Tag Archive for: intermodal trucking business

Setback for Truckers? FMCSA Denies ATA Request for Extra 3-Months’ Time

/in /by

Has there been another setback to Calhoun Truck Lines and the rest of the still economically challenged U.S. trucking industry? Only time will tell. Interstate shipping firms learned recently that their request for an extra three months’ time before a new trucking hours-of-service rules take effect was rejected by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Apparently, the FMCSA does not believe ATA has demonstrated good reason to delay compliance, and that the FMCSA is not willing “to sacrifice what may be several months of public safety benefits from the timely implementation of the rule.”   interstate shipping Calhoun Truck Lines

The American Trucking Association had asked the FMCSA a month ago to delay the start of updated hours-of-service regulations. But like the US Senate and House Republicans, it seems like trucking’s main bodies have a hard time agreeing as well.

Trucking Info wrote: “In response to a late January letter from ATA president Bill Graves, FMCSA Chief Counsel T.F. Scott Darling III on Feb. 22 denied a request to delay compliance with the new rules from a scheduled July 1 start date until three months after a federal court issues its decision on challenges to hours of service that ATA and other groups have filed.“

The Hours of Service of Drivers Final Rule was published in the Federal Register on December 27, 2011. The Final Rule’s effective date is February 27, 2012, and the compliance date of selected provisions is July 1, 2013. More info is at the FMCSA Hours-of-Service page.

The final rule, according to the FMCSA, required truck drivers who maximized their weekly work hours to take at least two nights’ rest when their 24-hour body clock demands sleep the most – from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. This rest requirement is part of the rule’s “34-hour restart” provision that allows drivers to restart the clock on their work week by taking at least 34 consecutive hours off-duty. The final rule allows drivers to use the restart provision only once during a seven-day period.

“I’m not sure how this ruling will affect capacity over the next twelve months,” said Brent Bois, President of Calhoun Truck Lines, a leading Midwestern intermodal trucking company. “It seems as if our government may take care of that problem with the unresolved “sequester” deadline just days away. However, our elected official’s inability to resolve these issues will have a negative impact on our economy for the remainder of 2013 and will mitigate any truck capacity issues this year.”

“The real issue resides with training drivers and enforcement agencies,” continued Bois. “The likelihood of inconsistent enforcement and unwarranted violations will increase and have a negative affect on the trucking community. This will not help add drivers to the industry and could have a much larger impact on capacity in the long run.”

Small Increases in US Economy Makes for Good Laborers

/in /by

As the economy goes, so goes the workers. That may not be the right phrasing, but it sure makes a heck of a lot of sense for trucking companies like Calhoun Truck Lines.   Calhoun Truck Lines

You see, in the intermodal trucking business, without cargo traffic to haul and deliver from point A to Point B and points in between, our workers are idle. And we’d rather have our trucking employees out on the roads working cargo loads and distributing goods across the Midwest than being without cargo loads.

So it’s good news that the Federal Reserve is seeing some of the same things our drivers and our analysts are seeing across the region. That is, there’s been a spike in intermodal trucking services this past summer due to upswings in other key industries like auto sales and more.  

The Federal Reserve announced that the U.S. economy expanded somewhat in July and August, with an accompanied steady to moderate growth in trucking and logistics services.  This news comes from the Fed’s ‘beige book’ on U.S. economic conditions. Most of the Fed’s 12 districts reported higher retail activity, including automobile sales, an important factor in they way we measure our business output.  

This is encouraging news. Our independent trucking company relies on growth indicators from the economy as signs to grow our driver numbers, increase management tasks, and seek out additional cargo loads. Since the U.S. logistics system is made up of different industry segments and businesses working in intermodal transportation, it’s important that these companies help move the nation’s standard shipping containers and trailers to aid in our economic recovery.  

Intermodal trucking and rail firms, ocean carriers, port authorities, logistics companies, and suppliers are all on the front lines of our economy. Let’s remember to remember all the workers who are out in the nation’s thicket, trying to get this country moving again.  

The start of a recovery is a great position to be in. As an independent trucking firm delivering intermodal cargo in the Midwest, we will make this blog a place where you can learn what’s happening from our drivers, our customers, and our management in the months ahead.

We Are Now Calhoun Truck Lines

/in /by

We’ve been telling you about it for a little while now, but now it’s official. We’re Calhoun Truck Lines, your leading Midwest provider of intermodal trucking services.  As of June 1st, 2012 we began doing business as Calhoun Truck Lines and we’re excited about moving forward as one of the leading Midwest intermodal trucking companies.  

We’re excited about our name change to Calhoun Truck Lines. There had been a growing confusion among our customers that a trucking competitor with a similar name was connected somehow to our business. Changing our name and rebranding our company has not been easy, but was necessaintermodal trucking company Calhoun Truck Linesry to minimize confusion with our customers and drivers.  

Calhoun Truck Lines was named in part after Calhoun Lake, the well-known lake in the Minneapolis, MN region. We’ve notified our customers with the news of our name change, we’re updating the signs on our trucks and we’re doing our best to stand out more in our marketplace.  

By updating our name and web site, Calhoun Truck Lines can now move forward with minimal customer confusion, and continue to provide the best service we can under a new identity. Thankfully, we’ve received positive feedback from our customers, who share the excitement about our new identity.  

In the intermodal trucking business, there are occasions when company names can be misleading or get in the way of business relationships. And for those of us working in international freight, we’re aware of that. It’s almost like managing a complicated logistics issue. Calhoun Truck Lines will still provide intermodal trucking services throughout the Midwest from our four trucking operations in Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Omaha. Each operation is fully equipped to handle large intermodal trucking needs.  

Calhoun Truck Lines is certified to run in all 48 states with a regional focus in MI, OH, IN, IL, WI, IN, MI, IA, MN, WI, ND, SD, NE, IA, MO, KS. It will operate as the same company, with the same ownership and same great service, just a different name.  For more information, contact Calhoun Truck Lines at www.calhountrucklines.com or call customer service at one of the four Calhoun Truck Lines locations.

© Copyright – Calhoun Truck Lines