The Common Sense Carrier


Mike Herre has led Fremont Contract Carriers to fivefold growth via forward thinking


By eriC FranCiS Contributing Writer


For 47 years, Mike Herre has been in


the trucking industry, from the moment he graduated college through running other people’s trucking companies to operating one of his own: Fremont Contract Carriers, which he bought from founder Wendell Bruner on April 19, 1994. “Te company actually started in


December 1965, and come next December it will have been around 50 years,” Said Herre. “[Bruner] was not only a good truck driver, but also a good trucking company operator.” And Herre hasn’t been alone during his


nearly half-century in the industry. His wife Karen has been by his side for 47 years, as well. Tey started dating as high school sophomores and have been together ever since. “We just fell in love,” said Mike. “It’s just one of those things that happen,”


agreed Karen. “Te year we got married was also the year


I started working in the trucking industry,” he said. “Not only have we been personal partners, but we’ve been business partners, too.” Today, they oversee a carrier that’s grown


from 60 trucks at the time they purchased it to about 300 today and has earned a reputation as a driver’s company. Tis year they were named by the Truckload Carriers Association as one of the Top 20 fleets to drive for – for the fifth time in six years. Two of those years they were ranked No. 1, and in early April Herre was waiting for the annual TCA conference to see if they’d managed to top the list again.


12 “Everywhere we’ve been, we have always


been an employee-focused company,” said Herre of their effort to be a destination for drivers. “You don’t manage by intimidation, in my opinion. Te way you manage is you include your staff and let your feelings and thoughts be known, and let them share in the growth of the business.” Tat philosophy comes through when,


instead of simply tallying up the number of employees his company has (271 full time and 155 independent contractors), Herre likes to give it a particular perspective: “We have approximately 400 households that depend on FCC.” It’s a familiar perspective to anyone who’s


been in the industry long enough: You think of your company as your family. And family is a big thing for Mike and Karen Herre. Teir three daughters are all married and living in Omaha; daughter Kris works in the family business, as do all three sons-in-law – Erik Andry, Guy Mumford, and Dan Michalski. In addition, there are eight grandchildren between the ages of 5 and 21. Having the next generation ready to take


over running the company is, of course, a comfort after spending 20 years growing it. “We do plan to keep the ownership in the


family,” said Herre. “I must add quickly that we have a lot of other management at FCC beyond the family that contributes greatly to what we accomplish here every day, starting with chief operating officer Tim McCormick. Frankly, Karen and I now, because we’re in our mid-60s, are spending a little more time away from work


but that wouldn’t be possible without the great staff we have.” Among those is driver Reuben Dupsky,


who was a finalist for this year’s Company Driver of the Year award at the TCA. “We’re very proud of Reuben – he’s been


here 13 years, has been a driver for 39 years, so a third of his career is with us,” said Herre. “He has 4.5 million accident-free miles to his credit. Tat’s an average of 115,000 miles a year.” Not only is Dupsky a great ambassador


for FCC, he is also a great ambassador for the industry. He’s involved in raising money for the


NEBRASKA TRUCKER — ISSUE 2, 2014 — www.nebtrucking.com


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