The Code 3 Transports story began in around 2022 when I was approached by a family member who had been in the oil & gas industry for decades. As an executive with one of the big oil companies, they were aware of an opportunity to invest in a truck & trailer and run vacuum pump services and were talking with me about it as an investment opportunity as well.

At the time, I wasn’t really looking for an investment opportunity, but it was very interesting, nonetheless. I was a little cautious about the possible ups and downs that the industry is well known for and worried that owning a truck would be challenging since I did not live in the Midland area, so I would have a hard time managing drivers, maintenance, responding to any issues, etc.

I crunched the numbers from all sides and actually preferred the idea of actually running our own dispatch service, along with owning and operating the trucks, but that seemed like a challenge my family members were not up for. After all, at that time, they wanted something passive, they already had jobs after all, and I did too, serving in Law Enforcement in the Dallas area.

So, we tabled it and never took any action. However, they were all-in on the idea and did setup multiple trucks and have been running them constantly since that time. The idea of serving as our own dispatch team kept eating away at me though, especially every time I would hear about the mismanagement and inefficiencies they were experiencing with the dispatch companies they were using. It seemed that fraudulent activities, poor management, and shady dealings were the norm in the industry. Over time, they used several dispatch companies for a variety of reasons, almost always bad for them, but good for the dispatch company. All along, I kept thinking WE could do it better and I could provide them with more stable profits.

While being a Police Officer was great, I also had a lot of experience in the Finance industry with nearly 20 years of experience working in that industry. (BBA in Finance) I also had several years in restaurant management prior to that and specialized in making them more efficient. I KNEW that it could be done in a way that was more efficient, and more beneficial to the drivers and the owners of the trucks. I was seeing it firsthand through my family members. In addition, I knew that the dispatch services business could easily be expanded upon to include all kinds of freight dispatch throughout the country. That side of the business actually grew to become my favorite part of the whole idea because I knew it could easily be scaled and was not nearly as cyclical as the oil and gas business. Plus, I didn’t need to rely upon the ‘good ol’ boy’ network and the back room deals to win business that has become customary in the oil industry.

So, over the course of a couple years, I started the process of building the business model, testing and re-testing all the numbers, finding efficiencies, making improvements in the plan, and getting things setup for success. FINALLY, in March of 2025, I officially left Law Enforcement and made the commitment to do this RIGHT and benefit my owners and drivers the way I knew they deserved!

I went through all the steps and got things setup. There is a LOT involved when dealing with all of the red tape and bureaucracies involved. The list of permits, forms, filings, certifications, etc. required is staggering, but we are up and running and ready to service our partners with the highest level of integrity and enthusiasm.

By the way, the name… Code 3 Transports

For those that don’t know, “Code 3” in Law Enforcement refers to the condition where you are on your way to a critical incident, lights and sirens… coming full blast to assist those in need. While our trucks cannot legally operate with those lights and sirens, we can be on our way with the same sense of urgency to assist those in need, so I felt the name was fitting. I hope you do too!

~Bill Cunningham — Owner & Managing Member