During a presentation at the Women In Trucking Association’s Accelerate! Conference, Expediter Services Co-Founder & CEO Jason Williams announced that ES would be expanding the company’s program focused on assisting women in starting or expanding small businesses in the trucking industry.
DALLAS, Tex. – November 15, 2022 – Expediter Services (ES), a leader in capacity solutions and ownership opportunities within the trucking industry, announced that the company has met its goal of creating and growing 150 women-owned businesses and is expanding the initiative to continue to finance and support women-owned businesses in the transportation industry. ES Co-Founder & CEO Jason Williams made the announcement during the Tuesday morning session of the Women In Trucking Association’s annual Accelerate! Conference being held in Dallas.
First announced at the 2017 Accelerate! Conference as a collaborative initiative between ES and the Women In Trucking Association (WIT), the 150 Business Challenge became a proven platform for the creation and expansion of women-owned businesses in trucking by utilizing the ES Path To Ownership program model as well as the support and resources available to members of the ES Community. In August 2022, the program reached its goal of 150 women-owned businesses assisted and the challenge had been achieved.
“From the time that we launched Expediter Services in 2006, part of our mission has always been to work with professional drivers who want to pursue the American Dream of owning their own business. Over the years, we have worked to create programs and support systems through our ES Community that are designed to level the playing field for anyone who has the desire and the commitment to start and operate their own trucking business,” said Williams.
“From the first time I met with the team at ES, it was clear to me that promoting diversity is in the DNA of ES. Creating opportunities that can empower women to become truck owners and start businesses in the trucking industry is part of what ES does, and that commitment is great for our industry,” said Ellen Voie, the President and CEO of the Women In Trucking Association.
As part of the program, ES offers participants competitive market-rate financing via the relationship lending model established through ES Equipment Finance. With the completion of the initial 150 Business Challenge and the decision to continue this effort through the Women-Owned Business Initiative, company leadership notes that ES has made an overall commitment of over $40 million to this program.
“The success of the 150 Business Challenge served as a great platform that further proved that women can be successful as business owners in trucking,” said Voie. “We applaud ES and the carriers in the ES Community for their continued commitment to this important program, and we are excited to see where ES can take this initiative as they continue to promote opportunities for women in the future.”
The program is designed to have the participants run under the authority of the motor carriers participating in the program through the ES Community. Truck ownership is typically achieved over a four-year period with an affordable payment plan and with program participants receiving consistent miles from the participating carriers as well as business support from the ES Team.
Forward Air, FedEx Custom Critical and Panther Premium Logistics (a service of ArcBest) were the first carriers within the ES Community to utilize the non-asset capacity being generated by the 150 Business Challenge. The program provides strong benefits for the participating carriers – offering them non-asset capacity committed to their respective fleets. These new women-owned businesses on wheels feature the ability to generate strong and consistent revenues, and this is especially true for team operations.
“We know there is more work to be done in opening the doors of business ownership for women in the trucking industry. This is why we are continuing the important work started through the 150 Business Challenge under our new ES Women-Owned Business Initiative. As always, we want to continue to be a trusted resource for making truck ownership and business creation opportunities for trucking professionals and for those people who are thinking about entering the industry,” said Williams.
ES has a landing page on the company’s website that details their commitment to assist in the creation of women-owned businesses available through the following link: https://essuccessintrucking.com/women-in-trucking/. Testimonials from program participants is one of the features of the landing page.
“ES made it so easy for us. We came to their offices, signed the paperwork, got the truck and started rolling,” explained Colleen Umbehant, who entered the program in 2018. “That truck is exactly what we needed for our business. We’ve really been able to put our truck to work and I can’t say enough about the support that we have received from Panther and ES.”
“I made my final truck payment in May of this year, and it’s amazing to think that I now own this truck,” added Umbehant. “It has served us well and we do everything we can to take good care of it. One of things that has made a difference for me is that ES has always treated me like a business partner. They laid everything out for me from the beginning. Everything they told me was true and they have always stood behind what they said. Looking back on my experience with ES and their truck ownership program, I would highly recommend it for any woman or man who wants to start out on their own with their own truck. It was definitely the right move for me and my business.”
About ES: A full-service, one-stop support company with expertise in financial services, financial technology, relationship lending and general business support, ES has developed highly effective programs focused on creating opportunities for independent contract drivers, owner-operators, and fleet owners in the trucking industry (including the Expedited, LTL, and TL sectors). ES features support in the areas of contract driver services, equipment financing and leasing, truck sales, management services, insurance services, and discount programs. In addition to serving as the leading provider of capacity in the expedited sector of trucking, ES also has built a strong network of independent contract drivers, owner-operators, fleet owners and partner carriers within the over-the-road, general trucking sector of the transportation industry and is quickly becoming a market leader. For more information on opportunities and services offered through ES, visit ESsuccessintrucking.com.
