Three Rivers Trucking turns farming into successful bulk hauling operation

摘要

Winding north out of Paris, Tennessee, State Highway 69 passes through farm fields dotted with homes and barns. About six miles from town―just over a hill―the scene changes. Across a wide stretch of fallow land, the rural panorama gives way to another industry―trucking. In the distance are about a dozen dry bulk trailers parked at Three Rivers Trucking Inc, looking like they were a newly planted crop. "Daddy was raised here on the farm," says Randy Crutcher, Three Rivers president, explaining the carrier's location on the 1,600-acre farm that used to sprout corn, soybeans, and wheat. "This is where I grew up. "We started hauling grain gradually as farming became less successful―and the trucking industry was deregulated. Eventually, we set aside the land in a government program. Then in 1985 we switched to clay. Today, we cater to the ceramic industry and haul clay, talc, asphalt sealer, and feldspar in the dry bulkers and clay slurry in liquid tank trailers."