Dart Names Contractors of the Year

 

Walt Newcomb, Minnesota Operating Center

Eagan , Minnesota – “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine where I would be today,” said Walt Newcomb. Newcomb is Dart’s 2005 Contractor of the Year for Dart’s Eagan , Minnesota Operating Center.

Standing at the podium to accept his award from Dart President Dave Oren, Walt recalled the day in 1990 when he stepped off the plane in Minneapolis , on his way to pick up his first truck. It was a used Kenworth cabover that he bought with a zero-down lease from one of Dart’s truck and financing vendors. As he tells the story, all he had that day were empty pockets and big dreams of being his own boss and owning a truck.

Sixteen years later Newcomb’s achievements far surpass his early dreams. He is a highly profitable business owner, he has upgraded his tractor several times, and he is recognized as one of the trucking industry’s most capable independent owner operators. By 2005 he had earned the National Safety Council’s Three-Million Mile Club Safety Award. In addition to the Dart award, Overdrive Magazine honored him as “Trucker of the Month” for March 2006.

“I always wanted to run a business,” he says, “and Dart gave me the opportunity to run my own.” And he has done it successfully. His current tractor is the third that he has purchased during his years with Dart. “Everyone at Dart knows me, and everyone in management, my dispatchers, and my customers depend on me. They know I get the job done.”

As Contractor of the Year, Walt received a marble trophy, a $1,000 bonus, a personalized leather jacket, and a reception in his honor at Dart’s home office in Minnesota .

 

Woodrow Walker – Dallas Texas Operating Center

Dallas , Texas -- Dart Transit Company’s Dallas Operating Center has honored Woodrow Walker as its 2005 Contractor of the Year. Walker is an 18-year contractor with Dart, operating in Dart’s “Super South Region” between Texas and Georgia .

When he was young, Walker dreamt of working in the trucking industry. He remembers seeing trucks rolling up and down the road, hoping that one day he would be the one doing the driving. That dream came true, and he says that owning his own truck gives him the freedom to be his own boss. “My truck gives me independence, freedom, and security,” he says. “To be successful as an owner operator, you need to manage two things -- your money and yourself.” For Woodrow, success comes from knowing how much he can and cannot spend, and being available to haul freight.

Apparently he is very available because he is one of Dart’s highest mile producers, achieving 100% on-time delivery performance along the way.

Joyce Jordan, Executive Vice President at Dart’s Dallas ( Texas ) Operating Center , presented Woodrow with a marble trophy, a $1,000 bonus check, and a personalized leather jacket at a reception held in his honor.

Walker credits his wife, Gladys, for much of his success. “Gladys motivates me,” he says. “She helps me to see the things I don’t see, and she’s more than my wife … she’s my best friend.”