Cover Story

John W. Johnson

Dart Transit Company

During John W. Johnson’s 45-year career, he’s learned that it pays to have good equipment.

John has been an owner-operator for 34 years, and he’s learned the hard way just how expensive older trucks can be. “Pieces of junk” he calls some of the trucks he has owned. In fact, one of those pieces of junk helped him discover Dart Transit Company.

As John tells the story, he was outside working on his truck when a Dart contractor approached him about driving a Freightliner cabover that he was buying. Totally frustrated by his old, broken-down tractor and impressed by what he was hearing about Dart, John thought, “What have I got to lose?” He packed up his tools and decided to give it a try.

While that was John’s intention, it didn’t quite turn out that way. Instead, he ended up buying the truck himself and contracted it with Dart.

Dart is an owner-operator company, so John really liked the way the company operated. He also discovered Highway Sales, Inc., a truck and finance vendor to Dart contractors.

Highway Sales had opened for business two years earlier with two purposes. It provided company drivers with an affordable way to become owner-operators. It also gave owner-operators very good deals on tractor upgrades. Within two years, John needed one of those good deals.

Over the next 18 years, John became a satisfied and loyal Highway Sales customer, returning five times to upgrade his tractor. (The last two were new.) New trucks, he says, are the best and most affordable way to avoid mechanical problems. “I just don’t have the breakdowns I used to have,” he says. “That means I’m on the road making money, not in a shop spending money.”

But good trucks are not the only reason John loves Dart. The company has operating options that give him plenty of choices. “When I started with Dart, we sat down together, they asked me how many miles I needed, and we discussed what I wanted to do,” explains John. He started out with a national contract, delivering freight throughout the lower 48 states. Eight years ago he switched to one of Dart’s dedicated accounts. He loves it because he knows what he will be doing several days in advance.

“I get excellent miles, and I enjoy what I do,” says John. “When I started driving I never thought about running my own business. I just thought that I’d always work for someone else. Now I’ve been an owner-operator with Dart for 20 years, and it’s been a very good experience.”

Highway Sales has both new and previously owned trucks, something to fit most every budget. New trucks include 2007 Volvo 670s, 2007 International 9400s, and 2006 Freightliner Columbias. All have exceptionally low sale prices. They are also available for lease with affordable monthly payments. Highway Sales moves about half of its trucks with bank financing and half with in-house leases. Flexible terms make it possible for most professional truck drivers to qualify.

The staff of Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines wish John continued success with Dart Transit Company. See their ads on pages 77, 79, 81 and 83 for more information about the profitable opportunities available at Dart. You’ll be glad you did.