ABOUT thirty years ago Joe Parsley of Troup, Texas, left his job at a nearby manufacturing facility so that he and his wife, Martha Ann, could buy and operate a dairy and crop farm in rural East Texas.
“Joe had never lived on a farm, but he thought it would be good for our family,” Martha Ann says today. “We were hoping that when the children grew up, they would join the business.”
Her husband was right about the environment for a family, but the couple soon realized they had a lot to learn about farming. Martha Ann decided early on to resign her job at a local bank and join him to lend an extra hand to the operation.
They gradually built up their business of dairying in the rolling countryside where the 1,000-acre farm is located. In addition, the couple added bedding plants to the mix, distributing the plants to nurseries.
Lessons learned through the years served them well for the day in 1998 when they began transporting milk as Parsley Trucking LLC. The business now includes their two sons, Michael and Jeffrey. A daughter, Jo Ann Burns, took another path and is an assistant principal at a high school in nearby Tyler.
By the time the Parsleys became interested in transporting dairy products, they already were running van trailers for the bedding plants — and they were familiar with foodgrade tank trailers that picked up the milk at their dairy. Adding foodgrade transportation seemed to fit their niche.
“We knew that we were going to have to diversify because milk prices were so low,” Martha Ann says. “I read that in order to remain profitable, a dairy had to milk at least 1500 cows to survive. At the same time, the environmental regulations for dairy farms were getting tougher. We gradually reduced our dairy production and were looking around for other possibilities.”
Milk cooperative
About that time, they joined Lone Star Dairy Producers, a new cooperative in Windthorst, Texas. A friend and one of the founders of the cooperative, Jim Baird, encouraged them to begin hauling product for the organization.
“Like starting the farm, we really didn't know anything about foodgrade trucking,” Martha Ann says. “But we leased three tractors and went to work.”
With the advice from Baird, they were soon busy moving dairy products across the country.
Today, the Parsleys run the trucking company using 37 Peterbilt tractors leased from PacLease. Recently, the Parsleys decided to purchase an additional 30 tractors. Lone Star Dairy Producers owns the tank trailers.
Security rules
The couple had hardly begun their trucking operation when new foodgrade security rules went into effect as a result of the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001. The industry became concerned about sabotage, which resulted in more emphasis being placed on tampering prevention.
That meant that the Parsleys had to train their drivers to manage procedures for product cable seals and to intensify their surveillance of the vehicles while over the road.
“We had to be careful from the time we started the business because of foodgrade requirements, so when security was stepped up, we were already operating under strict guidelines,” Martha Ann says.
Added to the new security are hours-of-service (HOS) regulations that particularly impact a carrier hauling perishable products.
“The cows don't know that the truck is in Alabama or that the driver is running out of hours,” she said, laughing. “They just keep giving milk — and we have to get it where it needs to be to meet manufacturers' requirements.
“Milk can be in the tank trailer for 48 hours and the temperature has to be kept between 36 degrees and 44 degrees. And, everyone is getting more strict as we go along.”
To meet the requirements of both the manufacturer and the HOS rules, the cooperative is thinking of setting up a relay system similar to the old days of the Pony Express when drivers would be exchanged at specific locations along the routes. Unlike transporting non-perishable products, Parsley drivers don't have the option of parking for a rest period.
Long distances
Many of the Lone Star Dairy Producers cooperative routes involve long distances, including as far west as the Rocky Mountains and to the East Coast. Most of the trips are built on routes between dairy manufacturing plants, but Parsley drivers also pick up milk at eight Texas farms.
“We have more milk going east because we see more dairies in that area closing,” Martha Ann points out.
The new HOS rules are forcing the Parsleys to hire more drivers to meet the demands, and all of them need thorough training before being sent out on the road.
“We spend at least 30 days training a new hire about foodgrade procedures,” Martha Ann says. “We require all applicants to be at least 25 years old, have tank certification, and no accidents within the past two years.”
Drivers not only undergo typical training that covers company policies, Department of Transportation regulations, and defensive driving, they also must learn the procedures for handling foodgrade products, attaching Tyden Brammall product seals (furnished by Lone Star Dairy Producers), taking milk samples — and calibrating thermometers used in the process.
“If one of the seals is broken, the load is lost,” she says. “We tell drivers that if they stop anytime and leave the truck, they have to check the seals before they start again. Because they have to get on top of the trailer to check a seal at the domelid, we've provided them with safety harnesses.”
Additionally, the cooperative provides Nokia cellular telephones and requires drivers to report to dispatchers twice a day.
FDA tests
In addition to company training provided by driver/trainer Dale Linebough, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors give written tests to drivers to license them to pick up milk on farms.
Although the operation keeps over-the-road drivers on the road for a week to 10 days at a time, the company also offers local routes to drivers. The driver pool includes 50 fulltime drivers and 15 part-timers.
Drivers are dispatched after the Parsleys receive the information from the cooperative for loading and transporting product. Michael Parsley oversees dispatching for the 24/7 operation, but it isn't unusual for Martha Ann, Joe, or Jeffrey to be involved in the coordination.
In addition to the Troup location, the Parsleys use Lone Star Dairy Producers terminals in Hereford, Windthorst and Como, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Ulysses, Kansas; Cabool, Missouri; and Baxley, Georgia.
Typical products hauled by Parsley Trucking include cream, raw milk, and condensed milk. Some orange juice and vinegar is transported on backhauls, but they are not a major portion of the business.
Vehicle maintenance
For tractor maintenance, the Parsleys chose a PacLease program that covers all shop services, including preventive maintenance and repairs. The PacLease contract also includes safety and insurance programs, permitting and licensing services, fuel programs, and roadside services.
PacLease works with the Parsleys to determine the Peterbilt specifications. They chose Caterpillar engines with 500-horsepower and Fuller 13-speed transmissions. Running gear includes Dana Spicer axles, MeritorWabco ABS, and Peterbilt aluminum wheels.
The Parsleys see more purchases of tractors in their future as their opportunities grow. Milk pricing appears to be on an uptrend after several years of a flatline, which foretells a promising future.
Because the Parsleys haul product for the cooperative, they have not had to make a capital investment in tank trailers. Lone Star Dairy Producers, a relatively new association established in 1997, specifies Walker stainless steel tank sanitary trailers, typically with 6,200-gallon capacities.
Trailers are supplied by T Davis Sales-Blue Grass Tank & Equipment and are equipped with LC Thomsen foodgrade valves. Lone Star Dairy Producers also specifies a Walker three-inch spill dam around the domelid. Running gear includes Hendrickson Intraax suspension, MeritorWabco antilock brake system, and Alcoa aluminum disc wheels.
Lone Star Dairy Producers trailers also are equipped with SkyBitz's Global Locating System (GLS) that gives users the ability to track powered and un-powered assets. SkyBitz's GLS system utilizes wireless satellite technology and centralized position calculations. Lone Star Dairy Producers is using the system to better track trailers within the fleet. This ability allows Lone Star Dairy Producers to pinpoint trailer location and convey that information to customers to confirm arrivals times, an effective means for increasing customer service.
Some of the tank trailers are decorated with milk promotional decals provided by Southwest Dairy Farmers. The organization is an alliance of dairy producers in Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, and Lake States Dairy Farmers, a group of dairy farmers in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.