Maverick’s mentor

Positive role models stepped forward to help Mike Jeffress at crucial times in his life. That’s why he’s compelled to play the same role today.

Mike Jeffress, vice president of maintenance for Maverick Transportation, has helped grow the Little Rock, Ark.-based company from humble beginnings to a trucking powerhouse while leaving his mark on a new generation of technicians.

If there’s one thing Mike Jeffress understands today, it is the importance of the role that a mentor plays in a young person’s life. Jeffress was lucky: He was surrounded by strong adult role models during his formative years. And he listened to the advice they gave him.

With such support, Jeffress started down a path that led him to leadership roles at a relatively young age – vice president of maintenance for Maverick Transportation, chairman of the Technology & Maintenance Council, and recipient of the Silver Spark Plug, TMC’s highest honor. And he now can add Commercial Carrier Journal’s Career Leadership Award. With decades of mentorship and experience, Jeffress’ career is a testament to the notion that you never can be too young to be an industry leader.

Mechanic by blood

Jeffress was born in September 1965 and raised in Fayette, Mo., and he enjoyed a typical all-American Midwestern upbringing. His father, Willard “Buck” Jeffress, owned a family farm and H&J Automotive Repair Shop in Fayette.

“Dad was kind of always an old junk collector,” Jeffress recalls. “We had all kinds of old cars throughout the years, and never really did restore any of them. But we would go out and find them in the fields, and he’d pick them up, bring them home, then turn around and sell them.”