Tag Archive for: Calhoun Truck Lines

Maintaining Driver Safety in the Midst of Winter Storms

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Calhoun Truck Lines has a relentless focus on driver safety. In a variety of ways, our safety department strives to maintain high levels of our trucker’s safety on the roads. Check our blog for details on these driver safety measures.

Trucking-WeatherAnd when the weather conditions and driving conditions become a detriment to this safety, it becomes important to share our insights into keeping our drivers safe from poor weather-related driving conditions.

Last week’s frigid temperatures’ across the middle of the United States had a forceful impact on our Midwest trucking operations in Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus and Omaha. Our shipments decreased, and drivers were on extra high alert for any mechanical equipment failures with their trucks.

Weather of the fierce magnitude that hit the U.S. recently can also have a serious economic impact on trucking and the U.S. freight transportation industry. In a recent study “The Weather Business” an insurance company found that it cost U.S. airlines and trucking companies anywhere from $3 billion to $3.5 billion for the cost of weather-related delays.

But more than the economic impact that’s high is the potential toll of the human impact. It is the responsibility of our Calhoun Truck Lines safety department to make sure we maintain a high level of safety for each truck we put on the road. That’s important in all types of weather, from extreme summer heat to below-zero winter cold. Our trucker’s safety and condition of our cargo was first and foremost on our minds, in the most recent winter cold that gripped Midwest and much of the rest of the US.

Thankfully, our drivers and the trucks they drove in sub-zero temperature came through OK. We stayed in contact with our drivers, and found that close communication was essential in getting our cargo to its chosen destination. By working with good working trucking equipment, knowledgeable drivers and key coordinating staff, we found that you may not be able to beat Mother Nature, but can do well enough in spite of her ferocity.

 

Freight Theft Increases on US Roads

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Keeping a close eye on freight and cargo loads is an important part of our business as a Midwest intermodal freight carrier. As the holidays envelop us, there may be more instances of cargo thefts. A recent report from logistics company FreightWatch Int’l. outlined 212 cargo thefts that occurred in the U.S. in the last recorded period (76 thefts in August, 84 in September, and 52 in October).

Freight-TheftAccording to the FreightWatch Int’l. report and detailed in a TruckingInfo article, cargo losses per incident totaled about $256,586 per theft. The number of thefts were lower, but the average dollar value of the losses increased dramatically by 58 percent. Almost a quarter of the thefts (22%) were food and drink cargo loads, and cargo thieves apparently were targeting meats, cereals, soft drinks and dry foods. Electronics cargo loads with TVs, computers, and computer accessories were the next highest raided, with 29 instances during the Aug-October period.

The Freightwatch Int’l. report noted that the top 5 states with the highest number of cargo thefts were California, Texas, Florida, Illinois and Georgia. In these states, about 75 percent of the incidents occurred, mostly from cargo loads in unsecured parking areas. The report noted that there were 157 container and trailer theft incidents, making these the most common type of theft (75%) of period total.

The numbers for the full year 2013 are not yet available, but there were almost 950 U.S. cargo theft incidents in 2012. That was the highest number of theft incidents on record for the cargo industry in the US.

Calhoun Truck Lines is vigilant about the protection of our cargo loads and our drivers in the area of cargo theft. With a combination of training and trucker best practices, we are able to keep any cargo theft that may occur to a very low percentage. Protection and preparation are key tools to use against cargo theft.

 

 

 

Top Truck Drivers in the U.S. named to America’s Road Team

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One of the essential and crucial parts of a professional truck driver’s job is to drive safely. Making America’s highways safer for all who travel them is a paramount concern for many of us in the industry, and especially to the American Trucking Association.  

Because of this, the American Trucking Association (ATA) names a new team of professional truck drivers every two years to an elite team of drivers called America’s Road Team. The new group of 19 drivers was named as the 2013-2014 America’s Road Team this week by the ATA.  

A salute to the America’s Road Team Captains from Calhoun Truck Lines! We value and appreciate the way in which you all represent our industry and congratulate all of you for the success you’ve had behind the wheel.  

All of these drivers share common characteristics when it comes to safety on the road. They share millions of miles without any accidents, according to Transport Topics. Not only do they have clean driving records, but they all have strong trucking industry expertise, good communication skills, solid community service and lifetime safety records.   America’s Road team will spend the next few years carrying out the ATA’s message of driver safety in various outreach and events aimed at the motoring public.   

“America’s Road Team represents the best our industry has to offer:  pride, professionalism and dedication to making our highways safer for all who travel them,” ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said in the ATA press release. “Today as we honor our newest captains, I want to congratulate not just these fine individuals, but all those hardworking drivers who strive every day to deliver America’s most essential goods safely and efficiently.”  

Representing America’s 3-million-plus professional drivers, the team serves as an example of the professional dedication and teamwork needed to deliver America’s freight safely and on time, Graves added.  

At Calhoun Truck Lines, we are proud of all these drivers and their ability to move freight safely and swiftly across the country. Calhoun Truck Lines’ operational facilities at our five Midwest trucking facilities are fully equipped to handle your intermodal trucking needs, for whatever freight assignments you might have. We deliver a level of service that consistently meets our customers’ expectations by providing a professional working environment for our employees, and maintaining a safe truck fleet.

What Is Our Shipped Cargo Worth to America?

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If you recall, the 8-day strike at the Port of Long Beach in December 2012 disrupted the flow of containers inland right in the middle of the holiday season. For many of us in the intermodal freight industry, the unwarranted strike had a tremendous knock-down effect that impacted many cargo and freight operations all across the United States.  

According to the NY Times article, some 600 clerical workers were responsible for $650 million in idled trade each day of the strike. Because of the clerical worker’s demands, 10 of the 14 shipping container terminals at the two ports were closed down, and many union longshoremen dared not to cross the picket lines.  

This action ended up costing our country’s economy a lot of money, and disrupting the flow of goods across our nation’s interstates. Now we seem to be heading toward our version of a ‘fiscal cargo cliff’ on the East Coast that looks to affect our business in all markets.   

According to this week’s Journal of Commerce, contract talks about work rules and staffing between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the New York Shipping Association have broken down. The two sides were hoping to come to an agreement on these matters before the Feb. 6 deadline date for a new contract with the ILA.  

The talks broke down to to a call for ‘revolutionary changes’ in work practices sought by the NYSA. For more than two years, according to the article, they planned to use the current negotiations to seek changes in the port’s work rules and practices, some of which predate containerization.  

The effect of a strike cannot be understated. Our Midwest trucking firm Calhoun Truck Lines is already hearing from clients we currently work with that they are already making contingency plans or are making plans to cancel the loading of containers for export via NY/NJ ports from Detroit to Omaha. These cancellations will have a massive impact on trucking companies hauling containers throughout the country and more importantly, on the livelihoods of the drivers that haul the freight.  

We ask our readers to get in touch with their state representatives or Congressional leaders to step up and get involved in these negotiations. We cannot let these discussions negatively impact the still fragile and slightly growing U.S. economy spread across the country. We need your support.

Calhoun Truck Lines Hires Midwest Transportation Pro Dennis Figgins for Omaha Terminal

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Calhoun Truck Lines, a leader in intermodal shipping and trucking transportation throughout the Midwest, is pleased to announce the hiring of regional transportation veteran Dennis Figgins to head up its Omaha terminal. Dennis will be responsible for improving Calhoun’s position in the Omaha market in 2013. 

Dennis Figgins brings a unique skillset to the management group at Calhoun. He is well-known throughout the Midwest intermodal transportation industry, and has a long history with trucks and transportation. He has been in the transportation industry for over 25 years and has spent the last 13 in the intermodal marketplace.  


Dennis started with one truck when working as an owner-operator for Nebraska Furniture Mart in 1986. He later became a fleet owner, transferred to the intermodal transportation business in 1999, and moved into an office management position a year later.  

Since 2000, Dennis worked as Terminal Manager and Regional Manager for Omaha-based Mason and Dixon, one of Calhoun’s larger competitors in the Midwest. He was involved in sales there, as well as overseeing multiple terminals for the firm.  

“I’m extremely excited to have Dennis aboard with our company and I know that he’ll be a great addition to our management team”, said Brent Bois, owner of Calhoun Truck Lines.  “I like the fact that Dennis once held the position of owner operator. That helps bring a different perspective to an environment where good owner operators are hard to find. Dennis’ well rounded background in the intermodal industry and his knowledge of the Omaha market puts us in a great position for growth in 2013,” said Bois.  

This is the second appointment for new terminal heads for Calhoun Truck Lines in recent weeks. The company announced the appointment of another industry vet Enrique Segoviano for its Chicago terminal in recent weeks.  

Calhoun Truck Lines has four trucking operations (Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha) throughout the Midwest. Each operation is fully equipped to handle your business’s intermodal trucking needs. Calhoun is dedicated to delivering high levels of service that consistently meet customers’ expectations. We maintain a professional work environment for our employees and are committed to a safety conscious truck fleet to share the roads with fellow motorists.

Top Dispatch Veteran Joins Chicago Operations for Calhoun Truck Lines

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Independent intermodal trucking company Calhoun Truck Lines is proud to announce the addition of a dispatch operation veteran to help guide its Chicago operations.

Enrique Segoviano is a dispatch operation veteran with many years in the industry, Segoviano has worked for companies like Proficient Transport and others in the Chicago area.   


Delivering intermodal cargo in the Midwest, it’s important that Calhoun Truck Lines found a local candidate for the role. And after a long search for the right candidate, we are thrilled to find and hire Enrique. We’re very excited for this upgrade at dispatch in our Chicago market!  

Enrique has strong intermodal dispatch experience in the Chicago market and we look forward to growing our terminal with his expertise and support.  Aside from being a skilled dispatcher, Enrique is an avid Chicago sports fan.  He strongly supports the Bulls and enjoys playing basketball when he’s not working or hanging out with his family.  

“I’m thrilled to have Enrique on our team”, said Calhoun president, Brent Bois. “Debbie Torres has been running our Chicago intermodal terminal for many years and we’ve always struggled to find the proper support to help her grow the terminal.  I feel that Enrique is the right man for the job, helping to provide a solution to that issue and I look forward to helping him succeed with our company”, Bois added.  

Segoviano’s appointment helps Calhoun Truck Lines maintain its growth role in the Midwest trucking and intermodal operations. It’s a solid company that can bring great talent onboard in the intermodal market place.  Recently, we’ve found two talented individuals (Dennis Figgins and Enrique Segoviano) to improve the quality of our organization. Both Segoviano and Figgins understand the importance of the relationship between our company and the independent contractors that haul our freight. In addition, they have the respect of our customers and know how to provide the type of service they expect.  

To all our readers of our Calhoun Truck Lines blog, help us in welcoming Enrique Segoviano to our Midwest Intermodal trucking team!

NTSB Outines Top Transportation Priorities for 2013

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Preserving the integrity of our nation’s transportation infrastructure, enhancing pipeline safety and eliminating substance-impaired driving are just a few of NTSB’s top transportation priorities outlined by the agency this week.

The National Transportation Safety Board today identified its top transportation challenges for 2013,  with six of the ten issues focusing on highway travel where most transportation fatalities take place. The list also includes substance-impaired driving, which the NTSB described as the “number one killer” on the list.
driver safety
The NTSB’s 2013 Most Wanted List of transportation priorities includes:

  • Improve Safety of Airport Surface Operations 
  • Preserve the Integrity of Transportation Infrastructure 
  • Enhance Pipeline Safety 
  • Implement Positive Train Control Systems 
  • Eliminate Substance-Impaired Driving 
  • Improve the Safety of Bus Operations 
  • Eliminate Distraction in Transportation 
  • Improve Fire Safety in Transportation 
  • Improve General Aviation Safety
  • Mandate Motor Vehicle Collision Avoidance Technologies

Ending distractions in all its forms of transportation for drivers is the key focus for this annual list of the independent federal safety agency’s top advocacy priorities. According to the NTSB, distraction was the cause of multiple accidents investigated by the agency in recent years. The agency reasons that effects of distraction that cause some 35,000 annual deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries on the roads will only continue to grow.

Calhoun Truck Lines stands right alongside these priorities. Our service is to maintain the highest level of transportation safety for each truck we put on the road. We achieve DOT compliance for our drivers and support our field operations to enhance working relationships with our truck fleet. Calhoun Truck Lines rewards drivers for their ongoing compliance and set disciplinary action for those who receive violations.

The list covers all transportation modes. There are six new issue areas — distraction, fire safety, infrastructure integrity, pipeline safety, positive train control and motor vehicle collision avoidance technologies.

NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said that the NTSB was releasing the list now to make driver safety a key topic available to policymakers at the state and federal levels as well as industry groups as they craft their priorities for 2013.

What’s Next for the Trucking Industry and Intermodal Transportation?

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The 2012 presidential election is history. The voters have affirmed a second term for the incumbent president. The congressional makeup of the House (Republican majority) and the Senate (Democratic majority) remain mostly the same and American still faces great challenges on all fronts to its prosperity and its future.  

However, there are some encouraging signs for our trucking industry. Third-quarter results for domestic intermodal container volume were released during election week. The Intermodal Association of North America reported a 11.3 percent increase in domestic containers, which were chiefly responsible for the gains in intermodal. Volumes were higher in the Northeast and Midwest intermodal trucking industry, with growth in numbers of up to nearly 15 percent higher.   Midwest trucking industry Calhoun truck lines

While reports of strong domestic container growth is welcome, weak port volume was the largest overall cause of modest international intermodal volume increases, according to the IANA. An anticipated rebound in imports should help to “…deliver higher levels of overall intermodal performance in the coming months,” the IANA reports.   

At last month’s American Trucking Association’s conference, ATA President Bill Graves said that intermodal transportation industry can be stimulated by job growth and more jobs, but the U.S. government has to get its act together to bolster a weak economy. At Calhoun Truck Lines, we are hopeful that the economy will continue to grow, container volumes will rise and we will be able to move more freight from our five Midwest trucking facilities.  

Each of Calhoun Truck Lines’ operational facilities is fully equipped to handle your intermodal trucking needs. The company is dedicated to delivering a level of service that consistently meets our customers’ expectations. Our responsibility continues with providing a professional working environment for our employees and maintaining a safety conscious truck fleet to share the roads with fellow motorists.  

With the help of our elected officials, sound transportation initiatives can be developed. For instance, Midwestern states’ governors brought forth regional recommendations for the federal transportation bill signed into law in July 2012. By working along with these guidelines for states in the country’s midwest, we can try to use transportation to help propel the Midwest’s energy, people and products.

$23 Billion Being Invested In The Intermodal Freight Railway Network.

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As a company working in the Midwest intermodal transport business, we’re often described as being closely situated at the heart of our nation’s railway system.

There are over 140,000 miles of rail comprising a network that stretches across the major freight railroads in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as Amtrak. These railroads carry 43 percent of intercity domestic freight – more than any other mode of transportation.

Through this interconnected rail network, our U.S. freight railroads are a shining emblem as the world’s most efficient, lowest-cost freight rail system. Because of this transportation prowess, the U.S. has led for many years in developing state-of-the-art logistics systems for truckers, rail companies, and other freighters.

The benefits of this massive rail network across North America are many. According to the Association of American Railroads, freight railroads provide shippers like Calhoun Truck Lines an affordable and efficient way to move freight. Through this method, freight railroads provide enormous public benefits, including increased fuel efficiency, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and less highway congestion.

This is a circuitous way to tell how proud and excited we are at Calhoun Truck Lines to learn that the Association of American Railroads is investing $23 billion to build, maintain and upgrade the nation’s freight rail network throughout 2012. This is news that was recently announced in new ads released by The Association of American Railroads. You can see one of the clips below.

Just for comparison sake, the new ads show that $23 billion invested in the U.S. rail network is equivalent to four sports stadiums, five large bridges and eight convention centers. It’s a huge infrastructure project that most Americans don’t really even think about today. The AAR wants to bring awareness to the investment it makes in freight lines that enable goods and commerce to work well.

According to a recent story at RT&S, freight railroad companies support the country’s nationwide rail network so taxpayers don’t have to. “These investments in turn help keep American businesses competitive in the global marketplace, while supporting not only railroad jobs, but also supporting jobs throughout the economy,” said Edward Hamberger, president and CEO of AAR. “And by investing more than $500 billion since 1980, we have created the best freight rail network in the world.”

The AAR says that railroads invest about 17 percent of annual revenues on capital expenditures annually. That’s huge, a far higher amount per year compared to other U.S. goods manufacturers. These investments take shape in new rail tracks, bridges and tunnels; intermodal terminals for truck-to-train freight transport; modern safety equipment; new locomotive engines and other ways to keep our freight rail network running productively.

ATA Management Conference Wrap-Up

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The American Trucking Associate Management Conference is now over, and the Calhoun Truck Lines team is back home and back to work. We met great new contacts, partners, suppliers, regulatory contacts and others. We saw new truck makes and models on the show floor, as well as a slew of other tools for truckers.  

The panels on the state of the trucking industry economy were probably the best attended I’ve seen. The welfare of our industry is closely tied to the growth of the economy, job certainty and other economic indicators. No wonder the hall was packed.  

The panelists suggested strongly that Congress really has to start working together to reinvigorate the economy and help keep trucking moving along on in 2013. Fears of the fiscal cliff becoming real are growing.  

Even if the fiscal cliff is averted, uncertainty will be a factor in dampening growth, said one of the panelists, Gregory Daco, senior economist at IHS Global Insight, who predicted that GDP growth next year will be slightly less than two percent. Other financial analysts are hoping that results of the presidential elections will start to shift a turn for the better in 2013.  

Commercial Carrier Journal also reported on ATA chief economist Bob Costello’s talk. Costello told the crowd that capacity and demand would remain fairly level because of driver shortages and high replacement costs for new equipment. In other words, truckers are not likely to be investing in new equipment until the economy improves. However, truckers need to be alert to any positive economic news in order to not get caught short being unable to manage any freight increases.  

A representative from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation also gave an overview on trucking safety and highway investment. TT News wrote that a new national freight strategic plan is required in three years, and that the plan will be developed with states and private transportation stakeholders.  

The conference came to a winning conclusion with a dinner and entertainment for the attendees on Wednesday night and entertainment provided by classic rockers The Doobie Brothers. it was a fun event for many in attendance.  

Industry managers are now back at their home base and likely looking to start pushing forward with ideas, plans and strategies to lift their respective freight businesses. Calhoun Truck Lines is especially interested in growing demand for freight within the Midwest operations. Let’s hope Congress can start to work productively in 2013 to help all of us on our way.

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