What started as a one-person business, has now grown to 27 team members
PLUS 3 in senior management.
Located about an hour from Dallas and right off of 3 major highways, is TEXAS TRUCKS DIRECT of Stephenville, Texas. President of Texas Trucks is Jerry Cozby, daughter-in-law Christy Cozby is VP of Operations and Guy Robertson is VP of Service. Together these three run not just a successful business, but also a trucking business that all employees are proud to come to each day.
L2R – Christy, Jerry & Guy
For Jerry, Christy and Guy, loyalty goes both ways with their team. With an average work length of employment at Texas Trucks of 10+ years for each of their crew members, they are honored and proud to have such a smart and supportive group. They have genuinely become a family. Before opening the business up, Jerry had experience with employers who under-appreciated their employees. When opening up the shop all those years ago, Jerry knew he wanted to be a different kind of boss. The kind of owner that cared about his employees. Christy has been working with Jerry for 12 years. And Guy has been with Jerry for over 30 years. As Jerry says, “We are a collection of employees coming together to create a family atmosphere.”
Guy Robertson says this about the industry and being at Texas Trucks, “I have been here for over 30 years. Each day is never the same as the one before it or after it. This industry just came naturally to me. There is something extremely satisfying about fixing a unit and getting our clients back on the road, turnin’ and earnin’. For some parts and repair shops, pricing is a race to the bottom. We believe that we need to sell quality parts and labor, and sometimes we’re cheaper and at other times we aren’t. I am okay with that, I sleep better at night knowing that the parts and service we provided that day were quality and not necessarily the cheapest.”
From an operational standpoint, this is the breakdown of departments and employees. Texas Trucks has 12 Service employees, 10 in the Parts department, 5 in Administration plus Jerry, Christy and Guy.
An interesting view into the shop’s philosophy of family is that as Jerry’s daughter-in-law, Christy started with him 12 years ago. She progressed through different functions and is currently VP of Operations. While Guy is not technically a family member, Jerry considers him a son. Each of them brings a specialty and skill set to the table. “Sometimes working with family isn’t easy, but it works well for us!” says Jerry.
Just some of the TEXAS TRUCKS team with Christy, Jerry & Guy at the center.
From a customer standpoint, the promise they make to everyone is that they provide fast and quality work, work that the entire team stands behind. They’re all proud each day that they take care of their clients – both in parts sales and the service department.
Jerry, Christy and Guy are new clients of DRIVE’s…just 5 months in but they already see a big difference. Especially in the need to plan. Both a small shop and a larger operation like Texas Trucks needs to put planning in place. Goals need to be set and a path forward needs to be implemented. With DRIVE as a partner, Texas Trucks has expanded their hiring practices, improved and increased social media presence and overall business guidance.
Christy Cozby says this about the Texas Truck customer service and her employees, “We have a product that isn’t something we can put on a Purchase Order or go down the street to a competitor and buy. Our people. They are the most valuable “product” we have. Not only are they knowledgeable, but they have built a rapport with each client. When a client walks in, they trust them, everyone knows their name and how to make them laugh or smile. Spending money on parts or repairs isn’t exactly a happy time for owners, but we try to make it as comfortable and as enjoyable as possible. This has grown our business tremendously!”
Technician Rob Cloyd and Guy on the right, running diagnostics on a unit.
Some advice Jerry received before opening up the shop is “Watch the pennies and the dollars take care of themselves.” Is there any more excellent advice?
As an owner, Jerry recognizes that the success they have had over the years would not have been possible “without our wonderful employees and our clients at Texas Trucks Direct.”
DRIVE is proud to call Texas Trucks Direct our client!
