David Compton:
Joining me today is Bob Sellers, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Reliable Carriers. Bob, welcome to the show.
Bob Sellers:
Thank you David. Good to see you.
David Compton:
Yeah, thanks for joining us today. So I see these bright orange rigs running down the road and I’d love to find out a little bit more about Reliable Carriers and a little bit about the history of the company and what your specialty is.
Bob Sellers:
Well we’re celebrating 60 years this year, so we’ve been in business since 1960. All we do is all haul high-dollar automobiles around the country. We service 48 States and Canada. And it’s a pretty unique and really niche business in the trucking industry.
David Compton:
So being only an auto hauler, what are some of maybe the challenges, or what are some of the differentiators between only hauling cars as opposed to a tank or a drive van et cetera, et cetera.
Bob Sellers:
Probably the most unique and challenging thing is the value of the product that we haul. I mean, it’s not unusual, if you’ve ever gone to Pebble Beach and seen our trucks lined up there, every one of those trucks could have 20, 30 million dollars worth of cars on them. That is not something that your everyday driver’s going to be responsible for. And so it takes a unique individual to handle that, deal with that type of clientele, and be able to handle that kind of responsibility.
David Compton:
So we have a lot of drivers out there that are looking to get into the auto hauling business and your company’s obviously, one of the leaders out there. When you’re looking to hire drivers, what are some of the skills you’re looking for or character traits or whatever it may be?
Bob Sellers:
Well, we have ours a little bit more demanding than most. First of all, we require a minimum of five years of driving experience before you can even apply to work for us. So we sort of take a given that when you come to apply, you’re a good driver. The thing we look for more importantly is customer service skills, people that are comfortable dealing with the public. I mean, in many cases we’re dealing with high-end engineers or in many cases, very prominent individuals that collect cars around the country, so we need to have someone that first foremost is a customer service agent and frankly second is a driver.
David Compton:
Got it. So what are some of the advantages of being an auto hauler driver? The driver himself? I mean I hear the pay is good, but maybe are there any other advantages for hauling that type of freight?
Bob Sellers:
Well, I think it’s a very prestigious job. I think if you talk to other drivers, you’re right, I mean we have a waiting list. You hear about the driver shortage all the time. We really don’t have that problem. We’ve got a waiting list of people that would like to come do what we do. It’s very hard work. Make no mistake. Again, going back to that responsibility, it’s not easy. You’re loading in some tough environments. You’re taking a 85 or 90 foot tractor trailer to someone’s house. Those are not easy things to do. But in terms of, I think it’s a very prestigious job when you look at what’s available out there. And you’re right. I mean quite frankly, the compensation is very attractive. And the thing I sort of joke with people all the time is the car people never have cars in bad places, so it’s not bad to be sitting in Pebble Beach, Amelia Island or some of the places that we get to go to. It’s a pretty nice gig when you think about that.
David Compton:
Absolutely. Sounds like a lot of funness and side perks, especially if you like fine automobiles, getting to see some of this stuff I’m sure it’s quite a rush.
Bob Sellers:
It is. Absolutely. I mean we’ve seen some of the world’s most unique. And automobiles, all the super cars you hear about, we’re transporting them so we get to be those. So we don’t get as a rah rah as everybody else does, we’ve sort of seen it, been there, done that, if you know what I mean.
David Compton:
Absolutely. Well there you have one of the top carriers in the auto hauling space, it’s Reliable Carriers. You can find out more at reliablecarriers.com. Bob, thanks for joining us today.
Bob Sellers:
David. Thank you very much. Have a great day.
David Compton:
All right, take care.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.