Down to details

Dan Heister’s meticulous planning and knack for truck mechanics boost his success.

If it has wheels, steel hauler Dan Heister says he can drive it, and he’s never shied away from trying.

Dan Heister uses his ’03 International 9400i to haul cast iron and steel piping around the Southeast and the Midwest. He says of his truck, “Fancy just costs more. I just bought a truck to make money.”

Reared on a grain farm in Iowa, he had plenty of equipment to toy with, and he was driving tractors and pickups before he knew how to ride a bicycle, he says.

He’s also offered impromptu instruction where necessary. In the Army, he taught newcomers how to drive trucks and heavy equipment haulers despite his official role as a helicopter mechanic. In truck driving school in Tennessee, he spent more time helping the other students than he did studying his own materials.

So when it came time to turn his behind-the-wheel dexterity to a career, it was “an easy transition,” says the 44-year-old owner-operator.

He’s ridden his passion to success as an owner-operator, evident in more ways than one. In 2009, Heister received Boyd Bros.’ One Million Safe Miles Award and was nominated for the Truckload Carriers Association Owner-Operator of the Year honor. In 2008, he netted more than $78,000.