Page 30 - ATR 5 2014 web

“We didn’t have a lot of benefits buy one and didn’t understand why we drivers have a hard job. They’re gone.
for our drivers,” Erin said. “Just being couldn’t do it by hand. It would take Ours are not long hauls so they are
exposed to that from where I had them hours, HOURS, and you could do home most nights of the week. They can
worked, I thought, ‘They have fami- it so simply with Excel. Now we have come by the house. But it’s still a hard
lies, they need benefits.’ It wasn’t that accounting software, and it’s all com- job if they have a family.”
Hugh’s dad didn’t want to offer that, puterized.” The McConnells understand fully
but at that time probably nobody had Hugh McConnell learned every job about family coming first. “It’s very
been doing it.” at the McConnell shop while growing important,” Erin said. “When we were
Hugh added, “We always had up there. To supplement his meager talking about our drivers and our fami-
health insurance, but as for retire- earnings, he worked other side jobs, at a lies, they are like our family.”
ment or pension, we didn’t have those grocery store or cutting grass, “anything Family considerations through-
things.” to make money.” Eventually, after meet- out the company, with 26 drivers and
“Most of the trucking compa- ing Erin, Hugh began driving for the another owner operator, are at the
nies weren’t doing that when [Ed company, too. forefront when the McConnells discuss
McConnell] was working back then,” “I think you made minimum wage future growth. “There is potential there,
Erin continued. “At the time they were when we got married,” Erin said, grin- but we have to do it right,” Erin says,
probably starting to do it, but that’s ning to her husband. “I know I did,” he and Hugh chimes in, “There is a bal-
not what he was used to. Getting him answered. ance you have to strive for. Everything
to switch over, it was a lot of conversa- “You did, and I remember having has a cost associated with it. We’ll just
tions, we discussed it a lot, and he was that conversation with your dad about see where the Lord takes us. I’d never
OK with it and came around.” how he might need to give you a little say I’d shut the door to something, but
Erin also convinced her father-in- bit more.” everything has a price to it.
law that the days of handling all the Meanwhile, Erin, the novice to “Everything costs something. I’m
office bookkeeping by hand had passed trucking, began learning everything she not saying I have all the answers, but
as well. “I had this old printer,” she could about the business. we’re awfully careful. It only takes one
said with a laugh. “He didn’t want to Her biggest realization? “Truck bad year. Like in ’08, we hadn’t planned

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30 aRkansas tRuCking RepoRt | issue 5 2014