E Werner
By Steve Brawner Contributing Writer
When C.L. Werner sold his car at age 19 in
1956 and bought a Ford F800 truck in Omaha, few could have imagined what the future would hold. Today, Werner Enterprises is the country’s
third largest truckload carrier. Its fleet consists of more than 7,300 tractors and almost 24,000 trailers. It offers a range of services: dedicated, medium-to-long haul, temperature-controlled, flatbed, etc. More than 11,500 associates and independent contractors make their living with the company, which has offices in six countries. And yet, according to Derek Leathers, president and chief operating officer, it hasn’t forgotten its roots. “I love it,” he said. “I tell people all the time,
I think I’ve got one of the best jobs in the world. I work at a publicly traded company that’s got a global footprint, but it’s still family managed and family run with family values with work- life balance in mind, and with a commitment to the community. And so you kind of wake up every day excited to go to work.” Who wouldn’t be? Te company has
been named the Progressive Carrier of the Year by Coca-Cola; the Carrier of the Year, National Truckload by the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council five of the last six years; and one of “America’s 100 Most Trustworthy Companies” by Forbes magazine.
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nterprises A Global Company with Humble Roots From its humble beginnings, Werner has
grown into a global transportation and logistics powerhouse. Te company completed its initial public offering in April 1986. After entering Canada in the mid-1990s and Mexico in 1999, it now provides logistical services in 130 countries and has offices in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, China, Australia and the Netherlands. Werner was the first motor carrier to
implement electronic logging devices – a move that came at C.L. Werner’s insistence. According to Leathers, the company’s founder believed that if motor carriers had the capability to track trucks, they also could know if drivers had reached their hours limit. Te company started testing the concept in 1996 and then went live with the technology on the entire fleet in 1998. Leathers acknowledged that, for a time,
the company’s commitment to the devices placed it at a competitive disadvantage. While competitors’ drivers could fudge on their driving hours, Werner’s were held to strict standards. But the early commitment also gave the company a head start on a technology that increasingly is becoming standard and eventually probably will be mandated. “Our productivity is at the top of the
industry even though we ‘re electronically logging, and it’s not because we’re logging illegally. It’s quite the contrary,” he said. “It’s because we know how to utilize the truck
better. We have visibility into the hours ahead of time. We know how to put the right load on the right driver because we can see exactly how many hours they have, versus kind of guessing at it in the dark a little bit and then asking the driver to make up the difference.” Werner’s commitment to technology
extends beyond electronic logging devices. Te company has developed its own information technology systems using a team of more than 250 programmers, including those in its foreign offices. Tose programmers are writing code and designing algorithms that help the company design better routes and shipping patterns for its customers. Tat enables the company to ship efficiently, cut miles and reduce costs, which Leathers said builds customer loyalty. “We’re very proud of being mode-agnostic,”
NEBRASKA TRUCKER — ISSUE 3, 2014 —
www.nebtrucking.com
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