Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/591462
2 0 1 5 V 3 | B U L L D O G | 2 3 sleepers, with the optional Rawhide edition interior. Beneath the hood is the MP8 ® 13-liter engine with the Mack mDRIVE™ automated manual transmission. Inside the cab is a luxu- rious expanse of button-tuck ultraleather and two-toned embroidered seats. On the dash, a small emblem states: "Custom Built for Superior Transportation." Drivers were initially hesitant about the mDRIVE, but they are now enthusiastic converts. "It's a huge fatigue buster and makes their day easier," Barber says. "We would have a tough time getting any of these guys out of those trucks now." Still, he worries about the future of the trucking industry as older drivers retire and younger generations turn to computers or other professions. He has two drivers who have been with him from be beginning, but he's always looking for new drivers as he expands. That's why he offers high-tech equipment along with lucrative pay and bene- fits packages. Drivers start out with an annual salary of $47,000, and the company's average driver earns $64,000 annually. They are also pro- vided with uniforms, work boots and personal protection equipment, and their trucks are washed and maintained for them in-house. They receive quarterly bonuses of $1,200 for safe driving, and the company has received safety awards nearly every year from the South Carolina Trucking Association. "It's harder than ever to retain employees and pay is not the only answer," Barber says. "I take care of my people. I still drive. I still get Pat Barber stands in front of a Mack truck at Superior Transportation in North Charleston, South Carolina. Barber started the company in 1998. Pat Barber stands in front of a Mack Superliner with his son James. One of Superior Transportation's Mack Pinnacles delivers a fermenter to the new Sierra Nevada brewery in Mills River, North Carolina, this past April. Photo by Jim McNamara