FedEx Ground recognizes owner of local trucking firm as entrepreneur of year

Nov 05, 2009 (The Commercial Appeal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- FDX | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Trent Webb chuckles when he says that one way or the other, he has always been in transportation.

He drove the hearse that carried Elvis Presley's body in his first career, as a mortician.

As operator of a Memphis-based small trucking business, Webb carries nothing so glamorous as a dead American icon, but he does it in award-winning fashion.

Webb was named FedEx Ground Entrepreneur of the Year at a banquet in Pittsburgh in mid-October that honored the best and brightest of the company's independent contractors.

He was No. 1 among 5,000-plus linehaul contractors, who move truckloads of packages among hubs around the country. Awards also went to top pickup and delivery contractors for FedEx Ground, Nick Ciardiello of Metuchen, N.J., and FedEx Home Delivery, Jason Keefe of Summerville, S.C.

"It's the whole company, that's the thing that makes it so special," said Webb, 64. "You feel like the hard work and dedication and trying to act professional and respond to what the company's needs are, has paid off."

The awards, in their second year, recognize contractors who make up FedEx Ground's driving force.

"For nearly a quarter century, FedEx Ground has worked in collaboration with thousands of dedicated small-business owners to deliver exceptional service to the marketplace," said Dave Rebholz, president and chief executive officer of FedEx Ground. "These entrepreneurial men and women commit themselves to creating small businesses that deliver on a promise of reliable, cost-effective and professional service."

Ernie Robinson, who works closely with Webb as Memphis senior manager of linehaul, called Webb "one of the best examples of American entrepreneurship I've encountered."

Webb grew up in Memphis and Bolivar, Mo., where his father led a small Baptist college. He trained as a mortician and served in the Vietnam-era Navy before settling down in Memphis.

He was on duty at the old Memphis Funeral Home Union Chapel when he was dispatched to drive a hearse to Baptist Memorial Hospital to pick up the body of Elvis Presley on Aug. 16, 1977. He also drove the hearse in the funeral procession.

"I just happened to be on duty the day Elvis died," he said.

Webb started driving for Film Transit Co. in the 1980s after experiencing professional burnout from 18 years in the funeral home business.

When Roadway Package System came to Memphis with a contractor-based delivery service to challenge UPS, Webb signed on. He started in 1987 with two tractors, driven by him and Billy Runyan, who still works for him.

By the time FedEx acquired Roadway in 1998 and renamed it FedEx Ground, Webb had four trucks and seven drivers.

"FedEx has been very good to us. Ever since they bought us, we've done nothing but expand and grow."

His companies, Trent Webb Inc. and L&J Services, have seven trucks, 12 drivers and 16 employees.

Webb runs operations and maintenance at a shop in the former Federal Compress cotton warehouse near Lauderdale and Mallory. His wife, Diane Webb, oversees company finances from a home office.

Webb also owns TWI & Associates, a trucking safety consulting business. He served on the American Trucking Associations' America's Road Team in 1996-1997, traveling the country doing education and public relations.

Webb's routes serve Memphis area hubs at the Federal Compress site and in Olive Branch. His drivers travel to Gallup, N.M., the Atlanta area, Nashville and Kentucky, where they exchange loads with drivers serving hubs in California, Florida, Ohio and Michigan.

Webb has logged 2.3 million miles behind the wheel, but stopped driving in 2002 because of his managerial duties.

He focuses on making sure equipment is in top condition, trucks are clean and drivers present a professional image. He replaces trucks on a three-year cycle, for maximum efficiency and up-to-date amenities for drivers, such as in-cab refrigerators and microwaves.

To retain drivers and other employees, he provides health coverage, retirement and other benefits through a third-party benefits company.

"It's almost impossible to control (attrition) unless you've got something that makes drivers want to stay," Webb said.

FedEx Ground nationally has been under assault as critics try to force FedEx to treat drivers as employees. Former drivers have sued for back benefits and expenses in several states, and a class action is pending in federal court in Indiana.

Webb said "disgruntled former drivers" and lawyers are trying to squeeze money out of FedEx.

"Maybe they never should have tried this in the first place," he said. "There's a lot of control, no doubt about it, but we're in a service-oriented business, so there's got to be a lot of control."

Webb is a model of contentment.

"I'm comfortable with the size and manageability of my companies," he said. "I'm not saying I wouldn't expand, but right now I don't see it. I've got dedicated, quality runs that give consistent paychecks to my drivers and revenues to the company."

-- Wayne Risher: 529-2874

Trent Webb

Award: FedEx Ground Entrepreneur of the Year

Title: Owner, Trent Webb Inc., L&J Services, TWI & Associates

Age: 64

Family: Married, two children

Hobbies: NASCAR fan, camping, boating

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