Tag Archive for: intermodal transport

The Five Locations of Calhoun Truck Lines

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Intermodal freight volumes are heading in the right direction for Calhoun Truck Lines, according to its President Brent Bois.  

And that’s good news for the five operational facilities run by the Midwest intermodal freight operation.  Since summer 2012, when Minneapolis, MN-based Calhoun Truck Lines has invested money into its infrastructure, adding top talent from the intermodal community, expanding into new locations, and elevating its service, truck fleet and capacity to handle more business.   Calhoun Service Area


Today in summer 2013, Calhoun Truck Lines offers customers intermodal freight services and trucking capabilities from five locations – Minneapolis, Omaha, Chicago, Indianapolis and Detroit. Each of these locations are fully and professionally staffed, have electronic monitoring of freight, are certified to move freight among all the 48 contiguous states, and meet all the industry standards for driver safety and fuel efficiency programs.

“We made it a goal to hire and contract with talented employees and more “A-level” players throughout the intermodal community,” said President Brent Bois. “Those decisions throughout the past 12 months are really paying dividends right now. I’ve been contacted by other industry players and drivers who are interested in what we have going on at Calhoun and want to be a part of it,” said Bois.   

This momentum for Calhoun Truck Lines was fueled in part by its name change in summer 2012 to its current name, after competitors were confusing Calhoun’s customers and partners with similar trucking outfit names. Through this change and a ramping up of talent and services, Calhoun has developed a strong name in Midwest intermodal trucking.  

The company has reinvested money back into its infrastructure, using new servers, Qualcomm devices for all Calhoun trucks, and better support for the field offices, according to Bois. In addition, Calhoun has increased compensation to their owner operators and added an incentive-based bonus pay for safe and accountable drivers.  

As important as it is for Calhoun to reinvest in their infrastructure, Bois believes that the drivers come first.  Over the next three years Bois believes Calhoun will invest more money in driver retention than technology.  “Once a driver contracts with our company and establishes a good working relationship with dispatch,” remarked Bois, “we want to make sure they’re with us for the long run.”   

Calhoun’s commitment to helping owner operators succeed is critical in an environment that’s starting to feel the impact of qualified drivers.  This is important, as it helps make Calhoun Truck Lines a great option for safety conscious drivers looking to make good money and a solid trucking opportunity. For more information on the company and driving options, go to www.calhountrucklines.com.

Happy One-Year Anniversary Calhoun Truck Lines – A Year Older

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It’s our birthday! This month, Calhoun Truck Lines celebrates its one-year anniverary of its name change from Universal Transportation Services. The name and logo-identity change has overall been a positive move, resulting in better communications, more efficiency and improved results in our trucking and Midwest intermodal freight operation.  
Calhoun Truck Lines
“It’s been a year since we changed our name to Calhoun Truck Lines and I couldn’t be happier with the results,” said Brent Bois, President and owner of Calhoun. “We spent a a good deal of effort and energy to notify our customers and drivers in advance of the change. That effort from all of our employees helped greatly to create a smooth transition.”

What’s been really good for business, added Bois, is the elimination of confusion with competitors. “Most of our constituents have been positive about the change of us becoming the identity of Calhoun Truck Lines.”  

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 clients’ intermodal trucking needs. The company provides service that consistently meets customers’ expectations, provides a professional work environment for employees and maintains a safety conscious truck fleet to share the roads with fellow motorists.

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.

Five Steps to Using Intermodal Transport

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Everyday across the USA, trucks, ships and other shipping vehicles get used for the purpose of intermodal transport. If you’re new to the intermodal shipping field, maybe a few background insights will help you better understand this transportation method.

Intermodal transportation is generally defined as a shipping method in which two or more modes of transport are used. This could describe, for example, a shipping scenario where goods within containers are loaded from a truck to a ship for water transport to another port, and then back on truck again for final delivery to destination. Or the goods can be moved from a train to a truck for final shipment.

intermodal transport Calhoun Truck LinesCreating a smooth intermodal trucking system requires adherence to schedule operations, and a strict focus on quality and service. Calhoun Truck Lines spends a great deal of our energy on both of these attributes. To help you better figure out if our services are suitable for your goods, consider the six tips listed below in making intermodal shipments.

  • Choose the arrival and destination locations for your shipped goods
  • Make note of the cargo’s sizes ie. dimensions, weight and other specifics
  • Make plans for any special services like delivery notifications, blind shipments, etc.
  • Compare a variety of truck, rail and air quotes in real time from top carriers
  • Check transit times, prices and any other options for guaranteed delivery
  • Book your cargo delivery with Calhoun Truck Lines and review your shipping information

Moving your cargo from point A to Point D (and points B and C in between) is the heart of our business. And to sweeten the deal, we’re also an industry recognized SmartWay Transportation partners with the U.S. EPA. This means that, as a partner, we agree with certain government standards to:

  • Assess freight operations;
  • Calculate fuel consumption and carbon footprint; and
  • Track fuel-efficiency and emission reductions annually.

So, if you’re a customer that needs an excellent intermodal shipping partner, consider Calhoun Truck Lines. We’re one of the Midwest’s largest intermodal transportation companies, supplying intermodal trucking services from five facilities to help clients in Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Minneapolis and Omaha.

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