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Forward thinking is one way to describe Challenger Motor Freight. Throughout the carrier's 50-year history, it has been a proactive adopter of solutions and technologies that have enabled it to become a leading provider of transportation and logistics services.
Part of the Fastfrate Group, Cambridge, Ontario-based Challenger Motor Freight operates from six locations in the U.S. and Canada. The company offers truckload and LTL, temperature-controlled, dedicated, and specialized services.
Industry veteran Jaime Hillier recently joined Challenger as VP of maintenance. He brings 28 years of experience to the fleet, including motor carrier, leasing, and managed maintenance operations. Currently, Hillier is spearheading several equipment initiatives.
Challenger's fleet comprises more than 500 company trucks, primarily Freightliners, along with some Volvo, Kenworth, and Peterbilt models. The carrier also operates more than 3,000 Hyundai and Stoughton trailers, as well as some from ITD Industries, Manac, Wabash, and Utility.
"We're moving toward a model that will utilize a larger number of owner-operators across our freight operations," Hillier told FleetOwner. "Our total cost of ownership analyses indicate that it makes sense financially. In addition, it's more cost-effective to find owner-operators than to continually search for drivers. One of the reasons I was attracted to this position at Challenger is because of this kind of bold strategy and savvy business move.
"TCO also plays a role in our new equipment purchasing decisions, and we look at the application and type of freight we're hauling as well," Hillier continued. "One of our biggest considerations is OEM support and parts availability because those things greatly impact uptime. We maintain good relationships with dealers for that reason."