Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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INNOVATORS TENNANT TRUCK LINES Orion, Illinois Aaron Tennant, owner of Orion, Ill.-based Tennant Truck Lines, has met personally with President Obama and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to discuss reducing the federal age require- ment for interstate truck drivers from 21 to 18 and allocating fund- ing to driver training programs. change at Tennant Truck Lines, an Orion, Ill.-based flatbed hauler. Tennant, the company's owner, spearheaded the creation of new training and compensa- tion programs. He also devoted himself to outreach and training efforts that would lead to more drivers instilled with pride, respect and proficiency. Raising the bar T The flatbed hauler is addressing the driver shortage by seeking younger candidates and emphasizing self- respect. Tennant Truck Lines owner seeks to instill truckers with pride, opportunity BY AARON HUFF wo years ago, Aaron Tennant was in Wisconsin to meet with a cus- tomer to discuss a rate increase. Tennant explained that for his truck- ing company to continue to provide service, a pay raise for his drivers was needed to improve their quality of life. He told the customer the average driver is 57 years old and that not enough young people are choosing the trade. The customer agreed to honor the rate increase on one condition: "I need you to go out and fix the damn problem. Figure out what you can do." Tennant's four-hour ride back to Illinois gave him time for self-reflection. He realized that by going after customers for rate increases, he really wasn't solving the overall problem. While rate hikes were neces- sary to improve driver pay, Tennant concluded they are only a temporary fix. "There are carriers out there that like the driver shortage," he says. "They can go out and increase pricing, but that's not sustainable. We have to think outside the box and start work- ing today so we do not have a compounded problem." The Wisconsin meeting was the genesis for Change from within The root of the driver shortage, Ten- nant argues, is the age gap between the state and federal requirements for commercial driver's licenses. Today, 38 states permit 18-year-olds to obtain a CDL for intrastate travel without any formalized training program, but a federal age requirement of 21 dis- suades young people from pursuing a transportation career. Young people also have been led to believe that be- ing a "trucker" is not a respectable or lucrative career. Tennant passionately wants to change the status quo. He began driv- ing trucks when he was 18 years old and became successful by learning every step of the way. His career in transportation started as a third-gen- eration member in the family business working in the shop at age 10. After he completed high school, he chose not to attend college even though he had the opportunity. "I wanted to drive a truck," he recalls. COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JUNE 2012 47