Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/933951
February 2018 | Overdrive | 35 Enjoying life's finer things O wner-operator Philip Keith en- joys trucking and work- ing for WEL Compa- nies, his working home since 1987. He also enjoys the life outside of trucking his career has afforded him. When Keith and Eva, his wife and team driving partner, are at their Gulf Coast home in Long Beach, Missis- sippi, they usually can be found riding Keith's motorcycle or on their sailboat with friends. The couple stays on the road 21 to 24 days a month. "We've done so many dedicated runs over the years and tried so many different ways to see what worked best for our lifestyle," Keith says. "We used to be home every week with a 5,000-mile dedi- cated run, but there's too much stress to get home every weekend. The best balance we found for us is to get out and work hard for three weeks and take a week off so we can en- joy our house, our toys and our grandkids." During his career with WEL, Keith has worked as a driver, dispatcher, terminal manager and customer service manager. He says he always was a driver first, though nondriving jobs taught him financial manage- ment that helps him as an owner-operator. Likewise, "Being a driver helped me in the office with having the driver's perspective. I was able to take my experience in customer service from the office out onto the road to help build relationships with customers." Since Keith began his trucking career in 1983, he has amassed more than 5 million accident-free miles. He says the key to staying out of trouble has been not allowing himself to get in a position where he has to use his brakes to get out of it. "Accidents happen, and you usually don't see it coming, but I just look out for potential problems and try to get away from it," he says. Another key is avoid- ing major cities' rush hours, which he admits is easier as a team. Typical runs for Keith include hauling bananas from Mis- sissippi to Wisconsin, then hauling cheese east or west, then bringing other freight back to Wisconsin. The Keiths plan to pay cash for their next truck in about a year. Their current truck, a 2017 Peterbilt 579 bought in September 2016 for $181,000, replaced a nearly 10-year-old Peterbilt 386 that had more than 2 million miles. On their next truck, the couple plans to add a custom sleeper with a shower. Meeting challenges of oversized freight L itchfield, Minne- sota-based Kevin Kocmich, 56, leased to Diamond Transporta- tion System, has been hauling oversized/ overweight equipment throughout his 28-year driving career. He enjoys the added chal- lenge of being one of the bigger vehicles on the road. "It comes with a lit- tle prestige, I suppose," he says. "There's pride in what other drivers are seeing when you're hauling down the road, especially when it's military equipment. When I deliver every load, no matter what it is, I know it's an ac- complishment." The obstacles are numerous – curfews, weather, other drivers and traffic – but all of that makes it even more rewarding to deliver a load safely, which he's done for more than 3 million miles. "Defensive driving is the number one thing you can do to stay clean," he says. "Look out for everybody else, because they aren't looking out for you." In recent years, Koc- mich has focused on reducing idle time on his 2015 Peterbilt 579. Given the cost of an auxiliary power unit and the need to avoid extra weight in his heavy-haul niche, Kocmich and his wife, Joy, decided to pass on the unit and get a hotel room when necessary. Joy often rides with him since he stays on the road two to three months at a time. "I got the truck three years ago, and I have 5.5 percent idle time, which is pretty good without an APU," he says. Kocmich grew up on a South Dakota farm. After graduating high school in 1979, he got a harvest truck run be- tween Oklahoma and the Canadian border before getting into regional trucking. For a short time, he hauled steel, then began mov- ing into long-haul. Kocmich par- ticipates in the Trucker Buddy program, part- nered with a fourth- grade classroom. "It shows the younger kids what's out here on the road," he says. "They're pretty amazed by trucks to begin with, but this al- lows them to see what we haul and where we go. Everyone learns a lot, even the teach- ers." He sends the class weekly postcards and writes occasional letters. Kocmich says he's been able to remain profitable by manag- ing his business well, making every mile count and keeping up on equipment mainte- nance.