Q&A with Bill and Scott Hawrylenko, owner-operators of Hawrylenko Trucking
By Beverly Lomosad
Bill Hawrylenko cut his teeth with truck driving at 13 years old. In 1964, while working at a trucking business in Rycroft, truck drivers would put him behind the wheel and show him the ropes. At 17, Hawrylenko had his Class 1 driving licence. He tried to blaze a different path to make a living only to go back to what he knew best: truck driving. After years of working for a couple of local businesses, he decided to strike out on his own and bought his first truck in 1970.
In 1990, he registered his namesake trucking business that he operates to this day. Trying to cash in on the flourishing business – largely driven by the boom in the oil and gas industry – his son, Scott, followed suit a year later. Each has his own separate trucking business registered as distinct entities. But they pretty much serve together the same customer base.
How did the business get its start?
BILL: I learned how to drive a truck at a very young age. At 13, I worked for a trucking company in Rycroft, and truck drivers in that business put me behind the wheel and got me to learn to drive a truck. After four years, I tried to carve a different path and went to NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) for a barber trade course. My attempt at trying my hand as a barber was short-lived; after two years, I quit and began working as a truck driver: at the same trucking business in Rycroft that employed me at 13, first; then at another company, second.
Then, in 1970, I bought my first truck and started hauling gravel and logs. After 17 years, I dissolved the business only to resurrect it in 1999. And that was the beginning of the Bill Hawrylenko Trucking Ltd.
SCOTT: I drove truck for a local company for five years beginning in 1993 before I ran my own hotshot delivery business for two years starting in 1998. Using a gooseneck trailer and a one-ton duty pick-up, I made deliveries into British Columbia, mainly north of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, and around Alberta – basically, wherever I got called to deliver – with mostly oil and gas companies as my customers. However, seeing how busy my dad was in his trucking business, I decided to give up the hotshot business and follow in his footsteps. In 2000, I registered my own trucking business, the Scott Hawrylenko Trucking Ltd. Dad’s business and mine are two separate entities, but we like to informally call ourselves Hawrylenko Trucking.
I didn’t realize how much I really enjoyed trucking until I got away from it to operate the hotshot service. I missed hauling big stuff and hauling equipment. I really enjoyed being in the big truck.
What was the business climate like then?
BILL: Business climate then was vastly different than what it is today. I was super-busy. I couldn’t handle all the business on my own. That’s why Scott started his own trucking business in 2000. Business was driven largely by activity in the oil and gas industry. We were mainly hauling equipment and shacks as well as helping move drilling rigs.
Trucking business seems to be a crowded space. Is that a fair statement? If so, how are you handling the competition?
BILL: Yes, there are a lot of trucking companies in our region. So, there’s a lot of competition. But, after all these years of being in the trucking business, we have managed to build our own customer base.
SCOTT: We have built relationships with our customers, some of whom have been with us since when we first started. We are fair with our pricing, and, along with that, we try to deliver the best service possible. Dad and I pretty much serve the same customer base.
And speaking of pricing, is inflation affecting your business at all?
BILL: We don’t add a percentage for inflation to our pricing. Our pricing formula is simple: we make sure we recoup our expenses then try to get a decent rate.
SCOTT: From one of my recent conversations with a truck dealer, I learned that demand for trucks is at a record high while supply is down. So, I think, that gave dealers the power to increase prices because people are willing to pay a premium price to acquire new units and renew their trucking fleet.
When are you busiest?
BILL: Historically, the wintertime is our busiest season; however, in the past few years, we’ve been busy right through April-May, when road bans are in place, and the roads are soft.
SCOTT: Obviously, every year is different. And each day is different. We’re only allowed 16-hour days with little breaks throughout that timespan. We are gone a lot – sometimes rig moves take 2-3 days, and the worksites are several hours away, so we don’t come home – so we make sure to have our family vacation during our slow season.
How far do you go?
We go pretty much all over Alberta and into British Columbia. In the past, we had gone into Saskatchewan but not recently.
How tough are the regulations in the trucking business?
SCOTT: There are a lot of requirements and regulations to comply with in our space. There are different regulations as well as insurance coverage required depending on what you’re hauling. I was 18 when I got my Class 1 driving licence. A lot has changed since. Medical exam is required every five years for drivers younger than 45 to renew their Class 1, and every two years for those older than 45.
BILL: And if you’re over 65, as I am, medical exam is required every year.
Is there any expansion plan for the business in the horizon?
BILL: I hired drivers in the early years of my business. In today’s labour market, it’s very difficult to find and hire Class 1 drivers let alone good ones. So, I think, we will keep things the way they are.
Did COVID-19 have any impact on your business at all?
BILL: No, not really. We weren’t super-busy, but business was steady.
SCOTT: We’re quite well-known: people know what we do, who we are, and how we do business.
What do you enjoy most as a trucker?
SCOTT: I love being by myself. I love being my own boss.
CONTACT
- Location: Village of Rycroft
- Phones: (780) 864-0893 (Scott) | (780) 864-0515 (Bill)