Page 28 - ATR 6 2015 web 2

There were a lot of emails and
phone calls going back and forth at all “i always tried to treat everythiNg like it was
hours of the night between the three miNe, But wheN it really Becomes yours, wheN
groups, particularly from the Lonestar
Truck Group out of Texas, who acted as it’s your check you’re writiNg, your moNey iN
a consultant and helped the business the BaNk, wheN it’s your owN equipmeNt,
get off the ground. it does make a differeNce.”
th
Then, 45 days later… “July 27 , we
took over. Friday afternoon, they closed,
and then Monday morning, we opened —todd haveNs,
up with the keys,” Rick says. presideNt aNd ceo of truck ceNters of arkaNsas

tAkIng on uncertAInty
Unfortunately, the easy work was finger on it, watch what you are doing. cians do and how they actually spend
behind them. They took ownership in Expenses can get out of hand. You can their time solving problems and contrib-
the summer of 2007, just a few months look up one day and things might be uting to the supply chain is large.
before the recession hit, and the real going good, but you have to pay atten- “The tech shortage is affecting
hard work began. tion to the bills every day. You have to us in a big way. We could hire 20-30
Todd said the takeover wasn’t such really keep your finger on it day in and techs in our stores right now. If they
a drastic change at first. “I always tried day out,” Rick continued. were sitting in the parking lot ready to
to treat everything like it was mine, but What keeps them up at night about go right now, then I could have them
when it really becomes yours, when it’s this industry? in jobs, making repairs this afternoon.
your check you’re writing, your money in For Rick, it’s the new regulations. It’s something that is a nationwide
the bank, when it’s your own equipment, “There are so many different things problem, like the truck driver shortage.
it does make a difference.” going on now: the EPA mandates for Our workforce is aging so much in this
But both men agree, nothing could the engines. Prices have skyrocketed on industry. The young people in school
have prepared them for 2009. They trucks because of the different things today see the technician and the driv-
wondered what they had gotten them- that the government is doing. They are ers as not the glamorous positions they
selves into when other owners were doing all the research and development. want to have,” Rick explains.
saying they had never seen the economy They are going to implement all these They aren’t resting on their laurels
hit the industry so hard. mandates, but at the end of the day, though. They have proven they are the
Todd says, “I’ve seen some wild what is it going to cost?” he asks. type of guys who come out of the reces-
swings. Things were difficult in 08-09. It’s a legitimate question. Each time sion and grow one of the largest deal-
Trucking economy — the Ups and Downs there is a new mandate, compliance ership in the state. Todd and Rick are
of this industry are scary. We came costs. Explaining to customers that trying to change the image of techs.
in right when it was happening. We trucks have gone up $15k because of the Truck Centers of Arkansas has
almost died.” GHG-17 emissions requirement doesn’t recently partnered with the state cham-
Hyperbole aside, times were hard make business easy. ber of commerce for the “Be Pro. Be
for everyone, and both Todd and Rick How do you talk about the benefits Proud” initiative, a program that is try-
are upbeat about how Truck Centers and the value of the changes? ing to fill the blue collar jobs across the
of Arkansas has rebounded with the “Initially in the first round of the state with qualified, competent workers,
economy. EPA regulations, there was some push- recruiting interest from high schools
“It ended up working out. We’ve back. Since then, in the second round, and community colleges.
had success. We haven’t missed a beat and with the GHG-17, the fuel economy “They are looking for money to
since we bought it,” Rick says. has gotten better.” fill manufacturing roles, and then we
“We really leaned on the Lonestar Since customers are beginning to got involved in it. We said, ‘Hey there
Truck Group out of Texas. Gerald see the rewards of better fuel economy is another spin on it. There are a lot of
Chunn and Vic Corley have been in the and more reliable trucks, Rick says that these industries out there like manu-
business a long time. Those guys really it’s not quite as much heartburn now as facturing that need these kids, but in
helped us out. The conversations going it was. the state of Arkansas, transportation is
back and forth at 2 and 3 and 4 o’clock Perhaps even more than regulations, huge. It’s right behind agriculture. So
in the morning were really insightful. the technician shortage is being felt at within the transportation sector, you’ve
“You don’t realize the MONSTER Truck Centers of Arkansas. The chasm
that it is. Their advice was to keep your between what the public thinks techni- 

28 ArkAnsAs truckIng rePort | Issue 6 2015