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Taking the Hire Road is a podcast dedicated to providing tips to help manage the driver recruiting process while addressing the ongoing challenges related to the driver shortage and driver retention. Hosted by Jeremy Reymer, Founder and CEO of DriverReach, this bimonthly podcast shines a light on the challenges that carriers are facing and aims to help companies hire quality drivers with greater efficiency.
Jeremy Reymer [00:00:07]:
Welcome to Taking the Hire Road, a special show dedicated to the trucking industry, primarily around the confluence of recruiting, retention and compliance in the fifth year. As the host of this show, I bring over two decades of industry experience, both on the carrier side as well as the vendor side. Throughout the year, I interview industry experts and thought leaders who bring their insight to the driver life cycle as we discuss the industry's greatest challenges. I always appreciate your feedback, good or bad. Don't forget to leave a rating and a review. I'd also like to thank and highlight the show's valuable sponsors. Their dedication and commitment to the industry and to the show is greatly appreciated. If you're interested in being a sponsor or joining me for an interview, please email jeremy@takingthehireroad.com on this episode, I'm honored to be joined by by an innovative and progressive young leader who knows a bit about managing a work-life balance.
Jeremy Reymer [00:00:56]:
And she not only leads a sizable for hire carrier, she's also the mother of four young boys as well as serving this year as the Chair of the Indiana Motor Truck Association. Jessica Warnke, CEO of Anderson, Indiana based Carter Express. First of all, thank you so much for joining me. Jessica, I can only imagine how busy you are and I appreciate you making the time today.
Jessica Warnke [00:01:16]:
Yeah, I'm happy to be here. Thanks for having me.
Jeremy Reymer [00:01:20]:
Well, I'm anxious to dive into your background and learn how your journey led you to trucking. I'd love for you to share a bit about Carter Express and also hear how important company culture is to you as well as staying innovative when it comes to technology. Perhaps we can dive also into the challenges of managing a work-life balance in a 24/7 industry like trucking. And then I don't want to leave out the industry health segment sponsored by Project 61. Are you ready to dive in?
Jessica Warnke [00:01:46]:
Yeah, I'm ready.
Jeremy Reymer [00:01:47]:
All right, well, heads up at the end of our conversation, I'll wrap up by asking you for a book recommendation. So something that you've read that's been impactful to you. I'm telling you now so you kind of have a chance to just to kind of give it some thought, but we'll put a pin in that for the moment. So most of us have found our way into the industry one of two ways, Right. We either stumble into it sort of like my journey, or we're born into it like you were. Can you share a little about your journey? Perhaps beginning when your father purchased a small trucking company, Carter Express, and began building something special?
Jessica Warnke [00:02:20]:
Yeah. So you know, I think our history even goes further than that. So I consider myself a third generation trucker. My grandfather did not run a trucking company, but he owned a truck dealership. It was light duty and heavy duty dealership here in Anderson, Indiana. He opened that dealership actually when he returned from World War II. Side story. He had a poker game on the Queen Elizabeth boat ride back from Europe and won a sizable amount.
Jessica Warnke [00:02:45]:
So he used that and sold my grandmother's car to start his dealership. So we've had our roots in trucking since 1957. When he opened that dealership, my father went to Purdue and studied agriculture. He was working out on a dairy farm and my grandpa called him and said, you know, I'm thinking that I might be done and ready to retire. You want to come give this a shot? So, so he came back and started at the dealership and sold some trucks to a gentleman named Will Carter, who was running a company called Carter Express here in Anderson, primarily for General Motors and their suppliers because Anderson used to be a huge GM town. And so Will was having a little trouble managing the business. My dad bought in and then later bought the company out in the early 90s when I was young. And so really Carter as I know it and I grew up together and so I just remember from having the 13 trucks when he bought it and now, you know, we've, we're running over 850 trucks.
Jessica Warnke [00:03:40]:
Quite a wild ride and progression over my lifespan, both as just kind of watching it from the outside and watching my father build it and then of course now running it. So it's been, it's been an exciting and fun ride.
Jeremy Reymer [00:03:53]:
Now you interned, right, in a lot of different capacities, maybe like during high school and even in college. But you didn't go straight to Carter Express right after graduating. Can you describe what led you back to Carter Express after exploring other avenues?
Jessica Warnke [00:04:06]:
Yeah. So I interned here growing up and served all kinds of different roles, from importing parts invoices to working the driver window, to helping get us ISO-certified a million years ago. And so all kinds of different things. But when I was getting ready to graduate, my dad and I talked a lot about what I should do. Should I come straight to Carter or should I go check something else out? And we kind of both felt like I should see what else is out there, just to see one, if I found a passion somewhere outside of trucking, and two, to get some experience outside that I could maybe bring back to Carter if I did decide to come back. So it Was very open ended when I was interviewing for jobs and I graduated college in the worst possible time. It was in the ‘08-’09 recession and so I was really blessed. I got a job with Kimberly-Clark Corporation but they couldn't hire us when I graduated because they were having some tough times and so they, they actually had their retail rep company hire me.
Jessica Warnke [00:05:04]:
And so my first job out of College was managing 25 part time retail reps in three states. So I went from college graduate to manager and traveling all over these three states. But it was, it was sink or swim and certainly was a great experience for me. And I had several good years at Kimberly Clark, but kind of knew that wasn't going to be my passion and that I was going to be moving a lot if I stayed with them. And so I decided I wanted to go back to grad school. So, so I took a winter off actually I taught snowboarding for a winter and studied for my GMAT so I could go back to grad school. And over the summer before I was supposed to start grad school, I came back to Carter and I fell in love with it and I actually decided not to go to grad school full time. I did finish my mba, but I did it in an executive program at Butler and so the rest is history.
Jessica Warnke [00:05:53]:
But it's been fun. I've done lots of different things here, worked with lots of different people and it's certainly a passion of mine to this industry and the company and the legacy that my family started.
Jeremy Reymer [00:06:04]:
Yeah, well, it's easy if you at least give even just an inkling of your heart to this industry. It pulls you in in a really positive way you recognize. I mean, I can say this because I've been in other industries as well. There's nothing like it. The relationships that you can build. I say this all the time, you know, they last a lifetime. I think I've known you since you ever started coming around because I remember, by the way, those 0809 years, those were really tough. And I remember having conversations with your dad back then about just some of the challenges that the industry was facing and lots of regulatory stuff and lots of.
Jeremy Reymer [00:06:39]:
We were dealing with things on the hill and certainly things in the state and, and we'll dive into that in a little bit. But before we even go down there, can you share just a little just about Carter Express? I'm sure many are familiar. Carter, in my opinion is, has one of the best reputations of a carrier certainly in the state of Indiana. But I know that There are some important attributes about the company the that I'd love for you to share with the audience.
Jessica Warnke [00:07:01]:
Yeah, so I mentioned we got our start in the automotive industry and that's where we've stayed. Over 95% of our business is with automotive customers in one form or fashion. So we work with OEMs all the way down to tier 2 and tier 3 suppliers and we are primarily based in the Midwest but we run down into Texas and our trailers go into Mexico and up into Canada. So we kind of run that USMCA highway, if you will. We've got now just over 2,000 employees, which continues to blow my mind and 10 different locations and employees in both Mex in Mexico and then up near Canada. Not in Canada, but we've got some owner operators that actually live in Canada. So we're kind of spread out all over North America and growing. We're owned actually my dad sold the company and so we are owned by a Japanese logistics company, company called Logistied.
Jessica Warnke [00:07:51]:
And so we are now a part of a very large global organization which is also cool. I get to travel around the world as a part of that piece of my job. And we can offer our customers lots of solutions that we couldn't offer just as Carter Express. So we can anything and everything they need almost anywhere in the world, which is pretty cool, so.
Jeremy Reymer [00:08:11]:
And exciting to do all that traveling. Now I've got three young children who are very close in age and I remember the days when they were. I had a newborn, a one year old and a two year old and that was definitely a juggling act. I can't even imagine now adding a fourth to that mix. Because you have four boys, right, and they're all what, between two and eight years old?
Jessica Warnke [00:08:31]:
Yeah, Yep. Two and eight, yeah.
Jeremy Reymer [00:08:33]:
I mean that's just. I again, how would you describe the work-life balance of being a mother of four young boys, being the CEO of a large for hire carrier and then so serving as the Chair of the Indiana Motor Truck Association.
Jessica Warnke [00:08:46]:
I gave up the word balance a while ago. I don't think it's a helpful word because I don't think every. I don't think it's ever in balance, right? Sometimes family has to take precedence and sometimes work has to. And that's just kind of a part of being a working mother or a working parent. And I think the quicker you get rid of this notion of keeping things in balance or everything kind of being perfect in any stretch, the easier it is to enjoy what you have. I think Teddy Roosevelt said that comparison is the thief of joy.
Jessica Warnke [00:09:18]:
And I've finally kind of taken that to heart. You know, I'm not going to be able to be like the mothers that get to stay home and get to go on every field trip and volunteer in every classroom, but that's okay. You know, I get to do different things with my boys. I took my 7 year old to our driver safety meeting this past Saturday and he got to see mom present and he got to watch the different camera videos and he was asking me all kinds of questions about trucks on, on the way home. And there's different exposure that I can offer my kids. And I think there's not a right or wrong answer in how to raise a family or how to be a professional. And so if you just decide what works for you and figure out what works best for you, that's all you can hope for. I just try to be as present as I can be when I'm home and as present as I can be when I'm at work.
Jessica Warnke [00:10:07]:
And I think if I can do, that's as good as it gets. My team knows that in the evening hours that if they really need me, they can call me. But I'm probably not going to see their email, I'm probably not going to see a text message because I'm going to try to cherish those few hours that I have. And if I need to log back on after the boys are in bed, that's fine. But I do try to maximize the time that I do have. It is not enough and it'll never be enough. But I think accepting that and working with what you have is the best way to find a balance and some happiness. And so that's what I try to focus and less about balance and more about just enjoying the time that I have because I love what I do at the office and I love being at home with the boys and I'm trying to maximize both.
Jeremy Reymer [00:10:47]:
Well, I love that it's very intentional, right? The time that you do have when you're in the office, that's your focus. When you're at home, that's your focus and you're really intentional with the time. And what I love, and again, this gets back to why I love this industry so much, is you can blend that in a way that doesn't feel like it's one or the other. It's both. You're bringing your child, your son to, you know, a safety meeting and stuff like that. I love being able to go to a conference when the Kids before school, I would bring the whole family.
Jessica Warnke [00:11:14]:
Yeah.
Jeremy Reymer [00:11:14]:
And it's, the industry embraces that. And the exposure that now they get to the industry like you when you were their age is priceless.
Jessica Warnke [00:11:22]:
Yeah, it's great. It really is. And we've made some of our best friends through the IMTA and through this industry, had them come and bring, bring their kids and stay with us for the weekend. And now my kids are pointing out their trucks on the road as well as Carter trucks. And I don't know, I worked in the retail and consumer products for a little while and it's certainly different world than that. I can't speak to other industries, but I can tell you that this one is, it's got a, it's got a piece of my heart, for sure. Yeah.
Jeremy Reymer [00:11:50]:
Well, and you mentioned IMTA. And so how important is it, and this is for maybe those who aren't maybe as active or engaged in either state or national associations, how important is it for, for industry stakeholders, fleets certainly to be involved and engaged at that level?
Jessica Warnke [00:12:05]:
Well, you know, our industry is heavily regulated, it's market driven and it's a key piece of the overall economy. And I think those characteristics make us highly dependent on what's happening in the legislative world. And if we aren't there telling our legislators why things are important to our industry, to our employees, to their constituents that work in this industry, no one else will. And it's really easy. You know, I think legislatures make decisions with the information they have available. And if they don't know the downstream effects of what they're deciding and what that does to the trucking world, they don't know how to make decisions around that. And so much of what we do affects everyday Americans because our cost gets rolled into the cost of everyday products that we're using all the time. And so when legislators are making decisions that add burdensome regulation that doesn't really improve what we do, or they add cost without giving a tangible benefit to our group of people that just drives prices higher on everything that we do.
Jessica Warnke [00:13:09]:
So I think it's important to be involved because if we're not there telling them what they need to know and educating them, no one's going to do it for us. And I think if you are in the logistics world, the trucking world, your voice is more important than ever right now. With all the things happening in tort reform, the different tolling and taxes that they're looking at for our industry, the emission standards that they continue to change. And again, the only way to Educate them is to be there and talk to them and be that voice. And we need more voices at the table, always.
Jeremy Reymer [00:13:42]:
Well, and as they say, if you're not at the table, you're on the menu. And kind of to your point. So not just from a legislative standpoint, which I 100% agree, but even from a safety perspective, it's been proven just by. From ATRI data from American Transportation Research Institute that companies who are involved and engaged in state and national trucking associations are safer than those who are not. And so from that perspective, because there's so much shared knowledge and information and just that the network effect that comes from that, people, they care, they want to learn, they want to be better. And I think that's just important as I love. As I see over your shoulder in the background a nice, clean, shiny Carter Express truck rolling past. That's so cool.
Jessica Warnke [00:14:27]:
We compete on a lot of things as carriers, but we don't compete on safety. All of us want to be safer fleets. And so there is no competition when it comes to associations and being involved on the safety side, all we can do is better each other, and that betters the industry, and it makes it safer for our families that are out there sharing the highways and the interstates with our trucks, right? So the safety side, I mean, it goes without saying how important it is, but having those shared relationships, you know, when we run across a problem that we've not seen before, I have a whole list of people that I can call and say, how are you handling this? Just happened last week. I had a friend of mine call and say, what are you going to do about the state changes in Michigan with the new paid time off or paid leave that they just put into effect? And it's just nice to be able to bounce off ideas and voices on safety and employment and regulation and all these things that are ever changing in our world.
Jeremy Reymer [00:15:23]:
Yeah. And these are relationships that you have. These are people that you trust. Like, it's just that's, again, what I love about this industry. And back to Carter again, as I see trucks behind you, a couple things. First of all, I think I've always known Carter Express as a company where culture is really important. And the people there. There's been such consistency for a long time.
Jeremy Reymer [00:15:44]:
Some of the people that have been there that I've known for a really long time because they're really good at their job and they really like working there. And I think that speaks to the culture. But you also have this reputation for being very innovative. So I Guess my question is, how important is that to you to remain that way, to remain innovative and at the forefront of technology? Because that's certainly what I've always known Carter Express to be.
Jessica Warnke [00:16:07]:
Yeah, I think culture, innovation and safety are probably the three words that describe us as a company. And you hit on the culture piece. It's 100% true. We get to celebrate 20, 30, 35 year anniversaries pretty often around here, which is just outstanding. And I just am so proud of my team, I could get on a soapbox and talk about our team for forever. So the culture is super important. But I think the fun part about the innovation side is that essentially we just are problem solvers at our core. That's kind of how we view ourselves and we view our attempt or our approach as a company.
Jessica Warnke [00:16:42]:
We don't accept the status quo. So when a customer has a problem and they think this is the way it should be solved and they put out an RFQ for certain truckload lanes, we're combing through that data to say is there a better way to do this for them and for us to kind of help solve a mutual problem or anticipating problems that might arise before the customer knows it's a problem. And so kind of staying with that problem solving mindset and not accepting things like they as they are, because that's the way it's always been is what I think makes us a little different. But yeah, it's fun being with a group of people that look at the world kind of and ask why and how can we make it better?
Jeremy Reymer [00:17:20]:
And from a culture perspective, I know how effective would you say it is to your company culture with this, that you have a chat with a CEO call, right? Twice a week. That's something that, when I first heard about that, I thought that takes focus, it takes discipline, but it takes a spirit of I want to engage. This is what's going to make me better. It's going to make all of us better. Open lines. How effective is that from a company culture standpoint?
Jessica Warnke [00:17:43]:
I mean, I think, I hope it's effective. It's certainly, it's a little bit selfish maybe because people are my path. So, you know, logistics is how we do it. But I think that the people are what matter at the end of the day. And I realized when I took this job I was getting further and further from our people. I just spent so much time in meetings with our parent company and with our leadership team or with our customers that I wasn't spending time with our people. Like I Used to, before I kind of elevated in the company. And so I was talking to, you know, one of my colleagues and I was kind of complaining about that.
Jessica Warnke [00:18:18]:
And they were like, well, why don't you just schedule it? Why don't you just kind of schedule time to talk to people? And I thought, yeah, why not? And so when we first kicked off the program, people were terrified, like, wait, you're going to make me go sit and talk to her? And so I try to make sure they know, like, this is really what it's called. It is just a chat. I want to get to know you. I want to know what you love about what you do, if you love it, and what maybe we could do better. Tell me what we could do better or how we could make your job better. And so it's just really fun. Sometimes we end up spending all of our time talking about their lives or their kids or what they do in their free time. And sometimes we talk only work because they're passionate and they have something they want to chat about.
Jessica Warnke [00:19:00]:
And so every single one is different, but I think it helps. You know, we've always had an open door policy and we're. We encourage employees to come and talk to leadership. But I think this helps really put our money where our mouth is, if you will, so they know that we really are available if they need us. And so it's fun. I enjoy it. It's a little bit selfish on my part because I get to keep some of those connections that I felt like I was losing.
Jessica Warnke [00:19:24]:
But I do think it makes us a better company because I heard, I hear about problems or things that we could be doing better that maybe would have never gotten to me without it.
Jeremy Reymer [00:19:33]:
Yeah, no, that makes a ton of sense. And I know you're passionate about both, you know, your internal employees, right? And your drivers as well. You know, this is the lifeblood of any fleet, which may be a good segue into the industry health segment, which is sponsored by Project 61. And the question for the industry health segment is, as a fleet owner, how can I best encourage drivers to make healthier decisions on the road? What do you think?
Jessica Warnke [00:20:01]:
Oh, this is a tough one for me because I feel like we've tried a lot of things over the years and nothing's really stuck yet. But one thing that we've done recently, and we tried a lot of carrots and we weren't getting anywhere, I don't think. And so we put in a program that's maybe a little less carrot and a little more sick. But if you're on our health plan and you have one of three diagnosed conditions, you are assigned a nurse program that's going to check in and make sure that you do your annual appointment, you get your labs drawn, that you need to get drawn, and that you're filling your prescriptions like you're supposed to be filling your prescriptions. And as long as you do all those kind of baseline things and take an active role in your health, your health premiums stay the same, but if you, you know, fail to do your labs or take your prescriptions as you're supposed to, then there's a slight increase in premium applied. But you've got a year to become compliant with the program and lots of reminders, and the nurses are great and helpful. And so it's still pretty new.
Jessica Warnke [00:21:01]:
I can't speak to results yet, I guess, but I am excited that it's a more active way to take a role in our driver's health and employees health. All of our employees are a part of the program. So that's a new program that we're trying to try to, again, encourage active participation in their health. And, you know, I say this all the time. I could get on a soapbox about healthcare, but I feel like too often we accept what we're told and accept what's thrown at us without questioning it. When it comes to healthcare. I mean, it's the only thing in the world that we don't shop for. Like, you would never go to a dealership and pick out a car and then say, okay, well, I'm going to drive it off the lot, and then in a month, you bill me what you think I should pay for it.
Jessica Warnke [00:21:46]:
Right? It's ludicrous, but that's how healthcare works. And so, again, we encourage our employees to try to take a more proactive approach to their health and ask questions and find the right providers. And we've got a nurse navigator program that helps them kind of answer some of those questions about what facilities should they be going to. And, you know, we pay travel if, say, they need a knee surgery, and the best place to get that is a state away, will pay travel to do that so that they get the best providers at the most reasonable cost. But, you know, I think until we as a society even, and especially it's especially hard in our industry, until we take a look at really what we can be doing to take a more active role in shaping our health outcomes, we're going to continue to be at the mercy of big hospital and insurance and pharma yeah. Yes.
Jeremy Reymer [00:22:36]:
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I love that you are getting involved in saying, look, it's almost like playing the role of an assistant manager. They are the manager of their life, of their health. But you're an assistant, you're saying, you know, here, let me, let me help you a little bit. And if you don't do this and I'm, you don't want to demote them necessarily from manager of their health, but you've got to be a little more stern because at the end of the day, it's their life and they are much more than a driver, much more than just an employee. You want them to be healthy. And so, so I appreciate that.
Jessica Warnke [00:23:06]:
You want them to have a happy life after driving, right? And I think so, so often driving takes such a role in their health that their retirement years are maybe not as enjoyable as they could be. And I think, you know, the premiums for smoking, for tobacco use has been very common practice for a long time, right? This is the same concept as that saying that, you know, okay, you've been diagnosed with these conditions, which are lifestyle driven. And so if you take an active role in bettering your lifestyle and bettering your health, your premiums stay the same. But if, if you refuse to do so, it's similar to a tobacco premium, right? And in that, we're going to try to encourage you in a different way, in a financial way, to maybe take that active role. So again, it's, it's not a super common practice and it's still pretty new to us. But I'm hoping that, like you said, being that assistant manager and kind of giving them another reason to think about it drives some better lifestyle choices.
Jeremy Reymer [00:24:04]:
Before we wrap up, hopefully you've had a chance to consider a specific book that particularly impactful to you, that you can share with the audience. Anything come to mind?
Jessica Warnke [00:24:12]:
Yeah. So I read this relatively recently, although I think it was published in 2006. It's not new, but it's called Mindset by Carol Dweck. And it's all about the growth mindset and how to get out of the fixed mindset. And I, I think there's so many lessons in there for leadership, but also for parenting and coaching and just, just how you look at your own life kind of getting out of that comparison failure bubble and into that looking at mistakes as ways to grow and become better. And so it's a, it's a good reminder that we get to choose how we look at our lives and our decisions and what we want to make out of our lives and we're not the victim of circumstance. And so it was a nice reminder of that. So I read it recently and I think it's a good one.
Jeremy Reymer [00:24:56]:
Yeah, I love it. You're the second or third person that's brought that book up to me within the last couple of months. It's already in my Goodreads. I haven't read it yet, but I think you've propelled it to the top with that additional recommendation. Jessica, thank you so much for joining me. I appreciate your leadership, your passion for the industry. I love that you're in just such early stages of your journey. This industry will benefit immensely.
Jessica Warnke [00:25:18]:
Oh, I appreciate that. Thanks for having me, Jeremy. This was fun.
Jeremy Reymer [00:25:21]:
And thank you for Taking the Hire Road with me. Once again, special thanks to the sponsors of the show. We really appreciate you. If you're interested in being a sponsor or joining me for an interview, please email jeremy@takingthehighroad.com. Until next time, thank you for Taking the Hire Road.