Need It Right Now: Fort Worth, Texas-Based R&J Logistical Division, Inc. Grows and Succeeds in Expedited Trucking
An ‘80s Tractor-Trailer Led to a Successful Expedite Trucking Company
Rick Metzing remembers the ‘80s. During the decade of shoulder pads and Rubik’s Cubes, Rick drove a tractor-trailer. But his stint in the freight industry was initially temporary as he would then spend time in the automatic transmission business. As the 2000s were well under way, Rick returned to transportation. It was then that R&J Logistical Division, Inc. launched into a successful expedite trucking company.
“In 2009, I went back into the freight industry to only find out that the whole trucking world had changed, and the opportunities were new and there are all kinds of cool stuff out there,” he says. “I looked into the expediting side which utilized cargo vans and sprinters and they were moving what they call expedited loads, which is basically LTL [less than truckload] shipments moved into cargo vans and sprinters turned over to emergency freight – yesterday’s emergency freight, basically. So, I started to go in that direction.”
What Exactly Does an Expedite Trucking Company Do?
Rick, always quick with a joke, explains expedited trucking with plenty of humor.
“Expedite simply means, ‘hurry, gotta go!’ ‘We need it yesterday, something just broke.’ ‘Man, I need that part like right now!’ So, that’s what we’re called upon. We’re the emergency service or emergency handling service of the freight industry.”
Cups to Sturgis? Right Away!
When asked what his expedited trucking company hauls, Rick gives us the full spectrum of R&J’s typically long hauls. That includes cups to Sturgis, South Dakota. Yes, Sturgis.
“We haul oil field equipment, auto and truck parts, and believe it or not cups to Sturgis,” Rick says. “You know, those guys up there when they need cups, they need cups right now! So, we’ll haul them up there. That’s what we do, that’s expedite. We haul show lights to Las Vegas when they go out, things of that nature.”
Apex Factoring with an Upbeat Personality
Rick and his R&J Logistical Division, Inc. began factoring with Apex Capital eight years ago. Because both R&J and Apex are based in Fort Worth, Rick is a regular visitor to our headquarters. He’s a personable guy that enjoys doing business with a smile and a handshake.
“I’ve been with Apex eight years and counting hopefully,” he says. “The first thing I noticed about Apex was its upbeat persona. I mean, I really, really liked it. Number two, it was right down the road from us. So, it was here local and I’m kind of a personal, one-on-one guy so I could come up here and talk to [account executive] Brenda and get things done as far as invoicing, PODS, BOLs, things of that nature.”
Apex Online Invoicing Saves Time and Money
Speaking of invoicing, R&J takes full advantage of Apex’s easy, time-saving Online Invoicing System, including the handy Billing Portal. Submitting R&J’s invoices for factoring not only made the day-to-day process seamless, but it saved Rick big money because he didn’t have to create a whole new department and hire more employees.
“As R&J grew so did its need to implement some sort of an AR/AP department,” he says. “So, we kicked the idea around that we were going to hire some more employees, set up a whole other department to be able to do all the invoicing correctly, things of that nature. We decided to just choose factoring. Let’s go that route, which we did. The online portal that Apex offers works great with R&J – it’s an awesome fit. We decided to go in that direction and we’re still here. Great work, Mr. Developer!”
“The online portal that Apex offers works great with R&J – it’s an awesome fit. We decided to go in that direction and we’re still here. Great work, Mr. Developer!”
Working with Account Executive Brenda Machos
As he mentioned above, Rick communicates frequently with his Apex account executive Brenda Machos. At Apex, all our clients have dedicated account executives that help manage their accounts, develop a relationship with the client, offer advice as needed, and troubleshoot challenges or potential risks.
“I like Brenda. Brenda is very, very personable,” Rick says. “She is easy to get along with and her persona much matches Apex’s persona. So, I will say that the Blue Team would be lost without Brenda at the helm. Trust is something that you earn, and she has definitely earned that trust with R&J for sure.”
Brenda, who can match Rick’s sense of humor joke-for-joke, has this to say about working with R&J: “It’s been tough! No, it’s been a good match since day one. He came in, he had questions. He came in here first; he actually came into the office. We sat down and had some conversations. I’ve seen him grow. I mean, they don’t have problems anymore. They’ve just got it down. They’re doing a great job.”
“She is easy to get along with and her persona much matches Apex’s persona. So, I will say that the Blue Team would be lost without Brenda at the helm. Trust is something that you earn, and she has definitely earned that trust with R&J for sure.”
Create Your Success, Walk Through the Open Doors
Rick has words of wisdom learned and earned from his many years in the transportation industry. However, in typical Rick fashion, there’s humor thrown in.
“Run! No, seriously the first thing I would say is that you need to get your finances in order. That would be a must. Whatever direction you need to move in, get your license. Get all the licenses and things all purchased and bought, all that good stuff done. Look for the open doors, go through the open doors, go through all the green lights, and take it one step at a time. Success is something that you create. Like our Vice President said, ‘We walk into the future together’ so their success is your success. Be very careful and don’t overstep your abilities. That’s about it.”
Written by Mario Tarradell