Family-Owned Flatbed Carrier Prioritizes Driver Training and More Home Time
Family-owned flatbed carrier focuses on home time and driver training
McElroy Truck Lines has built its business around two priorities that can be difficult to balance in flatbed trucking: keeping drivers consistently connected to home and developing inexperienced drivers into professionals.
Based in Cuba, Alabama, a small community near the Mississippi state line, the family-owned carrier operates about 550 trucks and 1,100 trailers. The company traces its roots to the 1960s, when J.C. McElroy Jr. started a one-truck pulpwood operation. The business later evolved into a flatbed carrier hauling lumber, sheetrock, steel and other building materials.
Today, the company is led by J.C. McElroy’s grandson, Cody McElroy. Its freight network extends from Texas to Pennsylvania, and McElroy Truck Lines also serves Lowe’s, delivering products to stores operated by the home improvement chain.
For drivers, the company’s schedule is a central part of its recruiting strategy. Cody McElroy said drivers are scheduled to be home every weekend, typically leaving again Sunday evening or Monday morning. He said approximately 85% of the company’s drivers returned home by 5 p.m. on a recent Friday.
“The driver we attract is looking for a job in trucking, but they also value their home time,” McElroy said. “They know what our schedule is. There is no question.”
That approach is particularly notable in flatbed trucking, where regional and long-haul operations can require drivers to spend extended periods away from home. McElroy said the company’s reputation for predictable home time has become part of its identity and helps attract drivers who place a high value on consistency.
A training path for new CDL holders
McElroy Truck Lines also recruits heavily from CDL schools rather than limiting its hiring to experienced drivers. The strategy reflects a broader reality in trucking: earning a CDL does not necessarily mean a new driver is ready for every part of professional freight operations.
A full-time CDL training program commonly takes about seven weeks, although the total time can range from roughly three weeks to six months depending on the school, schedule, license classification, endorsements and testing availability. Part-time programs may take eight to 10 weeks, while some full-time courses can be completed in four to eight weeks.
New drivers generally begin by obtaining a Commercial Learner’s Permit and completing classroom instruction, vehicle inspections, basic control maneuvers and on-road training. Many states require a driver to hold the permit for at least 14 days before taking the CDL skills test. That test includes a pre-trip inspection, basic control maneuvers and an on-road driving evaluation.
After a driver joins McElroy Truck Lines, the company provides an additional seven-week onboarding program at terminals in Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina. According to McElroy, the process consists of one week of orientation, one week focused on hands-on fundamentals such as tarping and load securement, four weeks of road training with a driver trainer, and a final week of review and testing.
During the road-training portion, new drivers share a truck with one of the company’s experienced trainers. McElroy said those trainers are among the carrier’s best drivers and operate double-bunk trucks while working directly with trainees.
“We take a guy who has never driven a truck except for his road test for his CDL and turn them into a professional in seven weeks,” McElroy said.
Once the formal training is finished, each new driver is assigned to a specific dispatcher. That dispatcher provides additional guidance during the driver’s first months on the job, giving new hires a designated point of contact as they adjust to company procedures, freight requirements and life on the road.
Pay and equipment details
McElroy said company driver pay starts at 60 cents per mile and can reach 65 cents per mile. Because many of the carrier’s routes are relatively short, the company uses minimum pay thresholds ranging from $85 to more than $100 per run. Drivers who are available for dispatch five or six days a week also have access to an $1,100 weekly minimum guarantee, according to McElroy.
The carrier pays drivers $50 for tarping their own loads. Lowe’s freight arrives pre-tarped, and drivers receive $25 for removing and storing the tarp.
McElroy Truck Lines exclusively operates International LT trucks, which are maintained in-house. McElroy said the company follows a four- to five-year trade cycle and expects to receive new 2027 models in the coming months. By the end of the year, he expects the fleet to consist of trucks from model year 2022 or newer.
The fleet has also shifted to nearly all automatic transmissions. The remaining manual-transmission trucks are expected to be phased out during the current replacement cycle. The company’s trucks are equipped with International’s S13 engine.
Pressure from freight and fuel costs
Despite a difficult freight environment, McElroy said the company remains busy as the year’s third quarter comes to a close. He said a limited supply of drivers is affecting the carrier’s ability to cover available freight.
“We have loads every day that we want to haul but we can’t haul because we don’t have enough trucks and drivers on the road,” McElroy said, adding that he believes other flatbed carriers face similar conditions.
A slower housing construction market remains a concern because much of the company’s freight is tied to building materials. At the same time, McElroy said the company continues to face pressure from high fuel costs, with diesel price uncertainty affected by conflicts in the Middle East.
For McElroy Truck Lines, the response has been to continue emphasizing long-term stability, predictable home time and structured development for new drivers. The approach reflects the company’s family ownership and its long-standing connection to the Cuba community, where many employees live and where the carrier began as a single-truck logging operation.
