by TQL
5/13/2010
For the past ten years, Tom Novak has been a Class A driver. He started driving because he wanted to earn some extra income, but over the years, his life on the road became more like a second career. He’s the owner/operator of Cool Breeze Transfer out of Alma Center, Wisconsin. Also known as “The Strawberry Capital” of the state, Alma Center is smack dab in the middle of America’s dairy land.
For years, Tom would spend half his time driving and the other half at a weekend shift job. Running approximately 50,000 miles each year, he would haul just about anything.
“Anything that’s legal and that I can get in the box and close the doors on,” he says. “I started out hauling logs and have carried everything from scrap paper to stainless steel sinks and countertops. But, I prefer refrigerated food products like meat, cheese or butter.”
Those types of loads are exactly what he hauls for TQL Logistics Account Executive Dianne Shelton. Each week since August 2008, Tom has hauled a load of dairy products from Minnesota to Wisconsin. Over the past 10 months, he’s done more than 44 loads for TQL and every single one of them has been on-time.
“Tom is extremely conscientious,” Dianne says. “I have worked with a lot of good drivers, but what I love about Tom is his consistency. I know what I can expect from him when I book him on a load.”
In late 2007, Tom bought his current rig from a former employer. “It was cheap, which I guess was its best feature,” he says. “It had 1,360,000 miles on it and if I hadn’t known its history, I would have probably steered away from it.”
Today, that truck is not just a piece of equipment, but a symbol of his work ethic. “As an owner/op, I know everything I do reflects directly on me,” he explains. “There’s no corporate veil to hide poor performance behind. I don’t have anyone who can bail me out if I am not responsible with my time and, if the product is damaged, it comes out of my pocket 100%. It’s just me and my daughter, Amanda, who helps run the office when I’m out on the road."
“Though it’s not perfect, I enjoy being an independent operator. I truly believe a good reputation is valued much higher than gold and mine, I am proud to say, is a direct reflection of the quality of work I put into each day.”
