Driver Lifestyles

Face To Face With Gene Dunlap

By Jeff Jensen, Editor
Posted Feb 16th 2006 11:57AM

gene-dunlap.jpgGene Dunlap, now of El Paso, Texas grew up in Shelby, Ohio in the north central part of the state.  He spent three years at Fenn College (now Cleveland State) before leaving school to join the work force.

He tells us, "I've worked as a draftsman and I was a 7UP (soft drink) distributor for four years. Following that, I was a life insurance agent for nine years, representing five companies."

"After a divorce, I hooked up my camper and headed west, ending up in Dallas.  Somewhere along the line I met a truck driver who said he had a job for me in Oklahoma City.  I had my car, my camper and about 75 dollars left so I figured, why not?" 

"That driver took me into see his boss who asked me, 'Son, what kind of truck driving experience do you have?'  I told him that I had driven a tandem axle dump truck on the farm the summer before college.  He replied, 'There was an old boy who was supposed to be here on Monday.  Today's Wednesday and I ain't heard from him, so you've got a job.' 

Gene continues, "He put me with that driver I'd met and we made a couple of produce runs to California pulling a reefer.  After a week and a half, they gave me my own truck and I wound up running for him for about five years."

"This was in the early 70's and it was then that I began hauling denim for Calvin Klein jeans from El Paso to San Diego to San Fernando and back to El Paso.  This would take me from 2 to 3 days and it would give me a week's wages, so I thought it was great!"

Gene says that it was around 1990 when he left trucking to try his hand at selling computers.  After a year and half of that, he moved to a job with a trucking company, working as a dispatcher and fleet manager for up to 58 drivers.  This carrier handled just-in-time automotive freight headed into the midwest.

Along the way, Gene has had quite a bit of sales training including IBM, Caterpillar, J.B. Hunt and Hertz sales training schools.  He says that one of the most lucrative jobs he had was in the field of equipment sales until a conflict with a manager led to his departure.  Following that, he was a J.B. Hunt recruiter for a time until one day he saw an expedited carrier's ad in a magazine. 

He says, "I called them up and said 'you don't really pay that much for a little truck, do you?


expediter-driver-gene-dunlap1.jpg"I came across an opportunity with Panther II in August of 2000 and have been with them ever since.  They've been a great company to work with and  the president, Dan Sokolowski, has responded to my emails when I needed to talk to him."

"I think it speaks well of a company whose president will respond quickly to an issue raised by one of its owner-operators."

Gene says, "I enjoy expediting.  I don't think there's any other segment of the industry, except maybe specialized hauling, where the rates are as good. 

"I like the straight trucks because I can pull into the truck stop at 3:00 a.m. and find a place besides the driveway.  If I can't find a place to eat, I can always pull in the back of a Wendy's or Taco Bell."

"I don't spend my time sitting at the dock waiting to get loaded or unloaded and I don't spend my time waiting to get loads.  If I were to sit for 24 hours, I think I'd go nuts, but Panther keeps me rolling."

"I'm probably grossing as much, if not more, than most of these semi's out here and with this little truck.  When they're running down the road at a little over a dollar a mile, they're going to have to run a lot of miles to catch up."

"I like the people I work with at Panther II - no one's treated me better and I've worked for some top-shelf companies.  Panther II dispatchers have great people skills or they don't remain dispatchers for long.  Another thing is, I've never been lied to in the past five years with the company."

"I never got to meet the president of IBM, Caterpillar or Hertz, but it's nice to know the president of this company and have him know my name."

Gene talks about his operation: "I've always run solo in expediting.  I've considered running team, but I don't know that one truck can support an owner and his expenses as well as  pay another driver's wages.  I'd love to have my wife go on the road with me, just for her to see what I go through to pay the bills," he says jokingly.

Gene's wheels
Gene operates a 1997 Freightliner FL70 that he purchased with 388,000 miles on it.  It now has over 950,000 on the odometer.  Understand, I'd love to have a new truck, but I'd rather make repairs than payments.  I've done a lot of upgrades on it and just had it repainted in January.

Gene gives us the details:  "The engine is a CAT 3126 with 300HP and 800ft.-lb.s of torque - for me, that's the absolute minimum for this kind of work. I got 619,000 miles out of the original engine and replaced it with a used engine, but that one dropped a valve this past summer.  I've since put a CAT remanufactured engine in it and I've been happy with this model.  With a Turbo 3000D and an oil product called Velocity, my mileage averages between 9.6 and 10 mpg."

"It's got the original transmission in it, an Allison Automatic (MD3060) and I've never done anything to it except change the fluid and filters."

"The truck has a 70" Star Class sleeper.  It's served me well, but I wouldn't want anything smaller than that.  When I've got all my stuff in there, I've still got enough room to stand.  I've got a 12' Babb cargo box with a roll-up door and a Maxon 2500 lb. liftgate."

He adds, "If I had to replace the Maxon, I would go with a larger size.  I'm a believer in liftgates, I figure that it has generated another $6,000 in revenue this year." 

He says, "I grew up on a farm, so I know how to fix and repair rhings, so I do most of my own maintenance."

Gene is also a believer in digital technology, using Delorme mapping software with GPS on his laptop.  He says, "It'll do nothing but save you time and make you money."  He also uses Pre-Pass to avoid stopping at the scales

Thoughts on this business
"A couple of the things I enjoy about expediting are - the demand for perfection.  When we take a load, we have to be there at a specific time.  I also enjoy the appreciation we get from the customer when they're in a tough spot and we show up with whatever they need  I just enjoy the challenges of this job."

"I enjoy seeing different parts of the country and meeting the people.  I get a kick out of going into the plants and seeing how things are made.

Some keys to success in this business
Gene says that basic math and bookkeeping skills are essential:  "Of course, you have to be able to calculate your time to get the load there on time.  You have to know how much it costs to operate the truck (cost per mile). I use Excel spreadsheets to keep tabs on my income and expenses

*"Basic mechanical skills are necessary - at least, be able to replace a headlight."

*"I think it's important to maintain a professional, well-groomed appearance, you get more respect that way.

*Treat the people in dispatch and the office with respect.  They're human and mistakes will be made.  Overlook the mistakes and move on."

Jeff Brown, Manager of Contractor Support and Development at Panther II says of Mr. Dunlap, "Gene was Panther II's Straight Truck Driver of the Year for last year and he's been one of our most successful owner-operators.  Gene has a great acceptance rate and it's certainly helped him to achieve success at Panther II."

Gene sums it all up by saying, "I'm 65 years old and I'll probably be in this business until they take my work boots off to bury me."

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