Tag: Landstar BCO

Beating the Odds

Mike Lamb wins 2022 Kenworth Truck in 2021 Deliver to Win Truck Giveaway

A Chinese proverb advises that “at the gambling table, there are no fathers and sons,” but for father-and-son Landstar business capacity owners (BCOs) Mike and Frank Lamb, the (Lamb) house won in the 2021 Landstar Deliver to Win Truck Giveaway. BCO Mike Lamb of Joshua, Texas, was selected as a finalist for the giveaway and ultimately won a concord blue 2022 Kenworth® T680, including all registration fees and taxes, at BCO Appreciation Days in Las Vegas in September.

“We’ve been to Las Vegas many times before, but I’ve never won big like this!” shared Lamb, who attended BCO Appreciation Days with his son. “I felt lucky though. And I was on a roll. After the truck giveaway, I won a truck tool in the raffle later, and several other people at my table during the event also won things from the raffle.”

Each year, one of the ways Landstar thanks BCOs for providing excellence in safety and customer service is
The Deliver to Win Truck Giveaway.

Watch Lamb pick up his truck from Landstar Corporate Headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida

One in Five Odds

Lamb was one of five finalists randomly selected for the drawing from the eligible owner-operators leased to Landstar. Throughout the year, the owner-operators automatically earn entries in Landstar’s Deliver to Win Truck Giveaway contest by delivering loads safely during the contest period. They also have opportunities to earn additional entries, including monthly contests. After the contest period ends, all entries are pooled and finalists are selected by a computerized random number generator.

The other finalists, each of whom received $500 loaded to their Comdata accounts, included:

Daryl K. Batty from Gadsden, Alabama
Tremayne Bland from Charlotte, North Carolina
Arthur Brown from Killeen, Texas
Jeff Mikel from Cleveland, Tennessee

Lucky Box B

The winner was determined by each of the finalists selecting a single box among five boxes, one of which indicated the recipient of a new truck. Lamb chose Box B in honor of his nicknames for his daughter and granddaughter, Jelly Bean and JB Jr. When the finalists all lifted their chosen boxes, Lamb’s box revealed a blue toy truck, representing the new Kenworth T680 featuring a 455 horsepower Paccar MX engine, front and rear disc brakes, Bendix Wingman Fusion Driver Assistance system and a 76-inch high-roof sleeper.

“The timing of this couldn’t be more perfect. I’m close to paying off my current truck and have been considering purchasing a second truck. And now I have two fully paid for trucks!” said Lamb.

In true Vegas fashion, Lamb celebrated his win by dancing on stage to “Blue Suede Shoes” while an Elvis impersonator sang nearby, appropriately swapping out one of the lyrics with “don’t you step on his blue new truck.”

Family Business

The father-son duo both leased on to Landstar in 2015 and share a regular route between Dallas-Ft. Worth and Laredo, Texas. They each have their own truck and alternate the two-day run between the cities, allowing them each to have time at home. The new truck means they have the option of adding a third driver to their business or keeping a back-up truck available in case of emergencies or maintenance. You can hear more about Mike and his son’s business on this episode of our Road to Sucess podcast

“I am really looking forward to the automatic transmission on the new truck,” shared Lamb, who often encounters heavy traffic during his runs on Interstate 35 in his 2016 Freightliner Cascadia. “I’m also grateful for the security a new, paid-for truck brings to my business and my family.”

“It’s an honor for us to provide such a life-changing opportunity for a BCO by giving away a new truck,” said Landstar President and CEO Jim Gattoni, who hosted the giveaway. “We appreciate all of the Landstar owner-operators who are committed to our safety-first culture and deliver excellent customer service each day.”

In true Vegas fashion, Lamb celebrated his win by dancing on stage to “Blue Suede Shoes” while an Elvis impersonator sang nearby.

BCO Lifetime Achievement Award Presented to Art Trezise

Landstar presented its BCO Lifetime Achievement Award to Landstar Three Million Mile Safe Driver and Landstar Roadstar® Art Trezise during a special ceremony held on July 2, 2019.

The award was kept a surprise until Trezise’s name was revealed during the awards ceremony portion of the 8th Annual BCO All-Star Celebration. Each year, the event honors the company’s best and safest independent owner-operators.

During the award presentation, Landstar President and CEO Jim Gattoni called Art Trezise’s safety record “flawless.” Since leasing to Landstar in 1979, Trezise has driven more than 3.5 million miles at Landstar without incident.

“The BCO Lifetime Achievement Award is the perfect way to honor this 40-year safe driver,” said Gattoni. “The award is a testament to Art’s professionalism and excellence as an independent owner-operator at Landstar.”

Trezise, who lives in Springhill, Florida, was named a One Million Mile Safe Driver in 1993. In 2001, he reached two million safe miles with Landstar and also was named a Landstar Roadstar® recipient, one of Landstar’s highest awards for owner operators that recognizes their high levels of safety, productivity and excellence. In 2012, Trezise was honored as a Three Million Mile Safe Driver.

The BCO Lifetime Achievement Award was first introduced during the 2012 BCO All-Star Celebration. To be considered for the honor, nominees must be an active or retired Landstar BCO who has been leased on to Landstar for at least 20 consecutive years. Nominees must be at least a Two Million Mile Safe Driver and a Landstar Roadstar® recipient.

Independent owner-operators who receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award must also have consistently demonstrated professionalism by developing a positive reputation with regulatory and enforcement personnel, customers, agents and Landstar employees, as well as through industry recognition.

Steering Women Toward Their Dreams

Before Landstar owner-operator Deb LaBree embarked on a career in the trucking industry, she enjoyed helping others through her work in cosmetology and sales. LaBree didn’t become a professional truck driver until later in life. While her career took a big turn, her personality stayed the course as she climbed into the driver’s seat.

“There’s no greater feeling than helping people. It’s always been in my nature. I think people reach out to me with questions because I make them feel comfortable,” explains Landstar Business Capacity Owner (BCO) Deb LaBree.

When she became an over-the-road team driver with her husband Del, LaBree says she never imagined her trucking career would take her down the path of advising or coaching other owner-operators. The BCO laughed out loud when asked for a count of the number of drivers she’s mentored over the years.

“I can’t keep track. I just do it. I’ve always liked to help people and encourage them to do well in whatever they are trying to accomplish,” says LaBree, whose official work mentoring women began when she volunteered for the nonprofit organization Women in Trucking (WIT).

A WIT board member and administrator of the organization’s Facebook page, LaBree says she started by mentoring a few women who were new to the trucking industry.

“I’d help them apply for scholarships to help pay for truck driving school. When they finished school, I’d help them apply for their first over-the-road jobs,” says LaBree. “Many of them have become close friends, and some of them even call me ‘Momma Deb.’”

LaBree says she didn’t realize how impactful her advice to fellow drivers was until September 2018 when she was selected to appear on a national network television show during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (NTDAW).

That week, LaBree traveled to New York City to appear on NBC’s Megyn Kelly Today. LaBree spoke candidly with Kelly about life on the road and being a female owner-operator in the transportation industry. Then, near the end of the segment, Kelly shocked LaBree by presenting her with a $10,000 check from segment sponsor Shell Rotella.

“After that segment aired, I heard from hundreds of professional drivers from coast to coast. Some were Landstar BCOs congratulating me, others were complete strangers who saw the segment and had questions of their own,” says LaBree. “It was incredible to hear from so many people within the industry and to offer them my advice.”

The segment also included a taped interview with one of LaBree’s mentees, Landstar BCO team driver Pam Kays, who spoke to NBC about her relationship with LaBree. Kays had originally contacted LaBree through Facebook four years ago when Kays was a new BCO looking for some advice from someone already leased to Landstar.

“Deb has helped me with paperwork and procedures over the years, anything I’ve needed. She is the kind of person who would literally give you the shirt off her back if you needed it,” explains Kays. “That mentorship has transpired into a true friendship.”

Despite their busy lifestyles, LaBree and Kays still find ways to connect. When they are out on long hauls and in the same area of the country, the two make it a point to meet – even if it’s for a quick hug at a truck stop.

“Through kindness, Del and I have met great people and built some beautiful friendships over the years,” says LaBree. “Everything we do to help our fellow owner-operators, is because we don’t want people go through the same struggles we did when we first started out on the road. Aside from that, it just feels great to help others.”