Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/328680
M ax Fuller and Pat Quinn know but one way to run a trucking company. And that's to grow it. Fast. As a result, U.S. Xpress Enterprises dispatches more than 8,500 tractors and 22,000 trailers from its contemporary Chat- tanooga, Tenn., headquarters. Whether by strategic acquisition or by simply outservicing their competition, U.S. Xpress and its affiliated companies have reached billion-dollar annual revenues quicker than any truckload carrier in business today, according to Fuller. Its compounded annual growth rate stands at a re- markable 16 percent since 1994, making U.S. Xpress the nation's second largest privately held truckload carrier. The company is celebrating its silver anniversary this year, having started in 1986 with a 48-truck fleet. "My dad only taught me how to grow a company," says Fuller, whose father Clyde owned a mid-sized truckload firm that planted the seed for what was to become U.S. Xpress. "He never taught me how to shrink one." But to paint Fuller as a man who values and aspires to quanti- tative goals over quality would be a mistake. For one, Fuller says a customer service initiative that focuses on quality and entrepreneurial innovation is the very impetus for the growth of U.S. Xpress. For another, the last four years have fea- tured a rapid integration of Peterbilt trucks into the fleet, which now fea- tures more than 2,200 Model 387s and Model 587s. In simple terms, Fuller's always been the equipment specialist in this partnership. The decision to bolster the fleet with Peterbilts in 2007 was one he made very carefully. "If you're buying as much equipment as we are, you'd be crazy not to know how it works," sayd Fuller. "And as we looked closely at the product, we found that Peterbilt makes probably one of the best engi- neered trucks on the market." New standards A long-term buyer of other equipment makes, new emission standards in 2007 caused Fuller to re-evaluate his equipment purchasing plans. He was already well aware of Peterbilt's resale advantages, and decided to give the company and its trucks a full- scale audition. "We knew the new standards would be a game-changer," says Fuller. "So we decided to bring some new OEMs in, test them out for a while and see who was the best." Since U.S. Xpress bills itself as the top provider of premier team-driving opportunities in the business, the Peterbilt Model 387 proved to be a logical call. And as the relationship grew and Fuller transitioned to buying Peterbilt's new Model 587, Fuller found Peterbilt engineers willing and able to collaborate with him when he found new ways to improve fleet perfor- mance. For example, extended side fairings that further reduce wind resistance were one result of such collaboration. 14 FIRST CLASS