Overdrive : January 2010
Being Choosy
22 OVERDRIVE JANUARY 2010 W hen you call Tim Costen's cell phone, behind the twang of a steel guitar a soulful tenor sings, Take this job and shove it. I ain't workin' here no more. These lyrics of country singer Johnny Paycheck's 1977 hit are Costen's choice ringback. Those words apply to so many days, says the 43-year-old owner of Starbuck Enterprises, a mostly less-than-truckload service. Though Costen says he's more polite than the song's bluster, he often turns down loads that promise little revenue. Last September, a broker asked Costen to pull a full load of avocados from California to Atlanta for $3,600, but Costen refused to take the job for less than $5,000. The trip was 2,500 miles, and at the time Costen was not driving for less than $2 per mile. He said no way, Costen says, sport-ing blue jeans and cowboy boots. So I said, `OK, bye!' Without another word, he was gone. With a gritty self-determination, Costen has acquired the skills and sense to choose the loads that benefi t him most in his 22 years' trucking, fi rst as a company driver Being choosy Independent Tim Costen holds out for the best rates and delivers service that's worth it. BY LANIER NORVILLE L ucinda Coult er Jacksonville, Ala.-resi-dent Tim Costen began customizing his 1999 Peterbilt 379 (below) soon after he bought it 10 years ago.