PAST CHAIRMAN’S Message
How to Succeed in Big Time Trucking
Mrs. Mabry was one of my favorite teachers at La Grange High School. But in order to pass her English class, seniors were required to write a thesis and consider their future careers.
In the early ’80s there were endless opportu- nities. Much like now, the oilfield was active, there were tech companies setting up in Austin, and a host of electronic gadgets being invented. I must have “aced” the ASVAB test because all the military recruiters were get- ting me out of class to sign me up.
There was an option that always intrigued me because there were several gentlemen in Warda, Texas, my hometown, that I looked up to that were truckers. Mr. Kasper had three or four road trucks that, at that time, were very nice - Peterbilts with sleepers and a rockin’ green and yellow paint scheme. Mr. Wagner was a “bullhauler,” and Mr. Zoch drove for Balcones, and still does to this day. So naturally, with movies like Smokey and the Bandit and the whole “breaker 19” thing to inspire me, I set out to write my thesis.
But in 1982 there were limited options for research…truckers, encyclopedias, newspa- pers and the LaGrange school library were it. No Internet. So I checked out a dusty book, “How to Succeed in Big Time Trucking,” wrote my paper and turned it in with a feel- ing of accomplishment—like having a full tank of gas on Saturday night.
Despite my paper, I had no clue what it took to drive a big truck, much less operate a fleet. I’m sure Mrs. Mabry knew that, but it was the process of thinking about my future, researching my options and completing a
12 Winter 2015
WE FOCUSED ON BUILDING THE MEMBERSHIP, INCREASING MEMBER BENEFITS, INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF
LEADERS TO PICK UP THE FLAG AND LEAD OUR INDUSTRY FORWARD, AND BUILDING TRUCKPAC INTO THE SOUGHT AFTER ENDORSEMENT IN AUSTIN, AND A STRONG, UNIFIED VOICE UNDER THE DOME.
project on time that was important. I passed. She gave me a C- and lined through a word claiming it did not exist in the English language.
Fast forward a few years: Laurie and I were married, Ashley was almost four and Richard was on the way. We had moved to Houston in ’89 with a company I worked for after elec- tronics school and subsequent training in the graphics industry. I went from supervisor, to manager, to district manager. Things were going well. We had bought a nice house in the burbs and planned to stay in the Houston area for the foreseeable future. Some time in ’93, my father in law, Bobby Lehmann, approached me with the idea of moving to Giddings and learning the family business.
Bobby had started the company in ’78 with an old rusted out pickup and a gooseneck trailer. Back in those days, the Railroad Commission regulated trucking, and you had to lease on to a company with a permit. Permits were hard to come by, but he finally “bought” one a few years before de-regula- tion. In the meantime, there were a few ups and downs. Through it all, Bobby Lehmann Trucking continued to grow and Bobby felt it was time to get a family member involved.
In early ’94, Laurie and I decided to join the family business. Bobby had about 10 trucks, 20 trailers and a handful of off-road equip- ment. Most of the work was in range of a two-way radio and consisted of production work like moving pumps, tanks and pipe.
Mr. Lehmann belonged to the Oilfield Haulers Association, which had joined forces with TMTA shortly before I came aboard. He insisted that I get involved and was adamant about purchasing supplies and services from the membership in order to support the asso- ciation. Some of my first experiences at TMTA were at the Annual Conference, where I met some of the staff and appreciated their interest in the membership and the “how can we help?” attitude they all had. Yes, I’m talk- ing about Les and Lance. I attended one of the early safety audit seminars and what I learned changed the course of our safety pro- gram without a doubt.
In 2000, Don Backen came on board as our safety director and has, with the help of the association, created a positive safety culture for our company. His frequent visits to TXTA events have aided BLT’s safety metrics, and his monthly newsletter, Skidmarks, is fol- lowed as far away as Sweden.
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