Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/476554
2 0 1 5 V 1 | BULLDOG | 2 3 I t is a cold, blustery day in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the parking lot is vacant at Highway Transport Chemical. Larry Edwards smiles as he surveys the empty yard. This is exactly what the maintenance director likes to see: All the drivers are on the road, and all his trucks are fully functional. When you're paid to solve problems, the last thing you need is a glitch in the system. The family-owned company was founded in 1948, and it has developed an ironclad reputation for on-time, error-free delivery of chemical products. 7KHWUXFNƅHHWWUDQVSRUWVEXONOLTXLG chemicals, including latex emulsions, acrylates, cleaning compounds and solvents. They serve 48 states and Canada. Delivery is routed through 10 strategic terminals located in Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Safety is critical, Edwards says, and he attributes the company's long success to employees' attention to detail and commitment to meeting customers' needs. Clients can use an online portal to follow the status of their loads from pickup to delivery, and each truck uses Omnitracs communications technology for dispatch instructions, electronic logs and electronic vehicle inspection. Every load comes with its own set of challenges, and Highway Transport thrives on ƄJXULQJRXWWKHEHVWZD\WRJHWWKHKDXOWRLWV GHVWLQDWLRQZKHWKHULWUHTXLUHVVSHFLƄF loading or unloading procedures, a particular length of hose, heat in transit, vapor recovery ƄWWLQJVRUDQHZSLHFHRISHUVRQDOSURWHFWLYH gear for the drivers. Sometimes the hardest part of the job is coping with issues that vex the entire trucking industry — driver shortages, rising costs, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates. When Edwards arrived at the company 18 years ago, Highway Transport had 180 drivers. Now the company boasts 260 drivers and an enviable 95 percent average capacity, but driver recruitment and retention is a full-time job, he says. Highway Transport tackles the problem by offering a competitive pay package while searching for ways to increase driver VDWLVIDFWLRQ7HUPLQDOVDUHHTXLSSHGZLWK washers and dryers, vending machines, and Wi-Fi for driver convenience during their off- duty hours. %XWWKHELJJHVWGUDZLVWKHHTXLSPHQW$V Highway Transport replaces tractors, the management team is continually looking for the same things: improved safety, more comfort and better life cycle costs. That's how Lloyd Oslonian, executive VDOHVPDQDW:RUOGZLGH(TXLSPHQWLQ Knoxville, became an integral part of the Highway Transport team. Oslonian has been with Worldwide for 32 years, and he took over the Highway Transport account in 1999. He estimates he has sold between 500 and 600 trucks to the company over the years. It wasn't hard to keep them in the Mack family, Oslonian says. It was just a matter of staying in touch with their needs and letting them know about new products coming down the pike. Highway Transport has always been a big user of Mack Trucks, Edwards says, and the ƅHHWRSHUDWHVSHUFHQW0DFN+HOLNHVWKH Mack brand for its heavy-duty strength and durability, but there was one catch: As other haulers moved to automated transmissions, Highway Transport balked, worried about specs and driver response. Because of EPA engine emission standards and changing customer needs, the trucks are FDUU\LQJPRUHHTXLSPHQWuDQGPRUHZHLJKW — than before. They couldn't afford to add a heavier transmission to the load. They had a group of older Macks that Worldwide had refurbished, and they decided to stay with those while they waited and watched. When the Mack Pinnacle came off the assembly line with a new mDRIVE 12-speed automated transmission it immediately caught Highway Transport's attention. It weighed the same as a standard 10-speed manual, and Mack manufactured its own transmission instead of outsourcing. On top of that, on the mDRIVE automated transmission, Mack offers DPRQWKPLOHVWDQGDUGZDUUDQW\ 7RSRIWKHOLQHHTXLSPHQWDQG VDWLVƄHGFXVWRPHUVIXHO+LJKZD\ Transport Chemical's growth. Story and photos by Carmen K. Sisson