Truck Topics
A working relationship: An owner-operator and his truck dealer
Raymond Hopper is a fleet owner from Box Springs, GA (Columbus, GA-area) with four units leased with FedEx Custom Critical.
His newest truck, a Freightliner FL112, is leased with FedEx Custom Critical's White Glove Division. His fleet includes two Century Class tractors and an older FL70.
Raymond tells of the path that led to expediting: "I worked in management for thirty years before my wife and I began driving big trucks for an owner. We did that for four or five years. It was at the truck show in Louisville in 1996 that I met Sanjay Dhawan from Alumi-Bunk."
"Sanjay described the expediting business to me and I was interested in trying it. Later on, I had some carriers that were bugging me to sign with them, but Sanjay convinced me to go with the old Roberts Express."
"I'm afraid that if he hadn't, I would have wound up with someone I don't like," he says jokingly. "I had one of my trucks on with another carrier for awhile, but I had to take it back to FedEx."
Raymond says he eventually bought a Freightliner FL70 from Alumi-Bunk in 1999 and says he's been very happy with the truck: "It's done real well for me, as a matter of fact, I'm still running it with over 500,000 miles on it now. I've made a lot of money with that truck."
"Raymond has been a very good customer of mine since 1999 when he purchased his first truck. He's been a pleasure to deal with because he knows exactly what he wants. Raymond has built up his fleet and he knows the expediting business." - Sanjay Dhawan of Alumi-Bunk
Raymond states that he prefers a Class 8 platform and lists the spec's of the FL112: "It's got a Mercedes-Benz 430HP motor (a great engine and I love it!) with a Fuller 10-speed AutoShift."
"It has a 96" Alumi-Bunk sleeper, 22-foot box with reefer, tag axle and lift gate. The mileage averages out to 11-13 mpg."
"That Mercedes engine is real strong - it seems like I start up a hill and it just keeps getting faster."
Raymond says that while he got his first truck from Alumi-Bunk's Atlanta location, it took a trip to Detroit to take possession of the FL112.
"My wife came off the road just six months ago, so my son and I have been running team in the FL70. I hired a team for the FL112, as a matter of fact, I have teams in all the trucks."
"I've been happy with Alumi-Bunk; Sanjay and Alumi-Bunk have been very good to me. He's always stood behind his product."
He concludes, "I love expediting and would never go back to OTR trucking!"