OCTOBER 15, 1999
5
business Spotlight
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CTGR Trucking
499 Main Street
Willamina, OR
(503) S76-4330
Operating under Small Business Development,
this loeal company holds great potential for the Tribe.
By Amanda Siertreem
All across this country, 24 hours a
day, big trucks are hauling freight
so that the store shelves will be full
when you walk in. As of May 17,
Grand Ronde joined the wave of
competitors on the open road. Run
ning eight western states, weighing
in at between 80 and 105.5 thousand
pounds, these big boys are a serious
consideration.
Roland Metzger, CTGR Trucking
manager and member of the Board
of Directors, says "Ninety-nine per
cent of every commodity that we pur
chase was produced somewhere other
than where we live. Since the '60s,
we no longer have a national rail sys
tem, so trucking is the primary mode
of transporting freight."
"It is important to remember,"
Metzger continues, "that any new
business is like a small child, right
after it is born most of the energy
goes to keeping it alive."
In the business of trucking this
means building up an experienced
core of drivers, mechanics and dis
patchers, that creates a reputation
for delivering freight on time and
undamaged. CTGR Trucking is in
the first stages of building that core.
Central to the operation of the
company is the shop foreman, Tom
Brown, who has 20 years of truck
ing experience behind him. The up
stairs stock room and open floor of
the shop speak to his ability. CTGR
Trucking not only is a trucking com
pany, but also a repair shop for the
community. The neatly stacked rows
of fuel filters, brake pads, and truck
tires, the labeled and carefully sepa
rated bins of nuts and bolts, all sit
awaiting use.
It is "keeping the trucks on the
road that is the best advertising,"
says shop mechanic and tribal mem
ber Kelly Mercier, "My life's goal was
to be a truck driver. When I was
growing up I used to run with my
uncles. Now, with this business, I'm
with the trucks. I like to see the
trucks run, maybe someday I'll be on
the road."
The single greatest demand for the
new company is to find reliable driv
ers. As Metzger says, a good driver
is one who likes to drive and is at-
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Tribal member Kelly Mercier enjoys his new job at CTGR Trucking.
Photo by Amanda Siestreem
tentive to the vehicle, the freight and
the road. With the national unem
ployment rate hovering at around 2
3, the demand for truckers is
greater than the number of quali
fied drivers. This puts new compa
nies on the disadvantage, as the top
drivers and customers "sit back and
wait to see," as Justin Rose, shop me
chanic, says.
After purchasing the company
from Rhoades Trucking, CTGR
Trucking has made some serious
changes. Keeping in mind that
"each new venue has it's peculiari
ties, we start small," said Metzger.
Metzger and the Board of Directors
recognize that the community has
traditionally been locked into the lum
ber and agricultural economy.
Metzger says, "We're looking for op
portunities to move people to a more
diverse job market, keeping in mind
that community environment."
CTGR Trucking predominately
hauls lumber, pipe, salt and veneer.
Lumber, which requires a side loaded
trailer and to be covered by a tarp,
which often weighs as much as 100
pounds, does act to deter some driv
ers who won't do the difficult work
of putting the tarp on the load.
In order to coordinate a favorable
balance of incoming loads and driv
ers, a good dispatcher is particularly
crucial. When a driver sits, he or she
is not making any money, and driv
ers who are not making any money
do not stay with a company. This is
why it is so important for the dis
patcher to establish good relation
ships with the companies with
freight to be hauled.
Currently CTGR Trucking receives
mostly brokered runs, but hopes to
eventually have dedicated runs.
Some mills do have pre-wrapped
loads, thereby reducing the amount
of work for the driver, but such good
runs usually operate under long
term contracts that it takes time to
win.
Brown projects that within two
years the company will have estab
lished the reputation, clientele and
crew to maintain a very profitable
business. The company currently
owns and operates eight trucks rang
ing from Peterbuilts to Kenworths.
The primary focus has been fixing
equipment, and purchasing a few
new tools as necessary. CTGR
Trucking has acquired a new elec
tric hoist and some new freight trail
ers. In the meantime, the mechanic
work in the shop is creating immedi
ate profit.
"This trucking industry is going to
succeed," says Metzger with confi
dence and commitment. Kelly Mer
cier and Justin Rose agree, with
hard work and persistence CTGR
Trucking will overcome the rough
stages.
"We live in a very mobile society,"
Metzger concludes, "where people
have lost touch with the fabric of
where they come from. Grand Ronde
is building a home, both emotional
and physical. This was a situation
where a people was disenfranchised,
but seized the opportunity to right
that wrong with their vision of com
munity. All this is just my view of
what's going on. Grand Ronde is ad
mirable because it is a group of
people who recognize that the future
depends upon reestablishing their
roots and foundations."