The road to success for Aaron Shefler, president and chief executive of Certified Fleet Services, began with a keen interest in learning about the potential of the industry his company serves.
Shefler’s journey began after attending Duquesne University for supply chain management and logistics. Soon after, he founded Disabled But Able Trucking Inc. and Steel City Hauling. Recently, he started Certified Fleet Services and now runs all three businesses.
Headquartered in metropolitan Pittsburgh, Certified Fleet Services employs 80 drivers and operates about 70 trucks. It serves oil and gas industry customers by hauling sand to fracking pads throughout western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
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Customers rely on timely deliveries of fracking sand, so having drivers ready to haul loads is essential for Certified Fleet Services. Unlike many trucking operations, however, the company is not facing a driver shortage. It’s quite the opposite.
“We haven’t lost any drivers—and not only are we fully staffed, we have 40 to 50 applicants in the pipeline,” said Tiffany Stein, the company’s human resources and payroll specialist. “Most of those drivers are experienced over-the-road operators who are looking for positions with better schedules and assurance about their income. We are one of just a few companies in this industry that does not take money off the top. We’re upfront with drivers about how much they will make.”
Finding automated fleet compliance technology
To help drivers comply with regulations from the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Certified Fleet Services recently began using the FleetDrive 360 automated solution to track the expirations of CDLs and medical cards.
“We were using a spreadsheet and manually reaching out to drivers with notifications that their license or medical certificate needed to be renewed,” Stein explained. “Now, we have an easier way to manage compliance and alert drivers.”
The cloud-based FleetDrive 360 system also serves as a centralized repository of information for Certified Fleet Services. The company uploads a driver’s drug and alcohol test data and MVR records into FleetDrive 360, Stein said.
For DOT-required drug and alcohol testing, Certified Fleet Services uses Express Labs Consortium. Driving records accessed by the company through Starpoint Screening include MVRs, background checks, the Pre-Employment Screening Program, and the Commercial Driver’s License Information System.
For Jay Leppo, director of operations at Certified Fleet Services, strict onboarding processes are only the beginning of ensuring safety. “We have a robust safety program, and we’re continually working to extend it,” he said.
Classroom and video training courses covering safe procedures as well as internal policies are in place at the company, Leppo said. In addition, drivers are trained on equipment and load-handling practices in the company’s yard and spend time on the road with experienced operators.
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‘Attention to safety saves lives and money’
Certified Fleet Services also uses a Virage Simulation VS600M truck simulator. Through LCD high-resolution display technology, the system replicates the company’s vehicles and presents a 360-degree view from the driver’s seat. A three-axis motion system simulates the actual feel of the road, including steering wheel behavior during turning maneuvers.
“We believe in hands-on training, so we invested in the simulator to provide general and customer site-specific videos that focus on actual operations,” Leppo said. “Along with those training programs, we track safety scores and metrics on our operation and compare it to regional and historical data from other sources,” Leppo said. “We have a very low number of incidents because attention to safety saves lives and money.”
While daily operations at Certified Fleet Services are underway, Shefler continues to educate himself to help improve and grow the business. A crucial part of his approach is to gain a deeper understanding of the business and daily operations, including customer needs, by visiting delivery sites to learn how the carrier plays a role in their processes.
In the future, Shefler plans to expand and diversify its offerings. “First, you need to establish a strong foundation and commit to learning,” he said. “Growth requires taking one step at a time and having a strategic plan, and that comes from education and experience. If you understand the needs of the industry you’re serving and determine how you can supply that demand, you will be successful.”
