Cover Story

Noemi and Larry LeBlanc — Covenant Transport, Inc.

He is a self-proclaimed “Cajun” from Lafayette, LA. She has a masters degree in agriculture and followed her love of horses to Lexington, KY. They met dancing in a country nightclub. Today, Noemi and Larry LeBlanc are a successful owner-operator team with Covenant Transport.

Like many owner-operators, the team started with Covenant as company drivers. Larry wasn’t sure about going back over the road after doing some regional driving, but Noemi talked him into it. “It was always my dream to travel the United States on a horse. Now I drive a big truck all over the country,” she says. Larry trained Noemi as his team partner and they were ready to hit the road. Both say they enjoyed good miles and were treated well as a company driver team at Covenant.

After spending six months as company drivers, the team began to hear more and more about how drivers can make money and run a successful business as owner-operators. This team wasn’t about to jump blindly into a business venture. For six weeks, they tracked all expenses using a compa ny truck. They wanted assurance that they could make it as business owners. Once they crunched the numbers, they were confident they could succeed. The LeBlancs decided to buy a used company truck (very similar to the one they used to track expenses) and started running their business.

The LeBlancs continue to track all their expenses, run at 64 mph and don’t idle their truck. They each drive exactly half of the miles. “We run this as a business. We aren’t trying to be ‘supertruckers,’ ” says Larry. “It is all about planning. We save money, save time and are rested drivers,” he added.

There is no doubt that the LeBlancs work hard, but they play hard as well. Their favorite part about working for Covenant is that they can take a leave of absence. This allows them to drive a majority of the year then spend time overseas in Noemi’s hometown of Prague, Czech Republic. While there, the couple goes to the opera, dances at balls and sees the sights. They also find time to ride horses, of course. “Our business has allowed us to achieve our dream of traveling. We live in Europe part of the year and get to take other vacations as well,” says Larry.

This well-traveled couple says their greatest accomplishment is the success of their business. They credit their preparedness as what made the difference between success and failure. The LeBlancs also say they are proud to be together after living only 10 feet from each other for the past year.

Covenant Transport is based out of Chattanooga, TN and specializes in just-in-time and other premium transportation services. Covenant is a place where you can succeed, whether you are solo or team, company or owner-operator. The staff of Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines would like to wish Noemi and Larry continued success with Covenant Transport. For more information on professional driving opportunities available now at Covenant, see their ad on the inside front cover of this issue. Recruiters are available to take calls seven days a week, so call (888) 667-3729. Teams can call (866) 391-0141 for details. You can also visit www.covenanttransport.com today to complete an online application.