In this episode, Andrew sits down with Greg Paulson, CEO of Giltner Transportation, a transportation and logistics company based in Jerome, Idaho. Greg’s journey with Giltner began in 1999 when, as an accountant, he worked closely with then-owner Doug Blevins, who eventually offered him a job. Now, 26 years later, Greg and his wife, Shawna, own and lead the company.
Giltner started in 1980 as a milk tanker transporter and has since expanded into a 300-truck reefer fleet, a $250M brokerage, a $100M factoring business, and an insurance and compliance arm helping small carriers.
In this episode, Greg also shares:
- Hard lessons learned from Giltner’s toughest challenges, including near-bankruptcy in 2003 and how the company rebounded.
- The four pillars of a successful trucking business and his philosophy on business.
- What he’s learned from running a trucking business, like navigating bid cycles, developing smart bidding strategies, managing the emotional toll of losing key lanes, and why a diversified network is key to long-term stability.
- Operating an asset-based trucking company alongside a brokerage and the pros and cons of company drivers vs. owner-operators.
- Growing a factoring business to 300 trucks without any sales or marketing, just by word of mouth.
- Trucking’s biggest safety challenges today, including the impact of nuclear verdicts and how Giltner is investing in technology to protect its drivers.
- Advice for entrepreneurs looking to start and scale their own trucking businesses.
