John N. John was founded in 1925 by Bill John’s grandfather. The company became a major transporter of grain from the rice mills of its hometown of Crowley to the ports of Lake Charles and New Orleans. In the 1940s, John N. John moved into transport for the oil and gas industry. The company has more than 100 tractors and 150 trailers.
What are your company goals?
Our number one goal is to be cognizant of the motoring public and to hire safe, courteous employees. From technicians to drivers and all the way up to top managers. The LMTA offers a good networking system to find these qualified professionals.
John N. John has been a member of the LMTA since 1940, making it one of the oldest members of the organization. How do you see the LMTA in assisting John N. John in achieving its goals?
The LMTA offers a good networking system. They also have a political action group, TransPac, that they started a while back. It allows our voices to be heard on legislation. I give a lot of credit to Cathy Gautreaux (the former LMTA executive director). She’s the main reason the LMTA has grown, because it has been a voice in the legislative process. We must believe in them to have stuck with them for all this time.
What do you credit John N. Johns’ longevity to?
We’re the oldest family-owned trucking company in the state. That’s really cool. We have one driver who has been driving for us for 60 years. We had a technician who just made his 50th anniversary with the company. We’re very proud of that. We’re family owned and operated and we have an atmosphere where we treat people like family. Their longevity and attention to detail are a testament to that.
From our company standpoint, I drive. My family and I are on highways all day long. So we are cognizant of whom we put behind the wheel.
How has the trucking industry changed over the years?
I got involved with the trucking industry when I got out of LSU in 1978. We’re seeing technology coming to the forefront of truck transportation: GPS, driver cameras, lane avoidance technology. That’s been in the automotive industry for much longer than it has been in the trucking industry.
What service provided by the LMTA have you found to be the most valuable to your business?
I have to go back to TransPac. LMTA has our backs during the session, making sure when there is legislation that affects our industry, the legislators understand our points. They’ve made a difference on some of the fuel tax issues and using fuel taxes for dedicated highway funds. They’re our voice, not only in the Louisiana Legislature, but in Washington. The LMTA is a very important part of our business. In the political climate we live in now, we must have a voice in the legislative process.
