Page 28 - ATR 3 2013

A good lesson from childhood: “My parents instilled in me the notion of always taking pride in your work.”

extrovert or introvert: “I am an extrovert. I really enjoy being around a wide variety of people. I love to laugh and help others
laugh, and usually at me.”
WhAt do you Well in your job? “I think I can usually detect future market demands and help make internal adjustments to
ensure we can satisfy those demands. I’m never satisfied that we’re doing everything right and am always looking for ways to do things better
in more efficient and consistent manner. I really value the ABF people. We have a culture created and nurtured by our previous and current
leadership that is very special. I work hard to do my part to help preserve that wonderful ABF culture.”
first cAr: “A 1965 Comet four-speed.”

if you hAd to spend All dAy in A boAt With Any other living person Who Would it be? “My wife.”
fAvorite music: “I’m most partial to rock & roll from 1965 to the mid-70s. I love the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.”
fAvorite city: “I guess I would have to say Fort Smith.”

pAstime: “I like being home and have some great friends here to play golf with or ride motorcycles.
fAvorite restAurAnts: “Hardscrabble in Fort Smith and Sonny Williams in Little Rock.”
hoW mAny dAys A Week do you WeAr A tie to Work? “Probably less than one on average.”

one thing you’ve leArned from robert A. young, iii (noW ArkAnsAs best chAirmAn of the boArd)? “I don’t
know how to condense 37 years of learning from Robert Young into one thing. If I had to sum it up, I would say it is simply to do the right
thing. If you make decisions and take actions because you believe it is the right thing to do for the company and it is not unethical or immoral,
Robert will understand, even if it turned out to be not the best thing to do.”

as a company to attract really good peo- But at the same time, deregulation “The EOBR legislation will impact
ple who’ve chosen to stay,” he said. is a misnomer. The only real change us,” he added. “We currently don’t use
One thing that even makes its between that era and today are the ease EOBRs, the reason being we have such a
competitors raise an eyebrow in admi- of entry and wide open pricing. Every very regular route operation. We use day
ration is that ABF has weathered other aspect of trucking remains highly cab tractors, our drivers typically drive
deregulation and is still among the top regulated, especially anything that 10, 11 hours and that’s it. They go from
20 largest trucking companies in the relates to highway safety. one of our facilities to another of our
United States. “If you look at the list Current changes in regulation are facilities, and they run those routes so
of top 50 carriers in 1978,” he said, requiring ABF and others to adapt the regularly we know where they’re going
“a couple others have merged and are way they do business today, some more to be at any time in their dispatch.”
under different names, but ABF is the drastically than others. But the new That’s not to say he sees no ben-
only one under the same flag. People hours-of-service rules for truck drivers efit to EOBRs; in fact, Slagle said, the
like Robert Young II, Robert Young III, that have just taken effect aren’t one of company supports electronic logging
Dave Stubblefield, and all 10,000 ABF them. because it will help everyone operate
employees make that happen. And I just “Hours of service… we are not legally and on an even footing. It’s just
feel proud to be part of that.” going to be terribly impacted by those that, at this point, he can’t see an eco-
changes based on the fact we’re not cur- nomic advantage for ABF from those
THe bIg ISSUeS rently using a 34-hour restart, so that’s onboard computer systems.
As with many industry executives not a big deal for us,” he said. “I think Other legislation that poses par-
who’ve worked in trucking both before we have 10 sleepers total in our organi- ticular challenges to ABF pertains to
and after deregulation, Slagle appreci- zation. multi-employer pensions.
ates how the job of shipping freight But the recent congressional man- “We participate in 25 different
from Point A to Point B is in some ways date that all trucks have electronic multi-employer pension funds around
a little simpler today than in the era onboard recorders, or electronic logging the country,” said Slagle. “Those are
when commerce was strictly regulated by devices, installed in all commercial important issues for us. One of the
companies, commodities, routes – with trucks will change the industry’s land-
everything requiring operating authority. scape. 

28 arkansas Trucking reporT | issue 3 2013