Tag Archive for: midwest intermodal trucking

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.

 

 

 

Calhoun Truck Lines Optimistic for 2014

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Many trucking companies are looking ahead to 2014 to try to assess budget needs, driver hires, tonnage requirements and more for the coming year. It’s not as easy task. As any trucking firm will tell you, there are uncertainties along the way, amid the still-stagnant economy. Our company is looking at a variety of economic factors, including load projections, retail purchasing levels, and housing starts, among other things.

Some of the economic news is slightly better than what we’ve seen in recent years. There has been slow but steady job growth throughout 2013. Home starts were lower in August 2013 than through the earlier summer months, but still above where they were in 2012. And Deloitte is forecasting that expected holiday sales from November to January 2014 will be around $965 billion. That’s about a 4.5% increase over last year’s holiday sales.

Taken together, we can be slightly more optimistic that 2014 tonnage levels and cargo loads will be above 2013 figures. As the cost of diesel gas continues to drop, trucking companies like Calhoun Truck Lines can better manage our budget on diesel costs.

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But regulatory measures scheduled to come into effect in 2014 may play havoc with those budgets, writes Fleet Owner magazine. It notes that the hours of service (HOS) regulations may still impact intermodal and cargo firms in 2014 in ways not yet expected. And there is still the issue of the Bridge Act that is being debated in Congress to restore our country’s roads, bridges and transportation infrastructure.

Based in Minnesota, with hubs around the Midwest, Calhoun Truck Lines maintains a solid presence across the heartland, maintains its fleets and driver levels to proper levels and works hard to deliver our loads to operations all across the Midwest. With a little luck, good timing, and restored economic growth in 2014, business levels should continue to show promise across the board.

Senator Melisa Franzen Visits Calhoun Truck Lines

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What a treat to have MN Senator Melisa Franzen visit Calhoun Truck Lines HQ last week to learn more about our intermodal trucking business.

Senator Franzen was very interested in learning more about Calhoun Truck Lines, the U.S trucking business and some of the top issues on the table for the trucking industry in our home state of Minnesota.

Calhoun President Brent Bois (pictured with Senator Franzen) Senator Franzendiscussed with the Senator issues like finding proper funding for roads and bridges, the MTA’s position on repealing the warehousing tax, and preserving the current classification of independent contractors in our industry.

We really appreciate Senator Franzen taking the time in her schedule to visit with Calhoun Truck Lines to understand issues facing the trucking industry in Minnesota.  We look forward to working with her in the future.

Best & Brightest Trucking Industry Leaders Named to New ATA Program

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American Trucking Associations has announced the formation of a new leadership education and engagement program, leading up to its annual ATA Management Conference & Exhibition in October.

Called LEAD ATA, the new program is designed to educate and engage future leaders from within the US Trucking industry. Initially, 17 trucking executives from all over the country have been accepted as the inaugural class of the LEAD ATA program, These executives were chosen for their combination of strong leadership skills, keen insights and enthusiasm for the trucking industry.

The LEAD ATA offers these trucking executives a chance to inform and educate their colleagues and industry workers on the many regulatory and legislative processes that affect the U.S. trucking industry. In addition, these leaders will show how the ATA plays a key part in shaping legislation and regulations, and what ATA tools are available to other industry executives.

This first class includes trucking leaders aged 23 – 49, from 12 different states and working at fleets both small and large. The initial group of trucking industry leaders is:

  • Larry Barnes, Greenbush Logistics Inc.; Trucking_Calhoun
  • Doug Bennett,  US AutoLogistics LLC;
  • Brent Bois, Calhoun Truck Lines;
  • Chad Brueck, CRST International Inc.;
  • Tim Chrulski, Garner Trucking Inc.;
  • Michael Clifford, Ventura Transfer Company;
  • Chris Cooper, Boyd Bros. Transportation;
  • Charlie DeLacey, Kenan Advantage Group;
  • Casey Diaz, Charles Diaz Trucking Inc.;
  • Stephanie Fisher, YRC Worldwide Inc.;
  • Robert Haag, Perfect Transportation LLC;
  • Rick Hoyle, Trimac Transportation;
  • Dustin Koehl, Total Transportation of Mississippi LLC;
  • Robert Loya, California Cartage Company;
  • Chelsea Pottle, Pottle’s Transportation;
  • Jason Tempalski, FedEx Ground and
  • Martin Tewari, Con-way Truckload

LEAD ATA’s first session will take place this October at ATA’s annual Management Conference and Exhibition at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, FL.

Learning at the ATA Management Conference Oct 19-23

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Calhoun Truck Lines executives look to gain more insights into trucking trends, driver growth, natural gas trends and more at the upcoming annual ATA Management Conference and Exhibition 2013, taking place October 19-23 in Orlando, FL.

ATA-Management-ConferenceThe American Trucking Association’s Management Conference & Exhibition is definitely one of the calendar highlights for the U.S. trucking industry. It’s probably the most popular gathering of trucking industry colleagues and executives from across the US. We at Calhoun Truck Lines shared in the excitement and challenges of the industry at the 2012 conference.

Last year’s conference had large numbers of attendees who learned about trucking initiatives, shared in substantive policy discussions, took part in technology learning exercises, experienced great networking and enjoyed evening entertainment.

Here’s what in store at this year’s ATA:

Three General Sessions:
● State of the Industry keynote address by ATA’s President & CEO, Bill Graves
● All About the Driver; and
● The Highway Funding Crisis: Finding Solutions in the Age of Budget Deficits

In addition, there will be 12 educational sessions focused on intermodal trucking solutions and aiming to solve trucking’s biggest challenges and their solutions. Session tracks include: Government Regulation & Your Bottom Line; Trucking Technology & Natural Gas; Advocacy Toolbox; and Legal Issues.

Three Luncheons featuring:
● An “All Eyes on the Economy” panel (moderated by Fox News’ Stuart Varney)
● Jeb Bush, former Florida Governor, will speak to America’s Promise in Uncertain Times.
● A fun lunch in the exhibit hall will round out the program.
● Networking opportunities galore!

Watch ATA President and CEO Bill Graves describe below what’s in store for attendees to the conference:

From everyone at Calhoun Truck Lines, we hope to see you there!

New ATA Report Shows Trucking and Intermodal Growth through 2024

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Because of our unique perspective on intermodal transportation and cargo delivery, Calhoun Truck Lines is able to offer news and more at this blog, featuring our thoughts on overall trucking outlook, transportation issues, cost of diesel, driver hires and more. So we’re glad to read that our industry association, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) has just released its U.S. Freight Transportation to 2024 Report  report that focuses on growth aspects of trucking for the next decade.

ATA-ForecastThe report highlights the continuing importance of trucking and intermodal transportation in the United States. Among the highlights from the report include:

  • Larger share of tonnage – Trucking’s share of tonnage will continue to rise over the next decade, moving to an expected 70.8% by 2024 from 68.5% in 2012.
  • Higher Year-on-Year freight revenues – By 2024, overall freight revenue will grow nearly 64% to $1.3 trillion each year for the next 10 years.
  • More growth for truckloads – Volumes will grow 3.2% through 2018, and in smaller percentages for the following years.
  • Rail freight to Grow – The fastest growing freight mode will be intermodal rail. It’s expected to grow about 5% a year to 2018, then a bit less through to 2024.

At Calhoun Truck Lines, we are excited to hear more about growth issues in our industry. We consider it an important area of our nation’s economy. Calhoun Truck Lines’ operational facilities at our five Midwest trucking facilities are fully equipped to handle intermodal trucking needs. Contact us for more info on our business at https://calhountrucklines.com.

Procter & Gamble takes Distribution Lead with Natural Gas Ambitions

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At the Calhoun Truck Lines blog in recent months, we’ve touched on the growing intermodal trucking industry moves toward using cleaner fuels on the roads. The leading fuel alternative for our nation’s shipping needs is natural gas. Natural gas is plentiful, it is being pumped on our own US land, and is proving to attract the interest of investors, according to BusinessWeek.  
natural gas trucks, Calhoun Trucks
Now one of the nation’s largest consumer brands manufacturers is announcing upcoming moves toward using natural gas for its intermodal transportation needs in the coming years.  Proctor & Gamble, has announced that it is working to switch at least one-fifth (20 percent) of its for-hire truckloads natural-gas powered vehicles by 2015.  

Among the reasons cited by P & G in a company press release included costs savings and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by close to 5,000 metric tons. That’s roughly the  equivalent of the same amount of emissions produced by 1,000 cars on the road every year.  

During the initial phase of the rollout, trucks with natural gas will drive routes in 16 states, making average haul lengths of about 280 miles, with two 1,000 mile routes, according to P&G.  

From P & G’s press release:

“This for-hire natural gas carrier arrangement is in addition to P&G’s 22 natural gas vehicles, which comprise part of the company’s broader efforts to place sustainable logistics at the forefront of manufacturer-retailer collaboration across supply chains. P&G is bringing distribution centers closer to its customer and ensuring trucks are fully utilized in both directions. Globally, the company is moving from truck to rail and inland shipping, which according to P&G data is up to four times less carbon intensive.”  

The trucking industry is what we at Calhoun Truck Lines work in day in and day out. We think it’s important to share trucking industry news with our blog readers to have insights into what makes our company one of the Midwest’s leading intermodal freight companies. 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. Contact our company at https://calhountrucklines.com for locations and contacts.

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.

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