THEM LIKE TO BE HOME EVERY NIGHT, AND SOME DON’T, AND WE TRY TO PUT THEM IN THAT NETWORK THAT FITS THEIR CHOICE.”


—AL HILL, PRESIDENT, HILL BROS. TRANSPORTATION


them stay on the road for weeks at a time if that’s what the drivers want. He’s aware that many millennials coming into the workforce don’t like to stay away from home too long, so routes average 500 miles a day. “We give drivers multiple choices on what


market allows it. If it doesn’t, we’ll sit back where we’re at and work on profit.” He’s optimistic about the future. “Hauling foodstuffs is pretty recessionary


proof,” he said. “One of the jokes we [have] is we haul food; we haul beer. Te only thing that we don’t haul is cigarettes, and then we would have had the trifecta.” For the industry as a whole, he believes it


will be tough to grow in the immediate future, with some public companies growing through mergers and acquisitions. Other challenges don’t have an easy


answer: for example, hours of service rules and inconsistent regulations across state lines. Hill said Congress needs more oversight power over the various federal agencies – the EPA, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Transportation. More oversight by Congress would give trucking companies more say over the rules by which they must operate. “We are the most over-regulated industry


in a deregulated pricing environment. … Tey over-regulate us to the point that you have to have a full time legal, compliance and HR staff to keep up with all the rules,” he said. Te industry must convince young people


that being a truck driver is a good career choice, Al said. To do that, some of the company’s divisions allow drivers to be home every night, others allow them to be out all week and home on weekends, and others let


18


lifestyle they enjoy,” he said. “Some of them like to be home every night, and some don’t, and we try to put them in that network that fits their choice.” Te company has been active in the


Nebraska Trucking Association, where Al serves on the board of directors. Te vice president of quality and training, Jolene Jankowski, has done a lot of work with the NTA’s Truck Driving Championships and safety-related activities. Pete Jr. is the outgoing chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association Refrigerated Division. Larry Johnson, NTA president, appreciates


the company’s active involvement. “Te Hill Brothers Transportation group


has been a long-time, well-recognized name in the Omaha and Nebraska Transportation market,” he said. “Tey are a progressive company that has grown through innovation and a strong commitment to safety and their employees. Tey have a great pool of leaders within their organization that have also been leaders within our association. We’re proud to say they are a great all-around example of the companies that we represent.” Now a new generation is entering the


trucking industry. Each of the three remaining brothers has a son in his upper 20s and early 30s working in operations, information technology and human resources. Te company is working toward a succession plan, though who will go where is yet to


be determined, Al said. His son, Nick, a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, currently drives and has worked in every division and next is moving into recruiting. Pete’s son, Scott, a University of Kansas graduate, is in charge of the company’s California long-haul operation. Pat’s son, Ryan, a graduate of the University of Nebraska, is training in information technology. “We’ve got some pretty damn good


teachers, so our current management, including ownership, is educating them through both formal and informal methods,” Al said. Outside of the office, Al and his wife,


Tamara, raised two daughters in addition to Nick – Andrea, a doctor of physical therapy in Denver, and Sara, an ultrasound technician. He and Tamara play United States Tennis Association tennis tournaments, and he golfs in several leagues. He loves to travel to Hawaii and Florida, where he swims and golfs. He has two young granddaughters, Zoey and Addy, with whom he enjoys spending time. Meanwhile, Pete Jr. and wife Jean live in Lenexa, Kansas, and have two grandkids with one on the way with daughter Ashley and her husband Zach. Sons are Andrew and Scott. Pat has six children: daughters Alex, Kayleigh, Emily and Torrie, and sons Ryan and Brendon. Jim has three sons, Jackson, Derrick and Hayden, and a daughter, Maria. Asked what he has most enjoyed about the


industry, Al replied, “Te people. I mean, my goodness, I’ve met more people, and what an outstanding industry to be in as far as meeting people and meeting new people and building those relationships over time. It’s just been very rewarding.” NT


NEBRASKA TRUCKER — ISSUE 4, 2016 — www.nebtrucking.com


“WE GIVE DRIVERS MULTIPLE CHOICES ON WHAT LIFESTYLE THEY ENJOY. SOME OF


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