Hand in hand
Technology and safety also go hand-in-hand at Bulldog Hiway Express. For example, once a driver is hired, an extensive orientation program focused on safety utilizes the Smith System of defensive driving.
Today as well, each truck in the fleet is equipped with Omnitracs on-board communications systems, which along with providing load and route information are used to monitor compliance with speed limits. “We’re as concerned about a truck traveling 45 miles per hour in a 35 MPH zone as we are about 75 in a 65,” Byrd says.
In 1998, Bulldog Hiway Express was one of the first fleets in the country to automate driver logs. Today, it is also deriving other benefits from its use of Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), a message that Byrd says the entire industry should hear.
“ELDs provide for absolute and precise compliance,” Byrd says, “and for us it’s also meant an uptick in productivity. With paper logs you can’t always see the small time intervals of 15 minutes or so that might still be available under Hours of Service rules. In many cases, we’ve been able to use that time to ensure a delivery or pick-up is made, without ever risking being out of compliance.
“When it comes to technology, safety is the payback,” Byrd continues. “For that reason, we recently started installing SmartDrive vehicle date and video event recording systems on our tractors. The camera systems are especially helpful in our heavy-haul operation, where we often handle oversize loads reaching 180,000 lbs.”
Today, operating throughout the U.S. and Canada, Bulldog Hiway Express handles heavy hauls, open deck and long and regional flatbed loads, as well as intermodal port deliveries. Its fleet includes about 200 International, Mack, Kenworth and Western Star power units along with 220 trailers ranging from standard flatbed and step-deck models to lowboys, container chassis and 13-axle units.
“We start with equipment spec’d to safely handle the cargo we haul,” Byrd says. “For our heavy-haul operation we buy multi-axle tractors with high HP engines and heavy-duty drivelines. For the other parts of our operation we buy standardized power units.”
Tractors at Bulldog Hiway Express spend four or five years in over-the-road service and then have second and third assignments in regional, short-haul and then intermodal drayage service. Every year, the company replaces 10 to 30 standard tractors and about five heavy-haul units.
Wisdom and skill
The Bulldog Hiway Express maintenance operation is a key part of ensuring both trouble-free operation and safety, Byrd points out. “We have a stable and knowledgeable workforce led by the team of Jim Hewston and Kenny Langley,” he relates. “Our average maintenance employee has been with the company for over 18 years. Collectively, they have a lot of wisdom and skill that we rely on.”
Maintenance, repairs and fabrication for the Bulldog Hiway Express fleet are handled at two in-house shops in Charleston, including a truck facility with seven technicians and a trailer and tire shop with another seven technicians. In Savannah, Ga., and Mobile, Ala., where the company domiciles equipment, and on the road, a combination of dealers, truckstops and local vendors are used.
Behind the scenes in all aspects of its business, Bulldog Hiway Express collaborates with its sister Daseke-owned companies to share ideas and best practices.
“It’s vital when it comes to safety to share best practices and collaborate with our sister companies,” Byrd states. “All of the Daseke companies are zeroed in on safety, so it’s a common goal and we’re all open to talking about new ideas and new technologies that can improve performance. Collaboration makes us all better and safer.”
Byrd also works to improve the industry’s safety performance possible. In 2014, he served as the 69th chairman of American Trucking Associations. He is also a two-time chairman of the South Carolina Trucking Association, and has served on the advisory board of American Transportation Research Institute and on the Truckload Carriers Association board of directors.
“Safety is job one at Bulldog Hiway Express,” Byrd says. “We’ve always had a culture that makes safety the most important aspect of our business and we think everyone else should, too. My family is out there on the road, as is yours, so I wouldn’t be able to sleep if my fleet wasn’t as safe as possible.”
Bulldog Hiway Express is equally committed to providing unsurpassed customer service, something that is clearly reflected in its 98% on-time delivery rate and long-term contracts with some of North America’s largest shippers.
“We deliver far more than our customer’s cargo, “ Byrd says. “We deliver quality, and value with each shipment because we value our people and understand their needs. We have a saying that our drivers don’t just make a pick up or delivery, they make a difference, and we truly believe that.”