Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JANUARY 2017 37 INNOVATORS STEVENS TRANSPORT Dallas On the technology front, Stevens continually updates its transporta- tion management software and in-cab and back-office workflow platforms to reflect the latest ver- sions and capabilities. Training their own To enhance its recruiting e orts and make sure all of its drivers are on the same page regarding company compli- ance and policies, Stevens educates dozens of student drivers each week through its own Stevens Transport Driving Academy, which sponsors the cost of training, lodging, meals and transportation. e Dallas campus houses a driver's lounge, a full-service medical clinic and a fuel department that counsels and educates drivers on better fuel- saving techniques – and that's not the company's only training facility. Due to an increase in the demand for regional and dedicated drivers, Stevens Transport Driving Academy has partnered with local truck driving schools throughout the United States to open 11 satellite facilities. A 4-to-1 trainer-to-student ratio helps drivers earn a Class A commer- cial driver's license in 17 days. A er Stevens Transport's online training gets student drivers on the road faster BY DEAN SMALLWOOD A s eet management and logistics companies prepare for the coming elec- tronic logging device mandate this year, mobile connectivity may play an integral role in the industry's shi away from the model of solitary drivers and toward the development of a coordinated, mobile workforce. Stevens Transport (CCJ Top 250, No. 38), a family-owned asset-based refriger- ated hauler, has long been an early adopter of new technologies and equipment to promote added e ciencies and pro tability. In 1980, Steven Aaron founded the Mesquite, Texas-based company that originally was located on a 20-acre campus with a small eet comprised of three commercial vehicles and six owner-operators. Aaron turned a pro t a er his rst week in business and never looked back. Stevens outgrew itself and needed a new location to support its expanding operations.When C&H Transportation led for bankruptcy in the early '80s, Aaron acquired C&H's headquarters and moved his company to its current 70- acre location in 1990. Stevens today operates 2,000 tractors and 3,000 refrigerated trailers and also oversees a third-party logistics division with 11 o ces across North Amer- ica. e 3PL division was formed in 1981 to provide complementary multi- modal logistics. Equipment-wise, the Dallas-based company undertakes many energy-saving and sustainability e orts that re ect its environmental philosophy, such as clean-idle engines, auxiliary power units, energy-e cient refrigeration units, aerodynamic trailer skirts, oil recycling, fuel-e cient tires, tire retreading and driver training. Over the years, these e orts have reduced the fuel consumption of Stevens' tractors and refrigerated trailers by millions of gallons while paving the way for future improvements. The Dallas-based refrigerated hauler installs mobile hotspots in its trucks to provide virtual training.