Executives in motor carrier companies fly in their own aircraft and commercial planes all over the country to meet with shippers and customers.
The operations center of a large trucking company is often a room covered with charts and maps and various colored tags and tabs that keep track of every single truck, tractor unit, or trailer. Batteries of Teletype machines clack out the latest data on vehicle and driver location, road conditions, mechanical breakdowns, freight routings, and other needed information.
In yet other rooms of a trucking company is the calm air-conditioned hum of computers that keep track of everything from the freight that was routed today, to when the headlamps in a truck should be replaced to avoid burning out on the road.
More and more, the operations of truck fleets are becoming as sophisticated as those of airline companies, and there is a continually rising demand for more and better-educated personnel.
The trucking industry is one that requires special management skills, and nearly every trucking company president has worked his way to the top from some other part of the company, most frequently from sales, operations, or finance, but there have been cases of a president of a large company starting out as a driver!
R. Y. Sharpe, who is president of Pilot Freight Carriers in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, began as a truck driver, as did Calvin G. Zwingle, who heads the giant Pacific-Intermountain Express (P-I-E) company in Oakland, California. Many others started by driving their own rig and worked their way up to the heads of multimillion-dollar companies.
No racial bars, of course, exist to a trucking industry career as long as the job applicant is properly qualified. To be properly qualified, young people should stay in school and should try to obtain as much additional training and experience as possible.
More and more blacks are finding rewarding careers in trucking, from dockworker, to driver, to company executive.
One such executive is Leamon McCoy, who is the owner of True Transport, Inc., of Newark, New Jersey.
McCoy began his business career in 1950 in traffic as a rate clerk for Bamberger's Department Store in Newark. He later left to join the Cardinal Trucking Company. By 1966, he had risen to the position of Vice-President in charge of traffic.
In 1966, McCoy decided that the Port of Newark needed a transportation company, something he had been studying for nine years.
He owns 98 percent of the stock of his own company. He has a staff of thirty-four employees and a trucking force of eighty. The company has offices in Philadelphia; Weehawken, New Jersey; Boston, Massachusetts; and Syracuse, New York.
McCoy graduated from Montclair High School in New Jersey. He then attended Rutgers University, where he was a business administration major. He is also a pilot and flies a twin-engine plane to visit the firm's regional offices.
Truck Drivers Are Thought of First
The first things that come to mind when young people think about trucks are truck drivers. The industry offers many other careers, but we'll look first at drivers.
The truck driver and his rig are the visible parts of the industry, and more and more drivers will be needed to man the trucks, private and for-hire.
Many federal and state regulations govern the job of the truck driver and the many things a person must know if he aspires to a career as a professional truck driver.
For example, the minimum age and health requirements for drivers engaged in interstate commerce are specified by the Department of Transportation, Bureau of Motor Carriers. A person must be 21 years of age before being allowed to drive in interstate commerce and many motor carriers prefer to hire drivers over 25 years of age because they believe the added maturity is essential for the person to be a responsible and safe driver.
Minimum physical standards require drivers to be able-bodied, possess at least 20/40 eyesight in each eye, with or without correction, and have at least 10/20 hearing. Of course, a person must not be addicted to any habit-forming drug.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) also requires that drivers have a physical examination at least every three years after their original examination. Many companies schedule an annual physical examination for their drivers.
A person must also have at least one year's driving experience in any type of motor vehicle, and have sufficient skill, either through experience or training, in the type of vehicle he will be operating. That requirement is often met through company-sponsored driver-training programs.
Truck-driving jobs with companies not engaged in interstate commerce (operating in one state only) do not always have the same requirements as those for driving interstate, but individual states or individual companies may have their own requirements, which are usually less stringent, but not always.
Earnings for truck drivers depend upon the mileage driven, the number of hours worked, the type of equipment operated, the weight of the loads carried, and the type of run.
Truck-driving jobs fall generally into two categories: city pickup and delivery (P&D), or "over-the-road."
Driving a truck is a responsible job, is well paid, and a very satisfying occupation. Many truck drivers never tire of the "lure of the open road" and thoroughly enjoy their trips over the nation's highways.
Sales and Marketing Jobs with a Future
A career in sales with a for-hire motor carrier is an exciting one and offers ample opportunity for advancement. In addition to salesmen, trucking firms, because of their large geographic spread, employ many sales supervisors and regional sales managers. In addition, many trucking companies have salesmen who specialize in one type of commodity such as chemicals or textiles and these men become experts on the distribution patterns and problems of a single industry.
In the trucking industry, selling is more than just offering your company's service to a shipper and hauling his goods between Point A and Point B. Motor carrier sales require that the salesman know a good deal about his customers, how they manufacture, distribute, and market their goods. Often the service the salesman recommends may actually increase the shipper's transportation costs, but lower his total distribution costs and help him make a greater profit.
A motor carrier salesman must have a thorough knowledge of the company freight rates, the routes over which the company operates the type of equipment available, and the time it takes to deliver the shipment.
As a salesman you will work closely with the other departments of your company such as operations, traffic, claims, and advertising and public relations. You will actually "follow up" the sale of your company's services to the shipper to see that the job is handled well.
A person in sales is the type of person who enjoys meeting new people and introducing them to a new service. A salesman has to be basically helpful because you will actually be "helping" your customers do their job better.
You have to be a self-starter and a person who enjoys working at his own pace most of the time. The working routine can be
The room for advancement is ample, and a great many of the presidents of today's trucking companies came up through the sales department.
William G. Mitchell, President of Eastern Express, Terre Haute, Indiana, came up through the ranks from a job as a salesman. So did Tom Kole, president of REA Express, who served in a sales capacity with several motor carriers before becoming chief executive officer of REA.
At the present time, motor carrier sales are getting more sophisticated, and the good salesman also is a marketing specialist, of his own service, and, in some cases, the marketing effort of his customer. Salesmen today are aided by vast and "instant" communications networks of telephones, Teletype machines, and computers.
Traffic Department Key to Success and Profits
The traffic department of a motor carrier company is a storehouse of facts on freight rates and on the description of the various commodities that can be transported by truck (and that's just about everything!).
The traffic department determines the price the company will charge for its transportation service. The price is called a "rate," and the rates must be approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Computations and changes in rates are administered by the traffic department, as is the auditing of freight bills to see that they are correct.
Computer technology has wide application in the traffic department. Most of the drudgery of such work has now been taken over by the computer, which can provide the answers faster than you can turn the pages in a book to look them up.
The daily work in the traffic department is stimulating because you will be keeping up-to-date on all the factors that affect rates. Those factors apply to every conceivable type of shipment and include the shipments' packaging, dimensions, weight, and value. Other factors include the characteristics of the highways and routes over which the freight will be carried. Are the roads good or bad, are they mountainous and thus will cause the truck to consume more fuel? Does the route include heavy traffic areas or cities that will make the trip longer and thus more costly? Those are just some of the considerations that your job in traffic will encompass.
You will be in close touch with shippers (your customers) and your sales department to keep them posted on proposed changes in rates for your transportation service.
In the traffic department are rate clerks whose experience and good work on the job could lead to the top spot of director of traffic for the company.
Operations--Where the Action is
This is where the action is, the operations department of a motor carrier.
The task of the operations department is to provide fast and efficient pickup and delivery of freight, including proper handling, storing, routing, labeling, assembling, and coordinating all of the shipments that pass through the company's hands.
Other departments cooperate with operations, but it is the operations department that does the primary job of a trucking company-performing a transportation service.
A terminal is an "outpost" of a trucking company. It serves a city or a specifically larger area depending upon the job assigned to it. The individual truck terminal may perform most of the same functions of pickup and delivery, billing, etc., as the home office and is connected to the home office through an up-to-date communications network.
The director of operations, or vice-president in charge of operations, and his assistants work in the home office directing the coordinated movement of shipments between cities and company terminals and the shared shipments with other truck lines.
Trucking companies, much like airlines, often have a meeting each morning by way of a closed-circuit conference arrangement in which each terminal manager reports the amount of freight his terminal has handled the previous night, what it expects to handle today, and the status of rolling stock, trucks, and trailers, that are available.
Among the various jobs in operations are freight handlers, checkers, dock supervisors, warehouse personnel, dispatchers, terminal managers, and operations directors.
A person may advance through all of those jobs to be in eventual charge of operations. From director of operations a good man or woman can become general manager, executive vice-president, and even president of the company. In one large company the manager of one of its largest and most important terminals is a woman. In some cases sales and operations are being combined under a single executive, usually a vice-president, who then becomes responsible for making good on the service promised by the salesmen!
Safety, Claims, and Insurance
The areas of safety, claims, and insurance may be combined in one department of a trucking company or they may each be a separate activity with a responsible executive heading each one of them.
Keeping vehicles in safe and efficient operating condition, keeping working areas accident-free, and seeing that drivers and all employees are safety-minded is the responsibility of the safety department. Accident-prevention programs for all employees and driver-training courses are some of the tools of the safety department. The safety director carries out the safety program of the company and is assisted by a safety supervisor as well as driver-trainers. These men work out of the home office or a terminal but are often on the road and actually make trips with drivers to check their performance much like a "check pilot" does for an airline. The companies also operate their own patrol cars to supervise driver performance and to offer help in emergencies to both motorists and truck drivers.
The safety department conducts incentive programs to motivate drivers and all personnel toward improved safety performance and conducts such activities as the truck "roader" and Driver-of-the-Month and Driver-of-the-Year programs to reward safe drivers.
No matter how careful a trucking company is in trying to do a perfect shipping job, some articles do become damaged or lost. Fast and proper settlement of claims is vital both to the company and to customer goodwill. In claims work you will trace how shipments were handled, determine liability, and make certain the claim is settled fairly and within a reasonable amount of time. You must be knowledgeable about freight rates and the value of the items involved in the claim.
Cargo Security
As the share of freight moved by motor carriers increases from year to year, so does the problem of protecting this freight from hijacking or pilferage.
Many large trucking companies have elaborate security arrangements and hire trained law-enforcement and security officers to develop programs for the protection of cargoes and equipment.
A trucking company spends a great deal of money on insurance to protect its employees, customers, and itself against claims resulting from accidents to people or property.
Each day millions of dollars' worth of equipment and valuable cargo are moving within the operations of a trucking company. The person who knows how to buy and administer an insurance program will be a valuable person to the company.
Federal and state regulations require certain other types of insurance, and your knowledge of the requirements and the best available insurance will show up in savings and greater profits for your employer.
A good safety record and a low claims record have a definite effect on insurance rates, so the company that has an efficient and hard working safety and claims department can save vast sums of money on its insurance.
Accounting Management's Essential Service
Motor carrier companies carry such a large volume of freight and with only a small margin of profit on each shipment, that control of the company's money, whether incoming or outgoing, is vital.
In addition, trucking companies spend large sums of money for new vehicles and on terminal facilities; thus smart financial management is necessary for orderly growth and development.
A great deal of financial statistical information is required by the Interstate Commerce Commission and this information is developed by the accounting department.
The department also provides management with detailed information, which is essential not only for day-to-day operation, but also for planning future operations.
Each week and month the accounting department prepares reports on the company by using thousands of freight bills, records of shipments hauled, operating expenses and repairs, and many other facts to provide an accurate picture of the company's financial status.
The ever increasing burden of taxation also requires detailed reports on the taxes the firm pays on property, equipment, gasoline, earnings, and many other items.
"Cost accounting" is maintained to provide an accurate picture of the profitability of the various terminals that comprise the system. The figures make it possible to analyze what type of freight is most profitable, aid in determining future rates on various commodities, and help in planning company budgets and future expansion.
Persons working in the accounting department include cashiers, payroll clerks, billing machine and computer operators, bookkeepers, auditors, and accountants. The head of the accounting department is usually called the comptroller or vice- president-finance.
Personnel Department
The personnel department is responsible for the recruiting, hiring, and training of employees. That can be a considerable responsibility in a large company.
The department also usually maintains the administrative records on all employees.
Persons who are genuinely interested in people are best suited to such work because the job involves many hours each month of interviewing and screening applicants, administering various tests of a person's abilities or potentials, and the day-to-day supervision of personnel.
Office procedures and policy are usually developed and executed by the personnel department.
The department also performs a counseling function and is able to discuss employees' problems, either job-related or personal, in order to maintain an effective and happy employee on the payroll.
With such a high degree of involvement with labor unions, the personnel department, sometimes called the industrial relations department in large trucking companies, handles the various relations with union representatives and makes certain that both management and employees observe the provisions of existing labor contracts.
In a very large company, labor relations is sometimes a completely separate department.
Engineering and Maintenance
The trucks and trailers used by a motor carrier represent a huge investment, and proper maintenance to keep them in good and safe running condition is smart business.
Equipment is scheduled so exactly and to such precise timetables that it is important to the company to have vehicles ready and in running condition when required and not in the shop or broken down along some highway.
In several large companies the engineers work so closely with the manufacturers of engines, trucks, and trailers that the equipment they buy is practically custom-built for that particular company. That requires engineering personnel with good education, training, and experience.
In some companies, there is a well-paid executive whose only responsibility is tire maintenance, which can be a costly item, and a proper tire program can save many thousands of dollars. Truck tires are costly and have an exceptionally long life under proper conditions.
If you work in the mechanical department your ability to keep equipment in good condition will mean that your company can always be counted on for service.
Motor carriers have shops that can just about build a new truck, and the most advanced testing and repair equipment. Trucks usually receive greater care and more demanding inspections than those required for passenger vehicles.
Some of the jobs in this area include junior and senior mechanic, automotive parts clerks and supervisors, shop foreman, and director or superintendent of maintenance.
Public Relations Opportunities
As motor carrier firms become larger, the function of public relations can be counted upon to receive more attention.
The public relations department is a continuous communications link between management and employees and between the company and its customers, the community, stockholders, legislators, educators, and many other groups whose goodwill is necessary to company operation.
The public relations department works closely with newspapers, magazines, and radio and television and keeps news of the company and the industry flowing to them.
The public relations department also plays a key role in keeping employees informed about management views as well as company policies and objectives. Most companies with a public relations department publish a company magazine or newsletter for employees as well as for customers and key members of the community.
Advertising, speech writing and delivery, preparing and publishing company reports, writing articles, and preparing sales promotion materials, preparing exhibits, and other creative activities are all involved in the public relations function.
