Tag Archive for: midwest trucking

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.

 

 

 

Transportation, Freight Crisis Looms in Midst of Overcapacity

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According to a new trucking/freight industry report, the U.S. regulatory environment for intermodal freight companies might be the largest factor in increased transportation costs.

“The State of Freight” report, written by FTR Snr. Consultant Noel Perry, looks at the upcoming capacity shifts for the trucking industry and the ramifications of proposed and ongoing government regulations.

Just a quick glance at the Rules and Regulations at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration site is likely enough to make any trucking company’s executive heads spin. But in fact, it’s this sort of massive regulatory environment that is forcing trucking executives to think hard about driver hiring decisions and capacity moves in the coming 18-24 months.

Trucking-MidwestIn a quote at FTR’s site, Perry says “If federal agencies do what they say they’re going to do, by the third quarter of 2015, we will need to hire another 160,000 drivers.” If this happens, Perry suggests, it may test the patience for intermodal trucking companies and freight firms.

A capacity crisis is one of the scenarios forecast in Perry’s report. He noted that regulatory changes may bring about additional driver hiring by trucking firms. The report forecasts some extra 160,000 drivers may be needed in two years’ time. And if demand doesn’t stay strong due to regulatory issues, government shutdowns or another recession, shortages may become the net result.

The trucking industry is already operating at tight margins of hiring, with leaner staffs and appropriate levels of trucks over the past few years. This has led to a manageable level of costs. But if there’s a great influx of demand, prices will have to go up correspondingly.

Calhoun Truck Lines continues to watch the overall regulatory area for changes, and how it affects our freight business in the Midwest. As we move closer to 2014, we hopefully anticipate more growth in our business. If your business is looking to move cargo, contact one of our five Midwest locations for a customized shipping solution.

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.

Trucking Industry Maintains its Prominence in US Economy

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As one of the Midwest’s leading trucking firms, we know the importance of maintaining a strong and profitable presence in our local economy. We work hard, give our drivers plenty of work and contribute to the overall nationwide economy with our transportation and trucking services for intermodal cargo across the country.  

And Calhoun Truck Lines is just a small part of the overall impact that trucking companies and the trucking industry bring to the American economic engine. Recently, our leading industry association – the American Trucking Association – delivered a new report that underscores the importance of the trucking industry.  
trucking company, Calhoun Truck Lines
The ATA American Trucking Trends 2013 shows that the overall trucking industry continues to be a strong economic engine for the nation, and indicates that trucking remains the main mode of US freight transportation. Using trucks to deliver goods around the country is a mainstay of our service and one that we look to grow at Calhoun Truck Lines.   

Some of the biggest facts seen in the new Trends report included:

Employment  

  • Trucking companies, intermodal companies, and others trucking related services and industry-related companies employed nearly 7 million workers in 2012.   
  • Most trucking companies are small businesses, notes the report. About 90% of trucking firms operate six or fewer trucks. Only 2.8% of fleets operate more than 20 trucks.   

Shipments  

  • Trucks were responsible for moving nearly 70% of all U.S. trucked shipments in 2012. That’s almost 9.5 billion tons of freight last year. Those numbers show increases from 2011’s numbers.   
  • Trucks in the 6-8 class traveled 137 billion miles in 2011, almost a five percent increase form the earlier year.   

Revenues         

  • U.S. trucking industry gross freight-related revenues totaled some $642 billion. That’s 80% of the freight bills across US trucking companies, according to ATA.  
  • Trucking companies paid 10% more taxes in 2011 than in 2009, amounting to $36.5 billion in federal and state highway user fees and taxes in 2011.   

Some challenges exist for trucking networks. The ATA noted issues like our nation’s infrastructure in need of repairs, issues for supply management and logistics teams, and the continuing worry of not enough drivers to carry our fleets across the country. But Calhoun Truck Lines remains confident that we can overcome some of these challenges and continue to play a prominent role in our country’s economic future.

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!

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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