Riding The Iron Horse
Joshua Blankenship, Contract Driver for Lee Burkhalter
Followers of Spotlight News already know that success in Expediting can come from anywhere at any time. Just one example is Caleb Harper who went from driving trucks in the Texas oil fields to building a successful Expediting fleet. He compared his journey to “riding a bull”. In this issue, we follow up on Lee Burkhalter from the heart of the Mississippi Delta who is building a fleet of Expediting trucks purchased from Expediter Truck Sales. (read his story from January here)
A farmer and rancher by trade, Burkhalter compares his foray into Expediting to driving a tractor, sometimes called an “iron horse”. “My journey into Expediting has been slow and steady, just like riding an iron horse out in the bean fields. You begin at one end of a field and at the end of the day you’ve accomplished your goal.” And his goal is to grow an Expediting fleet. “I started my trucking career by buying a Sprinter van. I’ve been running it several years now. After realizing the earning potential of owning a straight truck I bought a 2012 Cascadia in January from Expediter Truck Sales and ran it as a solo. This week I will be transitioning this to a team and moving that truck to FedEx.”
That isn’t the only thing Burkhalter accomplished this week. He also obtained a new Cascadia. “I really got motivated to build a fleet after attending the latest EGG (Expediter Group Gathering). I watched all of the presentations and talked with the folks at Expediter Services and other fleet owners who attended about the earning potential of owning multiple trucks. It reenforced my desire to become a fleet owner.”
Burkhalter sees the purchase of his two Cascadias this year as a good start. “In about the next three months I plan on adding another truck to the fleet. Also, I’m talking to a team who is interested in driving a reefer unit and if the opportunity works out I may add that as well at some point. With all of the support I get from Expediter Services, there’s really no telling just how much I’ll be able to grow or how quickly. Their Owner Operator program and all the tools and services it provides, make running a fleet easy. I’m looking forward to seeing where this opportunity takes me.”
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