Driver Tommy Harris says he is pretty hard to please when it comes to finding a good fleet to drive for. But he knew he had found a winner when he signed on at Jacobson Transportation.

The company is small enough to be truly driver friendly, he says, and the benefits are the best he's seen anywhere.

"The benefits are great," says Harris. The company pays all family premiums for the health, life, dental and prescription drug card insurance. With a wife and three young children, Harris appreciates the premium policy as well as the extensive coverage.

"They also have an ESOP [Employee Stock Option Plan] program, and the more you make, the more you will have for retirement. The ESOP is a big selling point. "But it's not just that. I love the people. They work as a team. They have an open-door policy, and they get me home when I need to be home. I've been here a year, and I'm planning to stay."

The rider policy is another plus at this Des Moines, Iowa-based fleet. Drivers can take passengers between the ages of 5 and 65 on any run; Harris takes turns taking along his two older children for a couple of weeks in the summer. Also, Jacobson believes in driver-friendly freight - 95% of it is no-touch or drop-and-hook.

Jacobson has 140 company-owned trucks and 190 leased owner-operators. The company tractors are all late-model Freightliner conventionals equipped with air-ride, cruise control and other features. "The equipment is top of the line," Harris said, "and they have a great maintenance program."

Jacobson is a dry-freight truckload carrier, with 75% of its freight bound from Iowa to 10 states - Iowa, Texas, Illinois, California, Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Tennessee.

Customers include R.R. Donnelly & Sons (bulk paper), Home Shopping Network, Lenox and Maytag parts and appliances, HON Industries, Rubbermaid and Michael's Arts and Crafts.

Company drivers average 2,500 to 3,000 miles a week and typically earn $42,000 to $52,000 a year. Most drivers will be on the road seven to 14 days at a time, depending on where they live.

Richard Jacobson, who established his first warehouse in 1968, founded the company. He expanded his warehouse operations and formed Jacobson Transportation in 1983 to serve his warehouse customers. Today, the trucking division has its own customers as well as customers from the warehouse operations.

Jacobson Transportation is one of six integrated operating companies that make up the Jacobson Companies. Sister companies include Jacobson Warehouse Co., Jacobson Logistics, Jacobson Packaging, Jacobson Industrial Services and Jacobson Investments.

Kirk Jordison, who is in charge of recruiting for Jacobson, says being part of the bigger company is a clear advantage: "We don't have to be an 800 to 1,000 truck company. We can stay small and still be successful. I think being small gives the drivers a sense of family. They can talk to anyone here.

"Our company recognizes the strength of the drivers," Jordison continues. "The driver is what makes us successful. That is why we take care of them." The generous benefits package with the company paying 100% of family coverage is virtually unheard-of in trucking. "This is not something new. We have been doing this for a long time," he says.

Another benefit is the company's ESOP. Company drivers will receive up to 15% of their gross wages into the account. "For example, if they are making $40,000 a year, that is $6,000 into your account," Jordison says.

There are also annual safety bonuses, as well as two weeks' vacation paid at $400 a week after one year, and six paid holidays.

Drivers must be at least 23 years old and have at least one year of tractor-trailer experience. Their safety records must be clean, with no DUIs in five years, no felony convictions and a good overall safety record.

Jordison says the company is growing both on the company driver side and with owner-operators. Currently 60% are owner-operators and 40% are company drivers. For more information, call (800) 569-3323 or check out the company's Web site at www.jacobsonco.com.