Thirty years ago the trucking industry was in the dawn of deregulation. New businesses were forming and prospering, one of which was a software company founded by Tom McLeod. He and many others seized the opportunity to give truckload carriers a taste of automation.
At the time, carriers “were just looking to stop buying so many typewriters,” recalled McLeod, president of McLeod Software, during the company’s annual user conference, held Oct. 4-6 in Birmingham, Ala.
He personally wrote the company’s first product, LoadMaster, to automate the routine dispatch, billing and driver settlement processes. Looking back, he remembers that at least 50 other startups had a similar product. The competition has thinned out considerably since then.
The company has expanded its portfolio to all types of asset and non-asset transportation companies, growing to 383 employees at present with 2015 shaping up to be another record-setting year of growth.
While giving the opening address at the conference on Monday, Oct. 5, McLeod said the secret to the company’s success is its customers. This year’s conference had a 30 percent increase in attendance from 2014 with approximately 1,000 people.
“We’ve had customers that have pushed us and pulled us and pointed us in the right direction.”
He also credited the four guiding principles of the company, established early on: 1) Spend less than you take in; 2) Make commitments you can deliver on; 3) Do what you say you are going to do and know what you are doing; and 4) Treat people with dignity and respect.
