Steady Adaptability: How Cedar Hill, Texas-Based PDP Trucking Inc Grew From One Truck to 70 Owner-Operators
Watch: Tips for Growing Your Fleet from PDP Trucking Inc
Flexible Persistence Means Autonomous Owner-Operators, Diversified Hauling
After 14 years in the trucking industry, Peter Pshichenko, president of Cedar Hill-based PDP Trucking Inc, learned that independent thinking, resourcefulness, and flexible persistence are key ingredients to a successful trucking company. Peter formed PDP in 2006 in Colorado. But he moved to Texas three years later after switching from local to over-the-road in the lower 48 states.
The same flexible philosophy that led Peter and PDP to the Lone Star State spills over into the way he does business. PDP Trucking began with one truck and Peter at the wheel. Now PDP leases 30 trucks and has 70 owner-operators working for the company. They diversify in what they haul – refrigerated foods, dry loads, machinery, metals, and woods. Plus, the owner-operators have plenty of autonomy.
“They are all self-dispatched owner-operators,” says Peter. “All our owner-operators are able to negotiate and talk to the customers directly. They have full control over how, when, and where they drive.”
“They are all self-dispatched owner-operators,” says Peter. “All our owner-operators are able to negotiate and talk to the customers directly. They have full control over how, when, and where they drive.”
Quick Smarts Lead to Apex Factoring
PDP Trucking Inc has been an Apex factoring client for 10 years. The combination of moving to Texas, switching to over-the-road, and Peter’s quick smarts led the company to Apex. “I knew that we needed to have something for cash flow purposes,” he says. “Apex was recommended to me by a friend who was also using Apex at the time.”
Like any long-term relationship, Peter’s association with Apex is filled with eventful changes. Peter can remember one specific story that he feels defines his relationship with Apex: “In 2013, we started to get a fleet manager with a whole bunch of drivers. It’s something that I really did not want to get into with that much driver control. I came to the Apex office…they were able to listen and really debunk the situation and from that I was able to completely switch to the owner-operators self-dispatch like we have right now.”
An Array of Apex Services At His Fingertips
To keep that momentum going, not to mention make managing PDP’s day-to-day operations seamless, Peter relishes the array of Apex services at his fingertips. He uses the Apex TCS Fuel Card and enjoys huge savings per gallon of diesel fuel at more than 1,000 in-network locations. “We forward all the discounts to the owner-operators,” he says. “The card is very simple to use, very user friendly.”
His office uses Apex’s Online Invoicing System, including the handy Billing Portal, as well as Apex credit checks, and PDP also relies heavily on the Apex Mobile Factoring™ App. “The mobile app is very helpful because our owner-operators do everything on their phones. So, you gotta be able to have all access that you need to use on the phone.”
Working with Account Executive Brenda Machos
Peter has spent 10 years working with Apex Account Executive Brenda Machos. Theirs is an easy, straightforward collaboration that’s beneficial for both sides. At Apex, all our clients have dedicated account executives that help manage their accounts, develop a relationship with the client, offer advice as needed, and troubleshoot challenges or potential risks.
“With Brenda, it’s amazing because she’s awesome,” says Peter. “There are hard times and good times, but what I love is she’s willing to listen every time and she can tell me direct and to the point without all the beating around the bush, which I like. She is somebody that I can call up and talk to. She’s available all the time.”
Brenda is equally to-the-point about Peter and their decade-long association: “It’s been great,” she says. “There’s been some ups and downs in the road and started off small. But he’s smart. He’s got his act together. He knows what he’s doing. He’s worked with Apex through a lot of different systems. He’s got it going on.”
Never-Give-Up Attitude = Trucking Success
Fourteen years of trucking company growth, along with a decade of Apex factoring, means that Peter has real-world smarts and experience. But what about advice for somebody who wants to start a trucking company?
“You can make good money in trucking,” he says. “However, if you are lazy or not wanting to do the hard work, I would just strongly recommend you do not even try and go do something else. But if you are persistent, hard-working, smart, and have the never-give-up attitude, yes, you can make some good money.”
Written by Mario Tarradell
*Average savings of 59 cents per gallon is based on actual in-network TCS client transactions for Q1 of 2023.