Cover Story

Laurie and Scott Franke - Hirschbach Motor Lines, Inc.

Retiring from the Marine Corps after 20 years of proudly serving this great country, Scott Franke decided he wanted to travel it. Six years later and still sporting a high and tight haircut, Franke is enjoying a second career as a professional driver. In pondering the future with his wife Laurie about four years ago, Scott asked, “Why don’t we both see the country and get paid for it?” He then trained his wife how to drive a truck, and for the last two years, they have been driving team for Hirschbach Motor Lines.

The couple is clearly enthusiastic about the company they are leased on to and don’t hold anything back in talking about being owner-operators with Hirschbach. “They treat you like family, everybody knows your name, and I mean everybody,” says Laurie. “It’s an awesome family environment.”

When asked about what they liked best about driving, the couple is in complete agreement. Being your own boss, being with your spouse and seeing the countryside are the three items highlighted. Scott and Laurie like to run, and going coast-to-coast is just what the Frankes ordered.

“We picked up a load in Pennsylvania, dropped it off in Iowa, picked up another load there, and now we’re on our way to California,” says Laurie. “We like to run, but if we need time off, as long as we let them know ahead of time so they can plan things, they’ll get us the time off. My husband has family in Wisconsin, so if we need some family time in Wisconsin, Hirschbach will get us there. If we need some family time in Texas, we’ll get there.”

Hirschbach offers a new pay package that includes the opportunity to earn up to $1 per mile, loaded or empty, and a restructured mileage bonus that is very attainable. The additional changes have firmly placed the Hirschbach program among the industry’s elite. “The pay is great, they keep you running, they get us home, I can’t complain about anything,” says Laurie.

The Frankes took advantage of the lease purchase opportunity Hirschbach offers and now sit behind the wheel of a gorgeous, white 2006 Volvo 780, which proudly displays red, white and blue colors. “It’s a wonderful plan, and it does real well for us,” says Laurie. In talking about their Volvo she says, “It’s like driving a car, it really is, it’s such a smooth ride.”

The staff of Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines would like to wish Scott and Laurie Franke continued success with Hirschbach Motor Lines. To learn more about owner-operator, lease purchase and company driver opportunities at Hirschbach, see their ad on page 31 of this issue or give them a call at (800) 276-6780.