In Des Moines, Iowa, trucking company Contract Transport has been operating as a family-owned business for more than 60 years. Robert and Virginia Nible launched the company in 1963 with one tractor and one trailer, operating routes to the Quad Cities metropolitan area every day under a contract with the U.S. Postal Service. Now, the company is owned by their daughters Jeane, the Chief Financial Officer, and Sandi, who oversees payroll, as well as Sandi’s husband Allen Bergman, who serves as president.
The company, which transports mail and dry van freight, has expanded “through our dedication to servicing our customers and going the extra mile to get the job done correctly,” with more than 85 employees, over 70 trucks, and an additional terminal in Kansas City. After more than six decades, Contract Transport can do more than say that “we still hold that same route.” As Bergman described, “We probably do about 90 percent of the mail between here and Minneapolis, and here and Kansas City.”
Photo Courtesy Contract Transport Inc.
Contract Transport provides high-quality, local jobs for CDL-A drivers of heavy vehicles, such as semi-trucks and tractor-trailers. The trucking industry supports about 8.5 million direct jobs. However, the company contrasts itself against often predatory competitors: “While big corporations run their drivers all over the country, paying pennies per mile, and sucking green drivers into contracts they could never get out of, CTI stands proud in the work we offer our drivers.” The company describes, “We are proud to offer our drivers full-time work, while also getting them home daily,” even though the company operates across a radius of 300 to 500 miles. It added in a social post, “We have figured out how to provide our drivers with more home/hobby time while also putting a good chunk of money in their pocket! If our drivers don’t make money, we don’t make money. Simple as that.”
Bergman also described the sense of pride that their drivers take in their work. “Drivers feel good about what they do. They are providing a service to the nation by delivering mail. Today, with all of the supply chain snags and almost everything you order online being shipped, this is an important thing.”
Photo Courtesy Contract Transport Inc.
As president, Bergman has been continuously innovating to improve the company. For example, about eight years ago, he worked with Chevron to adopt biodiesel for the company’s fleet. Bergman remembers, “I’ve read about biofuel for years, and I really believe that’s the future of energy use in this country. So, when we were given the opportunity to participate with that, we jumped on it.” Chevron Fuels and Renewable Solutions, formerly Renewable Energy Group, has been making biodiesel in Iowa since 1996. The Ames-based company has since become one of the continent’s largest producers, with biorefineries in cities like Newton and Mason City, making it easy to deliver the clean fuel to Iowan companies like Contract Transport.
Reliability is key. Contract Transport promises that it “finishes each project on schedule and with the highest level of quality.” Bergman explained the importance of timeliness in his industry: “One of the things that’s a little different with our business compared to fleets that deliver freight is that we have a real strict schedule. We need to depart and arrive on time.” He elaborated, “Without the ability to deliver on time, we wouldn’t have any contracts… If you can’t meet those schedules, then everything gets messed up.”
Bergman admitted he was a little nervous at first because “if a truck and driver go down, we’re in trouble.” However, he confirmed to other curious business owners that he has not had any issues: “I tell them I’ve had close to zero problems and have never had an issue with the quality of the fuel. Quality is important… That’s why I need to be using the best fuel available and that’s why I use biodiesel.” In fact, he found that the clean fuel source was easier on the engine, and even increased blends to up to 30% for his fleet: “We routinely get 1 million miles on an engine before a teardown so I think the blends contribute to the longer-living engines.” He also highlighted the financial benefits: “Biodiesel is saving me money and protects my equipment. I don’t know why you wouldn’t use it.”
Although the company works with Chevron to lower the blend rate in the winter, Chevron says that “renewable diesel acts as a direct replacement for petroleum diesel, but it performs the same in cold weather as diesel.”
Photo Courtesy Chevron Fuels and Renewable Solutions
Contract Transport has also experienced environmental benefits from adopting biodisel. As a result, the company quickly eliminated 490 metric tons of carbon emissions, the same amount generated by an average car driving 1.2 million miles. It saved 463 metric tons in the first year of adoption alone. In 2023, the company accepted a Sustainable Innovation Fleet Award, and by 2024, it was saving about 806 metric tons annually. “We are reducing the impact on the environment,” Bergman explained about the cleaner fuel. “We don’t see a reduction in our miles per gallon, and drivers don’t see a difference in power. It’s essentially an identical product to diesel, but better.”
According to Chevron, biodiesel also has lower carbon intensity than liquified natural gas and hydrogen, and is more effective at reducing emissions than electric vehicles. These considerations are especially critical given that the transportation sector is the biggest domestic source of greenhouse gas emissions. As Bergman reflected, “If we can make the air cleaner in any way, then we all need to be on board with that.”
Photo Courtesy Contract Transport Inc.
Bergman noted that his interest was first sparked by biodiesel’s positive economic contributions to Iowa’s economy. In particular, he said that adopting biodiesel supports the state’s farmers. “Living in Iowa, we want to help provide a market for our local producers and give them price support for their crops. I also feel like as more of us start increasing our blend rates, we’re helping expand the market. This is the responsible thing to do,” he commented.
Contract Transport often uses its fleet to give back to the community, too. For example, every year, it works with the Lutheran Church of Hope and Meals from the Heartland to deliver food supplies and finished meals for a Thanksgiving packing event at the church. The company has also helped Bone-A-Patreat and The Pet Project to transport pallets of donated pet food and supplies. It has even supported the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in moving the “How You Live Has an Impact” mobile education exhibit, which provides deep dives into topics such as sustainability, recycling, household hazardous materials, and water and energy conservation.
Photo Courtesy Contract Transport Inc.
