Ed Nagle III, CEO of Nagle Cos., joined Jeremy Reymer on this week’s episode of Taking the Hire Road to discuss the importance of integrity and community involvement in company leadership.
With a long family history in the trucking industry, Nagle has spent his career dedicated to the lasting success of not only his company, but of the industry as a whole.
“Trucking is my DNA. It’s not a burden,” said Nagle. “It’s an honorable profession. Truck drivers make sacrifices every day so we can have our existence. Trucking is what provides Americans a standard of living.”
Because the freight industry is complex and reliant on networking, regulations, legislation, equipment, technological development and the economy at large, it’s critically important for industry leaders to be involved in other organizations and communicate with customers and competitors, according to Nagle.
“It’s hard to maintain a knowledge base of all of that on your own,” he said. “By opening up to those in the industry, we’ve identified problems we’ve experienced that others have a solution for and vice versa. It makes it easier to learn and grow.”
There are numerous avenues through which industry players can make an impact. According to Nagle, speaking with city councils, county commissioners, mayors, state representatives and so on is key to making sure that regulations and market conditions are favorable for the freight industry.
“If you don’t have relationships with these officials, you’re missing the boat,” he said. “They have to know you and your opinions before they can take any actions that are important for your industry.”
Nagle asserts that this type of networking is much more effective coming from someone who isn’t a paid lobbyist with self-interested incentives.
“I have never advocated for myself personally – always on behalf of the industry – which lends credibility to the conversation. We know what issues are critical to our industry, and it’s important to be able to convey that to regulatory and legislative officials,” Nagle said.
Aside from networking, doing so with integrity is the only way for any trucking company to stay successful long term.
“Our guiding principles are treating customers with respect and dignity, and that works,” Nagle said. Although smaller, family-owned operations like Nagle Cos. cannot compete with major carriers on pricing or scale, this type of interpersonal relationship and quality service is what sets them apart.
“For customers with very specific shipping needs, we learn what those needs are and tailor a solution they’re looking for,” Nagle explained. “We build intimate knowledge of our customers and provide a service that customers derive quality from.”
These principles of integrity, transparency and quality not only maintain business relationships with clients and partnerships, but also contribute to excellent recruiting and retention, he added. With skilled drivers always in demand, a low turnover rate is something that every carrier seeks.
“It’s incredibly difficult to find someone with the characteristics of a true truck driver. Because we’re so dedicated to keeping this industry healthy, we don’t take shortcuts in our standards,” Nagle said. “But as a result of the culture we’ve built, we don’t have much turnover. Our average driver tenure is 17 years. That doesn’t just happen.”
Book recommendation: “Quality” series by Philip B. Crosby
Click here to learn more about Nagle Cos.
Sponsors: The National Transportation Institute, Career Now Brands, Carrier Intelligence, Infinit-I Workforce Solutions, WorkHound, Asurint, Transportation Marketing Group, Seiza, Drive My Way, F|Staff, Trucksafe Consulting, Seated Social, Repowr