As was the case judging the semi-finalists for Overdrive's Small Fleet Champ award in 2023, this year's 2024 program presented narrow margins for judges among all contenders with a fountain of trucking excellence, perseverance, growth and profits through the exceedingly difficult conditions of the last year. Yet there can only be two finalists to square off in each division (3-10 trucks, 11-30 trucks).
Here's a big congrats to all four fleets who will make the trip to Nashville, Tennessee, for the National Association of Small Trucking Companies' annual conference, where I'll present the vaunted title belts to the ultimate winners in each division.
Following read more about -- and learn from -- this year's finalists, and here's a huge congrats to all four of the fleets. I'll extend that to every one of our semi-finalists this year, too. Read about all of them via this link. You'll find specialized tanker owners to refrigerated produce haulers, dry vans and dump truckers and more besides, all with a keen handle on the details of what's a many-hats-worn profession, whether the owners continue to drive or not.
I'd encourage all to bookmark the championship for entry next year, too. Without further ado...
Finalists in the 3-10-truck division:
Hell Bent Xpress, Aberdeen, South Dakota
Hell Bent Xpress owner Jamie Hagen, running the company with his wife, Hillary, was a one-truck owner-operator as of 2020. By the end of 2023, his business was at eight trucks, and he's continued to add units this year to what is a highly fuel-efficient operation. Hagen's social media followers know well that fuel is a four-letter word for him. He personally averages 10 mpg, he said, and seeks to impart just how he does that with the wider trucking world. Hagen noted the current rate environment has made the personal nature of customer service even more critical. "We have focused on maintaining our relationship with customers and direct shippers, where we have more control over freight rates," he said. It's working. Though Hagen's competing in this category given Hell Bent's size as the year turned, he's continued to add trucks this year to a total of 11 under his authority (and one other single truck leased to a carrier, pictured, the lone tanker-puller in the dry van fleet), he said in August. Read Jason Cannon's in-depth profile of Hell Bent via this link.
Paul Rissler Transportation, California, Missouri
Four of Missouri-based Paul Rissler Transportation's six trucks are shown here at the Dutchland Refrigerated Transport dock in Pennsylvania, the small fleet's primary dedicated customer. Owners Paul and Michelle Rissler run all ELD-exempt gliders, which they maintain themselves through the Risslerbilt, LLC shop business they run with their sons, also performing custom work for clients there. Several years ago, the Risslers set out on a path to become a debt-free business, achieving the goal three years ago now. Profits have benefited, of course, and managing cash reserves effectively has allowed them to keep a reefer trailer pool in pristine condition, among other things. Matt Cole's feature on the fleet dives into its history in detail.
And in the 11-30-truck division:
Brian Brewer Trucking, DeGraff, Ohio
“It’s almost like banker’s hours in a way” for the drivers employed at now-15-truck Brian Brewer Trucking out of DeGraff, Ohio, serving a diverse set of customers mostly locally around Dayton and Columbus metro areas. That’s according to small fleet owner Brewer, who cut his teeth trucking as an owner starting in 2000 with a friend he knew from local/regional auto-racing circuits, still more than a pastime for him with a custom-fab shop for racecars attached to the 10,000-square-foot BBT headquarters. Brewer's recent-history willingness and ability to add capacity in response to aggressive demand from direct customers has paid off as other companies have struggled. Since the beginning of 2023, the company's more than doubled in size to 15 trucks, including two straight dump trucks and a variety of daycab tractors. It’s such that Brewer’s been canvassing the area for a bigger facility to “continue to grow” the business, he said. Read about how he doubled the fleet over the course of just a recent year at this link.
C.W. Express, Sellersburg, Indiana
17-truck C.W. Express' recent-history growth has come in part on the strength of owner Steve Wilson's partnership with Avenger Logistics, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. C.W.'s on dedicated lanes in the automotive supply chain of Avenger's major customer. Wilson's success as a small fleet owner is a product of both hard-won expertise and service. The times he's had a breakdown, he makes his own recoveries often enough, even helping other carriers in Avenger's network with diagnosis to build value. As one customer put it about Wilson: "He doesn't need to be on-site to tell you what's wrong" with a truck. And though Wilson prides himself on taking close care of every aspect of the business, it's clear he's also adept at team-building, with support in place to step up when it was do or die. In 2022, he spent much of the year in the hospital, losing part of his right leg after complications from COVID left him near death. Since then, growth has continued, with C.W. now in a new office just off I-65 in Sellersburg, Indiana. Our feature about Wilson's history, here pictured with his son, Steven the second, now closely involved in the business.
