The keys to living large

TT: What are your reflections on growing a small fleet into a big one?

BOUTIN: When my grandfather founded the company in 1945, he had six or seven trucks. My father took over in 1964 with 29 units. Those were the days of regulation–you grew by buying transport permits, not companies. Even then, a permit didn’t guarantee you business. If we wanted to haul furniture from Victoriaville or asbestos out of Thetford Mines–two cities close to Plessisville–shippers didn’t easily give their freight to carriers from other towns, so the volume of freight available to us was lower. So when we wanted to put a terminal in Bécancour, which was closer to our head office and was a very promising market due to its aluminum plant, we established a division called Bécancour Express to make a local identity.

TT: Some businesses grow in a measured way. For others, it’s haphazard. Which was it with you?

BOUTIN: We reacted to what our aluminum customers were doing. By the 1990s, they were opening up markets in Ontario and the United States. We had to expand to keep up. What we learned is that it’s simple to add trucks. Expanding infrastructure–computer systems, management structure, etc.–requires careful planning and investment.

TT: What’s biggest difference between running a big company and a small one?

BOUTIN: Structure. As a single person, you’re working nights and weekends finishing dispatching or doing accounting or dealing with customers. As the company grows, you have to delegate those jobs and trust the customer’s satisfaction to other people: your staff. It’s difficult. So you have to focus on communicating with your people to make sure they’re doing the job. As the company becomes larger, you need to manage the structure itself so it doesn’t get too complex, like an anchor weighing you down with processes and costs.

TT: Can a major carrier learn from a small one?

BOUTIN: Of course! Small carriers are experts in their sectors. Or they can have different and more efficient management practices than you. Whether you’re big or small, the same principles apply: work hard and surround yourself with a good team.