Lisa Wison, Sales Administrative Assistant
In the 1970's, contract carriers held a virtual monopoly on Texas intrastate freight. Freight that moved entirely within Texas was highly regulated by the state, and carriers with intrastate authority were able to control freight rates to the disadvantage of shippers.

To promote more competition, several container manufacturers approached Dart to encourage the company to secure Texas Intrastate Contract Authority.

Sensing a business opportunity, Dart Transit President Don Oren decided to acquire statewide Intrastate Texas Authority as soon as possible, a formidable task.

That task fell to Alan Swenson (pictured above), Vice President of Sales and Marketing. At that time, much of Alan's energy was invested in applying for additional operating authority. As he thought about the issues surrounding Texas Intrastate Authority, he developed a strategy.

The first step was gaining support from five shippers. Ed Hatter of Crown Cork & Seal was the first to sign a supporting affidavit. Continental Can, National Can, American Can, and Grief Brothers completed the initial group of supporting shippers.

At that time, Central Freight Lines virtually ruled the state of Texas and was expected to vigorously protest any attempt to gain authority in Texas. In exchange for not protesting our application, Dart agreed to only operate trailers 48 feet and longer. At the time, Central had 45' trailers and refused to purchase any 48's.

Choosing a name
To obtain operating authority, Dart had earlier purchased a carrier named "Fleetline", which ran between Chicago and the Twin Cities. The operating authority was transferred to Dart, leaving the Fleetline name and corporation unused. It was decided to use that name for the new Texas venture. So on April 13, 1982, the application for Intrastate Contract authority was filed under the name of Fleetline, and Alan Swenson was named the first President of Fleetline.

Protests to the application came from three or four well-known contract carriers serving the container industry. As the hearing progressed, Alan was on the witness stand in Austin, with all of the opposing carriers and attorneys present. Our attorney cited an obscure portion of the law that prohibited existing contract carriers from opposing a new contract carrier application. The judge agreed and dismissed the protests. Our case went forward unopposed.

Rates were established and Fleetline began to provide service with Dart equipment dispatched from St. Paul. Supporting shippers were pleased to have a lower cost alternative.

Patented trailer design also provided Fleetline with a marketing advantage in the high-cube freight niche. Don Oren held the patent on an innovative 53-foot, super-wide, high-cube trailer designed with a "crown floor". The design allowed pallet pin-wheeling, increasing the number of pallets that could be loaded into a trailer.

In addition to promoting this market niche, Mr. Oren planned to introduce and promote another concept: thin-walled, high-cube 57 foot trailers especially suited for shipping light and bulky freight. These trailers allowed Fleetline to offer trailers with the largest available inside dimensions: 101.5" wide, 111" high, and 57 feet long. The design provided 4,433 cubic feet of space -- a 7.5% advantage over a standard 53-foot trailer.

Managing Fleetline's business from St. Paul, Minnesota was inefficient, so an office was opened in Arlington, Texas. Jim Steffel came aboard as the second President of Fleetline, and Fleetline's first Texas-dispatched load moved from Abilene to Dallas on June 6, 1984.

During the early 1980's, the U.S. Congress deregulated the interstate trucking industry, opening the way for Fleetline to expand its operating authority.

In 1984, Fleetline filed for and received 48-state General Commodities Authority. This allowed Fleetline to move freight originating in Texas to surrounding states such as Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico. This helped Fleetline to reduce deadhead as an operating expense while helping contractors produce more miles with longer trips.

Fleetline's services were marketed as a small regional trucking company with the nation's largest fleet of 57 foot trailers. Focused on service to Texas contract customers with service to states contiguous to Texas, Fleetline (like Dart) contracted with independent owner-operators to provide power units.

The growing company needed more space, so on December 13, 1986, ground was broken for a new facility in Lancaster, Texas. The new facility was complete in September 1987, and Fleetline moved to its present location.

The years that followed witnessed a number of significant achievements and events

1990

• The Operations Department changed from a Zone Dispatch system to Fleet Dispatchers.
• Safety switched safety training curriculum to "Ethics and Techniques for the Professional Driver".
• Dart and Fleetline combined sales and marketing to create one national sales force.
• To improve efficiency, Dart and Fleetline combined Billing Departments.

1991

• Fleetline's first "dedicated fleet" serves Sonoco Products in Houston, Texas.

1992

• Fleetline becomes the second carrier named "Select Supplier" by Campbell Soup in Paris, Texas.
• Joyce Jordan adds Fleetline General Manager to her role as Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

1993

• Fleetline, Inc. receives Common Carrier Intrastate Texas Authority.

1994

• A devastating tornado strikes Lancaster, Texas. Fleetline escapes damage, but half of Lancaster's historic town square is destroyed. Fleetline employees raise money for the American Red Cross Relief Fund to assist the community of Lancaster.
• Fleetline expands corporate office, doubling its size.

1995

• Fleetline receives its third Genesis Insurance Company President's Award for the best carrier safety record in 1993, '94, and '95.1996
• 1st Place Fleet Safety Award, the Truckload Carriers Association.
• Carrier of the Year for Owens-Corning Fiberglas in Waxahachie, Texas in 1995 and 1996.

1997

• Joyce Jordan promoted to Chief Operating Officer.

1998

• Dart/Fleetline receive "Quest for Quality Award" for dry van carriers from Logistics Management & Distribution Report magazine for the 5th time since 1989. The awards are based on ballots from the shipping customers, rating carriers for on-time performance, value, equipment and operations, customer service, and technology.

1999

• Pro Stop opens new shop facility in Lancaster.
• Fleetline and Dart operations departments combine under VP Gary Randall.
• New computer operating system successfully designed and installed to prevent Y2K problems.

2001

• Full marketing and contractor integration of Fleetline and Dart begins under the Dart Transit Co. name.

New model year 2002 Freightliner tractors will soon be arriving at Highway Sales and monthly leasing costs will hold steady. That's good news, because Freightliner raised prices on 2002 tractors. Highway Sales negotiated lower interest rates that offset the manufacturer's price increase.

Over the term of a 60 month lease, payments average $1,656.20 per month, or $382.20 per week.

Payments are set on a declining schedule to keep the trucks affordable as they age. Payments drop as maintenance costs rise, leaving the total operating cost per month about the same throughout the lease term.

$1,795 for 12 months
$1,695 next 12 months
$1,597 last 36 months
$12,735 balloon payment

Steve Gundale, Editor
Clarence Overby for Dart Transit
Trucking with Dart is easy work, according to Clarence Overby. Of course, he's comparing what he does today with what he did 37 years ago. His uncle introduced him to produce hauling, back when his equipment was a 40 foot trailer with a "bunker and blower" - which refrigerated the load with a fan blowing air over blocks of ice.

On one of his regular runs, he hauled watermelon from Texas to Minnesota, returning with potatoes and rutabagas. The trailer ran with open vents to let the "field heat" out of the trailer. He also operated a 10 wheeler with his brother-in-law, hauling strawberries and tomatoes from Florida to Alabama. "Burning up a load" was always a worry.

Produce absolutely has to get there, or the driver buys his spoiled load. Overby's experience was much different when he pulled his first Dart load in 1993. The weather was terrible and the roads were treacherous, so he called dispatch to let them know he would be late. "I expected to get chewed out … after all, this was my first load. I couldn't believe my ears when he told me to park it and call back in the morning." A million accident-free miles later, Clarence is still amazed. "This is the first company I've leased with where safety is number one."

Dispatcher Dave Porterfield says Overby is a "go anywhere, do anything" contractor. "I've never heard Clarence complain about anything. He's a wonderful asset on my team."

Ron Tolbert for Fleetline - Photo unavailable
Cathy Aydelott, Staff Writer
Ron Tolbert has been with Fleetline for ten years as an independent contractor. Ron has been in the trucking business since 1969. Prior to contracting with Fleetline, Ron worked for Capital Steel and Fleming Foods.

I asked Ron what he likes best about working with Fleetline. He said, "Fleetline is a place I can call home, with good communications and pay on demand." Ron advises anyone interested in trucking to research it heavily. "Being single would be the best thing. It's really hard on your family being gone so much."

"Ron is an easy going guy who is absolutely reliable," comments dispatcher Ron Salmon. "With Ron Tolbert, I have no worries about a load. He's sure to take care of it and deliver on time."

Ron and his wife, Sherry, have been married since 1974 and live in Chipley, Florida. They have seven children and three grandchildren.

Richard Gremmel for Dart Transit
Steve Gundale, Editor
Have you ever noticed that trucking seems to run in families? It certainly does in Rich Gremmel's.

Rich's step father was a long haul driver, so Rich had many opportunities to learn about the truck driving profession as he tagged along on over-the-road trips.

By the time Rich was 18, he was driving a tow truck. At age 25 he moved into a large wrecker, towing stranded semi's. By age 31 he graduated to long haul trucking, gaining experience with reefers, tanks, and bull racks.

By 1997 he was ready to run his own trucking business. Approved for a truck by Highway Sales, Gremmel became an independent contractor with Dart.

Life on the road is lonelier than it needs to be, says Rich, because truck drivers tend to stick to themselves on the road. When he sees stranded motorists, Gremmel makes a point of stopping to offer help, especially when the other motorist is a truck driver.

"Richard is very knowledgeable about our customers," says dispatcher Nate Winegar. "He carries business cards and several times he has helped Dart locate new business."

Keith Phelps for Fleetline - Photo unavailable
Cathy Aydelott, Staff Writer
Keith Phelps has been with Fleetline for four years as an independent contractor. Keith has been in the trucking business for over 17 years and has worked for JB Hunt and RBX. Keith's brother is also a contractor and works for American Freight.

Keith's truck is through Highway Sales and he recommends them highly. "They help keep you straight", says Keith. He credits Highway Sales and his dispatcher, Beth Shannon, for making him successful.

Keith says that having a good dispatcher is key. "I tell Beth what I want to do and leave it up to her," says Keith, "and when I want to go home, she does her best to get me there."

When asked for advice on trucking as a career, Keith advises , "check out all your options, and try a Highway Sales truck." Keith says being an independent contractor can be a great career.

Keith calls Woodstock, Kansas home. He spends his spare time with eight kids and two grandkids, and he enjoys fishing.

Early last year Dart and Fleetline announced a paid base-plate bonus for the year 2001. To qualify for the performance bonus, a contractor needed only to produce 120,000 paid miles during the 2000 calendar year.

New owner operators signing contracts during 2000 could also qualify for partially paid plates in 2001 by averaging 10,000 miles a month during the months they were under contract.

A total of 467 contractors met the 120,000 mile requirement for a fully paid licensing package in 2001.

Coming soon! Cut your fuel costs with space-age technology

For many months, it seemed that fuel prices were headed into outer space. Help for high fuel prices will be coming from outer space, using a combination of computer programming and satellite technology.

Dart is testing fuel optimization computer software that will send routing and truck stop fuel pricing to contractors through their Qualcomm satellite units.

According to Debra Martin, Special Projects Manager with Dart, the optimization software takes a contractor's pick up and delivery points, selects the shortest practical route, and then calculates where on that route to purchase fuel at the lowest possible cost. Routing and truck stop recommendations are then relayed to the contractor via the Qualcomm satellite.

"The software looks at the contractor's fuel tank capacity, fuel economy, and preferred truck stop services to determine how much fuel to purchase at which truck stop," Ms. Martin said. "It will figure the lowest possible total cost, so it may recommend buying only enough fuel at a high priced truck stop to reach a lower-priced truck stop down the road. Then the contractor can fill his tanks at the lowest possible cost."

How much can a contractor save in fuel costs? It will vary with each contractor's operation, but carriers using the system report savings of about 1 cent per mile, or more than $900 per truck, per year. Since independent contractors buy their own fuel, they keep 100% of the money they save.

"This program is completely voluntary," said Ms. Martin. "Contractors don't have to request the service, or use any of its recommendations."

Martin said that Dart's motivation in purchasing the optimization software is to help contractors operate as profitably as possible. "Dart has no intention of deciding for contractors where they should buy fuel, or which routes they should travel. That's entirely up to them. Dart understands that their decisions change with weather, road construction, time constraints, and many other factors. But we also believe that the optimization information will be a valuable business tool for contractors who choose to use it."

The fuel optimizer will be tested with a small group of trucks for a month or two, or until the bugs are worked out of it. It will then be available to the entire fleet.

Letters from the road Highway Angels and Knights of the Road

Editor: A Florida motorist e-mailed us about a driver who stopped to help her with a flat tire. Having the trailer number, we identified Fleetline contractor Alvin Dillard of Porum, Oklahoma as the driver. Dillard says he makes a regular practice of helping motorists, but this was the first time anyone had contacted the carrier.

"Tonight (06 March 2001) I was on I-95 in Ormond Beach on my way from work to pick up my daughter from softball practice when my left rear tire exploded. I pulled into the median and called AAA. Before AAA arrived, Dart AdVANtage truck #87244 pulled onto the service road. He crossed the interstate and offered his assistance.

"I cannot tell you how much this act of kindness, his professional expertise, and reassurance meant to me. He changed my tire, advised me that it was OK to drive, and evaluated the damage.

"Thank you to a Knight of the Road. I don't know his name, but I do know how much he meant to me today."
- Christine Davenport

---

A February letter from Silgan's Savage, Minnesota plant told a remarkable story about Dan Gullickson, who is performing far above the call of duty to provide outstanding customer service.

"Our plant was scheduled for our annual inspection by the American Institute of Baking. This inspection is required by one of our largest customers to audit our facility for cleanliness, sanitation practices, and procedures that affect them. In preparation for this audit, we take extra care to make sure the plant is as inspection-ready as possible.

One of your contractors, Dan Gullickson, contributed immeasurably to the cleanup. He worked side-by-side with our employees to make sure the dock area and plant was ready for this inspection. As a result of his contribution, along with the efforts of our employees, the plant received a perfect score in the cleanliness and sanitation portion of our inspection.

We congratulate your company on Dan. He is totally dedicated to his customer's satisfaction. His pride and professionalism are outstanding."
- Paul R. Zilic, Assistant Superintendent