In extreme southwestern Alabama, where the state nudges up against Mississippi, sits the small town of Cuba. This community of 304 folks has long been part of the region’s logging and timber industry. In fact, it was a pulp wood operation that gave birth to what now is one of Cuba’s leading employers and a successful flatbed trucking company.
McElroy Truck Lines has always been part of Cuba, having been founded here in the 1960s by J.C. McElroy, Jr. as a one-truck pulp wood business. Over the years, the logging business went its own way, and McElroy Truck Lines became a flatbed operation hauling a variety of wood products and other commodities.
Cody McElroy
The company still hauls plenty of lumber, as well as sheetrock, steel and other building supplies from Texas to Pennsylvania. McElroy has also become a prime carrier for Lowe’s, delivering goods to many of the big box home improvement chain’s 1,750 stores.
McElroy says the company exclusively operates International LTS trucks, which are maintained internally. To ensure reliability, McElroy said the company follows a four-to-five-year trade cycle; he said he expects to receive new 2027 models in the coming months. This will result in all trucks in the fleet being 2022 models or newer by the end of the year.
The company’s fleet has transitioned to using almost 100% automatic transmissions, with the remaining manuals expected to be phased out after the current trade cycle, according to McElroy. The trucks are speced with International’s new S13 engine.
The Lowe’s connection has led McElroy to having a somewhat unusual piece of accessorial pay for detarping loads. Loads for Lowe’s come pre-tarped, so drivers are paid $25 for removing the tarp and storing it. McElroy drivers also receive $50 for tarping their own loads.
The company also has a unique driver pay structure. Cody said driver pay starts at 60 cents per mile, with the potential to reach 65 cents. Because many of McElroy’s routes involve short-haul distances, they have minimum pay thresholds, which range from $85 to over $100 per run. The company also has an $1,100 weekly minimum guarantee for drivers who are available for dispatch five to six days a week, according to Cody.
The nature of McElroy’s business attracts drivers who prioritize consistent home time. Cody said all drivers are scheduled to be home every weekend. He said about 85% of McElroy drivers returned home by 5 p.m. on a recent Friday. They would normally depart again by Sunday evening or Monday morning.
“The driver we attract is looking for a job in trucking, but they also value their home time,” said Cody. “The drive we attract is here because they want to have consistent home time they can count on. They don’t have to worry. They know what our schedule is. There is no question. They know it. We’ve been doing this for so long that this is really our name in the business.”
Unlike many trucking companies today that seek veteran, experienced drivers, McElroy looks for almost the opposite. Cody said the company recruitment efforts are focused on hiring directly from CDL schools to bring new professionals into the industry.
Once onboard, drivers new to the company undergo a comprehensive seven-week training program managed by safety and training personnel at company terminals in Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Cody said the process includes a one-week orientation, a week of hands-on basics like tarping and load securement, four weeks of road training with a driver trainer, and a final week of review and testing.
“We have trainers who are our best drivers and they run double-bunk trucks and they live with that trainer and they drive with that trainer for four weeks,” said Cody.
Once training is complete, new drivers are assigned to a specific dispatcher who provides extra support during their initial months.
“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,” said Cody.
One of the advantages of being a family-owned and operated business, the management philosophy prioritizes long-term stability and planning over short-term outcomes, a strategy that Cody said has contributed to high employee retention and a workforce of tenured staff, most of whom live in or around Cuba.
These days, as the third quarter of a difficult and demanding year winds down, Cody said McElroy Truck Lines remains busy due to the reduced supply of drivers across the industry. A slow housing construction market continues to be a concern, but potential rate increases loom should market demand rise.
“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, and I think other flatbed carriers are experiencing the same thing,” Cody said.
However, primary concern for the company is the persistence of high fuel costs. Cody anticipates this will continue as long as conflicts in the Middle East cause diesel price uncertainty.
