Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/354293
Twenty years ago, First Class magazine featured L.W. Miller Transportation, its founder, Larry Miller, and its nearly all-Peterbilt fleet of traditionally styled conventional tractors that hauled its live- stock, refrigerated and pneumatic freight. Miller's only wish then, or so it seemed, was for more qualified drivers. "We could double the size of our fleet if we had the drivers to do it," he said. Two decades later, in 2014, Miller's still in charge of what has become a diverse group of companies that includes convenience stores, truck stops, a restau- rant, and the core hauling business, which he first founded in 1965. And Peterbilts still make up the vast majority of the fleet. The straight lines of the once traditionally styled fleet have been replaced by the rounded contours of the aerodynamic Models 587 and 579, however. A few Model 388s remain in the fleet, but Miller is enjoying the fuel-saving benefits of Peterbilt's aerodynamic designs. And the fleet has just about doubled in size, with more than 200 tractors now at work. But drivers, and the need to sat- isfy them with premium equipment and premium pay packages, remain central to Miller's growth ambitions. "I've challenged all our divisions to grow 5 to 10 percent this year," says Miller. "I think we can do it. But we'll need to overcome some of the limitations of the driver market in order to achieve that level of growth." Minimal turnover Miller, who cites an impressive driver turnover average of 27 percent in compar- ison to some local competitors who turn drivers at 130 percent a year, has long understood that at the root of a success- ful driver retention formula is premium equipment. Back in 1965, when Miller partnered with a Utah packing company to start his company, the only driver he had to satisfy was himself. And he did so with a Peterbilt cabover. "My father-in-law was in trucking," Miller recalls. "He ran Peterbilts and introduced me to the Smith brothers, who owned the Peterbilt dealership here. They just seemed like such nice people. I mortgaged my house to get enough money to buy the truck. I had to park it in a field but I was on my way." Miller's business partnership ended when the packing firm bought him out in 1982. But by that point he had the resources and the wherewithal to make his own way in the world. He settled in the pic- turesque city of Logan, but found it lacking in some of the necessities for operating a trucking firm. "There was no repair facility here, and you couldn't buy diesel, so I opened a truck stop," he says. "We needed to wash our cattle haulers out, so I opened a truck wash. Drivers couldn't get anything to eat, so I opened a restaurant." With similar simplicity and purpose, Miller pursued opportunities in trucking. He bought out a chemical hauler, and continued to develop innovative backhaul opportunities for his livestock division. He further diversified with a refrigerated freight division and a petroleum fleet, which has recently expanded. Growth was steady over the years, fueled by customer relationships built on trust and reliable service. But the limiting factor remained the availability of quality drivers. "If you don't have the right people in place, you're just not going to get any- where," Miller says. "The Peterbilt equip- ment we operate makes a difference in attracting and keeping our quality people." "The Peterbilt equipment we operate makes a difference in attracting and keeping quality people."