidiary of — and the leading carrier for — Feed the Children, a nonprofit founded in 1979. Feed the Children operates five hubs across the U.S. that ensure access to food for communities that need it most, and FTCT handles deliveries and transports in the lower 48 states. In 2022, Feed the Children and FTCT delivered 87.2 million pounds of food across the country. Not only does Feed the Children ensure that food shortages are addressed during all seasons, but in the summer, it also addresses a major national problem: Ensuring that children in need have food when school is not in session; when schools are closed, healthy meals are often not available. Feed the Children works to fill that void. The organization doesn’t just deliver food to help school children. It also distributes teaching supplies to schools in need. In fact, in 2022, it provided classrooms with $3.8 million in teaching supplies and $5.3 million in books. And, again, all of it is partially thanks to FTCT. “You might say that Feed the Children is the reason for our existence,” said Mills, noting that the organization began building its fleet of trucks in 1986. FTCT’s employees are proud of what this small group of dedicated individuals is able to accomplish. We have 25 drivers, two mechanics, and six administrators — and all have completely bought into (a culture of) safety,” Mills said. “It starts at the top and carries throughout the organization.” Unlike many carriers, FTCT does not operate its own driving school; instead, it depends on finding experienced drivers to fill openings. The fact that the carrier has won recognition from TCA as a “Best Fleet to Work For” for several years running probably makes recruiting rather easy. “We require that our drivers bring two years of safe driving experience with them when they sign on with us,” Mills said. Those drivers are fully vetted before they ever arrive for orientation at FTCT. “We want the best of the best as drivers, and it all begins with our hiring process,” she said. FTCT’s human resource team is just as concerned with safety as any other employee of the company, and it’s their job to find potential employees with impeccable safety records. FTCT does have a mentoring program in which new drivers learn the ropes of the company — including its culture — by teaming with an experienced employee. During this process, new employees meet with the entire FTCT team, from the company president and each department head, as well as fellow drivers. By the time they complete the orientation and mentoring process, new FTCT drivers understand how important safety is to the company. In fact, it’s so important that in 2022 the company logged over 2.3 million safe driving miles. Its drivers also had perfect safety records in 2020 and 2021. The culture of safety extends beyond truck drivers: FTCT has an equally impressive record when it comes to the safety of mechanics, administrators, and drivers who might be involved in non-driving accidents. Of course, a carrier doesn’t win TCA’s safety award based on just a one-year record; it’s a safe bet that award winners have been recognized as being safe by more than one organization. This is certainly the case with FTCT. It has won the Grand Trophy for safety among small carriers four times and has been named a leading safe carrier on eight occasions. FTCT has also won the Oklahoma Trucking Association’s Grand Trophy for safety six out of the last nine years and has been recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Highway Safety by the organization for twelve years running. It’s not just safety that makes FTCT stand out among the TCA membership. The company has been named to the Best Fleets to Drive For list 11 straight years and has been part of the Best Fleets to Drive For Hall of Fame the past two years. The carrier has also been named an EPA SmartWay High Performer. Employees of the company have been honored with their share of awards for individual achievements as well. For a trucking firm with the important mission of serving as “wheels on the ground” for Feed the Children, these accolades only serve to increase the pride in a job well done. “As a small trucking firm in Oklahoma, we are just honored to be on the radar,” Mills said. Photos courtesy of FTC Transportation, Inc.  This article originally appeared in the July/August 2023 edition of Truckload Authority, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association.

  Five years ago, as the new General Manager of Nebraska-based Chief Carriers, Andrew Winkler was looking for a way to break the ice with his new troops. After a self-imposed 90-day “listen-only” policy, he saw the perfect opportunity. “What I observed was that the company was very — I’ll call it ‘status quo.’ They did what they needed to do to get by. Their turnover was below industry average, but I felt like it could be better,” he said. “I certainly observed that they didn’t treat the drivers the same way they treated their office staff.” Of course, drivers and office staff have different schedules and needs, but Winkler believed improvements were in order to balance, even blend, the two groups. “We had a brand-new building; in fact, the terminal was one month old when I took over,” he continued. “So, we had this beautiful new facility, and the drivers had their own entrance. They had a drivers’ window to talk to dispatch, and they had a drivers’ window to talk to the shop, and they were kind of isolated into the driver entrance area. They weren’t allowed to move throughout the rest of the building.” In doing away with this policy, Winkler sent the message that a new era had dawned at the 75-truck carrier, which exclusively hauls flatbed loads. The move got people’s attention — and got his foot in the door for instilling a new culture for the company. And it’s paid off. Not only has Chief Carriers driven out inefficiencies, thereby substantially boosting profitability, but this year the company was also named a Best Fleet to Drive For in the small carrier division. “Our ability to set policy aside and take each issue one on one or individually and figure out what we need to do for this person, this particular time sets us apart,” Winkler said. “That’s not to say that we don’t have policies and follow them; it’s about doing the right thing for people at any given time. You can’t have policies that cover every situation. “It’s about, not only me, but making sure my leadership team and my operations group and everybody sees that they have the autonomy to step out and just take care of your people,” he continued. “I think that’s what makes us a good place to work.” In his time at the helm, Winkler has modeled the behavior he expects out of his leadership team. He still takes the time to meet with drivers individually, meetings he approaches in essentially the same way as he did when he was brand new. “When I take time to try to get to know the drivers one on one, I always have a rule where I listen twice as much as I speak,” he explained. “I want them to know that their opinions and their ideas and all those things matter; they aren’t just falling on deaf ears. We are actually trying to make real change based on what drivers are feeling.” This strategy has worked, not only in introducing innovation or clearing up operational bottlenecks, but also in forging a bond of trust between management and drivers that today allows Winkler to address concerns directly, even when the answer is “no.” “Even when you can’t give people what they want, you go straight at them and tell them exactly why you weren’t able to implement this idea or that idea,” he said. “I think where a lot of people fall short is they don’t take more time to explain the reasoning behind something. They say, ‘Well, we decided not to do this, and this is why,’ but I’ve found you need to take it a little bit deeper, so people actually have an understanding. “That’s the whole premise that led to the podcast we launched last year called ‘Drive Too Far, the Truth About Trucking,’” he continued. “That idea was to pull back the curtain and tell these drivers what’s really going on in our industry.” Winkler, now 52, learned how to adapt his communication style to better connect with his intended audience early in life. He spent the early part of his life in Omaha, Nebraska; then, in high school he moved about 150 miles west to the smaller community of St. Paul, moving from a class of 600 students to a class of only 66. Years later, in 2018, the situation repeated itself in his professional life when, after serving as a driver, dispatcher and in other positions at Grand Island Express, he joined Chief Carriers in his current role. “I didn’t know what to expect; I just knew this company was about half the size of the one I came from,” he said. “But for me personally, it was an opportunity to run my own truck line. The neat thing about Chief is they give all their general managers autonomy to run their business unit, so I was excited about the idea of not having somebody constantly looking over my shoulder and getting to execute some of the things that I wanted to do.” Now, with two Best Fleets to Drive For awards to his credit (in 2015, he helped lead Grand Island to top honors in the large carrier division) and a culture of mutual respect that permeates every level of the organization, Winkler is looking forward to even bigger things for Chief Carriers on the horizon. “I think there’s a lot of growth coming in the next couple of years,” he said. “I want us to continue to be a disrupter and a trailblazer in this industry. We’re not afraid to try new things. I’m sure there’s a whole bunch of people out there that think I’m a little bit crazy when I say this, but I just think there’s a better way to do this business.” Photos courtesy of Chief Carriers This article originally appeared in the July/August 2023 edition of Truckload Authority, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association.

Drivers who pick up and deliver on time, care for their equipment, and comply with safety standards are always appreciated by motor carriers, shippers and receivers alike. Drivers like Daniel Clark, however, belong to an elite class that every carrier would like more of. In addition to flawlessly performing his driving duties, Clark trains new drivers for Versailles, Ohio-based Classic Carriers — all the while providing top-notch service for some of their largest customers. He’s an ambassador for the company as well as the trucking profession, both in and out of the truck. Clark is also a 2022 Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) Professional Driver of the Year. “He’s a rock star,” Dionne Mayhew, director of operations at Classic Carriers said of Clark. “He’s one of the most reliable drivers we have here at Classic Carriers.” Clark received his award, one of five presented, during the closing banquet of TCA’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida on March 7. The award is sponsored by Love’s Travel Stops and Cummins. Each of the winners received a $25,000 check — and the admiration of the attendees, as evidenced by a standing ovation. Clark says he spent some time exploring the exhibits during the convention, checking out new products and learning more about the industry in which he’s built his career. “It was pretty cool to see the electric spotter trucks,” he said. “It seems like that’s the way the industry is trying to shape itself up to.” Clark runs primarily dedicated regional freight for Classic, often making the loop between western Ohio and eastern Pennsylvania for one of Classic’s top customers. “We try to do that (route) three times a week,” he said. Frequently, a trainee goes along with him on the ride. Clark also sometimes spends days off the road helping trainees improve their backing and other skills. Mentoring isn’t limited to other drivers, however. Clark serves as the youth pastor at New Birth Christian Ministries in Columbus, Ohio, and helps coach his son’s soccer and baseball teams. He also regularly participates in career day at a local middle school, taking his truck so the kids can get an up-close look at the industry. Like many professional drivers, Clark was introduced to trucking by his family. “I was around it my whole life,” he remarked. “My old man, he was an owner-operator. My brother retired from the army as a helicopter pilot, and he went over to Schneider. Then he went and got his own authority, so he was all the way independent.” Before earning his CDL, Clark worked for years as a diesel mechanic, working on Detroit Diesel engines. “The Series 60 is still my favorite,” he said. Clark began his trucking career in 2007 with Millis Transfer, attending the carriers CDL school to earn his CDL. He went on to drive for Millis, and later became a trainer for the carrier. “I miss that run up there; it’s a good run,” he said. “I was an owner-operator before I came over here (to Classic),” Clark explained. “I started as a company driver for a couple years and then I transitioned into the lease program.” He currently has two Freightliner trucks leased to Classic and has another on order through the Freightliner dealer. “I’ve got a ’24 Cascadia coming in, I think, the fourth quarter (this year),” he said. His previous purchases have been glider kits, one from Freightliner and another from Fitzgerald Trucks. Clark says his new truck will be in his favorite color — burnt orange — and will feature a Detroit DD15 engine and automated transmission. “I got converted over to an automatic transmission,” he remarked. When Classic began its driver-finishing program in 2017, Clark was the first to volunteer to train others. “I had a friend of mine, we were at another carrier together,” he said. “A while back he called me and said he was thinking about getting back on the road. You know, when you’ve been off for so long, they require some training.” So, Clark brought his friend to Classic. “I was the first one to bring somebody in and train somebody under that program,” he said. He has continued to train drivers ever since. “Daniel’s been training for us, and has done an excellent job,” Mayhew remarked. “He’s always willing to help in a pinch if something needs to be done.” Clark has high praise for his fleet manager, Emily Harmon. “She keeps the truck running. She usually has me planned out for the next week on Thursday,” he said. “By the time Friday comes, I’m already planned out. For the most part, we’re a smooth sailing machine.” On top of all this, Clark has just taken on a new volunteer role away from his career at the time of this writing — completing initiation in the local temple of the Shriners. “They’re getting ready to start the summer lunch program. Every day, from June up until August, Monday through Friday, they serve lunches to the kids,” he said. “On my off days, I’ll be able to go help at least two times a week.” Clark also prioritizes his family, always making time for his two sons, ages 11 and 15. He told Truckload Authority that he was excited that the 15-year-old, who lives in Orlando, was coming up for a visit. “Columbus is having their first air show in five or six years,” he explained. “We’re gonna go to that. He’s really into airplanes, wants to be a pilot.” The visit might include some time in the truck with Dad, but Clark knows not to overdo it. “I think he might do a couple days,” he said. “At that age, too much time (on the road) and they get bored.” For the future, his plans include stepping up his international travel. “I’m gonna go out of the country a lot — trying to get more passport stamps in the book,” he said. “I just got back from Columbia last week. I’ve been to DR (Dominican Republic) a couple of times, Costa Rica, Brazil. I’m planning to do either Europe or Asia, switch it up.” In the meantime, Clark is awaiting delivery of his new truck. Of course, he says, he plans to continue to provide exemplary service Classic Carriers and its top customers, mentoring new drivers and others along the way. This article originally appeared in the July/August 2023 edition of Truckload Authority, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association.

At first glance, Brown Dog Carriers and Logistics seems like many other trucking companies. But peel back a layer or two, and you’ll quickly discover the many ways this Biddeford, Maine-based carrier is, in fact, a rare breed in the trucking industry. “We started the company with the mindset of creating something I would want to work for as a driver,” said Graig Morin, co-founder and president. “Some of the companies I worked for just didn’t care. I remember with one company, I was simply ‘Number 301’ for a couple years. I’d call in, and you wouldn’t give your name, you’d just say, ‘Truck 301,’” he recalled. “I took the good, bad, and indifferent from every company that I worked for, and I’ve kept that near and dear, starting with this: I don’t want any of my drivers to be a number.” After 20 years behind the wheel, discovering both what he wanted to emulate and what he wanted to avoid, Morin finally got the opportunity to transport his dream of a different kind of trucking company into reality in 2017. Five years later, the company is growing strong. In addition to its regional focus, Brown Dog delivers across all of the lower 48 states. “In 2017 we started off with three of us full time. Now we are at 30 drivers, and there’s seven of us full time in the office,” he said. “We specialize in it all. We do some tanker work. We have a bottling plant up here, Poland Spring Water, and we haul water for those guys. We do some refrigerated work for two of our customers. We do a lot of dry van work. We spread the eggs out a little bit.” What stands out about Brown Dog’s operations isn’t so much the “what” as the “how” and “why.” The company takes its name from Lily Rae Morin, a family pet that passed away recently but remains the model for the company values of loyalty and fidelity to clients and employees alike. Morin says modeling the company’s mentality after the example of a beloved pet isn’t common, but it caught on. “I had just sold my prior company and I was doing a little bit of consulting when Graig approached me,” said Darrell Pardy, co-owner in charge of finance and business development. “He was looking to buy a company, so I looked at the numbers. Having owned and run companies for 30-plus years, I said to him, ‘You’d be better off starting your own business than buying somebody else’s company.’ I just didn’t think the values and motivations that Graig had lined up matched the company he was talking about. “I was so intrigued with what he was doing that I said, ‘Hey, my expertise is in building companies and finance and some marketing. Would you like some help as a partner?’” Pardy shared. “What really attracted me to Graig were his values, especially around community and family. The really good news about it is, within two years we’d eclipsed that other company’s sales volume on our own.” Lately Brown Dog has been “rolling in clover,” as they say. In 2019, the company enjoyed 70% growth, $2.5 million in sales, and covered 1 million miles. Things haven’t slowed down since. As with any successful business, it takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work. That’s especially true in achieving big-time growth numbers in a way that preserves Brown Dog’s unique small-company mentality. “One of the things politicians like to do is give you the one-sentence answer to something. The world doesn’t work like that,” Pardy said. “I think one really great strength we have is we don’t get into one kind of channel on a solution. It’s, ‘Here’s the problem, here’s the financial solution to it, here’s the operational solution to it, here’s the safety aspect.’ “It’s never Graig in the room by himself or Darrell and Graig in the room by ourselves. Typically, we’ve got the whole team in here and we’re very open and transparent to our managers. We try to solve things in a multi-dimensional way,” he added. “It’s been a work in progress,” said Morin. “As we grow, we adjust, such as adjusting policies, which we do constantly. What worked for two or three drivers, does not work for 30. We’re always watching what we’re doing and how we can change things — different policies, different pay structures, you name it. We’ve gone through pretty much everything here in the past month. A lot of our growth came this past year; now we’re catching up to it all.” The company’s success has helped fuel the philanthropic and service side of the corporate mission. Brown Dog is a staunch supporter of Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit that works to ensure veterans’ graves from coast to coast are decorated during the holidays. “My grandparents, two of them were World War II veterans; one was Korean War, and my father-in-law was a Vietnam vet. They’ve all since passed away,” Morin said. “When my grandfather died on my dad’s side, I’d take a wreath to his headstone. Then it went from just his headstone to, ‘Well, we might as well raise some money and do the veterans’ section.’ Then, ‘We can’t just do the veterans’ section, it’s got to be the whole cemetery.’ Then, ‘We can’t just do one cemetery, it might as well be five.’ “Then we took the bull by the horns and started working with Wreaths Across America. This is our third year hauling for them,” Morin continued. “I think we did 15 different cemeteries, including Arlington, this year, through the main leg of the national convoy.” Other charitable work is supported through A Helping Paw, a program through which the company works to “create a world where we whine less and wag more.” A Helping Paw’s work focuses on local needs such as buying jerseys for a local youth hockey team and other initiatives that are the soul of a small town. “I’m a big believer that, for companies that are successful and for individuals that are successful, a big part of that success is because of where you live,” Pardy said. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were trying to do some good stuff around town, helping some of the restaurants that were shuttered and stuff like that. That’s how we created Helping Paw, which is very much aligned with our values of giving and giving back. Where we can help, we want to help.” It’s all about community — Biddeford, Maine, in particular. “I’ve lived here my whole life. It’s the town I grew up in, and it’s done a lot for me,” Morin said. “I want to be able to give back to the community, and we’re able to do all these little things that companies should do for their towns. I get enjoyment out of it and I’m glad to be able to help people in this town.” This article originally appeared in the May/June 2023 edition of Truckload Authority, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association.

When Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Robin Hutcheson addressed Truckload Carriers Association members at this year’s annual convention, she touched on just about every issue of concern to drivers and industry leaders. She also praised truck drivers for the sacrifices they make while out on the road each day. “What drivers are doing for the American public is extraordinary; they are essential workers. They are keeping America moving every day,” Hutcheson said, noting that vital issues, such as a lack of safe parking, are at the forefront of FMCSA’s concerns. On truck parking, Hutcheson pointed to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan, which has made millions of dollars in grant funds available to help states build more safe truck parking sites. “We are pushing hard to progress on this issue,” she said. “We care deeply about truck parking.” According to the American Trucking Associations, more than 98% percent of drivers report problems finding safe parking, burning more than 56 minutes of available drive-time every day to find it. That wasted time amounts to a $5,500 loss in annual compensation — or a 12% pay cut. Hutcheson noted that her boss, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, has also pledged to make truck parking a priority. Last year, Buttigieg acknowledged during a hearing of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee that a lack of safe truck parking is a serious issue that must be addressed. “If you talk with any truck driver, it’s not only an issue of convenience, it’s an issue of safety,” Buttigieg said during that meeting. “And, I might add, with the idling that goes on, it’s even an issue of emissions.” Switching topics, Hutcheson outlined some of what President Joe Biden’s Trucking Action Plan will entail for the trucking industry. For example, more than $44 million in grants that will enhance road safety and make the process to obtain a CDL more efficient have been made available thanks to the plan, Hutcheson said. Hutcheson added that safety improvements move forward another chief FMCSA goal: Zero highway fatalities. “We made a list of actions that we need to take, and we called you, our partners, into action,” she said. “A safer commercial motor vehicle makes everyone safer. Our work is rooted in safer people and safer speeds and vehicles.” Some of those actions include proposals to require speed limiters and automatic braking technologies in big rigs. A total of 4,965 people died in large-truck crashes in 2020, according to the National Safety Council. The number of deaths decreased 1% from 2019 but is still up 31% since 2011. Statistics show most deaths in large-truck crashes are occupants of other vehicles (71%), followed by truck occupants (17%) and non-occupants, primarily pedestrians and bicyclists (12%). “I can’t think of another place in the modern world where we would accept people dying in the workplace,” Hutcheson said. “Our work toward fulfilling our mission begins with understanding the root cause of unsafe driving. This leads us to the driver.” TCA President Jim Ward, in comments on the speed limiter issue filed in the Federal Register, wrote that he “views the decision to mandate speed limiters as a sensible next step in the ongoing effort to reduce accidents on our roadways and improve safety in the industry.” In addition, “all Class 8 and 7 trucks manufactured after 1992 should utilize secure and reliable devices that limit the maximum speed to 65 mph, or 70 mph if the vehicles are also equipped with adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking,” Ward wrote. “The current technology allows motor carriers considerable flexibility when deploying speed limiting devices to accommodate speed differentials among vehicles,” he continued. “In fact, some carriers have established implementation models that tailor flexibility based on job performance and safe driving.” Hutcheson said that while most drivers are safe, it’s time to look at those who cause accidents through unsafe practices, such as driving while tired, intoxicated, or distracted. “We are asking deeper questions about why drivers become unsafe in the first place,” she said. “It’s about going to the headwaters of a problem. We can say it’s because they are speeding — but why were they speeding? Was it because of the hours they have to wait, sitting at the loading dock and not being paid? Were they hurrying to get to their destination? “We can say they are tired, but why are they tired?” she continued. “Did they drive around for hours to find a place to park? Or did they take on extra loads because their carrier doesn’t have enough drivers? If they are distracted, are they not taking breaks so they can catch up with their families, friends, and children? Do they feel unsafe? Have they been harassed, robbed or attacked?” In her speech, Hutcheson also thanked women drivers, who make up only 7% of those piloting big rigs up and down America’s highways. She called these women “trailblazers,” adding, “It’s not easy. We have to make space and opportunity for women to enter and grow in this industry.” Tying her speech back to the TCA, Hutcheson said the association shares “a lot of the same goals” with the FMCSA, noting that “people are so much more acutely aware where their goods come from (today).” “In everyday conversations, when I describe my work, my friends and family are conversing at a level that is right out of trade magazines that we all read every day,” she said, joking that her mom now understands spot rates. “There is such a consciousness about the work that you all do. Let’s take a moment to seize this opportunity. We are in the midst of change.” This article originally appeared in the May/June 2023 edition of Truckload Authority, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association.

In a heart-touching ceremony during Truckload 2023: Orlando, William “Bill” Giroux, who served as executive vice president of presidential projects for the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), was posthumously awarded the associations prestigious Past Chairman’s Award. The recipient of the annual award is chosen from nominations by past TCA chairs. Giroux, who served TCA for more than a quarter of a century, passed away in October 2019, at age 56. “This year’s selection is a name many knew and grew to love. He took care of his family, friends, and anyone who crossed his path,” said former TCA chairman Dennis Dellinger before announcing the recipient. “He worked with many TCA presidents and even more chairmen — including myself — to grow, enhance, and drive the association forward,” Dellinger continued. “He loved the TCA and its members, calling many of you here today steadfast friends. He knew you, your families, your triumphs, and your worries, and he was there to support you every step of the way.” Giroux’s work in trucking began when he responded to an ad posted by the Interstate Truckload Carriers Conference — now the Truckload Carriers Association — seeking a director of meetings and education. In the August 2015 edition of Truckload Authority magazine, Giroux shared his appreciation for trucking. “I love this industry and I would love to serve the membership as long as they’re willing to have me,” he said. “It’s just a great industry. I’ve been in this industry long enough to see the next generation take over, and it’ll leave you with the kind of memories I will always cherish.” During his 28-year tenure with TCA, Giroux was instrumental in ensuring the association’s membership enjoyed the best possible experience at on-site events, and he acted as a staff liaison for TCA’s Bylaws, Carrier/Shipper Relations, and Nominating Committees. “He lived his life with gracious humility,” noted Dellinger during the award ceremony. “He dedicated his time to bringing people together and appreciating underdogs that rose to success through volunteering his time with the Horatio Alger Association. “He was always one to have a drink, a moment, and a laugh with, and I cherish the memories I made with him,” Dellinger continued. The award was accepted by Giroux’s husband, Bob Lorenson. This article originally appeared in the May/June 2023 edition of Truckload Authority, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association.

Luke Subler chuckles aloud when asked how he and his father, Jim Subler, are alike. The elder Subler is the founder of the family trucking company, Versailles, Ohio-based Classic Carriers, where Luke spent his formative years learning the value of hard work. It’s the company Luke now leads as president — so the invitation for comparison is a constant one. “Anybody who reads this, who knows my dad as well as I, is going to laugh,” Luke said. “I always joke that we’re twins separated at birth … by 30 years. We walk, talk, and pretty much think alike. But we’re also our own people. “Working with family is difficult just because you never really split up work and family life. It’s hard to do when you’re constantly together,” he continued. “I’d be lying to you if I said there weren’t some interesting — and maybe heated — conversations at Thanksgiving and Christmas and things like that. But we’ve always found a way to come back together and move forward toward a common goal. That’s the biggest thing. My dad and I are very close. Anybody that knows us knows that.” Classic Carriers, founded in 1985, isn’t the only trucking company “ornament” that adorns the family tree. Luke’s grandfather and uncle launched Subler Transfer and ran the trucking company for decades before selling out. To this day, Luke smiles at the craftiness of the duo’s exit strategy. “They sold out in 1980,” he shared. “The day deregulation was signed, they signed the paperwork to sell the company. It was good timing on their part.” Unlike his older family members, Luke didn’t immediately jump full-on into the family business, save for the usual after-school and weekend work experiences that kids of small business owners know all too well. “As soon as I was old enough to hop in the truck with Dad and ride around and go deliver stuff, that’s what I did,” he said. “I’ve always been around the business. I started sweeping floors at about age 10. I finally got my first paycheck when I was 12 years old.” Subler sampled college but says he didn’t care for it. He returned to the company when he was 21 and Classic Carriers was 20. You could say from that point on, the two of them “grew up” together. “We had just purchased a company in 2003, and we were still kind of integrating that,” he said. “Then, in 2006 we purchased another company out of Pennsylvania, so we were definitely in growth mode. Those were exciting times. Along about 2007, I moved to the terminal we had in Pennsylvania and operated that for a number of years, until about 2012 when I moved back to Ohio. “It was good. I was still growing up in the business,” he continued. “There’s a lot of things I knew, but as far as managing people and doing things like that at a young age, it was a sharp learning curve. We’ll put it that way. I always kind of joke that I was the SOB — and that stands for “Son of the Boss” or whatever else you want to put with that acronym.” All kidding aside, Subler was committed to learning the business and improving his leadership skills. He earned his CDL in 2006. While driving was never a primary part of his job, he’s spent enough time behind the wheel to be able to relate to his crew, their issues, and the things they face on a daily basis. That, and a penchant for listening first and directing later, has built his reputation as a worthy successor for his father. That reputation was particularly handy when it came time to modernize or introduce other changes to operations. “Embracing technology, that was probably the (main) thing I brought to (the company),” he said. “When you’re trying to teach people who’ve never really used a computer how to change their habits, it’s hard. I’ll never forget: I had a guy who was probably in his mid-60s, one of the smartest dispatchers you’d ever meet, but he hated computers. “He literally did things off an old dispatch board, one of those old cardboards, and we couldn’t break him of it until he went on vacation,” he continued. “I removed the board and kind of forced his hand. He didn’t talk to me for a little while, but eventually he adapted. He even named his computer Lurch, and he and Lurch were best friends after that.” Today the company employs 125 drivers, 35 of them owner-operators, plus more than 50 additional mechanics and other support staff. In addition to hauling cargo throughout the lower 48 states, Classic Carries provides logistics services and warehousing. Subler says the key to having survived this long lies in the quality of the staff and the focus that ownership places on employee needs. It’s a corporate value that comes very naturally. “The first thing is, Classic Carriers was started by my father who started as a driver,” Luke said. “When you start out with that mentality, you treat drivers the way they want to be treated, and that goes for our entire company. We’ve got an open-door policy. I’ve got a driver in my office damn near every day, whether it’s an owner-operator coming to talk about rates or a company driver talking about the routes he’s on. “It can be a whole host of anything, where somebody just sits down and says, ‘Have you got a minute? I’ve got some things going on I want to talk to you about,’” he continued. “That goes for personal matters as well. We’re a very family-oriented company, and we firmly believe in that. We never plan to change that.” With his father spending more time in the warmer climes of semi-retirement and his own kids still too young to take their place at the company, Luke Subler has found himself positioned squarely at the controls to guide the family business through the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. “We’re looking to grow all aspects of our business, whether it be organically which is becoming very, very difficult, or through M&A. We’re going to do it any way we can,” he said. “There’s a lot of challenges and headwinds I see in the future, but technology is going to drive this industry. It already is, but I think we’re going to get more technology-driven and you’re either going to have to embrace it or get out of the way. And if you get out of the way, you’re going to get passed up really quick.” This article originally appeared in the May/June 2023 edition of Truckload Authority, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association.

On March 7, during the closing banquet for Truckload 2023: Orlando, Dave Williams officially accepted the position of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) chairman of the board for 2023-24. Williams, who serves as senior vice president of equipment and government relations for Knight-Swift Transportation, received a standing ovation following his address to association members. During his acceptance speech, Williams highlighted the importance of advocating for Truckload Carriers Association members — and the trucking industry as a whole — in Washington, D.C. He stressed that TCA members must do more to advocate for professional drivers. In addition, he said, it’s vital to increase the rewards for investing in the trucking industry, to focus on the environment while pushing back on unrealistic time lines, and to become more self-governing regarding safety in the industry. Williams, who holds a bachelor of science degree from Arizona State University, has been with Knight-Swift for 31 years. During his time at Knight-Swift, he has held many positions with both national and state trucking groups. He has served the Arizona Trucking Association as chairman and as a member of both the board of directors and the executive committee. On the national level, he has chaired multiple policy committees for the TCA as well as for the American Trucking Associations (ATA), including ATA’s Emissions Task Force and both TCA’s and ATA’s respective Highway Policy Committees. He lives with Suzi, his wife of 27 years, in Glendale, Arizona; the couple have four children — Mallory, Ely, Gracie, and Ryan. The following TCA members will assist Williams as association officers for 2023-24: 1st Vice Chair: Karen Smerchek, president of Veriha Trucking., Inc. 2nd Vice Chair: Jon Coca, president of Diamond Transportation System, Inc. Secretary: Mark Seymour, president and CEO of Kriska Transportation Group Treasurer: John Culp, president of Maverick USA, Inc. Vice Chair to ATA: Ed Nagle III, president of Nagle Toledo, Inc. Immediate Past Chair: John Elliott, CEO of Load One, LLC Officers At-Large: Adam Blanchard, CEO of Double Diamond Transport; Amber Edmonson, president and CEO of Trailiner Corp.; Pete Hill, president of Hill Brothers Transportation, Inc.; Joey Hogan, president of Covenant Transportation Services; and Trevor Kurtz, general manager of Brian Kurtz Trucking, LTD.

Truckload 2023: Orlando culminated with the announcement of the 2022 TCA Fleet Safety Awards grand prize winners. The contest is made possible by presenting sponsor, Great West Casualty Co., and supporting sponsors, Detroit Assurance and DriverReach. The grand prize for the small carrier division (total annual mileage of less than 25 million) went to FTC Transportation, Inc of Oklahoma City, and Bison Transport, Inc., of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada took home honors in the large carrier division (total annual mileage of 25 million or more). Both carriers demonstrated that they have exceptional safety programs and impressive accident frequency ratios over the past year. “TCA is proud to recognize FTC Transportation, Inc., and Bison Transport, Inc., for their outstanding achievements in safety,” said TCA President Jim Ward. “This year, we received the most entries ever in the history of the Fleet Safety Awards, showing that TCA members are truly industry leaders when it comes to safety. FTC Transportation and Bison are very deserving of the Grand Prize as a symbol of their amazing efforts to improve safety on our roadways.” The road to the grand prize level of TCA’s Fleet Safety Award program is a rigorous one. Carriers must submit their accident frequency ratio per million miles driven. Entrants are divided into six mileage-based divisions, and the three carriers with the lowest ratios for each division are identified as the winners in their categories, resulting in a total of 18 winners. But the process doesn’t stop there. These 18 carriers undergo an audit by independent experts to ensure the accuracy of their results; in addition, TCA asks each one to submit further documentation about their overall safety programs, both on and off the highway, to be eligible for the grand prize. After review by a diverse industry panel of judges, the winning companies are deemed to have best demonstrated their commitment to improving safety on North America’s highways. Both FTC and Bison, along with all of the carriers that placed in the Top 3 of their mileage-based divisions, will be recognized again during TCA’s 2023 Safety & Security Meeting, set for June 11-13 at The Marriott River Center hotel in San Antonio. This article originally appeared in the May/June 2023 edition of Truckload Authority, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association.