Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

Vic's Commentary

tow, Chambers Smorgasbord in Spencer has a $6 community meal on Monday nights and I haven't been there for a while...

It will surprise some that I think the single word that will stick about Gordon under the Gordons is tolerance. I believe that will change under the new regime. You could get fired at Gordon, the most likely reason being that you had safety (tickets) issues or HOS issues. But the Gordons hung on to a lot of drivers who weren't ready for prime time. Slow drivers. Pokey drivers. Drivers who couldn't get from Terre Haute to their first Staples on time...

Yeah, Gordon was a 2,000 seat powerhouse--but with roots back to a couple years before I was born. How Gordon pushed itself through the growth into the Midwest has to be quite a story. Most of us are daunted at the growth from zero trucks to one, let alone 2,000, building terminals, staffing and organization. I made a point at each terminal to take a peek at their inventory of tires, chains, mirrors, mattresses, mud flaps, lights, lamps, air lines, pigtails, you name it. The little cash register in my head flustered at the digits and zeroes after the dollar signs. Whew!!

The Gordons have $40 million in stock reasons to stay involved until 2017. And $110 million reasons in cold cash to care less. The timing is awesome. Both California and the Feds are moving as we speak to ding the OTR industry for their piece rate pay and driver unpaid hours. See: http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...-regulations/231569-piece-work-and-wages.html With a 400-mile average load, having to pay at least minimum wage for all hours worked with 2,000 seats must seem like a tsunami on its way.

At tomorrow's conference call the Gordons and Heartland will lay out how the combined Heartland/Gordon intends to gain $30 million in improved annual operating revenues out of this acquisition. Some terminals will be sold off (or not acquired because Gordon leases the terminals from captive Gordon family-owned companies) and the new entity/entities will be 'optimized'. No wonder Heartland wants Steve Gordon on its team.

Like the country song, Gordon did safety long before safety became cool--or necessary to trucking survival. Throwing out brake parts that other companies would run on. New drive tires before they were 'legally' required. I had to kick, but I got two brand new Michelin steers on 3579 before I had been at Gordon but a number of weeks and the old tires looked fine. That's about $1200 in tires alone. After I had chalked up two humiliating screw ups at that!

Gordon didn't want anyone to fail out of Orientation, unlike some companies that routinely send home a percentage they recruit. Like any mega, Gordon never expected me to retire out of Gordon. Or most who pass through.

Despite what the recruiter said.

Gordon wanted us all to succeed as good Gordon drivers, if not financially. A safe place to park your CDL, a safe place to learn. Not a company that set drivers up to fail.

No, the word that comes to my mind today is tolerance.


Vic