Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/553565
FIRST CLASS l 9 trucking business." Otto won't put just anybody behind the wheel of his new Model 567s. Besides offering the opportunity to operate premium equipment, spec'ed for smooth and easy operation with PACCAR MX-13 Engines and automat- ic transmissions, Otto offers what he says is the best pay in the area. "If you can't pay $2 an hour more for a driver in a truck making $100 an hour, then you've got the wrong person in the truck," Otto says. "The Peterbilt equipment helps a lot, but pay is important with the drivers we want. They're professionals and they want to make money. "But first, they have to pass the 'common sense test.'" Otto is an active participant in driv- er orientation. And the "common sense test" he gives applicants is part of the process of getting to know prospective drivers — and them getting to know Otto and his expectations. "One of the questions I ask is, 'What engine was in the last truck you drove?' Someone who aspires to be a professional, quality driver is going to know the answer. "I'll also tell the recruiter sometimes to go look at what they drove here. If it's a clean, well-maintained pick-up with a CB antenna, hire him. "We also won't take drivers who are regularly jumping ship. They better have a good excuse why they left their last job." Even prospects without a perfect score can earn a seat in one of Otto's Model 567s, but they'll start lower on the pay scale with an opportunity to work their way up. "I tell our prospective drivers that we're a hard company to work for. We'll work nights and weekends. "But our driver retention is higher than anybody in town. Without qual- ity drivers, we wouldn't be the success we are. We put our drivers in the best equipment out there and pay them well. And our customers know that not only do we have the best drivers in the area, we'll work nights, travel, do whatever we have to do to get the job done." Otto has long recognized the draw of Peterbilt's vocational products on the resale market. "They pay top dollar for them," he says. "People like our specs. We've always tried to get them light but we're really after longevity. So we'll go with 46,000-pound suspensions and 14,600 on the front ends. "And the Allison and Eaton trans- missions on our new trucks, they just run so smooth. Other trucks would be lugging the clutch climbing out of the places we do with a full load. They just help our drivers perform their job better." Otto says the first of his Model 567s — he's been running them since 2014 — were initially on a 6-year plan. "We like to keep them as long as we can, but there's a point where it pays to update the fleet while the value is at its highest," he says. "So we might not make six years. It's going to pay for me to update before then." That update is expected to include new Peterbilts, according to Otto. "We've got some really great cus- tomers. And I like to treat our vendors — such as Peterbilt and the dealerships that have earned our loyalty — like our customers treat us. "I just think of it as a real strong partnership." FC This Peterbilt Model 348 provides a mobile refueling unit to keep the Otto fleet operating at peak efficiency.