WHY IS A CALIFORNIA FLEET NAMED "OZARK"?

Roger Houston, president-general manager: "Good question. Nine years ago, we were a subsidiary of Raley's. Tom Raley, founder of the supermarket chain, had close ties to his home state of Arkansas. His yacht was 'Ozark Lady.' So his trucking company became 'Ozark Trucking.'"

ARE YOU STILL PART OF RALEY'S?

"No, we are an independent company. However, as we got into delivery of groceries for Raley's, we learned we could use their 'traffic lanes' ­ the routes we travel to Raley's stores ­ to earn additional revenue. This led to developing the 'for hire' side of the business, which contributes 30 percent of our income."

HOW LARGE IS OZARK'S FLEET?

"We have 140 tractors and over 300 trailers ­ 74 tractors are Ozark's, 51 are Raley's, and about 15 are assigned to a local bottler.

"We started leasing just four tractors to Raley's and all of their trailers, most of which are reefers along with a few dry vans used for storage. Eventually, Raley's outsourced dispatching for dry grocery and frozen foods to us ­ followed by warehousing and logistics for bakery and store supplies.

"They had been buying baked goods from individual suppliers. Now, it's bought in quantity directly from distributors, and Ozark warehouses and delivers it."

WHAT KIND OF POWER UNITS DO YOU USE?

"We've been a Kenworth customer right from the start. Although we use Volvos for Raley's Nevada runs. Our new daycabs will be Kenworth T800s.

"Ozark runs sleepers as well as daycabs. On long trips, Raley's puts its drivers in motels, so they're going 100 percent daycab."

ON TRIPS TO NEVADA, DO DRIVERS TAKE
THE DONNER PASS?

"Our drivers treat the 'Summit' as a real challenge. Of course, I think we have the most professional drivers on the road. In spite of the bad weather we've had this year ­ including 'El Niño's' storms ­ there was only one time we couldn't get through, and that didn't affect every truck.

"We've been in situations where other drivers have encountered a roadblock because of snow ­ and given the opportunity, go home. Our guys want to go through. They understand our commitment to service.

"Ozark has an excellent reputation with the California DOT and the Highway Patrol. They know our drivers and equipment. "

WHAT IS OZARK'S MANAGEMENT STYLE?

"We do things contrary to the way most people run a grocery fleet. We don't pay by the hour. We pay by the mile and by the stop. This encourages drivers to get to each store and unload as efficiently as possible, then go to the next one. If the driver hustles, he'll spend less time per stop and get back to the yard ­ perhaps in time to pick up another delivery.

"We list drivers' names on the delivery board by seniority. But once they're on the board, we rotate the work selection every week. This means everyone gets some weekends off, and everyone goes to every location ­ you get the good with the bad.

Ozark's Ed Gamache checks remaining tread depth on a Bridgestone M726 drive radial.

ED, DO YOU SPECIFY THE EQUIPMENT FOR OZARK?

Ed Gamache, fleet maintenance manager: "Every cab and trailer for Ozark and Raley's. As Roger said, most of the cabs are Kenworth, because they provide what we need and stand behind their product.

"We only use Cummins engines ­ 95 percent are 330 hp, with a few 400 hp engines Raley's uses to cross the Summit.

"We spec Utility and Wabash trailers, and we're 100 percent Bridgestone. We want the best price, but also, service, reliability and long term relationships."

WHAT PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR TIRES?

"Obviously, we're looking for long wear ­ but wet traction and snow traction are very important. Tires need to be retreadable. And, steer tires need excellent handling characteristics.

"Tires are one of our biggest operating costs ­ other than fuel and the driver. We need to get as much input as we can to properly manage them.

"We depend on our dealer and Bridgestone field engineer to lead us in the right direction. Wear studies show the M720 is the right drive tire for us. And real economy begins when you retread. We always do two retreads ­ sometimes three."

"ANY SPECIAL PREPARATION FOR THE RUNS TO NEVADA?"

"Getting to and over the Summit at Donner Pass is time-consuming. Often you have to put on and remove chains, and the speed limit is reduced to 25 or 30 miles per hour. Once you're up there, however, there are a lot of miles to run and fewer stops ­ so it's a profitable and popular run for our drivers, since they're paid by the mile.

"Our 'snow' trucks are equipped with newer drive tires for improved traction. Even when chains are not required, there may be snow, so we spec traction tires instead of rib designs."

HOW MANY TRAILERS DO RALEY'S DRIVERS PULL DAILY?

"A driver will often pull 3 to 5 different trailers to as many as 5 different stores. Backhauls may be empty, or have a full load of milk or potatoes. That trailer will be dropped off at one location, and replaced with a trailer headed for another set of stores."

ARE THERE ANY DRIVER INCENTIVE PROGRAMS?

"Ozark drivers and mechanics are on a bonus system. The bonus is determined by safety records and meeting parameters set by on-board computers for speed, idling, and rpm. Computers remind drivers to shut down engines to improve fuel efficiency. And they help reduce emissions, noise and wear and tear. All these things affect a driver's yearly bonus."

IS THERE A DRIVER RECOGNITION PROGRAM?

"We prefer not to single out one person. We might have 20 people ­ or 150 for that matter ­ who deserve the award. When you pick one, in my opinion, you may disappoint all the rest.