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and putting together the parts depart- ment.” Coffern is relocating from Deluth,


Iowa to Chatanooga, Tenn. to be closer to both Riverside Transport, Wallace’s other operation, and Transco Lines after being called to do some consulting work at the end of last year, and through that con- sulting work, he was invited to join their management team. He came with experi- ence working with fleets smaller than 50 trucks and those larger than 8,000 trucks, specializing in analytics, mainte- nance and fuel economy. “I had built a data analytics program


that PeopleNet offered to their custom- ers through their professional services group. We called it the PeopleNet MPG Guarantee Program. And I would work with fleets to understand their fuel econ- omy, to improve it.” Driver orientation remains in


Russellville, where administration is handled in the front of its one-story com- plex situated beyond the trees north of Interstate 40, northeast of town.


Safety, capacity development and


driver recruiting is also maintained in Russellville, along with fleet operations and customer service. About 35 people work in Russellville with another 20, mostly mechanics, in North Little Rock. The total of mechanics may double dur- ing the next year, Wallace said, adding, “We’ve brought some employment to the great state of Arkansas.” Transco Lines is noted for hiring


only experienced drivers, in a market well known for having a dearth of available drivers these days. “It’s not without its challenges for


us,” Wallace said. “We work very hard in the face of a difficult driver climate. With us, you’re not just a truck number. “We spend more on our trucks. You


will find all the comforts away from home. We’re particular with the clients we do business with. We don’t have a lot of stop-offs or short-length hauls. We try to be a very driver-friendly organization, and it’s helped us. We have had so many referrals coming to us from our own driv-


ers. That’s a wonderful thing to hear from your recruiters.” Of course, when a potential driver


meets the outgoing Anne-Marie Hojnacki and senses her passion for her employer, it’s hard to imagine that any experienced driver would turn down an opportunity to work for Transco Lines. The Indiana native was just settling into her job at Riverside Transport when the owners asked, her, “What do you think about Arkansas?” “I said, ‘Well, I don’t ever think


about it,’” she said with a laugh. But three years later, even commuting daily from Vilonia to Russellville, Hojnacki has come to relish the state. She said her hunting-loving brothers


were envious of her move from the start. Spending more than a decade in the


U.S. Air Force before joining the trucking industry, she was used to seeing different parts of the country, including living in Chicago; but TLI marked her first opportu- nity to spend extended time in Arkansas.





ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 5 2015


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