The Knight Transportation Story
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 เม.ย. 2015
- Knight Transportation, from its conception to its widely hailed success as one of the fastest-growing truckers in the United States, was led, and majority-owned, by four members of the Knight family.
The central figures in the family-run business that drew excited praise from the business press were brothers Randy Knight and Gary Knight and their cousins, also brothers, Keith Knight and Kevin Knight. The four Knights cemented their kinship early in their lives, choosing the same profession and the same employer. After completing high school, Randy, Gary, Keith, and Kevin joined a trucking company named Swift Transportation Co., a firm that factored as a major player in the industry during Knight Transportation's celebrated rise.
All of the four Knight family members were groomed as future executives of Swift Transportation, a company managed by the Moyes family. Randy Knight, who figured as the impetus for Knight Transportation's formation, rose to the rank of vice-president at Swift Transportation, spending 16 years at the company before leaving in 1985. Randy Knight's departure was prompted by his perception that his professional progression at Swift Transportation was limited. He was not a member of the Moyes family, which, according to his thinking, barred his advancement beyond the position of vice-president. Randy Knight left Swift Transportation in 1985 and started a company named Total Warehousing Inc., but his entrepreneurial talents would find their greatest expression with the formation of Knight Transportation. Randy Knight was forced to wait for his destiny, however. The eldest member of the founding Knight Transportation contingent, Randy Knight was bound by a five-year noncompete agreement he signed with Swift Transportation. When he left in 1985, the clock started ticking toward the end of his noncompete agreement, when he was legally able to start his own trucking enterprise.
Randy Knight acted as swiftly as he could after he left the Moyes-run company. He incorporated Knight Transportation in 1989, an event that served as a prelude to the actual operation of the company as a commercial enterprise. With him at the inception of the company were Gary Knight, appointed Knight Transportation's president, Kevin Knight, named chief executive officer, and Keith Knight, an executive vice-president who managed the company's sales operation in Los Angeles. Each of the four Knights contributed $50,000 to get the company up and running, an investment that was coupled with a $10 million line of credit from Mercedes-Benz of North America. On July 19, 1990, Knight Transportation officially became operational, hauling its first three loads from Phoenix, Arizona, to Los Angeles and back. By the end of its first week in business, Knight Transportation had hauled 15 loads.
Combined, the four Knight family members had more than 80 years of experience in the trucking industry when they started Knight Transportation. They intended to use their experience to make the company one of the major competitors in the industry. The Knights cast their company as a regional trucking concern focused on offering short- to medium-length hauls, the largest segment of the trucking market; approximately 75 percent of all truckload freight moved less than 500 miles. To succeed, the Knights emphasized fostering driver loyalty and they placed a premium on the efficient execution of coordinating the movement of their customers' freight. Every trucking operator claimed to strive for efficient operation, but the Knights made good on their claim, excelling at managing the movement of freight. "Face it," an analyst remarked in a March 26, 2001 interview with Investor's Business Daily, "these are asset-intensive businesses, so the key to success or failure is asset utilization. Knight [Transportation] doesn't let a tractor sit under a trailer to be loaded or unloaded for any period of time."
The four Knight family members gradually expanded their business during the early 1990s. The company was able to recruit drivers by paying them well and by offering what few other trucking employers offered their drivers: frequent opportunities to spend time with family. Thanks to the company's ability to neatly choreograph the complex web of routes that sustained its operations, its drivers typically spent three nights a week at home, .
trucker brown j cannell and ike stephens drive prostar
If you have liked this video subscribe and ring the 🔔 to get updated when we release our next video.
▶goo.gl/bnDKZc
Join the conversation
📱Give us a call - 1-888-456-4448
▶ DriveKnight - goo.gl/pR7rok
▶Instagram -goo.gl/iCKEui
▶Twitter - goo.gl/ODNYW5
▶FaceBook - goo.gl/W6Wfc4
▶ Pinterest - goo.gl/fkN33X
▶ Linkedin - goo.gl/DveJAG
Mom and I just watched the video and it brought tears to her eyes that they still talk about the day they got their first order with her. She is so honored to be a part of their very beginning! How cool is that?!
I remember Keith knight from when I worked at lowes distribution in Perris ca ,back in 2001 he would call me every few days to do a trailer check ,and release trailers empty trailers to his own drivers ,and at the same time we needed to load up knight trailers to all the Lowes Stores, he was a good person always shows the utmost respect to everyone no matter who you were, and they had there own dispatcher at the lowes facilty in perris
Super cool seeing what my family has started before I was even born, and still gong strong till this day.
I am only 14 but I think I like knight as a truck company once I get old enough I think this is the company I will go with 💯💯
SpecialOps ELTE I used to say the same thing when I was that age I did alot off research I'm going with knight September 8
I am 27 an will hopeful be joining Knight here at the end of this year
I remember seeing the old Knight Freightliner Cabovers an there other they have
I was born in 91 an I do remember seeing a lot of Trucking companies with Cabovers I sure do miss seeing them on the roads
Good luck Special Ops Elite wish you the best in your Trucking career it is well worth it but I will say do your research and make sure that you pick a company that you want they require you to have a DOT physical and a CDL permit you can go to truck driving school and get it that way if not you can go with companies like Werner, Swift, CR England, CRST, an Roehl for their driving schools if you do go with a company that has their own driving school they will require you to at least stay with them a year then afterwards if you do not feel that trucking company is not a right fit for you then you can go and find another trucking company that will fit you but I will tell you this you will have to make a lot of sacrifices because it takes a real kind of special person to do this kind of job you're usually gone 3 to 4 weeks at a time and you may be only home for at least 2 or 3 days at a time if not only a week it just depends on your home time option you choose with the trucking company and and if they can get you home nine times out of 10 they might not be able to get you home right on schedule time you might have to stay out that extra week I am not discouraging you in any way with what I've done said like I said again I wish you the best of luck in your Endeavor in the Trucking industry but like I said do your homework and research for you just go with a company yes Knight transportation is a very very good company to go with so if you want to go with them that's fine it's your choice
Singed Kidd Trouble
My CB Handle
I been working here at Knight Transportation for 2 months and I absolutely love working here. The terminal I work out of I walk in and I feel like walking into a environment where I feel like I’m family to the all of the office staff they call me by name every time I walk in and even when I call. I am a Knight Driver and I can honestly say I love my job and truly enjoy working with this company
Great video. Proud to be a member of such a great company!
happy 25 yrs anniversary knight..glad to be driving for knight
makes me want to drive for them. nice to see a company with pride
I think the sacrifices as drivers that we make here are better appreciated then most other companies. I do what it takes to get those loads in on time, and ive never had any complaints about that. Most drivers from other large companies are always complaining about their driver managers/dispatchers, home time ect. Totally different attitude here at knight. I can talk to anybody here anytime. I dont feel like im just a number here. I think 25 more years will be easy for them.
hi I just passed my road test and and I will be going with knight :) So excited! !!!!!! sounds like a good company
wonderful video im very proud and extremely happy to be a part of the Knight family
Congratulations on your success in a difficult industry.
Very soon I'll be heading to truck driving school hopefully at some point I'll be working for this company!!!
What a wonderful video. They should put this on TV its so good and has allot of important info in it. Very very well done video.
Wow, Knight was birthed from founders leaving Swift.....and built a better company. great video.
Knight merged with Swift in 2017.
Fantastic video. It was made incredibly well, and makes me proud to work for a company that strives to be the best.
Great video. Take care and be blessed always.
I would always had to find a payphone, never got reinbursed for the twenty five cents it cost me to call into the office. First thing out of my mouth was this is driver Urijo, I had a great run with the company. Seeing the cabover freightliner, i once was somewhere inside and saw a early picture of three pete coe s
With knight logos up in the northwestern coverd in snow.
It was a beautiful early trucks picture of them trucks and i was hoping to see it in this video
Lewiston idaho will always be my favorite route in the winter..
Great story and Legacy.
3 more years before I retire at age 52. Would like to move out of California and come to work in the office with you all. I come from the trucking industry and spent 12 years there. Been in Law Enforcement for the past 17 years. It will be time to come back to what and where my heart wants to be. A fine company like yours would be a great place to retire too.
Let me know how I might be of service. Maybe in the safety and compliance area or even in the logistic arena.
Give us a call when you are closer to the end of that 3 years. We would like to talk about having you on our team, for sure.
@@KnightTransportation1 will do. Who do I contact?
I wish you guys had a depot here in Canada. Would love to drive with you👍
I'll never forget the first time I saw KITT back out from one of your trailers....I was only young but I remember . Where does Michael fall into this story....or is it just coincidence that he has the same last name?
Great Video,this company sure looks better than Stevens.Good Job
Like it
I'm 18 years old I'm looking forward to work for knights transportation.
Does anybody know the first song in the beginning??
Make sure if you work for Knight..you join us on FaceBook at Noble Knights... facebook.com/groups/knightsnoble
Great video, I'd like to work for your company.
how do i get license in ur country to drive truck.
I am only 14 but I think I like knight as a truck company once I get old enough I think this is the company I will go with 💯💯