Ready, Steady, Grow!
Padriaca and Cindy Chau Prude are no strangers to Spotlight News. We’ve been spotlighting their success since they bought their first pre-owned expediting truck (a 2008 Kenworth) from Expediter Truck Sales back in August of 2013 (read their earlier stories here and here). Since then, they have purchased two additional trucks from ETS, making them fleet owners with a purpose. “My background as a logistics officer in the Marines has motivated me as a fleet owner to help provide opportunities to vets who are looking to build a business and create capital.
Expediting is an excellent way to do that,” says Prude.
In January of this year, the Prudes purchased a second used truck, a 2012 Cascadia, also from ETS, officially making them fleet owners. As Padriaca points out, being a fleet owner creates a whole new dynamic. “After we bought our second truck, we began to realize just how important support from Expediter Services’ Owner Operator program really is to our success. They really help keep our business running smoothly, allowing us to drive and make money.”
And as good fleet owners, Padriaca and Cindy are continuously adapting to changes taking place within the industry. “This past April, FedEx made changes to their rules allowing Expediters to keep trucks for ten years as opposed to only eight before having to upgrade equipment. The timing of this rule change coincided with ES’s springtime EGG (Expediter Group Gathering) at their home office in Southaven, Mississippi. Our attendance at the EGG helped reinforce our decision to add a third truck to our fleet (a 2013 Cascadia). It now makes even more sense than ever to purchase good used equipment from Expediter Truck Sales because we can get even more service out of them because of this rule change. I mean, why would anyone buy a new truck when there is such great value from a used truck!”
Looking to the future, the Prudes are making moves to utilize the efficiencies of fleet ownership. “We’ve incorporated our company, Brittany-Megan, LLC, and we’ll be hiring Joe Curry as our fleet recruiter. He also has a military background and will be tasked with helping us acquire drivers. He will also act a a liaison between them and the support team at Expediter Services. With his help and the support we get from ES, including Expediter Equipment Finance, we should hit our goal of having 20 trucks in our fleet by 2017.
And Spotlight News will be there to report on their success!
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