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For over 30 years, Hurricane Express has delivered temperature-controlled freight with consistency and care. Known for its elite fleet and driver-first approach, the company has always invested in performance, on the road and in the shop.
But when it came to managing permits and compliance documents, paper was still running the show. Physical binders, outdated files, and time-consuming updates were creating friction for drivers and back-office staff alike. It left room for risk.
That’s when Hurricane Express made the switch to Digital Permit Book.
In this customer journey, we unpack how they replaced paper stacks with a streamlined digital system and their journey from start to now.
From Modest Beginnings to Nationwide Reach
Hurricane Express began operations in 1992 in Springdale, Arkansas. Operating initially from a modest trailer, the company faced considerable early challenges. Limited infrastructure, aggressive market conditions, and manual systems made day-to-day operations demanding. The leadership, however, maintained a steady focus on long-term growth, reinvestment, and workforce empowerment.
Founded and led by the Steinert family, the company has remained privately owned, with Kaedon J. Steinert serving as CEO and Sheldon Steinert as COO. Their approach from day one emphasized driver satisfaction, elite equipment, and consistent reinvestment in people and systems.
As the company matured, it relocated to West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma, expanding operations while remaining grounded in its original principles. Today, Hurricane Express manages a growing fleet and delivers food-grade freight across the continental United States.
As they say; “We haven’t changed our operations model in nearly 30 years because we have always made an emphasis to attract, train and retain the best drivers in the country. We will do whatever it takes to keep our hard-working fleet happy. It’s imperative.”
A People-First Carrier With a Future-Focused Mindset
Hurricane Express offers various employment pathways, including company driver roles, lease and lease-purchase options, as well as corporate roles across dispatch, compliance, maintenance, and recruitment. Many of the company’s office personnel are former drivers who bring practical insight into scheduling, compliance management, and fleet support.
Their employee benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) matching, and voluntary benefit plans. The company has a high commitment and quick working culture, but is supportive in the sense that it is designed so as to encourage workers to be self-reliant and hence makes them stick to the company.
In the past years, especially at the time of the national disruption, Hurricane Express has strengthened its commitment among the drivers. The company was able to protect its workers and continue to operate fully at full staff with no break in payments throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by distributing PPE kits, and the company did not trade off safety or service.
Scaling Operations & Equipment That Speaks for Itself
Today, Hurricane Express is a recognized name in temperature-controlled freight, specializing in food-grade products like poultry, fish, produce, and select dry shipments. Their routes span coast-to-coast across the continental United States, supported by a lightweight, fuel-efficient fleet.
Hurricane Express runs a fleet of Peterbilt trucks, Great Dane trailers, and Thermo-King Reefer cooling units. Every truck is less than 4 years old or under 500,000 miles, with trailers all under 5 years old. And when it comes to image, their polished fleet reflects the professionalism they want the industry to see.
Hurricane Express maintains rigorous maintenance schedules to avoid breakdowns, downtime, and safety violations. They are essential in a high-pressure, time-sensitive industry.
But while the equipment was aging gracefully, the paperwork wasn’t.
The Compliance Challenge
Although they were doing very well with fleet management and driver support, Hurricane Express had been using paper-based systems to generate documents related to compliance. This caused weaknesses both in the routine operations, i.e., roadside inspection and DOT audit.
Every driver was supposed to have a binder with permits, insurance papers, IFTA reports, and other authority papers. To modernize, these binder users depended on manual processes, and as a result, delays, inaccuracies, and incomplete documentation could occur.
Drivers faced inefficiencies during inspections. Office staff had to chase down missing pages, resend documents by email or fax, and prepare for audits with stacks of paper. These problems grew with the scale of the fleet.
The disconnect between modern fleet equipment and outdated paperwork systems was a bottleneck the company could no longer ignore.
Integrating Digital Permit Book
To bring consistency and reliability to its compliance operations, Hurricane Express adopted Digital Permit Book, a centralized cloud platform for storing and managing permits, insurance files, and compliance documents.
This transition replaced all physical binders with a real-time, mobile-accessible system. Every driver now carries a fully updated permit book on their smartphone or tablet, with offline access and automatic syncing.
The switch delivered immediate improvements:
- Faster and cleaner inspections
- Minimized paperwork errors
- Streamlined audits
- Reduced back-office friction
- Higher driver satisfaction
The administrative workload decreased, inspection results improved, and compliance visibility increased across the fleet. The platform aligned perfectly with Hurricane Express’s philosophy of continuous improvement without compromising operational values.
Safety, Compliance, and Reputation
Hurricane Express holds an ACTIVE USDOT status with no out-of-service date and a driver out-of-service rate below the national average. FMCSA data for the past 24 months shows no fatal or injury crashes, confirming the company’s emphasis on safety and driver training.
The vehicle out-of-service rate, though slightly above average, highlights the importance of preventative maintenance. It is a challenge the company continues to meet with rigorous shop schedules and proactive inspections.
With Digital Permit Book in place, the carrier has added another layer of discipline to its compliance strategy. It now operates with greater confidence, knowing its documents are accurate, accessible, and audit-ready at all times.
Community and Industry Involvement
Beyond freight, Hurricane Express maintains strong community ties. It regularly donates to organizations such as:
- St. Christopher Truckers Fund
- West Siloam Springs Fire Department
- All Truckers Together Against Child Abuse
The company is also an active member of the Truckload Carriers Association, Women in Trucking, and multiple state-level trucking associations in Arkansas, New York, and Oklahoma. These memberships reflect the company’s role in industry advocacy and driver welfare.
Final Thoughts
For Hurricane Express, modernization was about solving real problems. The adoption of the Digital Permit Book marked a practical, measurable upgrade to their operational model, aligning with their mission to run efficiently, serve shippers reliably, and support drivers better.
What started in a mobile trailer is now a multi-state, coast-to-coast carrier with the tools and systems to keep moving forward.
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