What sort of hauling do you do?

Bob Peterson, President: "Our focus is customers who have demanding service standards. We cover all 48, but also provide some service to Canada. And we were one of the very first fleets to interline into Mexico."

What does that mean?

"We have a big terminal in Laredo, and we might, for example, take a load of steel down there, where the trailer would be re-tarped and picked up by a Mexican carrier for delivery to someplace like Monterrey or Mexico City.

"Then, perhaps as much as 21 days later, the Mexican carrier will bring it back to our Laredo terminal and return the trailer and new load to us."

That's an innovative approach.

"It is, and it's very good for both groups. Roads and conditions are very different in Mexico, so we operate it almost the way you do when you rent a car at the airport.

"The Mexican fleet has to inspect the load and trailer when they take it from us, and they're responsible for any damage occuring on their way to the destination.

"And we re-inspect the trailer when it comes back."

Is this working well?

"Very well. In fact, in 2002, we received the Presidential 'E' award, presented to us in Washington by the Secretary of Commerce. The award honors firms that promote exports from the United States, and as far as we know, we're the only flatbed carrier ever to receive one."

What kinds of cargo are we talking about?

Russ Elliott, Vice President of Safety: "They vary, but often are raw steel, fabricated steel, roofing and building materials, portable buildings, air conditioners, pipe, sheetrock, bricks and glass."

But just a minute, your title involves safety.

"That's right, but a while back, Bob had me swap jobs with Pat White, who is now our Vice President of Operations."

What's the concept behind that?

Peterson: "We really feel it's important that everyone be well-rounded and know about as many aspects of our business as they can.

"So, besides the occasional job switch, we also do things like have all of our directors go on truck trips with our drivers, to experience what our business is really like. Russ, for example, has been on five of these trips during his time here."

And Russ, what did that teach you?

Elliott: "For one thing, image is critical to success and job satisfaction. This is a great place to work and all of us, including our drivers, can be proud to work here. That message gets transmitted from our drivers to our customers and impresses them too."

Are there ways in which, as a company, you're working to improve driver satisfaction?

"Not only driver satisfaction, but everybody's satisfaction. Safety's an example. We believe in safety, of course. Truck driving is a dangerous occupation, and tarping flat bed cargo is dangerous too.

"So, at our terminals, one of the things we provide is what we call a 'Cargo Protection Facility,' where drivers can get under a roof to tarp, re-tarp or swap loads. That way, they can do this difficult, dangerous and demanding job without having to also deal with rain or the heat of the sun.

"Overall, through things like that, our regular safety meetings, and the safety posters you'll find throughout our facilities, we've cut on-the-job injuries about 70 percent."

What about your non-driving employees?

"They're a part of the process too. They see the same posters, and they can also participate in our health and wellness program.

"We sponsor softball and volleyball teams, have invited 'Weight Watchers' to make presentations here and offer a health club membership reimbursement program.

"On hot days, we even have a rule that we will not offer caffeinated drinks after 9 AM, because they can contribute to dehydration."

How is all this paying off for you?

Peterson: "We absolutely believe that safety pays. It always has. And, we also believe that happier, healthier people are more productive. We hire safe drivers and then teach them safe practices.

It just makes sense to us."

Are your customers picking up on it?

Dan Taylor, Vice President for Sales & Marketing: "They certainly are. I can see that if we want to be the best, we have to have the best people.

"And we get and keep them by providing clean, late-model, properly equipped and well-maintained equipment - and by providing an excellent work environment.

"For example, people often comment on how well we keep our facilities and grounds, how clean our trucks are and the amenities we provide for our employees."

Doesn't that cost a lot of money?

Peterson: "Certainly, it costs money, but we believe the investment in our people and our company will ultimately serve us well."

Taylor: "And, we believe that if you don't spend some money on landscaping, amenities, truck washes and driver pay - which we've raised three times this year already - you'll have to spend it on driver recruiting, advertising your services and compensating for poor performance and low productivity."

Jeff Robinson, Vice President - Maintenance: [Laughing] "Does that mean I can charge the cost of all our truck washes to your budget instead of mine?"

Taylor: [Also laughing] "Actually, what it means is that if you weren't doing those truck washes, I might need just that much more money in my budget."

Speaking of things like that, Jeff, what are some of your maintenance objectives?

Robinson: "We're doing everything we can to keep our equipment trouble-free. Our computer system tracks every single vehicle and tells us when it's due for maintenance. We see every truck about every 60 days and do a full PM every 35,000 miles.

"If the truck is nearby, we'll probably bring it in here to work on it. We have six drive-through bays with two full lifts and a complete tire shop.

"If the vehicle is out on the road, we will direct it to a dealer or to another one of our facilities."

What kind of equipment are you using?

"We've been running the Kenworth T-600 for years. It's a proven, aerodynamic tractor with a good turning radius and a nice-sized sleeper. We've bought many so we know them through and through."

What kind of tires are you running?

"We run the Bridgestone R280 on steers and the M726 EL on drives."

How long do you expect tires to last?

"The R280s will generally go between 125,000 and 140,000 miles.

"We don't know how long the M726 ELs will last because we only started using them recently and haven't worn any out yet. We were using the Bridgestone M726 and those lasted between 280,000 and 320,000 miles."

And your trailers?

"They are mostly composite Utility and Great Dane, with spread axles and PSI automatic inflation systems. The tires are Bridgestone R196.

How long do those tires last?

"On trailers, we go more by time than by miles. With spread axles, the front tires wear very fast. We hope to get about 18-24 months of service out of our trailer tires.

"Overall, I'd say our Bridgestone tires are performing very well."

What's in the future for Melton Truck Lines?

Peterson: "We believe in the trucking business and plan on continuing to invest in quality equipment and people. We'll buy over 300 new tractors this year, and we intend to keep on doing the things we believe are right.

"As an example, we're building a new terminal in Birmingham, AL in response to our growing customer base and because it will allow us to access a driver population that we don't attract today.