May 8, 2024 • 43 mins
This week on The Bryan Truck Line Show, we’re getting acquainted with sales, and how drivers can help them out. Sales Director Brent Schlosser and Bryan driver Zac Jaggers join the show to talk through how drivers can assist sales in finding freight, and what little things Brent and Zac will keep an eye out for while at shippers and receivers. We’ll also bring you all the construction planned on the Ohio Turnpike this construction season.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
How we doing out there,
Brian Truck Line and B and H,
welcome into the Brian Truck Line Show.
Episode seven of our cool little show here.
And uh I'm your host Marcus.
Of course.
Thank you all for joining me today.
Very much.
Appreciate everyone that clicks,
listen,
download or subscribe to this podcast.
Uh It's real simple.
(00:21):
If you subscribe on the platform that you're listening on,
it will always alert you when those new episodes are dropping.
Uh It's free to do and it helps us out greatly.
So please jump in and check that out.
Uh Also,
this is exciting.
Today's episode has to do with drivers,
helping sales and we're going to get to a conversation that's very informative here just around the corner.
(00:46):
Uh with Brent Schlosser,
he's the director of sales.
Of course,
you guys all know that and we're gonna have Driver Zach Jagger on as well.
We're gonna talk a little bit about how drivers can help sales and how sales is always looking for new business.
Uh But first I thought it was interesting,
I was on the phone with Zach setting up this interview,
(01:06):
uh Driver Zach Jagger for uh for uh Brian Truck line.
And I was just asking him some,
some basic questions and he started to offer some things he thought would really help out on the podcast and some things that you drivers might want to hear.
And one of the things that he suggested was to localize our traffic update a little bit.
We,
we brought you one that was meant a little bit more for like a national type,
(01:30):
uh,
report,
but you guys aren't really dealing with a lot of that and some of you are,
but the majority of you are,
are dealing with that kind of Ohio Michigan,
Indiana area.
So I'm gonna tip my cap first of all,
here to Zach Jagger for bringing this idea to my attention.
And,
uh today because this news release came out,
I don't know,
like a week or so ago,
(01:52):
uh,
out of the Ohio turnpike,
uh,
in Infrastructure Commission.
Um,
I just want to read you county by county,
what's going on in Ohio where the turnpike is concerned because there's a lot and while I'm not sure that there's gonna be any closures in any of these.
At least I haven't read through like specific this highway is closed right now type stuff.
(02:13):
This is going to hopefully help you out with some of your uh traffic slowdowns and things in the future because there is a lot of road construction going on here.
So let's just jump right into it.
Uh We are going to start from west and head east in Ohio just so,
you know,
uh starting out in Williams County,
it looks like the old Westgate toll plaza at milepost two in Williams County will be removed.
(02:37):
The toll booths and toll lanes will be replaced with pavement.
The work will be completed using phased maintenance of traffic with two lanes open in each direction.
So that's good.
And the project will run from April 24th,
April 2024 excuse me to November 2024.
So kind of a long one there moving uh a little bit further to the east in Fulton County toll plaza 3434 and was on which connects to state route 108 in Fulton County was closed for a pavement replacement on April 15th 2024 and will reopen before August 2024.
(03:13):
So this is one closure that we do have here and uh that one,
you guys have probably already heard about it because it's been closed since April 15th.
But again,
toll plaza 34 which connects to state route 108 in Fulton County closed right now.
And hopefully,
uh according to this news release will be open by August 24th Lucas County,
(03:33):
there will be one mainline pavement resurfacing project in Lucas County in the year of 2024.
We like to hear that,
don't we?
I mean,
I guess we want to see him clean up the roads.
But if they're not going to close off uh,
thoroughfares that we use,
then we'll take that all lanes and shoulders will be resurfaced from milepost 51 to milepost 55 in Lucas County,
(03:54):
the project will be completed uh,
between May 2024 and November 2024 traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel during off peak driving hours in Lucas County,
Sandusky County,
four bridge deck replacements and one bridge removal were will occur within the county this year.
Uh The mainline bridge over Wagoner Road at milepost 83 will be redecked and the main line bridge over the abandoned railroad at milepost,
(04:23):
83 will be removed,
two lanes of traffic will be maintained during the two year long project which runs May 2020 24 to November 2020 five.
The overhead bridges at Fought Road which is milepost 86 on the turnpike and Shannon road,
milepost 93 as well as car uh Carly road,
(04:44):
milepost 94 and Northwest Southwest Road at milepost 106 will also be redecked in 2024.
Uh These bridges will be closed with local detour signs for motorists to follow.
Probably not something that's gonna mess up the uh the turnpike traffic that much but good to know Erie County.
We're gonna be replacing three bridge decks,
(05:07):
uh Ohio Turnpikes mainline bridge,
Scadden road and state route 99 which is milepost 111 will be redecked,
two lanes of traffic will be maintained during the project which runs from April 2024 to November 2024.
The overhead bridge is at Township road 102,
which is milepost 107 and Mud Brook Road,
(05:27):
state route 13.
That's milepost 119 will be closed and detoured for deck replacements as well.
Construction scheduled uh,
in 2024 and 2025.
Moving on to Lorraine County.
It looks like we've got more bridges that will be removed and replaced.
Uh the on ramp to interstate 80 east at Plaza 152 which is North Olmstead.
(05:50):
Cleveland will close from April 17th 2024 to August 2024 to begin work on a main line bridge at milepost 152 eastbound that runs above the on ramp.
The eastbound off ramp on the Ohio turnpike to Lorraine Road will remain open.
Uh That's also state route 10,
Lorraine Road there.
(06:11):
Motorists planning to travel eastbound on the Ohio turnpike that normally enter from Lorraine road can follow the posted detour signs,
Lorraine road north to I 480 east to I 71 to Toll plaza 161 that's Strongsville and Cleveland and the Ohio Turnpikes main line bridge at milepost 152 eastbound over Lorraine Road will be redecked as well.
(06:36):
Two eastbound lanes on the main line will be maintained during the project which runs from April 2024 to November 2025.
And finally for Lorraine County,
the Bagley road bridge that runs over the Ohio turnpike at milepost 152 will close from April 29th,
2024 through October 2024.
(06:58):
Uh,
motorists are advised to follow the post posted detour signs.
Excuse me.
A little hiccup coming out of nowhere.
Uh Only two counties to go here.
Summit and Portage counties uh I guess are gonna be looped into one.
So technically we have three,
the bridge replacement project over Tinkers Creek at milepost 185 in Summit and Portage counties will continue this year.
(07:19):
Construction will continue through 2024 and resume in 2025 and 2026.
However,
two lanes of traffic will be maintained during the project.
Other projects this year in Portage County include concrete bridge deck replacements at the mainline bridge over state route 43.
That's milepost 188 and the mainline bridge over Bryant Road and Township road 236 that is on milepost 202,
(07:45):
the main line bridge at North Main Street in Portage County,
milepost 203.
As part of its rehabilitation will have the deck overlay performed to repair the concrete surface and two lanes of traffic will be maintained on the Ohio turnpike during the project which runs from April 2020 four to November 2025.
And finally in Mahoning County,
(08:07):
I really hope I pronounce that correctly bridge replacement mainline resurfacing and the completion of pavement work at Eastgate toll plaza that is milepost 239 will occur in 2024.
Uh The overhead bridge at Boardman Canfield Road which is US route 224 at milepost 227 will be replaced during 2024 and 2025 construction seasons.
(08:31):
The existing bridge will be replaced in phases.
Traffic will be maintained during the bridge replacement.
Good news there,
all eastbound and westbound lanes and shoulders will be researched from milepost 230 to milepost 236 in Mahoning County,
uh traffic will be reduced to one lane of tr uh one lane of travel on the main line during off peak driving hours.
(08:52):
Resurfacing will take place from May 2024 through November 2024.
And additionally modifications to Eastgate toll plaza and relate pavement work will be completed during the 2024 construction season.
This includes the instruction of the open road tolling lanes for westbound traffic.
So there you have it a little bit of a traffic update for some counties in Ohio.
(09:16):
Again,
that news release came directly from the Ohio turnpike and Infrastructure Commission.
Um And this is their construction projects by county for 2024.
So,
uh you can always refer back to this episode,
you know,
after we put episodes up,
they stay up in perpetuity.
So if you need to reference this at any time,
just click back to this episode,
(09:37):
listen to the 1st 10 minutes or so and you'll have all the information you need.
Uh Thank you to Zach for bringing that idea to me.
We're gonna touch on this.
Obviously,
this was just Ohio because there was a lot to get to here 10 minutes worth of chatting about this stuff.
So we'll get to Michigan.
We'll get to Indiana.
We will prioritize those in some of our next episodes and we'll make sure to try to refresh you guys on this as much as we can because construction season is well underway.
(10:04):
As you guys all know,
you've been seeing the orange signs and the cones and the workers and everything.
So we're gonna do our best on this podcast to let you know exactly where you can avoid slowdowns and shutdowns,
uh,
on your daily commute.
So that does it for the opening of this podcast.
That was our first traffic report ever.
(10:24):
I'm pretty happy about it.
Our first local traffic report ever turned out good.
Don't you think it probably didn't turn out good as good as this next conversation that I'm gonna have though?
Uh,
I've got Brent Schlosser and Zach.
He's coming on the show right now to talk about how drivers can help sales at Brian Truck Line and B and H let's get to it less than truckload,
(10:46):
more than trucking.
This is the Brian Truck Line show from Northwest Ohio to wherever you are.
With your host,
Marcus Bridges,
jumping into an interview segment here on the Brian Truck line show.
I'm very excited to have the Director of Sales with me,
Brent Schlosser,
Brent.
Thank you so much for being here today.
(11:06):
Thank you.
I've also got Brian Driver Zach Jagger on the line.
Zach.
We appreciate you being here as well,
my friend.
Oh,
you're quite well.
Where are you at?
Where are you headed today?
Zach?
Oh,
right now I'm moving from Saint Mary's up toward Delta.
Ok.
Got you.
Now,
the reason I wanted to bring you guys on here at the same time is because when I was back there at the Bryan terminal,
(11:30):
we were starting this podcast.
We're figuring out all the cool things about the company that we could talk about.
One thing that came up when I was uh hanging out with you,
Brent was that Brian is totally cool having drivers help sales out in any way that they can and not only through really good customer service,
but sometimes the drivers will actually bring business to Brian.
They'll say,
(11:50):
hey,
I saw some freight over here.
It looked like it didn't have a place to be.
Is this something that we can work with?
Can you talk to me a little bit about that process,
Brent?
And how Brian utilizes drivers to,
to help build sales?
Certainly,
we like to have an open communication with the drivers and they feel free to reach out to the sales department and let them know what they see.
(12:16):
A real good example was we had a customer that had reached out to that.
I'm starting over.
That's fine.
One really good example would be a potential customer that Zach reached out to us on.
They had lost a shipper and,
(12:38):
or sorry,
they had lost a carrier and needed somebody to fill that shoe.
Zach had already been in there picking up for one of our partner carriers and caught wind of this.
We had an appointment set within 24 to 48 hours to meet with them.
And as time has progressed,
(12:59):
they have grown from a weekly shipper to almost a daily shipper in our network.
So by Zach keeping his eyes and ears peeled and reaching out and giving a heads up,
we were able to line up a very strong customer and form a good relationship with them because we were able to come in and help when other carriers weren't.
(13:22):
So that's just one example of many that happened with Zach and other drivers to help increase the sales.
That's amazing.
And Zach,
I'll give you permission.
You can throw your shoulder out,
patting yourself on the back right now because that sounds like you did a pretty good job there.
I,
I've been going in there for actually a couple of years by the time that had happened.
(13:45):
So they already got used to us.
But at the time they didn't realize that we were our own carrier.
They thought we were only that partner and,
and they didn't realize that we weren't target that we actually were our own company.
And in passing conversation,
as one of the competitors actually closed its doors.
It left a dry and it was just a past conversation that turned into we service areas that they were no longer gonna have anybody to serve to include that partner carrier.
(14:12):
So it's not like we,
we stole freight from a partner or,
or a customer from a partner because we still assist that partner with that customer as well.
Yeah,
and it sounds to me like you just got the customer out of a sticky situation that they didn't have a solve for themselves already in place.
Which I mean,
if you look under good customer service in the encyclopedia,
(14:32):
you're gonna find that story and you guys got him out of a bind is that's what I'm hearing,
Brent.
Oh,
definitely.
That's awesome.
Now,
I work with other trucking fleets and they're not always as comfortable having their drivers be on the lookout for things like this,
which is why I thought it was such a cool aspect because it's a well oiled machine over there at Bryan.
(14:54):
You've got,
you said many examples,
Brent.
So I have to assume this is something that happens quite frequently at Bryant.
Yes,
it is.
And Marcus honestly,
in addition to the new customers,
our drivers are a great resource for information.
If they see specific lanes that a regular shipper,
(15:18):
maybe it is less freight or more freight and they give us a heads up on that.
We can look into those things and give the driver a heads up.
Hey,
yeah,
this is light right now.
We spoke to XYZ company and they foresee it increasing within a month or so.
That gives the driver the heads up that,
(15:39):
hey,
that freight is still gonna be there.
It gives the operations team time to plan to make sure that they can have extra additional space when the freight does pick back up.
There's other situations where Zach may see a bol or a skid that's marked for an area that's going into somewhere.
(16:01):
Our trucks actually serviced and he can give me a heads up there.
We'll reach out to the corporate team.
If it's,
if,
excuse me,
if the rates driven by a corporate decision makers,
we can then reach out to them.
And there's times we get the freight,
there's times we don't,
but if we don't reach out,
we'll never know.
And there's actually also an additional step with existing customers that some of our drivers take.
(16:27):
And that's if there are continuous improvement,
uh ideas that they may have.
There was a situation on one of Zach's routes where there was a shift change and if the paperwork wasn't ready by the time first and the second ship was changing over.
The drivers always had to wait.
We worked with the plant management in that situation and they were able to make some adjustments in their flow to make sure if we had freight that was gonna be picked up on second shift that they had the paperwork filled out and that actually saved our drivers time getting in and out of the facility.
(17:06):
So you've got the prospect for new customers coming on board or maybe a customer that we stop in at,
for one of our partner carriers that can use Brian Truck line as well.
And then you've got the situation where our drivers can be the eyes and the ears that they see normal freight going up or down.
So we can address that.
(17:27):
And again,
if there's freight there that we're not getting,
that we can help with,
to give us an idea,
we can reach out to those contacts.
And then finally,
again,
the continuous improvement section where if they see something,
we can suggest to the customer to improve situations for everybody.
A lot of the time people are gonna go ahead and buy in on that.
(17:48):
Yeah,
absolutely.
And Zach,
from a driver's perspective,
any time that that sales is working with the,
uh,
the plant there and figuring out a way to save you time,
that's high fives all around.
I would assume I know how much drivers hate sitting at shipping and receiving just waiting and,
and watching the clock go by with that,
that one in particular I had saved about two hours every day.
(18:11):
So I had to get instead of a 13 hour day,
it cut us down to minus other freight because we start picking up some other customers down to an 11.5 hour day,
all based upon one showing the customer that we were efficiently showing up at that ready time.
Because driver change route,
changing at the time and everything that,
(18:31):
that changed that whole dynamic that it saved me sitting for two hours every day and getting in on the wire every day,
which gave me more home time.
That's amazing.
And everybody wants more home time rather than more chew on the inside of your cheek time when you're just sitting there tapping your foot waiting for somebody.
Right?
Oh,
of course.
And then,
and uh the,
(18:51):
the top off of uh what Brent was saying,
I've been saving one for this interview all day that I've got a pick up right now of a freight that I let Brent on to with a customer.
We're already going to and delivering to a customer.
We already go to on a regular basis,
if not daily basis that we are at least initial trial today right now that I'm headed to go pick up.
(19:16):
So it just shows I saw that bill like uh Brent was saying,
and I got with him to say,
hey,
we go to this place.
Should we be getting this freight from this competitor?
And he did his,
his dialing in on it and it,
it took a few months to work everything out.
But,
you know,
just goes to show that this,
this does actually successfully happen.
(19:36):
Absolutely.
That's great.
And I know that it's in your blood a little bit,
Zach,
because when we were setting this interview up,
I was talking to you about an uncle of yours who this wasn't necessarily specific to Brian truck lines.
But can you tell me about how your uncle had some freight?
Actually?
Follow him that story that you were telling me on the phone the other day,
(19:57):
he was a owner operator with a small fleet and was doing a dedicated run for our customer when he was still leased on to another company.
And that,
that customer only stayed with that company because he was showing the efficiency of being able to move that freight uh fast forward a year or so later.
(20:17):
He ends up leaving that company due to whatever negotiations they need to.
He actually came on on to Brian Truck line then as a leasing his fleet on to Brian Truck line.
And then in doing so,
that customer actually followed him because that was they were ensured that dedicated um customer base of being serviced properly,
(20:42):
allowing them to know that they were assured that this was actually being taken care of.
Because prior to him taking over that route for them.
They were already in the midst of looking for a different carrier.
So his,
just him alone had a lot that and because they didn't trust anybody other than that continuous,
it followed on the Br Brian truck line to be very lucrative for them in the long run.
(21:07):
And if I recall,
it was actually high dollar figures that company had lost,
that trucking company had lost by the time that freight had left them.
That's great.
And so Brent,
what I'm hearing here from the story about Zach's uncle and how freight follows him is how important the customer service aspect of this whole operation really is.
(21:28):
No way that I if you're not taking really good care of the customer that you're ever gonna have freight,
either switch from a competitor or follow you to when you obviously lean on or lease on to Brian truck line.
So,
can you talk to me a little bit,
Brent about the importance of that customer service aspect in this operation?
Oh,
certainly,
(21:48):
customer service is right up there behind pricing for a majority of the customers.
And if they don't,
you,
you hit the nail on the head.
If we can't provide it,
they're gonna go look for somebody who can Zach alluded to it as well.
When the customers not happy they're looking for options.
(22:10):
Customer service is essential and not only maintaining but growing with the customers.
And Zach,
on that note,
I know that trucking is a stressful job.
I've spoken to hundreds of drivers at this point in my podcast venture here and there will be hundreds more behind that.
I,
(22:30):
I understand.
Well,
the stresses of the job,
how do you balance the stresses of the job with putting on that customer service hat.
And regardless of if you've had the worst traffic and the worst four wheelers and you're stuck at a shipper and your clock's all messed up.
But you go in there and it's service with a smile.
How do you balance that out,
man?
How do you make it so that you can be the best of the best at customer service with all the stresses that come with the,
(22:55):
uh,
the job that you do.
Yeah,
you turn off your problems at the door.
I've been a dock worker and I can tell you straight up that the truck driver that comes in with a bad attitude,
topping,
topping all sorts of nonsense at him is the truck driver that sits and wait.
They will,
you will be the guy running out of hours by the end of it because you came in with a bad attitude because they don't want it.
(23:18):
They're having a bad day when I come in and I'm having a bad day.
My customers sometimes because I see them every day sometimes know that they can tell I'm a little stressed and they'll ask me what's going on and it might be something as simple as something going on with my family and they care enough because I'm in there every day that they look and go,
oh,
(23:38):
hey,
you got you.
Something's going on.
Something's not right.
Yeah,
you're just not quite as,
I'm not being rude but I'm not as pleasant as what they thought or I'm not as talkative as what I normally would.
And that they key up on that and the biggest trick is you build that rapport that they actually care and they're like,
oh,
hey,
you got a family member who's sick and it goes from there and that in of itself becomes you're building that rapport and that rapport goes to farther than just the job because they care about you,
(24:08):
you care about them because they know you're that driver they're seeing every day,
especially on the LP L or on the dedicated drivers on truckload.
Yeah,
it's a good point,
man.
And I,
I've said this before just in passing that everybody's fighting a battle that,
that we know nothing about.
And so that report that you're talking about is vitally important in a customer service situation because you know what?
(24:32):
Yeah,
we're not all gonna be 100% every single day and uh to have enough relationship with a person that they can pick up on that,
they can queue in on it and they're actually concerned about why you're not doing well.
I,
I feel like that's a customer that's in the bag man and they trust you,
they know you trust them.
It's all good things.
(24:53):
Uh This is,
I can't tell you guys how fascinated I've been by this because I did not know much coming into this job when I first took it.
Well,
over a year ago,
I did not know how important the customer service edge of trucking really was.
And it seems like for Brian,
it's even more paramount because you're letting the drivers go out there and try to hunt down some business when they can.
(25:15):
And I think that kind of brings me to my next question here,
Brent,
what types of things are you asking the drivers or,
or are you ok with the drivers looking at?
Because I'm not sure if you're instructing them to go out and look or it's just something that some of the drivers do.
But how do you set them up for success in this aspect of doing business with Brian Truck Line?
(25:36):
First and foremost,
we don't ever want to ask somebody to do something they're uncomfortable with.
But if they are comfortable reaching out and letting us know the things that we talked about at existing customers where there's changes in patterns,
there's continuous improvement ideas,
there is additional freight or if they hear of new shippers going into the area and they're comfortable reaching out,
(26:03):
we make sure they know that it's an open door that we prefer that our drivers are comfortable doing that,
but not everybody is that way.
So,
we all understand if that's not going to be something that they'd want to do,
however,
it is extremely beneficial to the organization as a whole if we have that communication.
(26:26):
Oh,
absolutely.
And,
and Zach,
on that same note,
what are the things that you're keeping an eye out for out there?
You've obviously just in talking to you for these 1516 minutes we've been on,
I can tell that you've developed a keen eye for spotting these things.
So what are you keeping an eye out for when you're out there just in case there's some other Brian or B and H drivers listening,
(26:47):
they might want to,
to follow in your footsteps a little bit,
see if they can bring in some business.
Let's say it's being nosy where you probably shouldn't be for some of it.
You see a bill of lading laying there that isn't yours,
but it's right next to yours and you go,
hey,
I wonder where that one's going and it's all part of quote unquote looking to make sure you're grabbing the right paperwork.
And,
(27:07):
hey,
that,
that's a area we service or that's a customer that we go to because I pick up for that customer somewhere else.
And then doing so you do that the other thing and,
and then you let Brent know if you don't look,
customer know that you saw this you let him make that initial like edge in because he knows he,
he's got the,
the,
(27:27):
the experience to do it without it looking like you're trying to steal something from somebody else.
And then at the same time,
you just gotta get a feel for that customer.
You get talking about different things and oh,
hey,
you want a business card for my sales guy because some of them,
they're dealing with three P Os,
they're dealing with these logistics companies that do all that or the shipper doesn't get to dictate who the trucking company is.
(27:50):
It's actually the consignee.
And so they actually get no stay in it.
But then you find out,
ok,
that's who the consignee is.
And I'll never see that person because they're two states away.
But Brent has the ability to get a hold of those people whereas I don't,
and,
and it's the key is I don't sit there and look and go.
Oh,
yeah,
this is how much it costs to do that.
(28:11):
I have no idea.
That's,
I don't do that side of it.
I just guide them in the right direction when the opportunity arises.
Either discuss with Brent where I,
I've got business cards for Brent or I take,
just give Brent the information to let him go with it when he gets the ample opportunity because sometimes the timing might not be right because he knows something about that consignee that I don't know.
(28:35):
Maybe that consignee is somebody we don't go to because they hold drivers up for six hours for no good reason.
I don't know these things.
So I just pass it on to the right people.
Absolutely.
And Brent's got all those tools in his toolbox and,
and,
and good relationships.
I'm sure built across the industry for things like that.
Now,
one other thing I think is important to talk about here is rates,
(28:58):
obviously,
Brent,
there's gonna be some times where maybe a drivers run something down for you and you just can't touch it because the rates are where they're at.
Is that true?
That is definitely the case at times.
And when that happened the,
oh,
sorry,
go ahead.
No,
no,
(29:18):
you're fine.
I said that's where the communication between sales and the drivers is also extremely important because I can go back and let Zach know that there's times where he may be calling to let me know about one thing and I'm giving him an update on the other.
Yeah.
And so II,
(29:39):
I think that's so cool that you guys can communicate that.
Well,
I just in,
in dealing with other fleets,
I don't know,
a sales department that has as good of a rapport with the drivers as what they do at,
at Brian and B and H.
It's so cool to hear this and to know that not only is it something that's,
you're not trying this,
this is something that's been proven over the years and it's added incredible value to Brian Truck Line.
(30:04):
I would definitely agree with that.
Marcus.
Gentlemen.
I,
I've worked for,
I've worked for other companies where I,
I swear that the,
uh,
sales guys must be on commission or they don't wanna hear from the drivers.
They want,
they gotta find it themselves or they only wanna be locked into the contracts they're in,
they don't wanna reach out,
they don't wanna try to,
to find anything more in that regard.
(30:25):
And here working here it's always been that open line of communication where its,
hey,
if you see something,
say something because you never know that could be the next contract and it could be that little contract that leads to that next big contract.
And do you like this,
this aspect of the job Zach or it,
it seems like something that you're really comfortable doing and something you had a lot of success with is it just make the day a little bit more interesting for you to,
(30:49):
to keep an eye out for this type of thing?
It does to a degree,
but a lot of it is,
I,
I like watching the company I work for succeed.
This is the company I wanna retire from.
And if they don't make money,
I don't get a paycheck,
which means I have to go find somewhere else.
And I don't like the looks of the grass everywhere else.
It may seem green that just means it's fertilized different.
(31:12):
You know,
it,
it,
it's one of those where if,
if I can find something that makes more money,
one,
it,
it gives me more revenue on my truck and that revenue leads up to me still having employment because if there's no freight,
there's no employment.
Absolutely.
And especially in a time period,
like we're in right now where the freight has been not at its highest rates.
(31:36):
Historically,
it's very important to always be keeping an eye out for this thing because,
and Brent,
maybe you can help me out here.
But I'm thinking of the cliched statement,
a rising tide lifts all ships whenever Zach brings you more business that helps the entire company,
not just Zach.
And you,
correct.
Oh,
that is definitely true.
(31:56):
I think you hit a nail on the head because as you said,
it not only helps out Zach,
but it'll help out other drivers.
Because should he bring a,
a lead that's got stuff picking up in his dedicated area?
That means it's gonna get delivered in another area or if it's getting picked up outside of Zach's area that's helping the pedal driver and it's helping him if he's making the delivery in his pedal zone.
(32:22):
That's great,
man.
I,
I just love this.
It's like a big happy team.
You can't play baseball without a pitcher and a catcher.
And it seems like the,
the sales department understands that they can't sell anything without the drivers and the drivers understand that they don't get to haul anything without sales.
So I,
I feel like this is,
as I said before,
a really well oiled machine and I think it's just been really cool to,
(32:44):
to get a peek behind the curtain on this.
Gentlemen.
I want to thank you both for the time here.
And before I let you go,
something I really like to do at the end of these segments is give you guys the floor.
Give you a chance to say anything that you want to say.
Whether you have a message to deliver,
that's gonna help efficiency with the company.
If you've got family or friends listening,
you'd like to say something too or you just like to address any of the rest of the staff or drivers out there.
(33:09):
Zach,
I'll start with you.
The floor is yours.
Take as much time as you need.
If it,
if,
if it's not sales,
if it,
it,
it may be truck maintenance,
it may be,
it,
it,
it falls down all lines.
If you see something,
say something,
yo yo you steal lead,
fell up on that lead.
You see something wrong with the truck,
you fell up on that,
(33:30):
you see something wrong with somebody else's truck,
say something to them because they might not have seen it yet.
We've all done it.
We've all helped each other out.
Sometimes you see that headlight that's out,
that was working when the driver did their pre trip,
but it went out.
Once they hit the dock,
it rattled just wrong,
the headlights out.
You see something,
say something,
communication is paramount.
If you see something,
say something,
(33:50):
I love it.
Sage advice from you there,
Zach Brent,
I'll give you a chance as well.
My friend.
Thank you,
Marcus.
I'd like to say,
I think you hit the nail on the head on the rising ship without a team.
It's hard to have that good customer service.
It's hard to be able to grow.
It's hard to be able to improve.
(34:10):
And the team that we have at Brian Truck Line,
the communication that we have is what helped us be in business for over 75 years.
It's the people and I appreciate every one of them,
every department and every division because everybody plays a part in the success.
Well,
(34:31):
said as well,
Brent and,
and we appreciate everybody in the company,
including you guys for coming on and sharing your time with us today.
Director of Sales,
Brent Schlosser.
Thank you so much.
And Zach Jagger's driver for Brian Truck line.
Thank you as well.
You gentlemen have a fantastic day.
What's left of it?
And Zach,
stay safe out there.
Keep the shiny side up,
(34:51):
my friend.
Oh,
we'll keep trying.
Have a good day.
Thanks guys.
Have a good day.
Everybody,
great stuff there from Brent and Zach really appreciate the time that they spent to come on and talk us through drivers,
(35:14):
helping sales at Brian and B and H.
And,
uh,
I,
I just think again,
I know I've said this like 14 times today,
but it's such a unique thing to have such good camaraderie and,
and a working relationship between drivers and sales.
And we heard some stories right there about how,
you know,
just a driver having a keen eye and keeping an eye out for certain things can translate to a lot of business for Brian Truck Line B and H.
(35:39):
And we always say here,
it's gonna be a recurring theme of this podcast I think.
And that is that a rising tide lifts all ships,
like we said there towards the end of the meeting.
Uh I,
if,
if Brian's doing well,
B and H is doing well,
there's lots of freight,
all the drivers are going to be doing well as well.
And that's all we're hoping for out here.
So,
uh one more time,
(36:00):
giant tip of the cap to uh Brent and uh and Zach for coming on and sharing those stories and that information with us.
And also another tip of the cap to Zach for coming up with that idea,
the localized traffic reports,
man,
we'll get to Michigan,
we'll get to Indiana.
I know you guys are driving through there and I want to help as much as I can uh with all the information because I,
(36:21):
if I,
if even one driver tells me one time,
hey,
I listened to your traffic report on the podcast and I actually took a different route.
Um,
that is going to absolutely make my day.
I'll take the rest of the day off and go golfing.
If a Brian or B and H driver tells me eventually that one of these traffic reports that we'll do both on this episode and in the future,
(36:43):
uh,
helped them out.
So that's all we're looking to do here on the Brian Line show.
Uh,
and of course,
I appreciate everybody who's contributed to this show in any way,
shape or form,
whether you've been on it or you've just helped me out.
Told me some things,
gave me some feedback.
I'm always looking for that.
So if you've got some feedback for me,
make sure to get in touch with your dispatcher,
your driver manager,
(37:04):
uh,
get in touch with Judy Norrick.
She can help out,
uh,
talk to Becky and Safety.
She'll point you my way.
Of course,
Brent will point you my way,
Heath will Corey will all these great people working in the B and H office know where I'm at and they can get you in touch with me.
And I would love to talk to you,
be it on the podcast or just over the phone for some ideas and some feedback about what you think of the show so far because we're seven episodes in here,
(37:28):
believe it or not on the Brian Truck Line show and uh we're only getting started.
So looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks here on the Brian Truck line show.
Keep the shiny side up and stay safe out there drivers.
We'll see you next time.
Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Brian Truck line show.
Don't forget to subscribe,
(37:49):
rate and review the Brian Truck line show on your favorite platform and tune in for new episodes every other Wednesday.
Until next time,
stay safe and keep it rolling.
How we doing out there,
Brian Truck Line and B and H,
welcome into the Brian Truck Line Show.
Episode seven of our cool little show here.
And uh I'm your host Marcus.
Of course.
Thank you all for joining me today.
Very much.
Appreciate everyone that clicks,
listen,
download or subscribe to this podcast.
Uh It's real simple.
(00:21):
If you subscribe on the platform that you're listening on,
it will always alert you when those new episodes are dropping.
Uh It's free to do and it helps us out greatly.
So please jump in and check that out.
Uh Also,
this is exciting.
Today's episode has to do with drivers,
helping sales and we're going to get to a conversation that's very informative here just around the corner.
(00:46):
Uh with Brent Schlosser,
he's the director of sales.
Of course,
you guys all know that and we're gonna have Driver Zach Jagger on as well.
We're gonna talk a little bit about how drivers can help sales and how sales is always looking for new business.
Uh But first I thought it was interesting,
I was on the phone with Zach setting up this interview,
(01:06):
uh Driver Zach Jagger for uh for uh Brian Truck line.
And I was just asking him some,
some basic questions and he started to offer some things he thought would really help out on the podcast and some things that you drivers might want to hear.
And one of the things that he suggested was to localize our traffic update a little bit.
We,
we brought you one that was meant a little bit more for like a national type,
(01:30):
uh,
report,
but you guys aren't really dealing with a lot of that and some of you are,
but the majority of you are,
are dealing with that kind of Ohio Michigan,
Indiana area.
So I'm gonna tip my cap first of all,
here to Zach Jagger for bringing this idea to my attention.
And,
uh today because this news release came out,
I don't know,
like a week or so ago,
(01:52):
uh,
out of the Ohio turnpike,
uh,
in Infrastructure Commission.
Um,
I just want to read you county by county,
what's going on in Ohio where the turnpike is concerned because there's a lot and while I'm not sure that there's gonna be any closures in any of these.
At least I haven't read through like specific this highway is closed right now type stuff.
(02:13):
This is going to hopefully help you out with some of your uh traffic slowdowns and things in the future because there is a lot of road construction going on here.
So let's just jump right into it.
Uh We are going to start from west and head east in Ohio just so,
you know,
uh starting out in Williams County,
it looks like the old Westgate toll plaza at milepost two in Williams County will be removed.
(02:37):
The toll booths and toll lanes will be replaced with pavement.
The work will be completed using phased maintenance of traffic with two lanes open in each direction.
So that's good.
And the project will run from April 24th,
April 2024 excuse me to November 2024.
So kind of a long one there moving uh a little bit further to the east in Fulton County toll plaza 3434 and was on which connects to state route 108 in Fulton County was closed for a pavement replacement on April 15th 2024 and will reopen before August 2024.
(03:13):
So this is one closure that we do have here and uh that one,
you guys have probably already heard about it because it's been closed since April 15th.
But again,
toll plaza 34 which connects to state route 108 in Fulton County closed right now.
And hopefully,
uh according to this news release will be open by August 24th Lucas County,
(03:33):
there will be one mainline pavement resurfacing project in Lucas County in the year of 2024.
We like to hear that,
don't we?
I mean,
I guess we want to see him clean up the roads.
But if they're not going to close off uh,
thoroughfares that we use,
then we'll take that all lanes and shoulders will be resurfaced from milepost 51 to milepost 55 in Lucas County,
(03:54):
the project will be completed uh,
between May 2024 and November 2024 traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel during off peak driving hours in Lucas County,
Sandusky County,
four bridge deck replacements and one bridge removal were will occur within the county this year.
Uh The mainline bridge over Wagoner Road at milepost 83 will be redecked and the main line bridge over the abandoned railroad at milepost,
(04:23):
83 will be removed,
two lanes of traffic will be maintained during the two year long project which runs May 2020 24 to November 2020 five.
The overhead bridges at Fought Road which is milepost 86 on the turnpike and Shannon road,
milepost 93 as well as car uh Carly road,
(04:44):
milepost 94 and Northwest Southwest Road at milepost 106 will also be redecked in 2024.
Uh These bridges will be closed with local detour signs for motorists to follow.
Probably not something that's gonna mess up the uh the turnpike traffic that much but good to know Erie County.
We're gonna be replacing three bridge decks,
(05:07):
uh Ohio Turnpikes mainline bridge,
Scadden road and state route 99 which is milepost 111 will be redecked,
two lanes of traffic will be maintained during the project which runs from April 2024 to November 2024.
The overhead bridge is at Township road 102,
which is milepost 107 and Mud Brook Road,
(05:27):
state route 13.
That's milepost 119 will be closed and detoured for deck replacements as well.
Construction scheduled uh,
in 2024 and 2025.
Moving on to Lorraine County.
It looks like we've got more bridges that will be removed and replaced.
Uh the on ramp to interstate 80 east at Plaza 152 which is North Olmstead.
(05:50):
Cleveland will close from April 17th 2024 to August 2024 to begin work on a main line bridge at milepost 152 eastbound that runs above the on ramp.
The eastbound off ramp on the Ohio turnpike to Lorraine Road will remain open.
Uh That's also state route 10,
Lorraine Road there.
(06:11):
Motorists planning to travel eastbound on the Ohio turnpike that normally enter from Lorraine road can follow the posted detour signs,
Lorraine road north to I 480 east to I 71 to Toll plaza 161 that's Strongsville and Cleveland and the Ohio Turnpikes main line bridge at milepost 152 eastbound over Lorraine Road will be redecked as well.
(06:36):
Two eastbound lanes on the main line will be maintained during the project which runs from April 2024 to November 2025.
And finally for Lorraine County,
the Bagley road bridge that runs over the Ohio turnpike at milepost 152 will close from April 29th,
2024 through October 2024.
(06:58):
Uh,
motorists are advised to follow the post posted detour signs.
Excuse me.
A little hiccup coming out of nowhere.
Uh Only two counties to go here.
Summit and Portage counties uh I guess are gonna be looped into one.
So technically we have three,
the bridge replacement project over Tinkers Creek at milepost 185 in Summit and Portage counties will continue this year.
(07:19):
Construction will continue through 2024 and resume in 2025 and 2026.
However,
two lanes of traffic will be maintained during the project.
Other projects this year in Portage County include concrete bridge deck replacements at the mainline bridge over state route 43.
That's milepost 188 and the mainline bridge over Bryant Road and Township road 236 that is on milepost 202,
(07:45):
the main line bridge at North Main Street in Portage County,
milepost 203.
As part of its rehabilitation will have the deck overlay performed to repair the concrete surface and two lanes of traffic will be maintained on the Ohio turnpike during the project which runs from April 2020 four to November 2025.
And finally in Mahoning County,
(08:07):
I really hope I pronounce that correctly bridge replacement mainline resurfacing and the completion of pavement work at Eastgate toll plaza that is milepost 239 will occur in 2024.
Uh The overhead bridge at Boardman Canfield Road which is US route 224 at milepost 227 will be replaced during 2024 and 2025 construction seasons.
(08:31):
The existing bridge will be replaced in phases.
Traffic will be maintained during the bridge replacement.
Good news there,
all eastbound and westbound lanes and shoulders will be researched from milepost 230 to milepost 236 in Mahoning County,
uh traffic will be reduced to one lane of tr uh one lane of travel on the main line during off peak driving hours.
(08:52):
Resurfacing will take place from May 2024 through November 2024.
And additionally modifications to Eastgate toll plaza and relate pavement work will be completed during the 2024 construction season.
This includes the instruction of the open road tolling lanes for westbound traffic.
So there you have it a little bit of a traffic update for some counties in Ohio.
(09:16):
Again,
that news release came directly from the Ohio turnpike and Infrastructure Commission.
Um And this is their construction projects by county for 2024.
So,
uh you can always refer back to this episode,
you know,
after we put episodes up,
they stay up in perpetuity.
So if you need to reference this at any time,
just click back to this episode,
(09:37):
listen to the 1st 10 minutes or so and you'll have all the information you need.
Uh Thank you to Zach for bringing that idea to me.
We're gonna touch on this.
Obviously,
this was just Ohio because there was a lot to get to here 10 minutes worth of chatting about this stuff.
So we'll get to Michigan.
We'll get to Indiana.
We will prioritize those in some of our next episodes and we'll make sure to try to refresh you guys on this as much as we can because construction season is well underway.
(10:04):
As you guys all know,
you've been seeing the orange signs and the cones and the workers and everything.
So we're gonna do our best on this podcast to let you know exactly where you can avoid slowdowns and shutdowns,
uh,
on your daily commute.
So that does it for the opening of this podcast.
That was our first traffic report ever.
(10:24):
I'm pretty happy about it.
Our first local traffic report ever turned out good.
Don't you think it probably didn't turn out good as good as this next conversation that I'm gonna have though?
Uh,
I've got Brent Schlosser and Zach.
He's coming on the show right now to talk about how drivers can help sales at Brian Truck Line and B and H let's get to it less than truckload,
(10:46):
more than trucking.
This is the Brian Truck Line show from Northwest Ohio to wherever you are.
With your host,
Marcus Bridges,
jumping into an interview segment here on the Brian Truck line show.
I'm very excited to have the Director of Sales with me,
Brent Schlosser,
Brent.
Thank you so much for being here today.
(11:06):
Thank you.
I've also got Brian Driver Zach Jagger on the line.
Zach.
We appreciate you being here as well,
my friend.
Oh,
you're quite well.
Where are you at?
Where are you headed today?
Zach?
Oh,
right now I'm moving from Saint Mary's up toward Delta.
Ok.
Got you.
Now,
the reason I wanted to bring you guys on here at the same time is because when I was back there at the Bryan terminal,
(11:30):
we were starting this podcast.
We're figuring out all the cool things about the company that we could talk about.
One thing that came up when I was uh hanging out with you,
Brent was that Brian is totally cool having drivers help sales out in any way that they can and not only through really good customer service,
but sometimes the drivers will actually bring business to Brian.
They'll say,
(11:50):
hey,
I saw some freight over here.
It looked like it didn't have a place to be.
Is this something that we can work with?
Can you talk to me a little bit about that process,
Brent?
And how Brian utilizes drivers to,
to help build sales?
Certainly,
we like to have an open communication with the drivers and they feel free to reach out to the sales department and let them know what they see.
(12:16):
A real good example was we had a customer that had reached out to that.
I'm starting over.
That's fine.
One really good example would be a potential customer that Zach reached out to us on.
They had lost a shipper and,
(12:38):
or sorry,
they had lost a carrier and needed somebody to fill that shoe.
Zach had already been in there picking up for one of our partner carriers and caught wind of this.
We had an appointment set within 24 to 48 hours to meet with them.
And as time has progressed,
(12:59):
they have grown from a weekly shipper to almost a daily shipper in our network.
So by Zach keeping his eyes and ears peeled and reaching out and giving a heads up,
we were able to line up a very strong customer and form a good relationship with them because we were able to come in and help when other carriers weren't.
(13:22):
So that's just one example of many that happened with Zach and other drivers to help increase the sales.
That's amazing.
And Zach,
I'll give you permission.
You can throw your shoulder out,
patting yourself on the back right now because that sounds like you did a pretty good job there.
I,
I've been going in there for actually a couple of years by the time that had happened.
(13:45):
So they already got used to us.
But at the time they didn't realize that we were our own carrier.
They thought we were only that partner and,
and they didn't realize that we weren't target that we actually were our own company.
And in passing conversation,
as one of the competitors actually closed its doors.
It left a dry and it was just a past conversation that turned into we service areas that they were no longer gonna have anybody to serve to include that partner carrier.
(14:12):
So it's not like we,
we stole freight from a partner or,
or a customer from a partner because we still assist that partner with that customer as well.
Yeah,
and it sounds to me like you just got the customer out of a sticky situation that they didn't have a solve for themselves already in place.
Which I mean,
if you look under good customer service in the encyclopedia,
(14:32):
you're gonna find that story and you guys got him out of a bind is that's what I'm hearing,
Brent.
Oh,
definitely.
That's awesome.
Now,
I work with other trucking fleets and they're not always as comfortable having their drivers be on the lookout for things like this,
which is why I thought it was such a cool aspect because it's a well oiled machine over there at Bryan.
(14:54):
You've got,
you said many examples,
Brent.
So I have to assume this is something that happens quite frequently at Bryant.
Yes,
it is.
And Marcus honestly,
in addition to the new customers,
our drivers are a great resource for information.
If they see specific lanes that a regular shipper,
(15:18):
maybe it is less freight or more freight and they give us a heads up on that.
We can look into those things and give the driver a heads up.
Hey,
yeah,
this is light right now.
We spoke to XYZ company and they foresee it increasing within a month or so.
That gives the driver the heads up that,
(15:39):
hey,
that freight is still gonna be there.
It gives the operations team time to plan to make sure that they can have extra additional space when the freight does pick back up.
There's other situations where Zach may see a bol or a skid that's marked for an area that's going into somewhere.
(16:01):
Our trucks actually serviced and he can give me a heads up there.
We'll reach out to the corporate team.
If it's,
if,
excuse me,
if the rates driven by a corporate decision makers,
we can then reach out to them.
And there's times we get the freight,
there's times we don't,
but if we don't reach out,
we'll never know.
And there's actually also an additional step with existing customers that some of our drivers take.
(16:27):
And that's if there are continuous improvement,
uh ideas that they may have.
There was a situation on one of Zach's routes where there was a shift change and if the paperwork wasn't ready by the time first and the second ship was changing over.
The drivers always had to wait.
We worked with the plant management in that situation and they were able to make some adjustments in their flow to make sure if we had freight that was gonna be picked up on second shift that they had the paperwork filled out and that actually saved our drivers time getting in and out of the facility.
(17:06):
So you've got the prospect for new customers coming on board or maybe a customer that we stop in at,
for one of our partner carriers that can use Brian Truck line as well.
And then you've got the situation where our drivers can be the eyes and the ears that they see normal freight going up or down.
So we can address that.
(17:27):
And again,
if there's freight there that we're not getting,
that we can help with,
to give us an idea,
we can reach out to those contacts.
And then finally,
again,
the continuous improvement section where if they see something,
we can suggest to the customer to improve situations for everybody.
A lot of the time people are gonna go ahead and buy in on that.
(17:48):
Yeah,
absolutely.
And Zach,
from a driver's perspective,
any time that that sales is working with the,
uh,
the plant there and figuring out a way to save you time,
that's high fives all around.
I would assume I know how much drivers hate sitting at shipping and receiving just waiting and,
and watching the clock go by with that,
that one in particular I had saved about two hours every day.
(18:11):
So I had to get instead of a 13 hour day,
it cut us down to minus other freight because we start picking up some other customers down to an 11.5 hour day,
all based upon one showing the customer that we were efficiently showing up at that ready time.
Because driver change route,
changing at the time and everything that,
(18:31):
that changed that whole dynamic that it saved me sitting for two hours every day and getting in on the wire every day,
which gave me more home time.
That's amazing.
And everybody wants more home time rather than more chew on the inside of your cheek time when you're just sitting there tapping your foot waiting for somebody.
Right?
Oh,
of course.
And then,
and uh the,
(18:51):
the top off of uh what Brent was saying,
I've been saving one for this interview all day that I've got a pick up right now of a freight that I let Brent on to with a customer.
We're already going to and delivering to a customer.
We already go to on a regular basis,
if not daily basis that we are at least initial trial today right now that I'm headed to go pick up.
(19:16):
So it just shows I saw that bill like uh Brent was saying,
and I got with him to say,
hey,
we go to this place.
Should we be getting this freight from this competitor?
And he did his,
his dialing in on it and it,
it took a few months to work everything out.
But,
you know,
just goes to show that this,
this does actually successfully happen.
(19:36):
Absolutely.
That's great.
And I know that it's in your blood a little bit,
Zach,
because when we were setting this interview up,
I was talking to you about an uncle of yours who this wasn't necessarily specific to Brian truck lines.
But can you tell me about how your uncle had some freight?
Actually?
Follow him that story that you were telling me on the phone the other day,
(19:57):
he was a owner operator with a small fleet and was doing a dedicated run for our customer when he was still leased on to another company.
And that,
that customer only stayed with that company because he was showing the efficiency of being able to move that freight uh fast forward a year or so later.
(20:17):
He ends up leaving that company due to whatever negotiations they need to.
He actually came on on to Brian Truck line then as a leasing his fleet on to Brian Truck line.
And then in doing so,
that customer actually followed him because that was they were ensured that dedicated um customer base of being serviced properly,
(20:42):
allowing them to know that they were assured that this was actually being taken care of.
Because prior to him taking over that route for them.
They were already in the midst of looking for a different carrier.
So his,
just him alone had a lot that and because they didn't trust anybody other than that continuous,
it followed on the Br Brian truck line to be very lucrative for them in the long run.
(21:07):
And if I recall,
it was actually high dollar figures that company had lost,
that trucking company had lost by the time that freight had left them.
That's great.
And so Brent,
what I'm hearing here from the story about Zach's uncle and how freight follows him is how important the customer service aspect of this whole operation really is.
(21:28):
No way that I if you're not taking really good care of the customer that you're ever gonna have freight,
either switch from a competitor or follow you to when you obviously lean on or lease on to Brian truck line.
So,
can you talk to me a little bit,
Brent about the importance of that customer service aspect in this operation?
Oh,
certainly,
(21:48):
customer service is right up there behind pricing for a majority of the customers.
And if they don't,
you,
you hit the nail on the head.
If we can't provide it,
they're gonna go look for somebody who can Zach alluded to it as well.
When the customers not happy they're looking for options.
(22:10):
Customer service is essential and not only maintaining but growing with the customers.
And Zach,
on that note,
I know that trucking is a stressful job.
I've spoken to hundreds of drivers at this point in my podcast venture here and there will be hundreds more behind that.
I,
(22:30):
I understand.
Well,
the stresses of the job,
how do you balance the stresses of the job with putting on that customer service hat.
And regardless of if you've had the worst traffic and the worst four wheelers and you're stuck at a shipper and your clock's all messed up.
But you go in there and it's service with a smile.
How do you balance that out,
man?
How do you make it so that you can be the best of the best at customer service with all the stresses that come with the,
(22:55):
uh,
the job that you do.
Yeah,
you turn off your problems at the door.
I've been a dock worker and I can tell you straight up that the truck driver that comes in with a bad attitude,
topping,
topping all sorts of nonsense at him is the truck driver that sits and wait.
They will,
you will be the guy running out of hours by the end of it because you came in with a bad attitude because they don't want it.
(23:18):
They're having a bad day when I come in and I'm having a bad day.
My customers sometimes because I see them every day sometimes know that they can tell I'm a little stressed and they'll ask me what's going on and it might be something as simple as something going on with my family and they care enough because I'm in there every day that they look and go,
oh,
(23:38):
hey,
you got you.
Something's going on.
Something's not right.
Yeah,
you're just not quite as,
I'm not being rude but I'm not as pleasant as what they thought or I'm not as talkative as what I normally would.
And that they key up on that and the biggest trick is you build that rapport that they actually care and they're like,
oh,
hey,
you got a family member who's sick and it goes from there and that in of itself becomes you're building that rapport and that rapport goes to farther than just the job because they care about you,
(24:08):
you care about them because they know you're that driver they're seeing every day,
especially on the LP L or on the dedicated drivers on truckload.
Yeah,
it's a good point,
man.
And I,
I've said this before just in passing that everybody's fighting a battle that,
that we know nothing about.
And so that report that you're talking about is vitally important in a customer service situation because you know what?
(24:32):
Yeah,
we're not all gonna be 100% every single day and uh to have enough relationship with a person that they can pick up on that,
they can queue in on it and they're actually concerned about why you're not doing well.
I,
I feel like that's a customer that's in the bag man and they trust you,
they know you trust them.
It's all good things.
(24:53):
Uh This is,
I can't tell you guys how fascinated I've been by this because I did not know much coming into this job when I first took it.
Well,
over a year ago,
I did not know how important the customer service edge of trucking really was.
And it seems like for Brian,
it's even more paramount because you're letting the drivers go out there and try to hunt down some business when they can.
(25:15):
And I think that kind of brings me to my next question here,
Brent,
what types of things are you asking the drivers or,
or are you ok with the drivers looking at?
Because I'm not sure if you're instructing them to go out and look or it's just something that some of the drivers do.
But how do you set them up for success in this aspect of doing business with Brian Truck Line?
(25:36):
First and foremost,
we don't ever want to ask somebody to do something they're uncomfortable with.
But if they are comfortable reaching out and letting us know the things that we talked about at existing customers where there's changes in patterns,
there's continuous improvement ideas,
there is additional freight or if they hear of new shippers going into the area and they're comfortable reaching out,
(26:03):
we make sure they know that it's an open door that we prefer that our drivers are comfortable doing that,
but not everybody is that way.
So,
we all understand if that's not going to be something that they'd want to do,
however,
it is extremely beneficial to the organization as a whole if we have that communication.
(26:26):
Oh,
absolutely.
And,
and Zach,
on that same note,
what are the things that you're keeping an eye out for out there?
You've obviously just in talking to you for these 1516 minutes we've been on,
I can tell that you've developed a keen eye for spotting these things.
So what are you keeping an eye out for when you're out there just in case there's some other Brian or B and H drivers listening,
(26:47):
they might want to,
to follow in your footsteps a little bit,
see if they can bring in some business.
Let's say it's being nosy where you probably shouldn't be for some of it.
You see a bill of lading laying there that isn't yours,
but it's right next to yours and you go,
hey,
I wonder where that one's going and it's all part of quote unquote looking to make sure you're grabbing the right paperwork.
And,
(27:07):
hey,
that,
that's a area we service or that's a customer that we go to because I pick up for that customer somewhere else.
And then doing so you do that the other thing and,
and then you let Brent know if you don't look,
customer know that you saw this you let him make that initial like edge in because he knows he,
he's got the,
the,
(27:27):
the experience to do it without it looking like you're trying to steal something from somebody else.
And then at the same time,
you just gotta get a feel for that customer.
You get talking about different things and oh,
hey,
you want a business card for my sales guy because some of them,
they're dealing with three P Os,
they're dealing with these logistics companies that do all that or the shipper doesn't get to dictate who the trucking company is.
(27:50):
It's actually the consignee.
And so they actually get no stay in it.
But then you find out,
ok,
that's who the consignee is.
And I'll never see that person because they're two states away.
But Brent has the ability to get a hold of those people whereas I don't,
and,
and it's the key is I don't sit there and look and go.
Oh,
yeah,
this is how much it costs to do that.
(28:11):
I have no idea.
That's,
I don't do that side of it.
I just guide them in the right direction when the opportunity arises.
Either discuss with Brent where I,
I've got business cards for Brent or I take,
just give Brent the information to let him go with it when he gets the ample opportunity because sometimes the timing might not be right because he knows something about that consignee that I don't know.
(28:35):
Maybe that consignee is somebody we don't go to because they hold drivers up for six hours for no good reason.
I don't know these things.
So I just pass it on to the right people.
Absolutely.
And Brent's got all those tools in his toolbox and,
and,
and good relationships.
I'm sure built across the industry for things like that.
Now,
one other thing I think is important to talk about here is rates,
(28:58):
obviously,
Brent,
there's gonna be some times where maybe a drivers run something down for you and you just can't touch it because the rates are where they're at.
Is that true?
That is definitely the case at times.
And when that happened the,
oh,
sorry,
go ahead.
No,
no,
(29:18):
you're fine.
I said that's where the communication between sales and the drivers is also extremely important because I can go back and let Zach know that there's times where he may be calling to let me know about one thing and I'm giving him an update on the other.
Yeah.
And so II,
(29:39):
I think that's so cool that you guys can communicate that.
Well,
I just in,
in dealing with other fleets,
I don't know,
a sales department that has as good of a rapport with the drivers as what they do at,
at Brian and B and H.
It's so cool to hear this and to know that not only is it something that's,
you're not trying this,
this is something that's been proven over the years and it's added incredible value to Brian Truck Line.
(30:04):
I would definitely agree with that.
Marcus.
Gentlemen.
I,
I've worked for,
I've worked for other companies where I,
I swear that the,
uh,
sales guys must be on commission or they don't wanna hear from the drivers.
They want,
they gotta find it themselves or they only wanna be locked into the contracts they're in,
they don't wanna reach out,
they don't wanna try to,
to find anything more in that regard.
(30:25):
And here working here it's always been that open line of communication where its,
hey,
if you see something,
say something because you never know that could be the next contract and it could be that little contract that leads to that next big contract.
And do you like this,
this aspect of the job Zach or it,
it seems like something that you're really comfortable doing and something you had a lot of success with is it just make the day a little bit more interesting for you to,
(30:49):
to keep an eye out for this type of thing?
It does to a degree,
but a lot of it is,
I,
I like watching the company I work for succeed.
This is the company I wanna retire from.
And if they don't make money,
I don't get a paycheck,
which means I have to go find somewhere else.
And I don't like the looks of the grass everywhere else.
It may seem green that just means it's fertilized different.
(31:12):
You know,
it,
it,
it's one of those where if,
if I can find something that makes more money,
one,
it,
it gives me more revenue on my truck and that revenue leads up to me still having employment because if there's no freight,
there's no employment.
Absolutely.
And especially in a time period,
like we're in right now where the freight has been not at its highest rates.
(31:36):
Historically,
it's very important to always be keeping an eye out for this thing because,
and Brent,
maybe you can help me out here.
But I'm thinking of the cliched statement,
a rising tide lifts all ships whenever Zach brings you more business that helps the entire company,
not just Zach.
And you,
correct.
Oh,
that is definitely true.
(31:56):
I think you hit a nail on the head because as you said,
it not only helps out Zach,
but it'll help out other drivers.
Because should he bring a,
a lead that's got stuff picking up in his dedicated area?
That means it's gonna get delivered in another area or if it's getting picked up outside of Zach's area that's helping the pedal driver and it's helping him if he's making the delivery in his pedal zone.
(32:22):
That's great,
man.
I,
I just love this.
It's like a big happy team.
You can't play baseball without a pitcher and a catcher.
And it seems like the,
the sales department understands that they can't sell anything without the drivers and the drivers understand that they don't get to haul anything without sales.
So I,
I feel like this is,
as I said before,
a really well oiled machine and I think it's just been really cool to,
(32:44):
to get a peek behind the curtain on this.
Gentlemen.
I want to thank you both for the time here.
And before I let you go,
something I really like to do at the end of these segments is give you guys the floor.
Give you a chance to say anything that you want to say.
Whether you have a message to deliver,
that's gonna help efficiency with the company.
If you've got family or friends listening,
you'd like to say something too or you just like to address any of the rest of the staff or drivers out there.
(33:09):
Zach,
I'll start with you.
The floor is yours.
Take as much time as you need.
If it,
if,
if it's not sales,
if it,
it,
it may be truck maintenance,
it may be,
it,
it,
it falls down all lines.
If you see something,
say something,
yo yo you steal lead,
fell up on that lead.
You see something wrong with the truck,
you fell up on that,
(33:30):
you see something wrong with somebody else's truck,
say something to them because they might not have seen it yet.
We've all done it.
We've all helped each other out.
Sometimes you see that headlight that's out,
that was working when the driver did their pre trip,
but it went out.
Once they hit the dock,
it rattled just wrong,
the headlights out.
You see something,
say something,
communication is paramount.
If you see something,
say something,
(33:50):
I love it.
Sage advice from you there,
Zach Brent,
I'll give you a chance as well.
My friend.
Thank you,
Marcus.
I'd like to say,
I think you hit the nail on the head on the rising ship without a team.
It's hard to have that good customer service.
It's hard to be able to grow.
It's hard to be able to improve.
(34:10):
And the team that we have at Brian Truck Line,
the communication that we have is what helped us be in business for over 75 years.
It's the people and I appreciate every one of them,
every department and every division because everybody plays a part in the success.
Well,
(34:31):
said as well,
Brent and,
and we appreciate everybody in the company,
including you guys for coming on and sharing your time with us today.
Director of Sales,
Brent Schlosser.
Thank you so much.
And Zach Jagger's driver for Brian Truck line.
Thank you as well.
You gentlemen have a fantastic day.
What's left of it?
And Zach,
stay safe out there.
Keep the shiny side up,
(34:51):
my friend.
Oh,
we'll keep trying.
Have a good day.
Thanks guys.
Have a good day.
Everybody,
great stuff there from Brent and Zach really appreciate the time that they spent to come on and talk us through drivers,
(35:14):
helping sales at Brian and B and H.
And,
uh,
I,
I just think again,
I know I've said this like 14 times today,
but it's such a unique thing to have such good camaraderie and,
and a working relationship between drivers and sales.
And we heard some stories right there about how,
you know,
just a driver having a keen eye and keeping an eye out for certain things can translate to a lot of business for Brian Truck Line B and H.
(35:39):
And we always say here,
it's gonna be a recurring theme of this podcast I think.
And that is that a rising tide lifts all ships,
like we said there towards the end of the meeting.
Uh I,
if,
if Brian's doing well,
B and H is doing well,
there's lots of freight,
all the drivers are going to be doing well as well.
And that's all we're hoping for out here.
So,
uh one more time,
(36:00):
giant tip of the cap to uh Brent and uh and Zach for coming on and sharing those stories and that information with us.
And also another tip of the cap to Zach for coming up with that idea,
the localized traffic reports,
man,
we'll get to Michigan,
we'll get to Indiana.
I know you guys are driving through there and I want to help as much as I can uh with all the information because I,
(36:21):
if I,
if even one driver tells me one time,
hey,
I listened to your traffic report on the podcast and I actually took a different route.
Um,
that is going to absolutely make my day.
I'll take the rest of the day off and go golfing.
If a Brian or B and H driver tells me eventually that one of these traffic reports that we'll do both on this episode and in the future,
(36:43):
uh,
helped them out.
So that's all we're looking to do here on the Brian Line show.
Uh,
and of course,
I appreciate everybody who's contributed to this show in any way,
shape or form,
whether you've been on it or you've just helped me out.
Told me some things,
gave me some feedback.
I'm always looking for that.
So if you've got some feedback for me,
make sure to get in touch with your dispatcher,
your driver manager,
(37:04):
uh,
get in touch with Judy Norrick.
She can help out,
uh,
talk to Becky and Safety.
She'll point you my way.
Of course,
Brent will point you my way,
Heath will Corey will all these great people working in the B and H office know where I'm at and they can get you in touch with me.
And I would love to talk to you,
be it on the podcast or just over the phone for some ideas and some feedback about what you think of the show so far because we're seven episodes in here,
(37:28):
believe it or not on the Brian Truck Line show and uh we're only getting started.
So looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks here on the Brian Truck line show.
Keep the shiny side up and stay safe out there drivers.
We'll see you next time.
Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Brian Truck line show.
Don't forget to subscribe,
(37:49):
rate and review the Brian Truck line show on your favorite platform and tune in for new episodes every other Wednesday.
Until next time,
stay safe and keep it rolling.
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