OTA Dispatch Issue 4 2019

24 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch HISTORY OF A&M Andy Owens, Sr. (Andy’s father) bought his first truck, a 1965 Freightliner cabover, with 318 Jimmy, in December of 1972 from a company named Aldred Bros and started hauling veneer and lumber around the state. Andy was a sophomore in HS at the time and was engaged in the business from day one. If tires or brakes needed to be replaced, he fixed it, and progressively got more involved as the company accumulated more trucks. In the fall of 1975, Andy enrolled at Umpqua Community College’s civil engineering program and eventually graduated from Oregon Institute of Technology in 1979 as a Civil Engineer. Andy had plenty of options upon graduation, but he decided to continue working with his dad. A&M now has 135 trucks, down from previous years simply because the company had made a decision to aggressively upgrade their fleet and cycle out older trucks that would frequently break down. His intent for the near future is to hire more owner operators and grow his fleet to 180 trucks. “We have a good maintenance program, office staff, and systems in place. We’re poised to grow.” The company runs 70% dry van and the rest flatbed and tautliner. Andy basically leads the company, but the third generation has come alive and are taking control of day to day operations. His son, Ryan, with help of his nephew, Patrick, are managing the dry van and flatbed divisions and his daughter, Kristina, handles human resources. NETWORKING THROUGH THE OTA Andy’s dad had been involved with OTA for as long as he can remember, but Andy typically stayed back to run the business when his dad was away. Gradually, the company had enough help, and Andy was able to sneak out of the office and participate in association affairs. He started attending OTA luncheons around Southern Oregon and meeting people. This is where he found the most value in OTA—the networking aspect. “That’s how we got the mixer started,” explained Andy. “I would go to Medford luncheons and then Roseburg luncheons. I gained exposure to all the members in those areas, so the idea dawned on me to host a function somewhere in the middle.” Interview with Andy Owens New OTA Chairman By Vilija Jozaitis, OTA Marketing & Communications Manager OTA presents our new Chairman, Andy Owens, CEO of A&M Transport! Many of you are already familiar with Andy and his presence at association events and involvement with the Southern Oregon Trucking Industry Mixer, the Southwest Oregon Workforce Investment Board (SWOIB), and American Trucking Associations. But, even if you know Andy personally, you may not know all the ways he’s been involved with OTA and the community. He’s also got a lot of goals for OTA, our members, and the trucking industry in Oregon as a whole.