Riches in niches
Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By David A Kolman
Power People
In addition to services and specialization, Norris attributes the company's success to his attitude that “Howell's Motor Freight is in the people business. We just happen to drive trucks, deliver and store freight, do billing, load scheduling, and all the rest that goes along with transportation.” His focus is on developing his “family,” which is how he refers to his employees.
“Every person has a different style and motivation,” he says. “We make sure we manage that, coaching our family members accordingly. Everybody does different jobs, but our worth as people is equal. And that philosophy has helped us in trying to realize our goals and where we want to go.”
Norris empowers his people to get the job done, which he likens to putting together a giant puzzle without having all the pieces, and not being in control of the game. “I tell my people that none of us gets up in the morning saying: ‘I think I'm going to miss a delivery to a customer and make a shipper mad.’ None of us plan to make mistakes. They just happen, and we need to deal with them as quickly as possible, making sure we satisfy our customers.”
Another company philosophy: “Quality people, quality service, and caring make the difference.”
Planning ahead
All company marketing strategies are coordinated through headquarters, “so we're all on the same page, working toward a common goal,” Sanford says. “Today's war doesn't let you think about tomorrow's battles, so we make the time and effort to look ahead and plan.”
The company has developed a “solid management team with more than 160 years of combined experience,” says Norris. “Plus we have the entrepreneurial spirit that a third generation family brings to the table.”
A couple of years ago, Howell's Motor Freight “planned to capture the niche in our market on LTL refrigerated and frozen business,” he recalls, “in addition to what we are doing on our cross dock operation, the LTL business has been one of our fastest growing areas.”
Drive matters
Howell's Motor Freight is very proud of its drivers and works effectively to keep them. Overall, driver turnover is about 15 to 20 percent, says Timothy Shephard, vice president of safety and risk management. “We have many long-time drivers, some of whom have been with us for more than 25 years.”
How is this achieved? “Naturally, we want experienced drivers with a clean driving record,” Shephard says. “Then we look for someone with a good attitude that has a family. They tend to be more anchored and content and usually do a better, safer job.”
Hiring right in the first place leads to longevity. “Beyond that we do a superior job of training and orientation, because we want to set our drivers up for success.”
All drivers, regardless of years or miles of experience go through the full training and orientation, explains Shephard. “Different companies do things differently, and we want our new drivers, at the end of their training period, to clearly understand what its takes to be successful at Howell's.”
