The trucking biz
About a year and a half later, Larry joined us and then Tony soon after that.
Here are some questions you might have about our family owned business.
What does your company do?
We transport cars on trucks for Manufacturers, dealers, rent car companies, auctions, and other companies and individuals. You can see the company website here.
On trucks? What kind of trucks?
18-wheelers that can carry up to ten vehicles at a time. These are the big car carriers you see delivering vehicles to the new car dealer.
How many trucks do you have?
Approximately 31 trucks in our fleet.
Who are some of your customers?
Mitsubishi, Mercedes, Adesa Dallas Auto Auction, plus many more. We love our customers.
What kind of volume do you do?
In 2003, we shipped over 30,000 vehicles and our trucks logged more than 8,000,000 miles.
How many employees do you have?
There are fifteen office employees in Dallas and one in California. In addition, there are 30 – 35 truck drivers at any one time and five mechanics.
What other family members work there?
My daughter Stacy and son Joey. Larry’s two sons Jason and Chris work there as well. Uncle Ivan Lee and his son Ivan Ray are top dog transport drivers.
Who works the hardest?
All of our employees work very hard and do a fantastic job. We have sixteen office workers doing the work of fifty. Thank you, employees. I love you and appreciate you so much!
Is it hard running your own business?
Sometimes it can be quite stressful, but my two partners, Larry and Tony work especially hard in keeping the problems low and the rewards high. They, along with my dad are the best partners anyone could have and they have always supported me and any decisions I have made. For the most part, we stay out of each others way, try to help each other, and always put our customers first. Larry, and Tony – you’re the best!
Larry is the operations director. He oversees customers, jobs, trucks, and drivers. His dispatch department coordinates all of this and they work miracles. Dealing with dozens of customers, dozens of drivers, one-hundred plus vehicles in our possession at any one time, routes, delivery times, payment instructions, loading instructions, and re-doing everything when the customer changes his mind are all everyday occurrences for the dispatcher. Air-traffic controllers have nothing on auto transport dispatchers.
Tony manages our fleet of enclosed carriers. He hires drivers and spends a lot of time helping settle damage claims. He also administrates the employee insurance program.
I am the office manager and have four excellent co-workers I depend on to keep things running smoothly. They process trips, pay contractors and vendors, collect the accounts receivable, keep fleet records, pay taxes (yuck), and keep tons of safety, permits, motor-tax and regulatory records. I am very fortunate to have Stacy, Bill, Jason and Joey on my team. The majority of my time is spent programming the databases, monitoring insurance records, electronic billing and collection, tech support, and working on special projects.
What are some of your major expenses?
Insurance and license plates.
What’s the hardest part?
Administering the insurance program gave me my grey hair. It’s pretty stressful. Having to turn in an insurance claim drives me up a wall.
What’s the best part?
Working with my family, helping others with the computers, doing graphic work, building databases, telling my brothers we can afford a bonus, giving bonuses to employees, traveling, and playing golf.
Do you really like working with your family?
Yes.
Don’t you get on each others nerves?
Sometimes.
Is your dad as neat a guy as he seems?
Yes.
What’s the secret to the company’s success?
I believe it is doing the right thing, putting the customer first, and respecting the other members of the family. Also, I have two fantastic partners who work very hard and they cut me a lot of slack.
Do you like your job?
I love my job.