Page 31 - ATR 5 2019 digital

THE BEST MBA IN TRUCKING
“As a kid I used to hang out at the
trucking terminal in Camden whenever
I could, and Saturdays I spent time at
the shop,” Arnold says. I NEEDED A COO. WE [TWIN CITY TRANSPORTATION]
He spent his early years in Camden HAD THE HISTORY. WE HAD THE FACE. WE HAD
but moved to Little Rock as a teen- EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED TO OPERATE A SOLID
ager. After graduating from Hall High
School and attending the University of TRUCKING COMPANY. I JUST NEEDED SOMEONE TO
Arkansas at Little Rock, he moved back RUN IT. I WANTED TO STAY IN THE BUSINESS AND HE
to Camden in 1982 to begin his career WANTED TO GET FURTHER IN THE BUSINESS AND IT
in the trucking industry. At the time, WAS A GOOD MATCH.
his stepfather was one of the original
contractors with a small company
known then as Arkansas Freightways. —TERRY BURNETT, PRESIDENT OF TWIN CITY TRANSPORTATION
Arnold wanted to work for
Arkansas Freightways too, but before
he was allowed to begin working as a
salesman the company required him to
learn the ins and outs of the business. Another influential leader in “Many customers today have spe-
“I had to learn how to drive, how to Arnold’s career was Russ Gerdin, found- cial needs with their product and so we
load trucks. I had to basically learn all er of Heartland Express. Arnold says spend quite a bit of time understanding
aspects of the trucking industry before his time at Heartland taught him a lot what the shipper’s customers are want-
they’d let me go out and sell.” He says, about how to run a trucking company ing, because if the shipper’s customers
“I always tell people I had the best MBA efficiently. It also gave him a model are happy and not calling them, then
in trucking an individual could ever for the leadership style he eventually they know we’re doing a good job.”
have.” wanted to adopt. Arnold took the chance to become
He witnessed and experienced the “Whatever you directed your people the type of leader he’d learned he
growing pains of a new company. “We to do, you better be willing to do your- wanted to be by starting CEA Logistic
were the new kids on the block,” he self. He [Gerdin] was one of those type Solutions (CEALS) in 2010. By that
says, “and trying to sell our services of individuals. He was 100% committed time, KLLM and Design Transportation
to people who were using carriers that to running the company as he asked the had been added to the list of companies
they had used for years and years and people to run it. I learned very quickly he’d worked for. As an agent and broker
had been in business with for years and when you have the president and owner for R.E. Garrison Trucking, he built his
years. Our motto back then was ‘You’re of the company sitting with you on a own fleet of assets and a collection of
helping a small business. You’re helping sales call you’re able to close deals a customers primarily from the beverage
a small guy get going and get started.’ little easier. I wanted to be that type of industry. CEALS shipped bottles and
The other thing was that we were just guy.” cans using 57-foot dry vans to Texas
going to do things the right way and While Arnold worked in sales, he and Oklahoma and 53-foot dry vans
we were going to be the best at what we learned to identify and address what he to a number of states in the south and
did. In our service, we would always go describes as customers’ “pain points.” southeast U.S. After nearly a decade of
above and beyond.” When talking with prospective clients working in a brokerage and agent capac-
If you know your trucking, you he focused on finding out where they ity for different companies in Texas,
know that small business didn’t stay were losing money or what made them Arnold felt like his professional growth
small. unhappy with another carrier, then he’d had stalled.
That above and beyond service figured out how his company could fix
helped Arkansas Freightways to become it. He gave a current example of a cus- MEANWHILE IN ARKANSAS
American Freightways and then the tomer who frequently had their trailers While Arnold was busy learn-
international FedEx Freight. It also rejected when working with another ing the industry and building his
helped Arnold personally as he moved carrier. Whether it was due to dirt or fleet and customer base, Twin City
on to work for M.S. Carriers. He credits other contaminants for food-grade Transportation (TCT) was establishing
his time there under Mike Starnes with products, or holes in the trailer, Arnold itself as a solid medium-sized carrier
further developing his skills providing assured the customer that wouldn’t in Arkansas. Founded in 1975 by Ron
customers with excellent service. happen with his fleet. 

ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 5 2019 31