Small Fleet Champ

Small Fleet Champ

Turnage, TFX, Oberman, Clifford Hay advance to Small Fleet Champ final round

Turnage & Sons LLC, Thomasville Furniture Xpress, Oberman Logistics and Clifford Hay Inc. -- all are mastering the fine arts of trucking-biz management in myriad ways. Two Small Fleet Champs among these finalists will walk away with the title belts at NASTC's annual conference Oct. 23 in Nashville.

October 3, 2025

Four fleets represented by the pictures above will square off in the final round of the Small Fleet Championship for the title belt in their respective categories October 23, 2025, at the annual NASTC conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Small Fleet Champ

Turnage & Sons strikes balance with 29-truck organic milk-haul fleet

After growing the fleet to as many as 40 trucks, Robbie Turnage discovered that he's better suited to keep the fleet size just shy of 30 trucks to ensure all of his equipment stays maintained and his drivers and customers are all taken care of.

October 2, 2025

Sponsor Content

Let our deep industry knowledge become your data-driven insights

Fusable

Success begins with a solid digital strategy. Our team of experts works closely with you to understand your business objectives, target audience, and industry landscape. Leveraging our deep industry knowledge and data-driven insights, we develop customized digital strategies that deliver tangible results.

February 19, 2025

Let our deep industry knowledge become your data-driven insights

Small Fleet Champ

Diversification key to weathering down market for Hallahan Transport

Diversification has been the name of the game for 10-truck step deck and milk tanker-hauler Hallahan Transport during the challenging trucking market conditions seen for the last several years. Hallahan repeats as a Small Fleet Champ semi-finalist in 2025, out of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

September 30, 2025

Hallahan Transport's company trucks are painted the company's signature custom green with Omaha orange accents.

Small Fleet Champ

LTL furniture specialist TFX lays solid ground for growth, profit, support

Thomasville Furniture Xpress owners Scott Denmark and Scott Cruthis both got their start in the trucking business as owner-operators decades ago. Today, after long careers centered in the LTL furniture space out of North Carolina, their small fleet is poised for continued growth, profits, and service excellence.

September 25, 2025

Small Fleet Champ

Skin in the leased owner's game: Oberman Logistics' simple, transparent plan for expansion

Owner-operator Wes Oberman and his business partner and wife, Laura, have built a home for leased owner-operators at their Tennessee-based fleet with a promise of transparent, simple fees -- and clear investment in the success of their business partners. Growth has been steady over six years.

September 23, 2025

Oberman Logistics owner Wes Oberman's personal truck is this Kenworth T680 -- purchased to replace a lower-fuel-mileage 2020 389 that powered his maiden voyage in trucking as an owner-operator. He's getting 10 mpg now, and providing a reliable home for leased owners has the fleet up to 11 trucks as of August.

Small Fleet Champ

Derrick Wolfe has built a 'sweet' business in New York's Finger Lakes region

Derrick Wolfe grew his New York-based food grade tanker fleet from one truck to nearly 30, and he's still on the road daily to stay connected with his drivers, customers, and the open road. Derrick Wolfe Trucking is a semi-finalist for Overdrive's Small Fleet Champ award.

September 18, 2025

It's taken less than a decade for small fleet owner Derrick Wolfe to grow his New York-based food grade tanker-haul business from one truck to 21 company drivers, seven owner-operators and 10 non-driving employees.

Small Fleet Champ

Mission Complete: Veteran small fleet owner's legion of local support

Scott Smithler trucked through war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan but managed to bring home peace and prosperity with a family biz whose missions are mostly local/regional, ending at home near every night.

September 16, 2025

Small fleet owner Scott Smithler's Mission Complete Transport builds on the owner's history hauling in the military, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mission Complete is among semi-finalists in Overdrive's Small Fleet Championship.

Small Fleet Champ

Small Fleet Champ semi-finalists not afraid to get their hands dirty

Turnage and Sons' father-son team of Robbie and Levi Turnage, and MRL Transport owner Mark Ledford, illustrate value in hands-on operations, training, leadership underpinning their long-term success.

September 15, 2025

Ovd Radio Thumbnail (you Tube) (1)

Small Fleet Champ

Up from ashes: Small fleet Clifford C. Hay Inc. thrives 15 years after devastating fire

After taking over the family business in 1999 as a one-truck operation, Clifford Hay II built the fleet to the six trucks and 30 trailers it has today, showing plenty resiliency and commitment to customers. His fleet's a 2025 Small Fleet Champ semi-finalist.

September 11, 2025

Clifford C. Hay Inc. owns six trucks, with four operating on a day-to-day basis. Some of the small fleet's trucks are shown here parked up in front of the fleet's current shop in Cobleskill, New York.

Small Fleet Champ

Right-sizing for management: MRL Transport owner Mark Ledford hits five trucks

Ledford got his start trucking after working a dock where his manager said Ledford would never drive truck. Not only would he drive, he'd grow a fleet well beyond 30 trucks before selling out. MRL Transport is his second turn in the barrel, and Ledford's hit a profitability sweet spot.

September 9, 2025

MRL Transport owner Mark Ledford today hauls direct freight outbound for customers in part built from his years of ownership of another fleet, since sold after years of growth. MRL in some ways is Ledford's effort to right-size a business for his life today.

Small Fleet Champ

Meet Overdrive's 2025 Small Fleet Champ semi-finalists

Spanning seven states and hauling niches from milk and other food grade tankers to dry vans, step decks and flatbeds, RGNs and reefers, these fine fleets are semi-finalists in Overdrive's Small Fleet Championship, with title belts on the line among other perks from award sponsor NASTC.

September 5, 2025

The Small Fleet Championship's title belts are on the line for this year's competition, both to be delivered to a final winner in two categories after the final round October 23 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Small Fleet Champ

Last call! Just days left to compete for 2025 Small Fleet Champ honor

Last call! Small fleet entries are due Thursday, July 31, for your fleet of 3 to 30 trucks. Test your trucking mettle for a chance to take home the 2025 title belt in Overdrive's Small Fleet Championship. Four finalist fleets will ultimately square off in Nashville in late October at event sponsor NASTC's annual conference.

July 29, 2025

Mix Collage 01 May 2025 12 39 Pm 8944

Small Fleet Champ

Sharp new glider additions to Rissler small fleet underscore driver, family value

Walk through two new glider additions to Small Fleet Champ Paul Rissler Transportation, a 2016 flattop Pete and a 2019 studio-sleeper outfitted KW picked up for Wes Martin's wife, Bev, to accompany the longtime Rissler driver OTR.

June 26, 2025

Small Fleet Champ

Doing it right the first time: Small Fleet Champ Paul Rissler, for the long haul

In this week's edition of Overdrive Radio, listen into a tour around the headquarters of Paul Rissler Transportation, current Small Fleet Champ, on the old home place for the big Rissler trucking family.

June 16, 2025

Ovd Radio Thumbnail (you Tube) 6 16

Small Fleet Champ

Small Fleet Champ assesses growing pains, on location at new company headquarters

How C.W. Express owner Steve Wilson shifted from wear-all-the-hats manager to, after near-disaster in 2022, a near-20-truck fleet owner with strong support structures for C.W.’s trucks and drivers, and deft delegation, particularly on the maintenance side of the business.

May 19, 2025

Ovd Radio Thumbnail (you Tube) 5 19

Small Fleet Champ

Overdrive's 2025 Small Fleet Championship

Do you have what it takes? Enter the 2025 small-fleet competition to put your small trucking company in the running to claim the vaunted title belt. Fleets operating 3 to 30 trucks through 2024 year-end are eligible.

May 1, 2025

Small Fleet Champ 2025 Collection Risslers

Small Fleet Champ

Overdrive's 2025 Small Fleet Championship: Rules and entry form

January 1, 2025

Small Fleet Champ

Small Fleet Champs pay it forward: Hard-earned trucking knowledge

Today on Overdrive Radio, the annual roundtable with Overdrive's Small Fleet Champ finalists, featuring mistakes made and overcome, trucking business lessons learned, and a strong pay-it-forward focus for the next generation of ownership.

November 18, 2024

Ovd Radio Thumbnail (you Tube) 11 18

Page 1 of 7

Volunteers raising funds for United Way of Denton County posed for a quick photo in front of the Peterbilt trucks staged in downtown Denton ahead of the 8th annual Peterbilt Pride & Class Parade.

Pride, Class, 50-plus remarkable rigs: Owners honored in Pete parade

The 8th annual Peterbilt Pride & Class Parade was held Oct. 17 at the town square in downtown Denton, Texas, home to Peterbilt Motors Company and its truck manufacturing plant. The event helps raise money for the local United Way chapter.

Ovd Radio Thumbnail (you Tube) Oct 3

Taking control: Owner-op cost and revenue, income, wider trucking trends

Chp111

California says English tests at roadside for truck drivers not needed after $40M DOT penalty

Maxresdefault

'Dressed to the Nines': 2023 Peterbilt 389 spec'd for excavation heavy haul

Garmin Delivers Big with Trucker-Trusted Navigators and Premium Wireless Headsets

Garmin Delivers Big with Trucker-Trusted Navigators and Premium Wireless Headsets

Taking control: Owner-op cost and revenue, income, wider trucking trends

More episodes »