Posts Tagged ‘Truckload Carriers Association’
Truck Driver Named Highway Angel
Thursday, September 17th, 2009
The Truckload Carriers Association is honoring Anderson Trucking Service driver Larry Goessens with its “Highway Angel” award after helping motorists in need on a cold night. On February 4th, two sisters driving on Interstate 64 in Kentucky suffered a tire blowout. Due to the heavy snow that was falling at the time, the car immediately slid off the road. To make matters worse, the spare tire in the trunk of their car was flat as well.
Goessens witnessed the incident and stopped his truck to help the stranded women. He managed to pull the car out of the roadside ditch and drove all the way to the next town to have the spare tire repaired. He then returned to the scene of the accident and replaced the flat tire with the newly-fixed spare.
Rhonda Davis, the driver of the vehicle, was amazed by Goessens’ random act of kindness. “This may not be a big deal to some people, but you would not believe how many people just drove right by me, standing on the side of the road,” she wrote in a letter to Goessens’ employers. “It was snowing to beat the dickens, and I am an old lady! … It was as if God himself sent this man to help me.”
“It seems like today’s truck drivers get such a raw deal that I felt it was important for me to write this letter and let you know just how important the good ones really are,” Davis wrote. “He froze his rear-end off changing that tire for us … and he wouldn’t let me pay him for his time and trouble. … Truckers are so underappreciated that I have a newfound respect for them and the vital services they provide for our great country.”
Goessens will receive a commemorative pin, patch, and award certificate from the TCA for his heroic actions. Anderson Trucking Service will also receive a certificate acknowledging that one of its drivers is a certified Highway Angel.
Photo courtesy of ishrona under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Anderson Trucking Services, Highway Angel, TCA, Truckload Carriers Association
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How is Your Fleet Handling the Recession?
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
As the ripple effects of the current recession continue, businesses are being forced to look at not just the impact, but at how things will be run in the future.
At this years Truckload Carriers Association conference in Orlando, survival was the one word on most participants minds, but as many leaders have stated over the last few months, there is also an opportunity to implement new ideas and knowledge from past mistakes.
In recent years when the economy seemed to be on steady ground, trucking companies were more willing to spend money on expanding their fleets to meet anticipated demands.
Today the trend is shifting toward being more conservative with estimations and looking to increase profit by raising rates alone.
As a result, equipment used by trucking companies is also beginning to have an effect on the industry across the board. Carriers in a position to, or who have the need to add capacity are avoiding buying new equipment or opting for used equipment, which is driving prices down across the board.
The carriers who are not doing as well are then finding themselves owing more on equipment that they’re still paying on than it is actually worth, making it tough to get out of the business even if they wanted to.
The news isn’t all bad though…a report from Transport Capital Partners released findings from the Orlando conference says that while tonnage is off, some carriers are starting to see a boost that might imply that at least the recession has hit bottom.
With that, some of the healthier carriers are looking to merge or acquire companies that can expand their business, or are looking at companies that they feel can be fixed.
The result may be that when the economy does turn around, we may have a “capacity crunch” without enough tonnage capabilities to meet demand.
These days though, that sounds like a pretty nice problem to have.
Tags: economy, recession, Truckload Carriers Association
Posted in TrendWatch | 1 Comment »
Best Fleets to Drive For
Friday, March 27th, 2009
What makes a great fleet? That’s exactly what the Truckload Carriers Association and CarriersEdge looked for in their first annual Best Fleet to Drive For survey. Freemont Contract Carriers was selected as the winner in the over 100 power units category and Wannemacher Enterprises was selected as number one for fleets with under 100 power units.
For Freemont, which operates 312 trucks, it comes from a range of programs that tend to driver needs. Freemont offered its drivers profit sharing, driver wellness programs, flexible performance rewards and access to technology that improved safety and efficiency.
Wannemacher won top honors by educating the public and increasing industry awareness through a series of public safety videos. The videos, which aired as public service announcements on local cable stations, addressed general road safety concerns. This innovative approach helped to extend the company’s brand as well as promote the whole trucking industry as a key partner in safety.
The Best Fleets to Drive For is an annual award open to all fleets with at least 10 vehicles. Entrants were evaluated on the range and depth of offered programs, the overall effectiveness of those programs across key metrics, and the responses of surveyed drivers.
We want to extend our congratulations to both Freemont and Wannemacher.
We also want to know: what do YOU think makes a fleet great?
Tags: Best Fleets to Drive For, CarriersEdge, Freemont, Truckload Carriers Association, Wannemacher
Posted in Industry News | No Comments »
