Here’s how one trucking company won in the worst year ever
Content Sponsored by GP Transco
2020 was a really rough year for all Americans, truckers included.
As a nation, we faced a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, a rash of wildfires, empty grocery store shelves, and high levels of economic uncertainty.
In spite of all of these challenges, Illinois-based trucking company GP Transco has thrived in a year when many other trucking companies have either stagnated or struggled — laying off office staff and drivers, or even closing their doors for good.
Top-of-Industry Driver Pay for the Win
Company leaders say that they’ve experienced remarkable growth in 2020 and that they’ve even managed to add 100 brand new trucks to their fleet while increasing their already industry-leading driver pay.
GP Transco says that the reason that they’ve been able to grow in such a tough year is because they’ve continued to invest in their most valuable resource — their professional drivers, offering a combination of top pay and robust benefits to keep turnover low and driver satisfaction high. Solo over the road drivers at GP Transco earn an average of 60 CPM (which equates to $72,000 — $89,000 per year) on top of a wide array of benefits for themselves and their families as a recognition of their skills, professionalism, and customer service. And through the recent addition to their innovative OTP Profit Sharing program for drivers (which adds 6CPM to well-performing drivers each week), company drivers can now receive a 1 CPM pay bump every six months to be added to their profit sharing program following a review.
Success in 2020 Through Increased Dedicated Freight
Another key to GP Transco’s success is their dedicated customer base. Because more than half of GP Transco freight is now contracted, drivers can keep the wheels moving even during turbulent times. And the company plans to up the current percentage of dedicated freight from 52% to 75% by the end of 2021, which will provide drivers with extra security and consistency.
Here are just a few of the ways that GP Transco “won” in 2020 through innovation and outside-of-the-box thinking.
- GP Transco was able to maintain a 70% driver retention rate in 2020 — meaning that 70% of the drivers that were hired at this this time last year are still with the company.
- In 2020, GP Transco was able to increase the average weekly miles of company drivers by 200 miles.
- There are currently plans into works to enhance the GP Transco fleet with 80 new Freightliner Cascadias with (first time ever on a semi truck) all-digital cockpits.
- GP Transco trucks drove a whopping 40 million miles in 2020 (which is like 80 round trips to the moon) and a major step up from the 32 million miles that GP Transco trucks travelled in 2019
- During a year when the COVID-19 outbreak threatened American lives, GP Transco stepped up to transport desperately needed personal protective equipment, delivering millions of pounds of essential gear and medical supplies to protect healthcare workers.
- GP Transco was able to effect a dramatic decrease in unsafe driving behaviors in 2020, reducing hand-held device violations by 100%, driving violations by 13%, hours of service violations by 33%, and vehicle maintenance violations by 11% since 2019.
- GP Transco saved 450,000 gallons of fuel in 2020 by overall MPG of the fleet by 5% and passed the fuel savings to drivers in the form of a fuel efficiency bonus.
- In 2020, the company improved day-to-day efficiency for drivers when they rolled out the GP Transco Driver mobile app. The app simplifies several tasks for drivers, allowing them to easily scan and submit all documents, accept/reject dispatched loads, and see all load information in one place on their mobile device or their GP Transco driver tablet.
- GP Transco was also able to increase technician efficiency in the shop by 66% compared to 2019.
GP Transco’s commitment to driver-first culture and innovation has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the trucking industry. The company was recently named “Best Fleet For Drivers” by tech company Samsara as part of the 2020 Top Fleet Awards. The company was also recently recognized with the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company Award, which recognizes privately-held U.S. companies that have experienced rapid growth.
For more than a decade, GP Transco has provided reliable transportation services to customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. To learn how you can start your career with one of the fastest growing companies in the trucking industry, please click here.
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