Author: Drive for Bennett Motor Express

When you decided to work for yourself as an independent truck driver, you may not have realized that choosing the right carrier to lease to could make all the difference in the quality of your trucking jobs.

Choose a trucking partner and control your own destiny.

Trucking is the one of the few industries today where licensed professionals are literally in the driver’s seat when it comes to job opportunities. Because your skills are in high demand, you can pick the carrier you partner with because it meets your needs and expectations — not because it happens to provide trucking jobs.

What are your work/life priorities? What kind of working relationship do you want with a carrier? What kinds of trucking jobs are you looking for? Consider all your options and do your homework. Ask yourself what is most important when it comes to:

• Payment speed and back office support
• Freight flexibility and home time
• Respect and company culture

There are lots of good trucking companies out there. Compare their offers to your wish list, and see who comes closest to your ideal trucking partner.

Ask some specific questions to find the company that is the right fit and offers the best trucking jobs for you.

1) What are my potential revenue possibilities?

First, delve into the basics: What are the available routes at this company? What types of freight are you most likely to be hauling? Do they pay fair percentages for the type equipment you have and the types of loads you want to carry?

What about bonuses? Ask if they offer cash bonuses for safe driving or other performance milestones. And while you’re at it, look into their pay plan. Do they offer same-day pay options, or do you have to wait weeks — or even months — to get your money?

2) How easy is it to access the trucking jobs I want?

Today’s best trucking companies support their drivers with state-of-the-art technology, including websites and mobile apps for instant access to company information, available loads, settlement statements and more. You’ll want unfettered access to freight and complete visibility into available loads through an electronic load board.

Choose a company that helps you establish your own personal relationships with agents across the country.

3) Is this company going to make it possible for me to be home as often as I need or want to be?

Ask yourself if the typical running habits at this company fit your home time requirements. Do they offer local or regional lanes if you need to be home on a regular basis? Do they have coast-to-coast routes if your lifestyle lets you stay on the road for extended periods? Do they used forced dispatch? You want the freedom to pick the loads you want to carry and the ability to control your own schedule.

What happens if you need to get home in the event of an emergency? Ask if the company has a “Take Me Home” option through its load board that notifies you as soon as freight is available to take you back where you need to be.

4) What does this company offer in terms of my current and future customer base?

Trucking is a notoriously seasonal business, which means some months may be slower than others. As an independent contractor, you want a partner that can help you keep a steady stream of trucking jobs throughout the year.

Look for a company that has long-standing customer relationships with businesses that have year-round shipping needs.

5) Where do I fit in the organization? Am I part of something bigger, or just a driver floating somewhere out on the road?

Corporate culture matters. Choose a company that clearly explains its core values. Do they recognize and reward drivers who exceed expectations? What kind of investment are they willing to make in training and other benefits? Do they respect diversity and individual contributors? You want to work for a company that cares about you, the person — not just you, the vehicle.

What are they doing to promote driver safety? Do they have a safety culture that puts the driver’s wellbeing first above all?

6) Will this company help me progress in my career? What does my future look like with this organization?

Independent drivers are the key to a successful trucking operation. You’re putting everything you have on the line to grow your business; you want your employer to do the same.

How reliable is the company you’re about to lease to? What kind of reputation do they have with agents? With customers? Can you expect to drive for them for years to come?

Will they help you learn specialized skills to keep you on a profitable career path? Ask if they have special programs for women drivers, veterans, or more experienced drivers. The best companies offer a variety of driving options and provide the support independent drivers and owner-operators need to meet the changing needs of their customers.

See if Bennett Motor Express is right for you.

Bennett Motor Express is looking for people who have a passion for what they do, and who care about safety and professionalism.

If you’re a qualified driver, call us today to see how we can serve each other: 800-367-2249

Bennett Motor Express (BME)/Ace Doran is excited to share that it has expanded its wind energy transportation business, making BME/Ace Doran among the largest transporters of wind equipment.

Ace Doran, a division of BME, has added a fleet of more than 70 tower trucks and 36 blade trucks, which complements BME’s specialization in transporting wind turbine hubs, machine heads and smaller components.

With the expansion of trucks combined with Bennett Onsite Services (BOSS), a business unit that provides crane and rigging services for wind energy, Bennett can “do it all,” notes Rob Simon, vice president of heavy haul and specialized for BME. “We can now safely transport every component of a wind tower. We can load them, transport them, and build them.”

Unique Transportation Configurations

Ace Doran’s equipment types are versatile, offering “all kinds of configurations,” says Tony Parson, who dispatches the tower and blade loads for one of Ace Doran’s largest clients, a multinational high-tech industrial conglomerate. For example, Ace Doran has invested in equipment specialized for towers and blades, including double schnabels, schnabel dollies and booster dollies.

“Our specialized equipment gives us the capacity to haul any tower that is manufactured in the U.S.,” Tony says. “This equipment is a unique value-add because it lets us go places that other types of trailers cannot go without getting special permits to meet police requirements.”

Most Experienced Drivers in the Industry

Ace Doran will not contract with owner/operators who do not have at least two years of experience hauling wind equipment. “Our drivers are some of the most experienced in the industry,” says Tony, who has been assigning loads for the same client since 2000. “Many of them have as much as 30 years of experience with heavy haul and more than a decade of wind hauling experience.

To be a wind contractor for Ace Doran, drivers must participate in a rigorous driver qualification process and have an impeccable safety record, says Tony. ”They must have knowledge of permits and escorts and be able to order their own permits.”

Safety #1 Priority

In addition to making safety a priority and complying with all safety regulations, Ace Doran sends out a safety expert to meet with the wind drivers on the road. Ace provides this benefit because wind drivers are often gone from home for six months at a time and are challenged with being able to satisfy Bennett’s requirement that they participate in one onsite safety meeting a year.

“Our team is very close-knit,” Tony says. “We are all owner/operator-based, but we are a family type of fleet. We work with each other to make sure things get done. For instance, if we have a truck that has a problem while on route, all we have to do is make a call to another driver in the area to help our guy out and deliver his load. Our trucks are always communicating with each other and helping each other out.”

To learn more about BME/Ace Doran wind energy services, please call 800-866-5500.

As states began to get tougher about enforcing carrier safety standards, Bennett Field Office Manager Joan Birdsong was seeing more citations coming in and knew she had to come up with a solution.

Joan was recently recognized by Bennett’s vice president of safety, Randall Vernon, for being a leader in implementing pre-trip inspection best practices and exemplifying Bennett’s commitment to safety.  As part of his safety report during a Bennett Today News Network panel discussion that was streamed live to Bennett employees, Randall called out Joan for being a model safety citizen for Bennett.

Recalling a trip he made to Joan’s company store in Rancho Dominguez, Calif., Randall says: “Joan had gotten some write-ups for bald tires and insecure loads and decided enough was enough. So she decided to use some of her guys to look at the truck before loading. If the truck has any visible defects, Joan will swiftly tell the driver they have to fix the truck before loading. I hardly get any violations from her terminal anymore.”

No Exceptions!

Joan, whose store is located in one of the most stringent regions in the country known for random pull-overs, says she trots the fine line between being firm with her drivers and supportive at the same time. “We kind of hold a finger over them, but any way we can help them, we do,” she says. Joan has trained her forklift drivers and employees how to inspect trucks as they are being loaded. If anything looks awry, such as tires, lights or straps for securing the loads, the forklift drivers stop loading.

Joan says those problems don’t happen that often, but when they do, they can usually be addressed quickly right there at the store. “We take the drivers a few blocks away to a store where they can purchase the items they need, and we have a mechanic here who can help out,” she says. “We also keep some parts on site such as lights and mud flaps. Now our drivers know what to expect and they actually are grateful when we find things they missed because they don’t want to be stopped and cited either.”

Joan shares about a case, in which a driver had two low tires that she knew would not get through a scale. The driver explained that he did not want to replace the tires because he was planning on selling his trailer. Understandably, he did not want to take on that expense since he would have the truck for a short time, but Joan knew where he could get good quality used tires for only a $100 each.

“He was thankful that it didn’t cost that much, and he was able to get through a scale without being stopped,” Joan says.

Driver Safety Meetings Key

Joan makes sure her drivers are fully informed about where they need to be careful before they pull out with a load. She holds safety meetings with her drivers, in which she shares information that Randall shares with the field offices about where “the heat” is the hottest and what states are targeting on the lanes for violations. “I’ll be able to say, hey, in Arizona this month this is what you have to worry about.“

Joan shares that just recently in Arizona, the highway patrolmen were pulling over drivers who were going 60 miles in a 55-mile zone. “They’re really tough out here,” she says. “Just yesterday, we got pulled over for a random inspection, and thank God we got a clean inspection.”

When customers tell us we’re doing a great job, it’s such an honor; when I see a heavy haul leaving my yard, it’s breathtaking,” says Jorge Espinoza, who manages Bennett Motor Express’ fast-paced, busy terminal in Laredo, Tex. Bennett Laredo has managed more than 20,000 cross-border shipments to and from Mexico and last year won Bennett’s Terminal of the Year award for business results.

Managing the transport of roughly 1,500 to 2,100 loads a year back and forth over the Rio Grande River on the World Trade Bridge, Bennett Laredo is one of the top land ports in the United States.  With a fleet of more than 1,000 trucks and 3,000 trailers, Bennett Laredo coordinates customs brokers, drayage services and pre-approved Mexican carriers to help manage the complexities of cross-border shipping. All of this with just a small team of seven dedicated, committed bi-lingual employees who are not afraid of hard work and have a passion for customer service, Jorge proudly shares.

Referring to his team as “spartans,” Jorge explains: “We are all a bunch of hard-working people, committed and dedicated. We love what we do. We wake up every single day excited to come in and do something good. My motto is, ‘I take care of my customer.’ A lot of people think my job is easy, but it is actually very hard. I just make it look easy.”

Cross-Border Shipping with Mexico Not Easy

Jorge explains that Mexico has the second strictest customs brokerage requirements in the world, with the first being Brazil. Jorge’s team must deal with masses of paperwork and chase down small details that other countries don’t require.

Challenges associated with getting shipments to and from Mexico include:

• Unresponsive customs brokers. Sometimes Jorge must go physically to the Mexican customs brokers to get the information he needs to process the shipment out of his yard. “They don’t see us as the customer even though we were hired by the customer to manage the shipping,” he explains.

• Complying with two completely different shipping systems. In Mexico, there is more distrust and protectiveness, resulting in more layers of approvals, paperwork and bureaucracy. “In America, we can do business via email, but in Mexico we have to present the original documents, so we must invest time and money to take the original paperwork to the people who must review it,” he says.
• International traffic. Almost 10,000 trucks cross over the bridge every day, causing a line of bumper-to-bumper 18-wheelers that can go on for as much as 15 miles, Jorge explains. “Much of this delay has to do with the strict Mexican customs requirements,” Jorge says.
• Internet shutdowns from too much activity. Almost every Friday, the overwhelming amount of traffic causes one or both of the Internet systems on both sides to overload and crash. “If the systems are down more than an hour, police officers begin to send truckers back to the customs brokers,” Jorge says, “and then we must inform our customers and coordinate all over again.”

Bennett Laredo Team Always Willing to Go Above and Beyond

Despite these challenges, Jorge’s team still manages to process roughly 50 loads a week, operating from a foundation of honesty, passion for the job and a commitment to hard work, Jorge stresses. “It’s our customer service that makes us great,” he says. “We do a lot behind the scenes.”

Jorge’s team is always willing to do the extra, to go above and beyond, delivering whatever the customer needs. Whether they want Jorge to drive them to Mexico to check on loads, or assemble the parts that are needed to fix damaged cargo shipped in from Mexican trucking companies, Jorge and his team are there when customers need them.

“It’s a lot of problem solving,” Jorge says. “It’s very normal to solve problems, which we like to do for our customers. If we have to come early, that’s what we do. If we have to stay late, we stay as late as we must to get the job done. If we are taking our kids to Chuck E. Cheese and the phone rings, we answer because at the end of the day, we have to take care of our customer.”

Learn more about Bennett Laredo’s specific services.

If you would like to know more about Bennett’s cross-border shipping services to and from Mexico, please call 956-712-4111.