Truck Topics
Express-1 raises the bar: the "Partnership for Success" program
Expedited carrier Express-1 of Buchanan, MI has launched its latest recruiting initiative under the title "Partnership for Success" program.
Effective immediately, for straight truck and tractor owner-operators with team operations who sign with Express-1, the company will pay the truck owner's next six (6) truck payments, up to a maximum of $1,500.00/payment. Express-1 will also offer the single straight truck owner-operator three (3) months of truck payments, again with a maximum of $1,500.00/payment.
The owner must commit to at least ninety days with the company.
Chief Operating Officer Jeff Curry says that for September, Express-1 tractors earned an average of $1.85 per loaded mile, both singles and teams. And, company figures show 80% of all miles for those trucks were loaded miles.
Curry says, "We've tried to put ourselves in the shoes of the driver and find something that will help them and improve their bottom line. We believe that our "Partnership for Success" program will help new owner-operators towards that end."
"Over the last two years, we've been able to develop in-house resources for tractor-trailer freight. We have shippers who now call us with their premium and emergency tractor needs, so we can offer the tractor owner-operator great freight opportunities."
He continues, "As part of this tractor-trailer freight development, we now have a in department that works exclusively with that type of freight."
"Also, on the tractor side, we've spent the last two years developing relationships with many truckload shippers. We hear from our customers that that the most important thing to them is coverage of their loads, and we offer them a solution."
Curry says that since Express-1's merger with Segmentz, Inc., business has increased dramatically, presenting all of Express-1's contractors with new revenue opportunities.
The merger
In one of surface expediting's largest mergers/acquisitions of the last few years, Segmentz, Inc. of Tampa, FL, announced this past August that it had "signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent of the stock of Express-1, Inc. a privately held Buchanan, Michigan based corporation."
Express-1's President Mike Welch said at the time, "Segmentz, Inc. currently has 10-12 cities in which it provides local Pickup & Delivery and air freight services. Earlier this year, Segmentz, Inc acquired Dasher Air Freight of Lexington, KY and the company was interested in finding a core expedited carrier to further expand it's area and services."
"This merger offers huge opportunities to our current fleet of contractors and, of course, we will require many new owner-operators to handle this increased business."
As part of the merger, Mike Welch assumed the duties as the President of Segmentz, Inc., with oversight of Express-1 expediting services and the Segmentz, Inc. air freight and other transportation The Express-1 management team remained intact and operates out of the Buchanan headquarters.
Jeff Curry: "Since the merger, we've increased our business by around 50 percent, but by the time we complete the assimilation of Dasher's fleet into our fleet, it will have grown by only 15 percent or around 20 trucks. This means that our owner-operators have more than enough freight to keep them busy and profitable."
"Automotive freight and our partnership with National Logistics Management is still an important part of our business, but the merger has expanded our freight opportunities."
He adds, "We now have a stronger physical presence in Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas. We were already working in those areas, but now we have cross-docking, driver headquarters, recruiting and sales out of the Lexington office."
Dasher Air Freight acquisition
This company, whose business has been merged into the Express-1 call center in Buchanan, MI. Dasher had a number of terminals and Express-1 plans to make the Lexington, KY location it's "gateway to the south."
Dasher had around 80 drivers, with 50 company drivers who were doing primarily courier work and regional deliveries.
Dasher company drivers had the opportunity to purchase the company trucks which ranged from cargo vans to straight trucks. They were
offered the equipment at half of the market value.
The Dasher drivers who choose to come over to Express-1 will be brought into the company by the end of October, says Curry. They will have gone through Express-1's orientation, had satellite equipment installed and trucks decaled.
Driver Coordinator Jodi Wagnerowski says, "We have been bringing on the people from Dasher. Most of those were company drivers who have now become owner-operators with Express-1. We're taking great care to welcome the Dasher drivers to ensure that they all find success as Express-1 owner-operators."
"On Monday, they come in for paperwork and drug screens at a local facility. Tuesday and Wednesday are typically full days."
Ms. Wagnerowski says that the orientations have a recently-added component: driver road tests.
"These road test are for straight trucks and tractor drivers, with a local college performing the tests. The driver will not be held under
a microscope in these road tests, it's just a basic observation of their driving skills to ensure that we maintain the professional standards of our fleet."
Added benefits
Jeff Curry says the merger has brought added benefits to all concerned: "With the Segmentz merger, we now offer customers two distinct entities. Segmentz focuses on pick up and delivery, while Express-1 remains committed to our premium expedited freight service."
"The two companies operate independently, but we've found that the two really can help each other. We're picking up some emergency loads for them and they're helping us by providing key strategic locations for cross-docking and driver re-location purposes."
Those locations presently include Champaign, IL, Louisville and Lexington, KY, Toledo, OH and Indianapolis, IN.
Curry adds, "These physical locations will offer a home away from home for our drivers as well as providing the pickup and delivery portion of our expedited freight loads. We have plans to add even more physical locations - Grand Rapids, MI to Florida - as we progress, and make those more expedited freight-friendly."
"This synergy will keep our drivers safer as well as satisfying our customers' needs. Our sales force will be working out of these locations and we will have a physical presence in these new areas."
Express-1 recruiter Scott Hancock says that the "Partnership for Success" program is, "An awesome deal! When I tell people about Express-1 and what we have to offer, some of them feel that it's too good to be true. I expect people will take us up on this deal just to find out for themselves that it is true. And, I truly believe that when those people sign on with Express-1, they won't want to leave our company!"
"It's a very exciting time to be with Express-1. We have some very-forward looking, visionary people at this company and I see great things in store for the company and its contractors.â€
Contact Information:
Recruiting
Jeff Curry
Bill Welch
Scott Hancock
800 800-5161