We believe Bennett drivers are the cream of the crop, and we take pride in celebrating them any chance we get. Every year at Bennett’s Annual Symposium, we honor those drivers and name our Driver of the Year. Last year, Jimmy James, who lives in Houston, received some news he was not expecting. His dispatcher gave him a call and told him he was being named Bennett’s 2016 Driver of the Year. His first reaction was simply, “Wow.”
This April will make eleven years that Jimmy has been with Bennett Motor Express. The beginning of his career was started working in the warehouse loading trucks with a forklift. From the forklift, he moved on to driving trucks around the yard, and this is where his career truly began. He loved driving these trucks so much, he decided to do it for the better part of his life.
When the company Jimmy was working for went under, the dispatcher he had been working with decided to move all his trucks over to Bennett. Well, Jimmy decided to follow him. After eleven years of being with the company, he still doesn’t have any complaints.
He says, “Bennett is the best company I’ve ever worked for. That’s why I came here, and it’s why I’ve stayed.”
When Jimmy got to the Annual Symposium last year, he was presented his award on stage and received his leather jacket with Driver of the Year written on the back of it. Aside from the jacket, being named Driver of the Year has certainly led to even more perks. Jimmy was able to network with a multitude of agents at the event, which led him to even more work throughout the year.
We asked Jimmy what his best memory of the past year was and he said, “I would have to say, I guess it’s the presidential election. I’ve never experienced anything like that before, so that has been interesting. Also, having the opportunity to meet people through being named Driver of the Year, and receiving more work because of that has helped my business as well.”
When reflecting on the duration of his career as a driver, Jimmy had the following advice for anyone interested in starting a career in trucking, or thinking of becoming an owner operator. “When I was first starting out, I was told it was going to get really hard when I bought my first truck, but to not give up and hang in there. And you know what? I’m glad I did. That’s what I would tell someone just staring out or buying their first truck. It’s going to be hard sometimes, but if you hang in there, it will be worth it in the end.”
Bennett Motor Express welcomed 5 new #drivers to our #fleet. Back row left to right: Leon Robinson, Todd Elwood, Michael Pope, and Donald Nalley. Front row: Cornelius McKenzie and Judy Loughery. Donald Nalley is a fleet owner who brought Cornelius and Judy on board along with him. Welcome to the Bennett family!
In the transportation industry, there are often small differences between carriers. One may offer slightly different pay percentages, while another may offer a sign-on bonus. In the short term, differences in pay and benefits may seem important, but what happens when your truck breaks down? If you have a medical issue, will the company you are leased to be sympathetic to your situation? What about the sense of loneliness you feel every day on the road away from your family? So many of the real issues that arise in trucking can only be addressed by people that truly care for your needs and are led by a higher purpose. Before making the switch to another carrier, it’s beneficial for you and your family to test a trucking company’s core values.
Since purchasing Bennett in 1974, founder Marcia G. Taylor has relied on the guidance of God for all her decision making. It is reflected in the company’s Spiritual Commitment Core Value: Bennett is founded on and operates with the belief that our blessings come from God, and we give thanks for receiving and sharing them.
Over time, the company has nurtured its spiritual commitment in the people it hires, the policies it maintains, and the decisions it makes, making Bennett a good example of a faith-based trucking company. Studies show that building a company that lives up to its core values not only boosts company morale, but also helps employees to grow both personally and professionally.
Mrs. Taylor says she has always been a faith-based person, and that she wouldn’t have gotten this far in her 43 years of owning this company if it weren’t for God’s blessings.
She says, “Of course it’s very important to us to be successful and profitable and to grow, but it’s equally as important that we use this company for good. That we are sharing with others. We know not everyone is faith-based and that is certainly understandable, but we try to portray the love of God in all that we do. If there are big decisions to be made, we’re going to pray about it. I say to people that I need to sleep on it, and the answer will come. And it always does.”
Mrs. Taylor acknowledges that the company is far from perfect, but we operate under our core values, and make all of our decisions based on those values. We have a volunteer charity committee that conducts a food drive for the food pantry, and packs over 300 bags of school supplies twice a year for children in need. When the hurricanes hit Houston, she says our people were instrumental in sending down trailers full of food.
She says, “Our people have huge hearts and it just amazes me sometimes the types of things they do. About four years ago, it was laying on my heart, and we started the Taylor Family Foundation. I wanted my children and grandchildren to understand about giving back. We take 10% of our earnings total each year, and it goes into this foundation. My grandchildren all sit on this board, and they help make the decisions of where this grant money goes to. I am blessed they have such giving hearts.
We know that our blessings come from God, and caring for our drivers is our first priority. This is one reason so many of our owner operators end up staying with us for decades and driving millions of miles for us. At Bennett, we care about our drivers’ long-term well-being. That’s why we have had Pastor John Dewberry as our in-house chaplain for four years.
Pastor Dewberry has known the Taylor family for over 30 years, and is quite the busy man – he is also a chaplain for NASCAR, as well as the Henry County Police Department. However, he always makes time for Bennett drivers and employees.
He says, “Drivers will call me when they are going through challenges with freight, loads, and even personal issues. In turn, I have the opportunity to get to know them and learn how they think and deal with things. I make sure they all know that our conversations are confidential, and not to be repeated. Several of them call me Pastor, they don’t even refer to me as Chaplain anymore, and that’s what I am: their pastor. They are on the road so much, and they call me because they know I care about them and our conversations are free of judgement.”
Pastor Dewberry echoes this sentiment. “These drivers know they can call me, day or night, and I will be an outlet for them. Bennett is also an awesome experience, because you have so many different facets of the business. I’ll have the opportunity to talk to someone who may be pulling a three-axle tractor, or someone hauling a step deck trailer, and they all have different challenges. I tell drivers in orientation: ‘Human beings run this company, so it may not be perfect, but every day we will strive for perfection.’”
Pastor Dewberry hosts a bible study every Wednesday at 12pm in our McDonough, Georgia office, and a worship service on Sundays at 10am at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
You might say, “This is all well and good, but what does it really mean for me? How does a faith-based trucking company really affect my life and career as a truck driver?” For Bennett, it means looking at everything we do through a Christian lens. Our principles and philosophy stem from the words of Jesus Christ as written in the bible:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 New International Version (NIV)
This means we listen to the concerns of drivers and what is important for your family, we look to faith to help create solutions. Benita Coffey, our VP of Operations who has been with Bennett since 1994, says this is reflected in our Driver Relief Fund. Every year, she manages to raise money through raffles and various events through the year. Drivers can elect to donate from each load they haul, and this money goes directly into the fun. In unfortunate circumstances when a driver falls on extremely hard times, Bennett has this fund to offer them to make sure they are taken care of.
Every year, Bennett sets a goal of $10,000 to add to the fund. Benita says it can be a struggle to reach this goal annually, but they manage to do it. There have been families who lost everything in the hurricane in Houston, drivers who have had medical issues with themselves or immediate family, or family members who have passed away.
Benita says, “When I’ve called the drivers and told them they’ve been chosen to receive the Driver Relief Fund, I have seen grown men cry. All that we ask, if that when they’re back on their feet, if they could try to pay it forward for future drivers in need.”
It’s not just drivers who benefit from Bennett’s spiritual commitment, but also their families. Every year, Bennett tries to send at least 100 children, of employees or drivers, to Camp Bennett in Florida. Many times, these children wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to go to camp. So, each year, teenagers from all over the country have a week of fun and fellowship down south.
Mrs. Taylor says, “It’s a wonderful place for kids to go and have a week of fun, and learn about God. We had several children saved at camp last year, and that makes it all worth it.”
Mrs. Taylor acknowledges that while many people choose Bennett because of our Christian values, that may not be the case for everyone. She says, “We have people who come to us because we are faith-based, but not everyone is, and that doesn’t matter to us. I just want to use this company for good. At the end of the day, that’s what is most important to me.”
If you’re looking for a faith-based trucking company rooted in Christian values, or if you’d just like more information, contact one of our recruiters at 888-712-3036!
Bennett Motor Express welcomes two new #drivers to our fleet! From the left: Steven Brooks and Jack Hamlin. Both of these gentlemen have served in the Army and received Veteran decals for their trucks during orientation. Welcome to the Bennett family!
Tesla has just unveiled what could be the future of the trucking industry. Tesla announced last summer that they were working on developing the first fully electric semi-truck ever produced and they came through on their promise. Tesla’s main goal when manufacturing this semi-truck was to simply make it faster, more reliable, and cheaper to maintain than your everyday diesel trucks.
The new look semi has a sleek look and was designed to be more aerodynamic than your average diesel truck. The cabin has one seat which sits directly in the center with two monitors, one of the left and one on the right. The semi-truck can go from 0-60 MPH in an amazing 5 seconds. That is quicker than a brand new V6 Mustang! The average diesel truck on production now can get from 0-60 in 15 seconds.
The all new Tesla semi comes with tons of new safety features that’ll make everyone on the road safer. Tesla’s autopilot technology comes as a standard for these semis along with their all new braking system which guarantees that you’ll never have to change your brake pads. The new semi only has one gear and no transmission so you’ll never have to budget for transmission issues
The biggest takeaways from this announcement is the astonishing acceleration this semi-truck is capable of and the enhanced reliability. The improved quickness of the truck will have a drastic improvement on the flow of traffic, and drivers will be able to cover more ground in the same amount of time. It’s safe to say that being able to cover more ground in a more reliable semi-truck will leave truck drivers across the world cheering after this announcement. The only question we have left is what will this amazing piece of machinery cost its consumers. It’s safe to say that the future of the trucking industry has arrived.
Joe and Debbie Benfatta have been driving for Bennett for over a year, after coming back for a second time. They haul for the military, and say the people on the government side of the industry do a fantastic job. We asked why they returned for a second time, and this is what they had to say. #truckers #trucking 
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