TeCoolest Job B in theWorld


rent Falgione, Greater Omaha Express


BY STEVE BRAWNER Contributing Writer


PHOTOGRAPHY BY CALLIE KNAPP When Brent Falgione agreed to become


president of Greater Omaha Express last year, owner Henry Davis and Angelo Fili, executive vice president of sister company Greater Omaha Packing, told him they wanted to increase profits and take care of the drivers. Tose are not separate goals, Falgione


believes. In fact, treating drivers like the company’s customers is how Greater Omaha Express plans to make more money. “Tey’re out on the road,” he said. “Tey’re


the front line. Without the drivers, there’s no reason for anybody to be here in the office, and without the support of the office, the non- driving employees, the drivers wouldn’t be able to do their job either.” Falgione, 44, said the company has spent


the past year making the driver experience as positive as possible. Pay was increased to go along with the company’s low-cost health and dental plans and its 401(K). More importantly, the carrier has reworked its routes so drivers have shorter hauls and more home time – often during the week in addition to the weekends. Drivers are being strategically hired based on their proximity to a route location for the same reason. Meanwhile, the company made driver


comfort a top priority. Te carrier has spent more than $7 million this year in equipment upgrades. It now has 68 trucks, with plans to purchase five new trucks each quarter for


12


a year and an option to purchase five more each quarter. Tese are new trucks, not replacements, because the company is growing. All new trucks are ordered with diesel auxiliary power units and home comforts such as refrigerators so drivers can eat healthier on the road. To reduce fatigue, new trucks come with automatic transmissions, disc brakes, and upgraded seats.


QUALITY OF LIFE FOR YOUR DRIVER, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO KEEP A DRIVER.


Te result of all this is that the carrier


has seen decreases in health care costs and workman’s compensation insurance, Falgione said. Te turnover rate is 42 percent, compared to a national industry average of 97 percent. Falgione, who chairs the Nebraska Trucking


Association’s Safety Management Council, said today’s new drivers are different than industry veterans, who entered the profession expecting to spend weeks on the road. Just paying the new drivers more isn’t necessarily going to keep them


“IF YOU DON’T INCREASE THE


loyal to a company. Many are in their second careers and/or are ex-military. Tey want to be part of a team, so periodic company meetings bring drivers together to talk about issues like safety and the company’s direction. Tey want to have input in the company, so Falgione has installed a suggestion box that he checks every day. And they want quality time home with their families, so Greater Omaha makes sure they get it. “If you don’t increase the quality of life for


your driver, you’re not going to keep a driver,” he said. “Drivers today are different from drivers five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago.” Te only resistance to the changes came


from some drivers, who Falgione said weren’t sure what to make of all of this. Some distrusted the new guy coming into the company with his new ideas. “I guess they were waiting for the other shoe to drop, and there was no other shoe,” he said. Te changes aren’t just about keeping


drivers happy. Tey’re also about making them more productive and profitable. When Falgione came on board, the carrier took a hard look at its routes and decided that it was focused too much on miles driven and not enough on time spent. Some of its longer routes weren’t profitable, and it could do better with more, shorter trips. Te company operates in 48 states delivering both refrigerated and dry goods, but it’s increased its focus on the Midwest as its primary service area. Te average trip length is 772 miles,


Continues NEBRASKA TRUCKER — ISSUE 3, 2015 — www.nebtrucking.com


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