Employee-Owned Wave Express Celebrates 20th Anniversary – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
In 2004, the price of gas was $1.98 per gallon, “Shrek 2” led the box office and President George W. Bush narrowly defeated his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, for another four-year term in the White House.
And, in Elkhart County, Ind., an RV transport company named Wave Express was formed.
For the past two decades, using a crew of independent contractor drivers Wave Express has been focused on safely delivering RVs to dealer groups across the United States.
One of the more notable features of the company is employees now have ownership in the business, as Wave Express is transitioning to an ESOP—Employee Stock Ownership Plan. This not only gives the soon-to-be previous owner an opportunity to preserve a legacy, but it also serves as an incentive for employees to contribute to the total effort and thus gain value in stock ownership.
“That continues to be one of our brand’s features — that we’re employee owned,” said Wave President Joe Braun.
Braun explained Wave Express is hired by dealer groups — they have approximately 30 to date — to pick up units at the factory and deliver them to the dealers’ locations across the United States. Each dealer group that Wave has as a client has multiple locations.
Incidentally, a service that Wave provides that many may not be aware of is transporting units from one dealer location to another of their locations.
“One location may be selling a lot of a certain model so they may have to do some shifting of stock from one profit center to another of their locations — we do a lot of that,” Braun explained.
“Our focus, in our market basket of dealers, is keeping their inventory mixed the way they’ve instructed us too,” he said.
Wave Express also has a flatbed division, in which multiple RVs are transported via a single flatbed truck. It offers drivers the opportunity to level up their driving career and their pay, Braun said, adding that it’s “relatively new but a lot of our clientele want that service.”
Independent Contractor Crew & Benefits
“One of the interesting things about us is we use all independent contractors — no driver is an employee. We are not their boss; Wave is their carrier and they’re our crew. We work collaboratively with them,” Braun said.
He said that requires that they have good negotiating skills and offer incentives. “Deals are getting made as we speak,” he laughed, but said it is a reality, especially if something is urgent.
“But that is what makes working for Wave attractive to drivers,” he said.
“As a driver working with Wave you don’t have a boss; you get self-determination about your destination and how much you work. We have a very flexible minimum — once a month – and the maximum is what the law allows.”
Wave is very safety-minded, he added, and they expect chivalry on the road. “That’s part of our DNA,” Braun said. “As a driver you’re not given a moment of poor performance, or you might hurt people or yourself.”
Mike Miles, general manager, said to help ensure safety, Wave has a driving simulator used for training purposes. “It prepares the drivers for anything on the road and ultimately avoid any type of accident, especially severe ones.”
The simulator is just one piece of their safety training, Miles said, as they also have safety schools, and monthly safety videos that are required viewing.
“The emphasis is on safe driving, especially with the change of seasons,” Miles pointed out.
All of this can be done through a proprietary customized Driver Mobile App.
“All communication with Wave can be done through the portal. It’s easy, fun and helps them run their business as a transport person,” Braun said. “When they deliver a unit, they scan the receipt on the driver app and their pay is processed pretty quickly.”
“We can inform them of news items, warn them to be prepared for D.O.T. (U.S. Dept. of Transportation) roadside inspections, like the annual Road Check,” Miles said, adding that it’s “a great communication piece — to keep them all aware of what’s going on in the company and industry-wide.”
Braun added dispatch can even be done through the mobile app — they can choose which runs to take using it. “This is a key feature of the contract we offer folks, the ease of interfacing with the company. We’re not unique in that but we’ve really invested in making it easy and fun,” he said.
Drivers can apply online, and they also have an option on the website of a chat feature with a human — not AI — or they can get coaching on the phone.
Wave Express drivers also have access to the driver’s lounge that its sister company, Horizon Transport, has in Wakarusa, Ind., where they can shower, use a computer, do laundry, relax, etc. In the future, they plan to add a driver’s lounge in Goshen, Ind.
“It’s a respite from the road,” Braun said.
Braun said, as like other industries, they’re in a tough labor market. But with inflation getting better and fuel prices coming down, he noticed where they used to get 100 applicants and hire 10, now they’re getting 20 applicants and hiring 10; a 50% conversion rate.
Director of Marketing Kyle Johnson is using social media to attract additional drivers.
Braun said, “We have the highest hiring standards — we’re usually the first place they apply — and while those high standards mean less quantity …”
“… Our safety rating and low number of claims tells us you have to hold to those standards,” Miles finished.
The two said their insurance company gives them a monthly summary and comparisons with other carriers, so they’re able to be aware of and appreciate Wave’s consistent superior performance.
When asked if the attribute those good safety ratings and numbers to the simulator training, Miles said it plays a part. “It’s the overall emphasis on safety; all of our efforts are keeping our drivers safe, keeping the freight they’re hauling safe and also anyone they share the roads with,” he said.
They require training on the simulator once per year.
The Wave Express Difference
Johnson said from the social media interactions he sees, the difference between Wave Express and other carriers is the “way the drivers are treated. They notice this is a more friendly environment. There are strong connections between the drivers and the staff,” he said.
Johnson said it isn’t just one thing, but several factors that make the difference — hiring practices and company culture among them. It’s the right balance between a giant corporate trucking company and a little mom-and-pop operation, he said, with Wave is somewhere in the middle with about 23 staff members.
Braun said they’re also doing things like a Driver’s Appreciation Day, which was held on June 7.
With some drivers, Johnson said, it’s “a big stigma that they’re just a number to the staff. We don’t see it that way here at all. Whenever we post a picture of a staff member online, they post positive comments.”
Generally, every time an email goes out there’s a photo attached in the signature line. Even on the driver’s mobile app, there’s a photo of the dispatch staff along with contact information.
“We don’t want anyone to feel like they’re just a number; they are much more than that to us,” Braun said.
“One of the things I love about what we do is ultimately we’re facilitating 500 small businesses, giving them a platform for their trade and giving them a little help along the way,” Miles said.
Braun commented, “We’re leading the pack with the simulator and the driver’s mobile app. We’re hoping to grow and move up from it. I’m optimistic about the business sector that we’re in.”
He added, “Sometimes I wish we had twice that many drivers so everyone we do have, we really appreciate them and what they do.”
“Ultimately, it’s our driver’s success that facilitates Wave’s success,” Miles said. “If they’re not successful, we’re not going to be. Our focus is on setting them up to have a successful career.”
