“I REALLY BELIEVE THAT IF WE AND OUR CUSTOMERS CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER


THERE’S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO MITIGATE SOME OF THE COST WE WOULD OTHERWISE ACCRUE. AND IF WE DON’T GET IN FRONT OF [LOADING TIME],


LIKE WE GOT IN FRONT OF SOME OF THESE OTHER ISSUES, THEN THERE IS ONLY ONE THING THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN: IT’S GOING TO BE WORSE.


IT’S GOING TO BE MORE EXPENSIVE, AND IT ISN’T GOING TO WORK AS WELL.”


—KEVIN KNIGHT, CEO & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, KNIGHT TRANSPORTATION


Knight Further challenging the quest for


efficiency, Harper said, is the shipper tell- ing a driver when he arrives with freight to be unloaded, to go out back and wait. “Shippers should realize that when


the driver arrives at the dock, his ‘on duty’ meter is running,” he said, to a chorus of “yes” from the others. “And people need to attack that trailer and get that trailer unloaded and loaded as fast as they can.”


“They’re not going to until they’re


forced,” suggested Knight. “Unless they have to pay for those


delays,” said Kidd. Knight said the turnaround needed


to be treated the way Southwest Airlines handles loading and unloading its planes, and Harper seized on that as a perfect example. “I was in Branson not too long


ago flying Southwest,” Harper recalled,


TRUCKING ALLIANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS STEVE WILLIAMS, CHAIRMAN


Steve Williams founded the privately held Maverick Transportation in 1980 and currently serves as owner, chairman and CEO. The Maverick companies—consisting of Maverick Transportation, Maverick Logistics and Maverick Leasing—employ 1,500 workers and operate more than 1,200 tractors serving the United States, Canada and Mexico.


Born in 1953, Williams grew up in a small Missouri town where he learned from his father, a steel hauler. In 1975, he went to work for Steel Haulers, leading their operations in Little Rock, Ark. Then in 1980, with only one truck, he went into business with co-worker and friend Larry Leahy, forming Maverick Transportation.


Williams serves on the Arkansas Trucking Association Board of Directors, was elected three times as chairman of the Arkansas Trucking Association and is a former chairman of the American Trucking Associations in 2005, where he also serves on the board of directors. Additionally, Williams sat on the executive committee of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies and currently acts as chairman of the American Transportation Research Institute.


32


“and it looked like we were going to be leaving 20 minutes late. Well, they got on the loudspeaker and said, ‘Okay, the plane is within distance and it’s going to be here soon. Please start lining up and be ready to go.’ We actually ended up leaving on time because they made up for that late arrival by getting us loaded so much more quickly.” Harper believes the solution is working with customers to impress


GARY SALISBURY


Gary Salisbury began his multi-faceted career as an owner-operator operating under his own authority prior to leasing to Fikes, and now, 30 years later, he is president and CEO of Fikes Truck Line, providing flatbed services as well as other freight and utilizing terminals in Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky and Texas.


His first-hand experience with the driver-side of the transportation equation makes him a sought-after expert on recruitment and retention issues in such organizations as the Truckload Carriers Association where he serves on the Carrier-Shipper Committee.


In 2011 Salisbury served as the chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association where he continues to serve on the Board. In 2012, he accepted the chairmanship for the Arkansas Trucking Association and is slated to become an upcoming chairman of the Texas Trucking Association.


KEVIN KNIGHT


Kevin P. Knight founded Knight Transportation with his brother, Keith, and cousins Gary and Randy in 1990. They each had an advanced degree in trucking from their previous employer, Swift Transportation. From 1975 to 1984 and again from 1986 to 1990, he


ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 6 2013


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