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Officers Chairman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jack Brim Vice Chairman . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kevin Savoy Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bruce MacDonald Immediate Past Chairman . . . . . . .Bill Ward
ATA Board of Directors Dennis Bailey, Robert Barnett, Aubrey Baugh, Rhonda Bees, Gary Bond, Ray Brock, Greg Brown, Will Bruser, Mike Callahan, Dan Carmichael, Fenn Church, Mark Coffman, Jeff Coleman, John Collier, Rodger Collins, Driscoll Colquett, Brent Cook, Gail Cooper, Al Cox, Jerry Davis, Ranny Davis, Phil DeSimone, Joe Donald, Edmund Doss, Mack Dove, Russ Elrod, Dean Flint, Jack Fricks, Terry Kilpatrick, Jason King, Mark Knotts, Jerry Kocan, Drew Linn, Alan Love, Jeff McGrady, Barry McGriff, Tom McLeod, Shane McMinn, Buck Moore, E.H. Moore, Jr., Ross Neely, Jr., Tommy Neely, George Overstreet, Butch Owens, Clay Palm, Jim Pickens, Mike Pursley, David Rouse, Bill Scruggs, Harold Sorrells, Ronnie Stephenson, Paul Storey, James Suttles, Wayne Watkins, Bill Watson, Scott White, David Wildberger, Skip Williams, T.J. Willings, Keith Wise.
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Diamond Celebration
More than 420 trucking executives and guests gathered in Destin, Fla. for the Alabama Trucking Association’s 75th Annual Convention and Meeting last spring. The event drew record attendance with Association officials sparing no expense or effort to make this year’s meeting special.
Two in a Row
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Alabama Professional Driver of the Year Larry Thomas brings home another big one at the SMMC Fleet Safety Awards for Charles G. Lawson Trucking – the company’s second consecutive Driver of the Year.
ATA Staff J. Frank Filgo, CAE, President & CEO Tim Frazier, CDS, Dir. of Safety & Member Services Jane Nixon, Executive Assistant Lynn Thornton, Bookkeeper Ford Boswell, Communications Manager Brandie Norcross, Administrative Assistant
ATA WCSIF Staff Kimble Coaker, CEO & Fund Administrator Debra Calhoun, Office Manager Kimberly Best, Account Representative Rick Hunter, LSP, CDS, Director of Loss Control Harold Smith, ESQ, Legal Counsel Scott Hunter, MS, CDS, Loss Control Engineer Duane Calhoun, CDS, Loss Control Engineer Kim Sims, Administrative Assistant Kim Campbell, Underwriter Coordinator Published quarterly by the Alabama Trucking Assn., P.O. Box 242337, Montgomery, AL 36124-2337.
Nuckolls wins TDC
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AAA Cooper veteran driver Gary Nuckolls has been a consistent top performer at the Alabama Truck Driving Championships for more than decade. This year he won it all, earning the title of Alabama TDC Grand Champion. He and the other class winners now prepare for the National TDC later this summer in Utah.
D
E P A R T M E N T S
President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Safety Insights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 SMMC Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Trucking News Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Buyers’ Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 ATA Events and New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
ADVERTISING RATES: Quoted upon request.
Alabama Trucking Association
Alabama Trucking Association 334-834-3983 • A LABAMA T RUCKER • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013
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From the President
Thank You Chairman Jack Brim Frank Filgo, CAE President and CEO Alabama Trucking Association
‘One might think that the job as Chairman of the Board is purely ceremonial — that’s not the case with this Association.’
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ne of the great pleasures of my job is to work with and serve our Association’s Chairman of the Board. To date, I’ve had the privilege of serving 18 different Chairman, all of whom brought their unique blend of talents, ideas and suggestions. One might think that the job as Chairman of the Board is purely ceremonial — that’s not the case with this Association. A decision was made long ago that ATA would be a member driven organization, one in which the Chairman serves to optimize the relationship between the Board and management. The agenda for the year is set by the Chairman with the support of the Board and its various committees. This approach works well, particularly with a motivated leader. This Association was blessed to have had Jack Brim of B.R. Williams Trucking Co. as its leader. Jack worked extremely hard, and always sought to do the absolute best for our great Association. His accomplishments are many—some of which are noted in the Resolution in Recognition of Exemplary Service found on page 12. His ability to work with others towards a common goal was instrumental. Under his leadership, the Association has grown in prestige and influence.
I recall a conversation with Jack back in 2006 when the ATA\ATA Workers’ Comp Fund Building was completed. He was concerned that the conference room was too small, and that we really needed to enlarge it. He never lost sight of that dream. Days after his installation, he brought that idea back to the Board, and, as of this writing, we are about to have our end-ofthe-year Board meeting and Officer Installation Ceremony in a very spacious and welldesigned conference room. This project will benefit the Association for years to come, providing a better venue for ATA’s training and educational functions. As Jack’s tenure comes to an end, we say “job well done.” We are fortunate to have had his vision and leadership for the 20122013 year. Jack will continue to serve this Association for years to come. As Immediate Past Chairman, he will chair the ATA Policy & Finance Committee and the ATA Nominating Committee. Now we turn our attention to the 20132014 year under the leadership of a new Chairman, Mr. Kevin Savoy of Greenbush Logistics. We have no doubt that this Association will continue to grow and prosper under his watch. All of us at ATA look forward to supporting him as he leads our great association.
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Diamond Celebration
Rudy Ruettiger (left) and ATA Driver of the Year Larry Thomas
Greg Brown (right) hands a door prize to Clay Palm.
Jack Brim and Kevin Savoy
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Association celebrates its past with an eye toward the future. By Ford Boswell •
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Photos By Paul Beezley
ore than 420 Alabama Trucking Association members and guests convened at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Destin, Fla. this past April for the group’s 75th Annual Convention & Meeting. To celebrate its Diamond Anniversary, Association officials asked the 2013 ATA Convention Committee to make this year’s event worthy of the group’s 75 years of leading the state’s trucking industry. Spearheaded by Convention Chairman Kevin Savoy of Greenbush Logistics, the committee pulled all the stops, sparing no expense or effort to bring in top-shelf speakers and entertainment. To raise the funds needed, the Convention Committee, revamped sponsorship levels and increased the amount of event recognition for the more than 130 member firms that pledged financial support. According to ATA officials, the event raised nearly $160,000 in sponsorships and collected another $108,000 in registrations fees. There were 22 firms to pledge $5,000 each. These firms were awarded special billing and benefits at convention events. Another 27 firms donated $2,000 each. The remaining groups stepped up at $1,000 and $500 levels. In a post-event letter to the ATA membership, Savoy, who has done a masterful job revamping other ATA fundraisers, including ATA’s Annual Golf Classic, stated that most of the credit is deserved by the Convention Finance Committee composed of John Collier of Transport Trailer Center; ATA Chairman Jack Brim of B.R. Williams Trucking; Gary Bond of BancorpSouth Equipment Finance; Will Bruser of Truckworx-Kenworth; Fenn Church of Church Transportation & Logistics, Inc.; Mark Coff-
Thanks to Golden Flake for providing snacks.
man of Coffman International, Inc.; Rodger Collins of Industrial Warehouse Services, Inc.; Brent Cook of Action Tuck Center, Inc.; Cheney Haugabook of Turner & Hamrick LLC; Tommy Neely of Ross Neely Systems, Inc.; Ronnie Stephenson of Southland International Trucks, Inc.; Bill Waechter of Gulf City Body & Trailer Works, Inc.; Wayne Watkins of Watkins Trucking Co., Inc. and T.J. Willings of Nextran Truck Corp. Convention highlights and accomplishments included full recognition of sponsors, dignitaries and special guests; acknowledgement of Bill Scruggs of Southland International as the 2013 ATA H. Chester Webb Award for Distinguished Service winner; and defining ATA leadership for the coming fiscal year. Savoy also commended Convention speakers Business Council of Alabama president Billy Canary; Capt. Gerald Coffee; and Notre Dame football legend Rudy Ruettiger for their outstanding and well received and attended presentations. “We are very pleased by the success of our 75th Annual Convention,” Savoy stated. “We are indebted to the ATA membership for its attendance and support; the many member firms that sponsored; and all those who worked for nearly a year to make our convention a worthwhile and special event.” In closing, Savoy, who will assume the role of ATA Chairman of the Board July 1, 2013, stated that he’d like to work to improve ATA’s next convention by increasing motor carrier participation by including industry education programs; increasing sponsor recognition; and work to increase event promotion and marketing efforts. ATA’s 76th Annual Convention and Meeting is set for April 24-26, 2014 and will be held once again at the Hilton Sandestin.
Bill Scruggs (left) accepts Webb Award from Buck Moore.
ATA WCSIF’s Kimble Coaker (right) honors Drew Linn.
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BCA’s Billy Canary
Capt. Gerald Coffee
Rudy Ruettiger
Convention Chairman Kevin Savoy
Well attended: This year’s Convention attracted more than 420 attendees — the most in recent history, according to ATA officials. All events were well attended and post-event surveys showed an increase in approval ratings and positive remarks for the overall event.
ATA Workers’ Comp Fund hosted Friday evening’s event.
Truck cake…yeah, those are working headlights.
ATA Workers’ Comp staff
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A toast to 75 years of ATA
Keith Wise (left) and the Southland International gang, Ronnie Stephenson, Bill Scruggs and Drew Linn
TruckWorx’s Will Bruser shows his impressive moves.
ATA’s Tim Frazier (center) and state MCSU’s Capt. Tim Pullen (left) and Sgt. Jay Whitehead
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rvice of e S y r la p m of the Exe n io it n g o c rim n in Re Resolutio Mr. Jack B ear ion for the Y
g Associat ama Truckin b la A e th f o ard an of the Bo ed as Chairm rv se m ri d B an Jack rpose of ion; WHEREAS, ive for the pu r and distinct ct o n je o b h o h y it ar w m 2012-2013 fety as its pri vance truck sa ad to ed u n ti n has con in its the Associatio ounts raised ties; and li am ta g fa n si d p WHEREAS, an li ec es e ck crash t a record pac reducing tru ajor events se m s n’ io at ci o ss hips of the A ber sponsors em m purpose of , S A E R WHE 0,000 for the 5 2 d $ an er ; ov ry to ed is is 75-year h UK-PAC) ra mmittee (TR co n o ti ac l ca n’s politi ns; and the Associatio future electio in es at id WHEREAS, d n ruck ca electing pro-t tenure; and w during his la e am n; and ec b n legislatio the Associatio f ck o y ru it -t ti er sp an o ro p n g the future WHEREAS, Buildives preservin ct je b o al Comp Fund ci s’ an er n rk fi o s W it ’s ed A ATA exceed services; and f the ATA/AT WHEREAS, d educational rence room o fe an n g co in n e ai th tr , ve ip iati nal membersh ship and init ities as viding additio der his leader ro n p u , f S o A se E is responsibil o R h rp E g u p in e WH rm th fo r er fo ep ded nsensus whil ing was expan g member co in d il u b in t emplary talen has shown ex e h , S fficer, and A E R E ry; and WH ief Elected O h C s n’ io at ucking indust ci tr a am b la the Asso A the esperson for ction under re and distin endable spok u m at m st co in a as ew gr he served ing industry WHEREAS, labama truck A d an n io at ci rucking Asso e Alabama T th , S extends its A E R E WH g Association in ck : ru ip T a sh er to Alabama’s Alabam his lead and devotion ectors of the e ir ic D rv f o se d ed ar h o is LVED, the B r his distingu BE IT RESO Jack Brim fo E to R e O d F u it E R at E gr TH ectors reciation and Board of Dir heartfelt app A T A e d th f an o ; s te ustry on the Minu trucking ind be spread up n o ti lu o es R ED, that this nd-Thirteen. ER RESOLV -Thousand-a o H w T T R e U n F Ju f IT o BE is 25th day Meeting on th Signed
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SAFETY & MAINTENANCE Safety Insights
A Day of Champions O
Tim Frazier, CDS ATA Director of Safety and Member Services
‘Pulling and tying together all the loose ends that make our TDC work is no small task; and our group has mastered the art of making it all happen smoothly. ’
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n the afternoon before our 2013 Alabama Truck Driving Championship held June 7 in Pelham, Ala., I had the opportunity to work with our event committee to set up and prepare for big day ahead. Thanks to a dedicated group, the course, pre-trip area, bull pen, and various others tasks were completed with precision and haste – all in time for a group dinner that evening. Pulling and tying together all the loose ends that make our TDC work is no small task; and our group has mastered the art of making it all happen smoothly. But the truth is the committee works several months before the competition locking down equipment, tents, porta-potties, golf carts, and many other items it takes to make things happen. Then on the days leading up to the event the plan is executed with precision. It’s amazing to watch a well-oiled machine work at a top notch level, and see the results of everyone’s hard work pay off. We start planning in January, but this year was our first in quite some time for a new venue. A new location brings new obstacles that must be worked through, such as parking, company tents, spectator areas, and especially the Champions Dinner. After visiting with several driver participants, company representatives, and sponsors, it appears we will be back in Pelham next year. A special thank you goes to our sponsors that provide the equipment and financial support it takes to make our championship a success. We have a group of equipment sponsors that tell us each year, “let us know what you need, and we’ll make it happen.” Our drivers have the opportunity to compete with some of the best equipment in the country
due to this support. Our financial sponsors make it possible to provide the location, shirts, caps, banquet, etc. At the time of writing this article we should be completing our expense review for our event and it appears we will be in the black. There’s a group of folks that make our TDC possible and without them most of us wouldn’t have a job. Hats off to our professional drivers! As a person who has spent almost all his career in the trucking industry, and being raised as a trucker’s son, I truly appreciate what our drivers do. It’s a thrill to watch these men and women from the moment they arrive for registration. As the morning begins, the air becomes a little tense as the competition begins. As I observe these professionals throughout the day, it is fun to watch a sense of urgency rise as each class competes. From the written test to the driving course, you can see the intense look on faces as the day progresses. Our Champions’ Dinner and Awards Banquet was also a huge success. As with the skills test course, we tried to conduct our dinner similar to the National TDC. We had many positive comments regarding the banquet atmosphere, the food, and the awards presentation. The drivers will be a little better prepared as to what to expect at Nationals. I want to extend a personal thanks to our committee, sponsors, judges, equipment providers, and especially our drivers for a successful 2013 Truck Driving Championship. When I think of the word Champions, I’m reminded of the almost 300 people we were surrounded by at our Champions Dinner. With a group like this supporting the drivers, there’s no doubt in my mind we can bring home the gold. Congratulations and thank you to all who participated this year.
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MANAGEMENT COUNCIL NEWS
Back to Back Driver of the Year Larry Thomas makes it two in a row for Lawson Trucking at SMMC’s Fleet Safety Awards. Driver of the Year Thomas (left) with ATA Chairman Brim
By Ford Boswell
This year’s big winner was Driver of the Year Larry Thomas of Charles G. Lawson Trucking in Hope Hull, Ala. Thomas, 51, had flirted with the award many times before, but the state’s highest honor for a commercial truck driver had always eluded him. Not anymore; now
Thomas, First Runner Up in 2009 and Second Runner Up last year, finally has his due. Starting as a teenager spotting trailers before eventually graduating to over-the-road driving, Thomas has worked for Lawson Trucking for more than 30 years. During his career, he has earned numerous safety awards for his efforts, including an award from Great West Casualty for 23 years of outstanding achievement in highway safety and loss prevention. In recent years, he has participated in Share the Road events on behalf of the Association and also driven for the Alabama Department of Public Safety’s Ticketing Aggressive Cars & Trucks (TACT) program. But Thomas isn’t one to take credit for his success. He says that without working for Lawson, he wouldn’t have become the person or the professional driver he is today. “(Lawson) is a great a company to work for,” Thomas told Alabama Trucker in 2012. “The Lawsons are a great family – just honest, caring people. I can go directly to the owners with pretty much any issue; and I know they will do all they can to take care of whatever I need. It’s not just one person; all the employees here are like a family. That’s why you see people work here so long.” Thomas is most appreciative of the fact that the company took a chance on him as a young man. “A lot of trucking companies wouldn’t have,” he said, “and I’ve always appreciated that.”
Maintenance Pro E. J. Waters
Fleet Manager Chris Teel
T
he Alabama Trucking Association Safety and Maintenance Management Council’s celebrated its safest fleets, drivers and managers at its annual Fleet Safety Awards held recently in Birmingham. The event, held each spring, honors ATA member fleets and their employees for excellence in fleet safety and industry professionalism. Individual awards, such as drivers and fleet managers are nominated by their supervisors who submit a portfolio of the nominee’s qualifications, experience, community service, and other awards and recognitions. An independent panel composed of officials from the Alabama Department of Public Safety’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit and the Alabama Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration choose a winner in each category. Meanwhile, awards for fleets are based on the previous year’s accident and loss prevention numbers. Those numbers determine the top fleet in several categories.
Driver of the Year
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Thomas adds that it’s that kind of mutual respect that inspires him to be a great employee. “Your (work) speaks for you,” he says. “My customers are my main concern. I always try to be on time with my deliveries and make sure that I always do all I can to make sure my customers are happy.” Lawson officials, especially Lawson Safety Director Debbie Henderson, always believed it was only a matter of time before Thomas was named Alabama’s top driver. “As long as he was eligible, I was going to see to it that he was nominated,” Henderson says. Henderson was spot on in her assessment that her guy was destined to win. But, then again, she’s always had great intuition for nominating top drivers. In fact, last year’s Alabama Driver of the Year winner was fellow Lawson driver Recordo Jackson. In the late 1990s, Lawson’s Homer Kuykendall also earned Driver of the Year honors. Meanwhile, First Runner Up for Driver of the Year is Willie Jennings of Eagle Motor Freight, Montgomery, Ala.; and Second Runner Up is Moses Thomas of ABC Transportation, Eufaula, Ala.
Fleet Manager Chris Teel of Eagle Motor Freight, Montgomery, Ala. has more than 32 years in the trucking industry with extensive experience in many areas. Having the experience in disContinued on page 16
Safety Pro Randy Watson 15
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Maintenance Professional
Back to Back cont. patch, safety and driving allows him to better understand the overall needs and demands of the operation. He is responsible for approximately 70 drivers on any given day who are scattered across the country. He is responsible for inbound and outbound load assignments and sets dispatch accordingly for his drivers. He also is responsible for 40-50 local deliveries per week. If these responsibilities are not enough, he retains his CDL and runs local deliveries occasionally during the weekends when needed. Whatever it takes Teel will get the job done, his employers say. Teel has been married to his wife Susan for almost 29 years and they have one daughter, Jade who is 15 and attends Lamp Magnet school in Montgomery, where she plays on her school’s varsity soccer team. The family is active at Frazier United Methodist Church in Montgomery, where they participate in many mission activities.
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Evergreen Forest Products maintenance manager E.J. Waters uses his nearly 40 years in the trucking business to keep his company’s fleet of 35 trucks and 96 trailers in top condition. Waters was nominated by Evergreen Safety Manager Bonner Spradley, who states that Waters is one of the company’s most dedicated employees – often the first to arrive and usually the last to leave. “He never lets the company or our drivers down, and will do whatever is needed to make sure our folks have what the need.” With more than 38 year in fleet maintenance, this year’s Maintenance Professional of the Year holds several OEM certifications and has attended countless hours of training in workplace accident prevention. According to Spradley, Waters vast experience and dedication makes him one of Evergreen’s most crucial managers — one that its drivers and other managers can always trust to go the extra mile.
Fleet Safety Pro This year’s Safety Professional of the Year Evergreen Transportation’s Randy Watson has more than 25 years in the industry with
an extensive background in fleet safety. To describe Watson as merely a safety professional, however, is a bit of a misnomer. The industry veteran wears many hats for Evergreen, working in various capacities, including management, human resources, safety, training, operations, sales, customer service and maintenance. When a duo of Alabama trucking elder statesmen, Walter Poole and James Suttles, recently partnered to re-tool Evergreen, Watson was the one they needed to get the ball rolling. This allowed him to return to working with one of his mentors, Poole, and a man who helped him begin his journey in transportation. But for the Association and its SMMC, Watson’s most noticeable work has been his leadership as current Chairman of the SMMC’s Gulf Coast chapter — a group that has become one of the SMMC’s fastest growing chapters. His passion and dedication to highway safety is contagious, and many of our members in the southern region have caught this passion due to his efforts. In only a few short years, he has helped develop a network of professionals who are excited to share information in a way that helps everyone be more successful. Watson resides in Monroeville, Ala. with
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his wife Jan and two children, Jenna and Joseph. He enjoys spending time with his family, doing a “little fishing and a little hunting,” and all the golf he can work in. He feels it is his responsibility as a safety director to make sure every employee and the people they come in contact with return safely home to their families each night. And for him that’s all that matters. First Runner Up is Candy Woodruff of Eagle Motor Freight in Montgomery.
ATA Workers’ Comp Fund Awards The ATA Workers’ Comp Fund also presented its annual awards to its members with the lowest loss ratio for a given classification based on fleet size. This year’s winners are Small Fleet Winner — Eufaula Trucking, with a 5-year loss ratio at 1 percent; Medium Fleet Winner – Barnett Transportation with a 5-year loss ratio at 18 percent; and Large Fleet Winner – Southern Haulers with 5-year loss ratio of 38 percent. Fund Safety engineers also pick a top performer among Fund members for improvement. This year’s Engineers Award recipient is Murphy Trucking.
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SMMC Fleet Safety Winners General Commodities Linehaul Under 1 Million Miles ABC Transportation, Inc. General Commodities Linehaul 1 to 3 Million Miles Montgomery Transport, LLC General Commodities Linehaul 3 to 5 Million Miles ABF Freight Systems, Inc. General Commodities Linehaul 5 to 10 Million Miles B&G Supply Co., Inc. General Commodities Linehaul Over 10 Million Miles Southeastern Freight Lines General Commodities Local Under 1 Million Miles Buddy Moore Trucking, Inc.
General Commodities Local 1 to 3 Million Miles ABF Freight Systems, Inc. General Commodities Local 3 to 5 Million Miles Southeastern Freight Lines General Commodities Local Over 5 Million Miles Billy Barnes Enterprises, Inc. General Commodities Combined 0 to 5 Million Miles Charles G. Lawson Trucking General Commodities Combined 5 to 10 Million Miles B&G Supply Co., Inc. General Commodities Combined Over 10 Million Miles Southeastern Freight Lines
Tank Truck Charles G. Lawson Trucking Hazardous Materials Barnett Transportation, Inc. Misc. Category 1 to 3 Million Miles Massey Hauling Co., Inc. Misc. Category Over 10 Million Miles Fed Ex Ground Package System Household Goods Changing Spaces Moving, Inc. Private Carrier Under 1 Million Miles Golden Flake Snack Foods, Inc. Private Carrier 1 to 3 Million Miles RM Logistics Private Carrier Over 5 Million Miles American Proteins, Inc.
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TDC News
AAA Cooper Transportation driver wins Alabama TDC Seasoned TDC competitor Gary Nuckolls scores big at annual driver safety and skills competition.
ATA Chairman Jack Brim (left) with TDC Grand Champ Gary Nuckolls and TDC Chairman Dennis Bailey
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By Ford Boswell PELHAM, Ala.—Veteran driver Gary Nuckolls of AAA Cooper Transportation posted the highest overall combined score of 330 points to earn the Grand Champion title at the Alabama Trucking Association’s Truck Driving Championships held here June 7 at the Pelham Civic Complex. Nuckolls, a former Alabama Truck Driver of the Year (2004), won the Sleeper Berth class by 37 points, edging other class winners by 30 points. He and the rest of the class winners will represent the state at the American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driving Championships set for August 20-24 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Other class winners were Daniel Thompson of FedEx Freight, Twins Class; Richard Pratt of FedEx Freight, Straight Class; Mark Knight of AAA Cooper Transportation, Three-Axle Class; Wesley Rodgers of American Proteins, Flatbed Class; Philip Arthur of AAA Cooper Transportation, Five-Axle; Timothy Caraway of AAA Cooper Transportation, Four-Axle; and Darrell Beard of Wal-Mart Transportation, Tanker Class. The annual event, sponsored by ATA’s Safety and Maintenance Management
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Wilson
Murks
Arthur
Caraway
Rodgers
Beard
Knight
Pratt
Thompson
SUV Champ Tiwania Caraway
Council (SMMC), attracted nearly 100 drivers representing more than a dozen Association member firms, and approximately 300 onlookers who spent the day tailgating, watching the festivities, and cheering competitors. Alabama TDC contestants are chosen by their individual employers for their safety and driving record and must remain accident-free (regardless of fault) for at least one year to be eligible to compete. Most of them win company contests to qualify for the state competition. Other honors were given to Rookie of the Year Straight Class contestant Ballard Wilson of FedEx Freight who scored a combined 284 points – which also earned him second place in his class; Delton Murks of Wal-Mart Transportation, who posted the highest score in the Pre-Trip Inspection portion of the competition; and Ladies SUV Champ Tiwania Caraway.
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New Location The TDC Committee voted last summer to move the competition from the Bessemer Civic Center to the Pelham Civic Complex, opting for the latter’s larger parking lot and banquet facilities. “Pelham offers more space and more modernized amenities that allow us to better recreate the conditions and course our guys will face at Nationals,” said TDC Chairman Dennis Bailey of Wal-Mart Transportation. “Bessemer served us well for many years, but the Pelham facility allows us to improve and grow our competition. We were very pleased with the way our competition progressed this year. With the exception of a little rain, the day went off pretty much without a hitch.” ATA Director of Safety and Member Services agreed. “We very pleased with the outcome,” he said. “Overall, the feedback I re-
ceived from contestants, sponsors and volunteers was overwhelmingly positive. This new location gives our guys a better shot at doing well at Nationals.”
Volunteers, Sponsors The event raised an estimated $24,000, which came from corporate sponsorships and contestant entry fees. After expenses, proceeds benefit the SMMC’s diesel technician education program that awards cash scholarships to deserving students at various state community colleges. “The support we receive from out member firms is crucial to the success of this event,” says TDC Chairman Bailey. “Our group could not host such a successful event without these companies pledging their financial support and allowing their drivers to take a day or two to compete. We are extremely grateful for the continued support.”
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FMCSA FINAL HOURS OF SERVICE RULE — RULE COMPARISON CHART Created December 2011, Updated April 2013 FMCSA’s CURRENT HOS RULE
HOS News
Hope for the best, plan for the Worst Nation’s top fleet executives offer tips for looming HOS changes
A
s the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals prepares to issue a final decision in American Trucking Associations’ case against Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding the contentious restart and rest break changes to the Hours of Service (HOS) rules, the trucking industry should be preparing for the impacts those changes may have on their operations. The industry finds itself in a hope for the best and prepare for the worst position concerning the litigation, and the July 1, 2013 seems the imminent effective date of the new rules. To help fleet managers prepare, National ATA officials contacted leading trucking companies about how they are preparing for the new rules. The following are lessons learned from these interviews. Start now: Many trucking companies have already started explaining the potential changes to their drivers and customers. Operationally, the restart rule changes and the new 30-minute rest break requirement may cause significant disruption to your daily procedures. If caught off guard, unaware drivers may be confused about the requirements and potentially incur violations that could generate fines and that will affect carrier CSA scores. Use a personal approach: Most find that drivers retain information better in a oneon-one or face-to-face classroom environment. If possible, integrate HOS training into your current training regimen. Sometimes, driver schedules may preclude attendance. Make training materials available to these drivers as soon as possible and be 24
FMCSA’s FINAL HOS RULE December 2011
All Property Carrying Drivers and Motor All Property Carrying Drivers and Motor Carriers Carriers Minimum OffDuty Hours Between Shifts Total On-Duty Window in Each Shift
Total Hours (On-Duty+OffDuty+Rest) Maximum Driving Hours Limit on Consecutive Hours Driving Mandatory Rest Break During Shift Maximum Cumulative OnDuty Cumulative OnDuty “Restart”
10 consecutive hours
10 consecutive hours - Same as current rule.
14 consecutive hours
Change based on Rest Break – Still 14 consecutive hours; with 30 minute rest break, maximum on-duty time within 14 hour window is 13.5 hours. No driving may occur after 14 consecutive hours of coming on duty; non-driving work is allowed past the 14 hour driving window;
24 hours
24 hours
11
11 hours, but it may not be consecutive. No driving if more than 8 consecutive hours have passed since the last break of 30 minutes or more.
None None
60 hours in 7 days 70 hours in 8 days* (*for carriers that operate 7 days a week) Voluntary: 34 consecutive hours off-duty resets a drivers cumulative on-duty back to zero (or restarts a drivers 60 hour weekly clock) at any point in a driver’s 7 day cycle
Sleeper Berth: Team and Solo Drivers: Splitting Off-Duty 2 periods totaling > 10 hours; 1 period must Time be at least 8 hours in the sleeper berth; second period of time may be spent either in or out of the sleeper berth. On-Board Recorders Federal Exceptions & Exemptions
Drivers will not be permitted to drive if 8 hours have passed since their last break of 30 minutes or more, effective July 1, 2013 Same as current rule. Voluntary: The minimum length of a restart period is 34 consecutive off-duty hours. The actual length of the restart period is variable since it must include two consecutive nighttime off-duty periods from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Drivers are allowed to use this restart only once during any seven calendar day period. Effective July 1, 2013
Same as current rule
Voluntary Use
Same as current rule.
All existing exemptions and exceptions remain.
Slightly modified Oilfield exemption. New guidance explicitly removes water and sand haulers from exempted oil field carriers.
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available for follow-up questions. Train early and often as it may take several interactions for full comprehension. Use real-world examples: While FMCSA has provided examples on their website of how driver logs may change most companies ATA spoke with did not find them particularly helpful because they didn’t reflect the daily operations of their company. ATA recommends that you develop log book examples based on a typical and/or exceptional driving week at your company. Provide those to the drivers and compare them to examples under the current rules. If time and resources permit, it may be a good idea to select a small group of drivers to operate under the new restart and rest break provisions for a week or two. If you’re able to do so, use their logs as examples to other drivers and allow trainees to ask questions. Update route planning protocol: Whether you are using route optimization software or planning a route manually, it is imperative to update your protocol to reflect any HOS changes. With truck parking scarce, it may be challenging to find somewhere a driver can rest and it may have to come sooner, or later, than expected.
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Discuss efficiency: The new rules have the potential to negatively impact the efficiency or productivity of your drivers. Drivers need to understand the importance of planning their week to the extent possible. Drivers who regularly utilize the current 34hour restart may experience significant losses in productivity depending on what time of day they begin the new restart period. Additionally efficiency losses may be experienced as a result of the rest break provision or additional company procedures added to ensure compliance. In most cases, your drivers will desire efficiency and productivity as much as your company. Educating them on the benefits of planning will undoubtedly pay significant dividends.
HOS Training Resources:
Educate your entire organization and your customers: It is important that all parts of your organization are fully aware of the potential changes and their consequences. This is especially the case if your drivers use the current 34-hour restart. Driver managers will need to alter their procedures and the sales staff will need to work hard to adjust shipper and broker expectations. Flexibility will need to be built into business relationships to ensure continued efficiency and productivity.
FMCSA’s Interstate Truck Driver’s Guide to Hours of Service, Updated February 2013 https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ documents/hos/Interstate-Truck-DriverGuide-to-HOS_508.pdf
ATA’s Summary of HOS Changes http://www.trucking.org/Safety/ 042013_ATA%20Summary%20of%20Fi nal%20HOS%20Rules.pdf ATA’s HOS Comparison Chart http://www.trucking.org/Safety/HOS %20comparison%20chart.pdf FMCSA’s Summary of HOS Changes https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ documents/hos/HOS_Compare_new_ rule_to_current.pdf
FMCSA’s Logbook Examples http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/ hos/logbook.pdf
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News FMCSA enhances DataQs Website The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently launched an enhanced DataQs Website with added features to improve user experience. As part of FMCSA’s overall Data Quality Program, DataQs enables motor carriers, drivers, FMCSA employees, State Partners, and the public to improve the accuracy of motor carrier and driver safety violations and crash data. You will see a new login page but the web address is the same. While most users will enter the same login information, DataQs has sent some users an email with a new username due to changes in the username requirements. New features include an updated design to improve user experience and a step-by-step guide to assist you when re-
questing a review of FMCSA-issued data. Other enhancements included in the enhanced DataQs, include a new login page; help center with more frequently asked questions; clearer terminology (for example, challenges are now referred to as Requests for Data Reviews; and search capabilities within the List of Requested Reviews FMCSA’s enforcement and compliance programs are data-driven and the Agency, together with its State Partners, is committed to continuously improving safety data. Better data means safer roads, and the enhanced DataQs Website is an important part of our continuous improvement efforts.
Diverse groups unite against longer, heavier trucks Land Line associate editor David Tanner writes recently that certain lawmakers, safety groups and truckers have formed a united front opposed to longer, heavier trucks on America’s highways. Groups such as CRASH, Parents Against Tired Truckers and the Truck Safety Coalition are all on the same side as the OwnerOperator Independent Drivers Association, AAA and the Teamsters when it comes to opposing longer, heavier trucks.
These groups support legislation filed May 7 by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ. The bill is known as SHIPA, the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act of 2013. If it passes or gets attached to the next highway bill, SHIPA would extend the current limit of 80,000 pounds on five axles in 53-foot trailers to the entire 220,000-mile National Highway System and not just the current 44,000 miles of interstates. The bill would close a loophole used by states to allow longer, heavier trucks on certain federally funded roadways. Lautenberg has never minced words when it comes to his feelings about trucks and highway safety. “When super-sized tractor trailers are on the road, they are a threat to drivers and the integrity of our highways and bridges,” he said in a colorful press release. Lautenberg referred to triple trailer configurations as “killer trucks” and said SHIPA would do its part to make highways safer. U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-MA, is pursuing a counterpart for SHIPA in the U.S. House. The safety groups convened Tuesday on Capitol Hill to applaud the effort. Groups such as OOIDA have long opposed increases in truck size and weight
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limits and supports SHIPA as part of a broader effort to block legislation to increase these limits as supported by the majority of the shipper community and many major carriers. OOIDA says allowing heavier trucks as the new norm would make the highways less safe and speed up the deterioration of costly infrastructure. There’s also an issue of competition and cost.
FMCSA’s Ferro wants to increase truck safety by eliminating unsafe carriers, drivers According to Transport Topics, Anne Ferro, the nation’s top truck safety official, told a gathering of tank truck executives she is determined to use her agency’s authority to eliminate unsafe carriers and bad commercial drivers. Addressing the National Tank Truck Carriers annual conference in Austin, Tex.on April 30, Ferro, the administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said the agency’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program already has had desirable results and that the hours-of-service rule taking effect July 1 also will improve the situation. Conference attendees also heard from a congressional representative who offered hope for a multiyear transportation bill to succeed the current two-year legislation. Transport Topics associate news editor Jonathan Reiskin wrote that Ferro reiterated her agenda for FMCSA, which she has led since 2009, saying the agency will pursue a revised commercial vehicle registration system, a clearinghouse of drug and alcohol information for drivers, an electronic logging mandate and a hunt for “chameleons” and “reincarnated” carriers that have been driven out of business for a poor safety record but reappear under a different name. “We [at FMCSA] want to achieve a day when there are no fatal truck or bus accidents, and I think we share that vision,” Ferro told the group. The U.S. rate of fatal accidents involving commercial vehicles has declined by 28% from 2005 through last year, Ferro said, but there are still about 10 fatal accidents a day on average, and she would like to drive that down further. Ferro also said the Unified Registration System plan, awaiting approval by the White House Office of Management and Budget, will be an important tool for pursuing scofflaw carriers. She said she believes the final wording will be published during the summer.
Develop a Fleet of Qualified Drivers by Effectively Managing Risk Wednesday, July 24, 2013 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pelham Civic Center 500 Amphitheater Road Pelham, Ala. 35124 Lunch to follow presentation Drivers are integral to the success of a trucking company – but not just any drivers, we are talking about safe and compliant drivers. However, with current driver shortages, some fleet managers might be forced to lower hiring standards to keep operations rolling. What can you do to develop and maintain a fleet of the safest and most compliant drivers available? In this two-hour presentation, learn how DriveCam’s Driver Risk Management, complemented by RAIR compliance services, can help you develop and maintain a fleet of qualified drivers by providing visibility into risky drivers and behaviors, improving these drivers with focused coaching, and identifying your good drivers for positive recognition. You’ll also discover the benefits, including: Reduction in Collision-related Expenses Driver Exoneration from Wrongful Claims ● Improved CSA scores ● Reduction in Non-compliance Exposure ● Lower Fuel Costs ● ●
Speakers: ●
Del Lisk, VP of Safety Services, DriveCam, Inc. ● Chris Nelson, VP of Risk Management, RAIR, a Division of DriveCam, Inc.
Continued on page 30 A LABAMA T RUCKER • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013
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devices have been called electronic logging devices, or ELDs. “People have asked the agency to provide a level playing field,” she said, so that carriers and drivers who do not log hours honestly will not get a competitive advantage.
News “URS will create a better screen for applicants coming into the system,” Ferro said, adding that she expects the system will be in operation next year. FMCSA has emphasized recent actions taken against passenger bus operators, but Ferro said that does not mean her agency is ignoring unsafe trucking companies. Ferro said she has “zero tolerance” for unsafe drivers and carriers and wants to remove them from the highways so they do not compete with carriers that work hard on safety. She thanked NTTC for its efforts to prevent rollover accidents and for providing relief to the Northeast after Superstorm Sandy. On electronic onboard recorders, Ferro said FMCSA will have a proposal by Sept. 30 and a final rule sometime during 2014 that will take effect in 2016. The devices have been called EOBRs, but recently the
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New Website sheds light on FMCSA’s safety enforcement program When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officially launched its Compliance Safety Accountability program in December 2010, trucking entered a new era of scrutiny and safety compliance. What fleets didn’t know then was exactly how or to what extent CSA would be enforced, causing a lot of uncertainty and raising a lot of questions. Now, some 30 months later, Commercial Carrier Journal and its sister publication Overdrive, launched its CSA’s Data Trail website, which takes a deep dive into CSA data provided by RigDig Business Intelligence, a research division of CCJ publisher Randall-Reilly, to give owner-operators, independent drivers and fleets of all sizes new information on CSA and the program’s impact on their operations.
CSA’s Data Trail offers interactive maps, infographics, in-depth articles from print and online sources as well as downloadable data. And throughout the month of May, we’ll be publishing pieces from the “Crashes and intervention” installment of the CSA’s Data Trail series, which documents areas where CSA misses the mark, failing to accurately identify carriers that cause the most accidents. Using the interactive map, users can see the truck-involved accident frequency by state, and rates for all 48 contiguous states are available for download, including total fatalities, injuries and towaway crashes by state. In addition, the map peels back another layer of data, allowing users to see the states with the highest rates of inspections, including a breakdown of violation priorities by state. Files available for free download offer a comprehensive look at inspection intensity nationwide as well as state rankings by violation types. With the CSA’s Data Trail website, fleets managers can get an in-depth and interactive look at CSA’s impact on their businesses and what they can do to lower the frequency of inspections and ultimately lower the risk of being put out-of-service.
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Feds preempt Alabama Metal Coil Act, no official word on appeal Last Spring, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration struck down Alabama’s Metal Coil Securement Act of 2009 citing that it supersedes Federal laws and places an unfair burden on interstate commerce. FMCSA granted a petition from the American Trucking Associations requesting a determination that the Alabama Metal Coil Securement Act be preempted. In its published notice, FMCSA agreed with National ATA that the Act was “more stringent than current federal requirements; and that it had no safety benefits and burdened interstate commerce.” The Act originally prohibited a motor carrier from transporting metal coil loads that originated or terminated in Alabama unless the driver was certified in load securement techniques. The Act further required the driver to carry a copy of the certificate in the vehicle. Penalties for violating these requirements were between $5000 and $10,000, and possible jail time. Alabama’s Metal Coil Act was passed by the Alabama State Legislature in 2009 to alleviate public outcry after a rash of metal coil spills that occurred in Alabama over a 15-year period. According to state officials, more than 30 trucks lost loads of metal coils in the Birmingham area alone, with nearly half of those spills occurring between 2004 and 2008. Those accidents caused injuries and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to area infrastructure. The Alabama Trucking Association played a lead role in the development of the legislation, including the provision which allowed the State DepartFMCSA agent inspects chains securing a metal coil in ment of Public Safety to publish stanBirmingham, Ala. dards for training drivers of commercial motor vehicles in proper load securement of metal coils and to provide for certification of drivers of commercial motor vehicles carrying metal coils. According to ATA President Frank Filgo, it became very clear to legislators, industry safety experts, and state authorities that some metal coil drivers were unfamiliar with federal regulations as they applied to proper load securement. “The Alabama Trucking Association’s primary objective in support of the Metal Coil Act was to preserve the federal securement regulations that are in place – because they work,” he said in a statement. “The regulations were not the problem, but the enforcement and compliance thereof was lacking.” Filgo adds that despite the fact that there have been no metal coil spills since passage of the Metal Coil Act in 2009, FMSCA’s Administrator Anne Ferro concluded in her ruling that “there is insufficient support for the claimed safety benefits and that the Act places an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce. Accordingly, Alabama may no longer enforce the Act on interstate motor carriers. “Despite the ruling, our Association is appreciative to all those who worked so hard for passage of the Act back in 2009,” he said. “We can be all proud that the results of the Metal Act speak to its safety benefits. Moving ahead, the Alabama Trucking Association looks forward to working with all parties to keep our highways safe.” As of press time, there has been no official indication from state officials on whether there will be an appeal. However, ATA’s Filgo said he believes state officials are considering it. “It is my understanding that the Governor’s office is weighing its options for an appeal,” he said.
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IRS offices and help lines to close temporarily
The federal Internal Revenue Service has announced that due to the sequestration of federal funding now in effect, it will close all of its public offices and shut down its toll-free help-lines on at least five days in the next five months: May 24, June 14, July 5, July 22, and August 30. Most IRS employees will be furloughed on those days, and IRS warns that an additional two days of closures may be necessary this summer. The agency said that the closures were timed so as not to affect taxpayer refunds from the federal individual income tax filing season that ended last month. Media reports speculate that these and similar spending cuts at IRS will reduce the number of federal tax audits this year.
MSJ Trucking founder Harold Sorrells retires Former ATA Chairman and MSJ Trucking founder Harold Sorrells was heralded at a recent retirement luncheon as a man who has quietly made a difference for his community Harold Sorrells of Opp, Ala. LBW Community College and the MacArthur State Technical College Foundation hosted the luncheon for Sorrells who recently sold his company, MSJ Trucking and subsequently announced his retirement. According to Michele Gerlach of the Andalusia Star News, LBW president Dr. Herb Riedel said Sorrells has worked quietly in support of many causes, in support of LBW, and particularly in support of the school’s diesel mechanic program. Gene Vonderau, former safety director for the Alabama Trucking Association, said he had known Sorrells for years, but learned much more about him when he signed on to help Buddy Moore Trucking assess the company before it acquired it. A LABAMA T RUCKER • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013
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Drivers told stories of being behind on their mortgages, needing expensive care for really sick children, needing a roof on a house or a motor in a truck. Time and again, they told him, Sorrells helped. “That is how he is,” Vonderau said. “I don’t know how many drivers he helped. Most of them paid him back, but not all of them.” The article also quoted LBWCC diesel mechanics instructor Eddie Spann who said Sorrells has been “the biggest supporter of his program.” “Without his help, we wouldn’t have made it,” he said. “A few summers ago, I had five students who were going to have to drop out,” Spann said. “I didn’t know where I could get tuition for those students. One was high risk. “He heard about it from somebody else,” Spann said. “All of a sudden, I got a check in and all five were covered. Sorrells graduated from Opp High School in 1955, and immediately joined the Navy. He spent four years in the military, and began driving his first truck in 1959. He was involved in numerous trucking ventures throughout his career, and established MSJ Trucking – named for his daughters Missy, Susan and Julie – in 1996. He has served on the boards of Southrust Bank of Covington County, CCB Community Bank, Mizell Memorial Hospital, the MacArthur State Technical College Foundation and the Opp Chamber of Commerce. He is a former Rotarian and a deacon in First Baptist Church. He also served on the state Ethics Commission from 1998 – 2004, and was its chair in 2004-05.
Bill Scruggs earns Webb Award The Alabama Trucking Association tapped Birmingham businessman and former ATA Chairman of the Board Bill Scruggs with its H. Chester Webb Award for Distinguished Service – the group’s highest honor for a member. Bill Scruggs Association officials presented Scruggs, Vice President for the Birmingham-based Southland International Trucks, Inc. with the award at the group’s 75th Annual Convention and Meeting held recently in Destin, Fla. Growing up around his family’s truck stop, Scruggs has been immersed in the inA LABAMA T RUCKER • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013
Four Star Freightliner earns Daimler’s ‘Elite Support’ distinction Montgomery-based Four Star Freightliner’s branch in Tallahassee, Fla. has earned Elite Support status from Daimler Trucks of North America — one of 92 dealers nationwide to earn the distinction. Daimler’s Elite Support program seeks to improve customer experience at Freightliner and Western Star branded dealerships, providing quality assurance, rapid diagnostics, exceptional turnaround times and consistent communication, all by a highly trained staff. The program streamlines dealership processes to quickly address customer concerns and needs. The Tallahassee location received the certification after meeting stringent criteria and completing a comprehensive review of the facility by Daimler personnel that focused on customer service, accommodations, productivity and efficiency improvements, training, and quality. According to Four Star president Jerry Kocan, customers can now expect an “express assessment,” which requires the dealer to diagnose a single technical problem within two hours of arrival. The program has been ultra-successful with customers since its introduction with dealers in the Daimler distribution network early last year. Four Star personnel must meet annual standards to maintain the “Elite Support” designation. Four Star Freightliner is a full service dealer with five locations, including Tallahassee, Fla.; Montgomery and Dothan, Ala.; and Tifton and Valdosta, Ga. Four Star represents Freightliner, Western Star and Mitsubishi Fuso truck brands, as well as service certifications for Detroit, Cummins and Caterpillar engines.
Four Star Freightliner’s Tallahassee branch
dustry his entire life. He later went on to equip and service the motor carriers with several businesses before joining Southland to spearhead its trailer division in 2010. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1989 and quickly accepted leadership roles within Association. Elected as the Association’s Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2007, Scruggs guided the group during the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008, which harshly impacted the trucking industry, forcing many firms to downsize, consolidate, or even shutdown completely. Despite those extreme conditions, Scruggs led the Association to one of its most prolific years in terms of membership participation and financial support. Since then, he served as Chairman of ATA’s Policy & Finance Committee and later served another
four years as a member of that committee. According to ATA president & CEO Frank Filgo, Scruggs earned his stripes the hard way, accepting whatever position the Association ask him to fill. “His leadership skills were evident to all, and he has always done whatever he could to make our Association stronger, better and more efficient. As Chairman, he generated record-funds for ATA’s political action committee and placed a major emphasis on member retention by keeping members active and engaged. I consider that a remarkable feat, especially in a down market.” The H. Chester Webb Award was in established 1958 to recognize individuals in the state’s trucking industry for service and contributions to the industry and encourage Continued on page 34 33
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public service by all members of the highway transportation industry. Winners of the Webb Award are those who have given their talents, leadership and dedication to the Alabama trucking industry, the state trucking association, and the communities where they live and work.
Research shows Americans want better roads and infrastructure Poll results released last week by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association shows that Americans actually prefer well maintained and functional transportation infrastructure to cell phones,
Internet, water, sewage, cable and even electricity. About 80 percent of respondents said they preferred good, safe roads to the aforementioned. The report shows that 78 percent of the respondents said driving a vehicle was important in their daily lives, and 88 percent said infrastructure is important to maintaining a strong economy Additionally, 74 percent said up keeping transportation infrastructure should be the main function of the federal government. The poll touched on fuel taxes, too, and 40 percent of respondents said they did not know how much they paid in fuel taxes. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the average household in the U.S. spends about 3.5 times a month on electricity and natural gas service than they do state and federal fuel taxes. They also spend about 3.5 times more on
Bruser tapped to lead TruckWorx Kenworth TruckWorx Kenworth has named Will Bruser as the company’s president, effective immediately. “This year our company celebrates 35 years in business, and while that is exciting, it also is a strong reminder to any business owner that he has a tremendous responsibility to his employees and their families, his own family, his customers, the manufacturers he represents and the vendors with whom he does business to plan for his successor to ensure the continued success of the business,” company CEO Bob Mitchell stated in a press release. “For several years now, I have contemplated and planned for this transition. For the last year, I have worked with business planning experts, accountants and attorneys to ensure all Will Bruser areas of responsibility for our business are successfully managed for future operations.” Bruser, who also serves on the Alabama Trucking Association’s Board of Directors, will be based at the company’s Birmingham branch. Bruser, a graduate of the University of Alabama, began working with the company in 2004 as a medium duty truck salesman, working his way through the ranks from sales to vice president of truck and trailer sales before earning his most recent appointment. According to Mitchell, Bruser has been a key player in the company’s recent success. In fact last month, Truckworx Kenworth was named Kenworth’s 2012 PACCAR MX Engine Dealer of the Year for the United States and Canada during the Kenworth Dealer Meeting held recently at the PACCAR Engine Company’s manufacturing plant in Columbus, Miss. The award recognizes the Kenworth dealer that excelled in 2012 at assisting customers to specify the PACCAR MX engine in their new Kenworth trucks, while achieving high customer satisfaction by providing outstanding engine support through trained technicians and sales personnel, ample PACCAR MX parts inventory, and specialized service bay tooling. “We’re proud that two out of every three Class 8 Kenworth trucks we sold in 2012 was powered by a PACCAR MX engine,” said Bob Mitchell, CEO of Truckworx Kenworth – Birmingham, which also operates Kenworth dealerships serving Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery and Thomasville Ala., and Jackson, Miss. “To support customers after the engine sale, we have made significant investments in PACCAR MX technician training, state-of-the art diagnostics equipment and parts inventory. It’s a very nice honor to be recognized with this award.” 34
phone service and 2.5 times more on TV, radio and Internet access, says FHWA. The American Trucking Associations has voiced strong support for an increase in fuel taxes to better fund roads, saying that it and its members are willingly to pay more for better infrastructure.
Study: Most truck drivers use truck-specific navigation The majority of truck drivers who use navigation systems use those intended for truck use, but almost a third use systems meant for passenger cars, the American Transportation Research Institute said. Despite the number of drivers using the wrong navigation systems, only 2 percent of drivers said the directions provided by their navigation devices had ever caused a crash, ATRI said. The figures were among the findings from surveys ATRI conducted with 677 truck drivers and 169 carrier representatives as part of its research into the use of navigation systems. “This research is an important first step in understanding the role of navigation systems in large truck crashes,” Kendra Hems, president of the New York State Motor Truck Association and a member of ATRI’s research advisory committee, said in a statement announcing the study’s release. The group will soon start a second phase of the research in which it will analyze quantitative data about navigation system use, as well as the failures and inadequacies of the directions. The complete study is available upon request via ATRI’s Web site, www.atri-online.org
McLeod Software expands into Canada Transportation management software provider McLeod Software said it is offering all its products in Canada for the first time. Founded in 1985, the Birmingham-based software company offers a suite of freight and financial software products for trucking fleets, brokers and other transportation firms. The new software addresses multicurrency, tax and other financial and operational issues critical to transportation firms that do business in Canada and the United States, the company said. “The big reason to go into Canada is to expand our services and products, especially for larger transportation companies, whether they have trucks or not,” Tom A LABAMA T RUCKER • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013
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McLeod, founder and CEO, told Transport Topics in a telephone interview. He said the initial groundwork for the move into Canada was started at least a decade ago. “We saw far back that eventually we would need to serve the Canadian marketplace, but carriers in the United States have kept us plenty busy,” he said. The decision to enter Canada this year comes after the company reported an alltime high in sales for 2012, with revenue growing by more than 20 percent for the third straight year.
Increasing traffic congestion may point to strengthening economy If traffic congestion is a good indicator of the health of the economy, then some economists’ recent concerns about hitting a socalled “soft patch” during the current quarter may be unfounded. A new Gridlock Index from the traffic information provider Inrix shows overall levels of U.S. traffic jumped by more than 9 percent during April compared to a year ago, the second largest year-over-year increase recorded on record. “The latest IGI shows the U.S. economy
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is getting back to business,” says Bryan Mistele, CEO of Inrix. “However, the pattern we’re seeing in our data shows that the economies in some regions, like the Midwest, are accelerating while others are stuck in a lower gear.” Overall U.S. gridlock levels grew by 9.4 percent from April 2012 to April 2013 to reach a composite IGI score of 6.9. This means the average trip took drivers in the 100 most populated metro areas nearly 7 percent longer because of increased traffic congestion, a side-effect of better economic times says the company. However, a regional view showed that year-over-year traffic declined in metro areas like Baton Rouge, down 38 percent; Oklahoma City, down 32 percent: Louisville, down 26 percent; and New Orleans, down 21 percent, consistent with a pattern for the South that emerged late last year. The economies in the nation’s other regions fared much better, with traffic growing in northeastern metro areas by 10 percent and in western metro areas by 13 percent. With 14 percent year-over-year growth, metro areas in the Midwest showed the strongest regional performance. The mixed performance seen in the new report is reflected in other recent economic
news. Data through March 2013 from the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices showed the highest increase in U.S. house prices since 2007, while the Conference Board’s gauge of economic sentiment hit a five-year high in May. April’s Fed Beige Book, however, showed economic observers were more cautious in southern districts like Atlanta and Richmond, as they reported mixed sales activity, lower expectations for manufacturing activity and hiring restrained by uncertainty over fiscal and healthcare policies. Recently some economists have said they expect the U.S. economic growth to slow in the current quarter compared to the 2.4 annual rate in the first quarter due to declines in some economic indicators. —truckinginfo.com
Thermo King reaches Diamond Anniversary Transportation refrigeration manufacturer Thermo King this year celebrates 75 years of delivering safety, freshness, and comfort. In 1938, a time when the transport refrigeration business was still literally Continued on page 36
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ROUNDUP T RU C K I N G I N D U S T RY
in the ice age, using ice and salt was the only practical way for haulers to keep perishable shipments from spoiling. Visionary Joe Numero knew there had to be a better way. He and his team developed the first successful mechanical transport refrigeration unit (TRU) and, in the process, gave birth to a whole new industry. The company Joe Numero founded celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Thermo King, a manufacturer of transport temperature control systems for a variety of mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, foresees a wide range of important innovations that will make refrigerated transportation even more effective and efficient in the years to come. A slow economy, volatile fuel prices, more stringent environmental regulations and a worldwide focus on food safety and load security are putting enormous pressure on every link in the cold chain, from producer to consumer. Owners and operators of refrigerated truck and trailer fleets are not immune from these pressures. Operators recognize that they cannot do
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much about fuel prices, so they must focus instead on curbing their fuel consumption to reduce the impact of rising prices and improve their bottom-line performance. Savvy operators know that innovative technologies and smart operating practices enable them to achieve best-in-class TRU performance. The science of refrigerated transportation has advanced dramatically over the last 75 years. The next 75 years will no doubt bring about customer-driven innovations in technology, service and operations that are just as impactful. Thermo King is applying current and emerging technologies and practices to solve problems and achieve higher levels of performance with lower total cost of ownership. Following are some thoughts on what the future holds for the refrigerated transportation industry: Fuel economy will drive innovation and with good reason. Fuel represents the largest component of total operating costs; fuel prices represent one of their least controllable expenses. Sustainability will remain a watchword. Original equipment manufacturers have introduced new products that use less fuel and leave a smaller environmental footprint. Operators are tapping into advanced
tracking capabilities that use GPS data and advanced wireless communications for realtime and historical information about load temperature and asset location. Such systems can also monitor temperatures and other variables, change set-points and control parameters, download reports, change operating modes and respond to alarms using a variety of devices. The new generation of drivers has different expectations in terms of interacting with TRUs and refrigeration systems using their smart devices. A slower than expected recovery, volatile fuel prices and more stringent environmental and food-safety requirements make the future a challenging time for everyone in the cold chain.
GOT NEWS? Send to Ford Boswell at fboswell@AlabamaTrucking.org
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Southland International opens Huntsville branch, adds Wabash National trailer line Southland International Trucks, Inc. recently opened a new dealership in Huntsville, at 14010 Alabama Highway 20. The branch is located just off of Exit #3 on I565, 3 miles east of I-65 and within 4 miles of the Navistar Engine Plant. Store hours are as follows: Parts: 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Service Department is available 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; and Sales is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The branch stocks new and used trucks, trailers, school buses and rental and lease trucks from its Idealease division. The dealership employs 35, has 16 service bays, and offers a full parts inventory with delivery drivers. The service center offers a mobile repair truck, diesel particulate filter machine, and a natural gas repair Bay. Also, the dealership Southland International’s Huntsville branch employs 35, has 16 service bays, and offers a full parts inventory with has a fully operational training facility. For delivery drivers. more info, call 866-471-0346. Meanwhile, in other news, Southland’s Trailer Division recently added Wabash National Corp. to its offering of trailers. Southland Trailer Division now offers a full line of Wabash vans; Transcraft flatbeds; and Trail King heavy duty trailers. Southland International president Drew Linn, says the addition of Wabash Nation allows his dealership to more fully meet customers growing needs. “In our ongoing effort to offer a complete line of trucks and trailers, we are proud to be affiliated with one of North America’s leading manufacturers of semi-trailers, Wabash National Corp. They are truly an innovative company and we are proud to represent this great corporation for many years to come,” he stated in a press release.
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“Trucking’s Voice in Alabama”
PO Box 242337 •
Montgomery, AL 36124-2337 •
Phone: (334)834-3983 •
Fax: (334)262-6504
Application For Membership DIVISION Motor Carriers: ❑ Domiciled In Alabama ❑ All other For-Hire ❑ Household Movers ❑ Private Carriers
Allied Industry: ❑ Local and State Suppliers ❑ Nat’l Concerns, small items ❑ Nat’l Concerns, major items
Your Dues Amount: $ __________________ (see schedule on reverse) Firm Name: ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address: (PO Box) ____________________________________(Street)__________________________________________________ City __________________________________________State __________________________ Zip ________________________ Telephone: __________________________________Fax ______________________________800/ __________________________ Email address: ________________________________________Website Address: __________________________________________ Type of Business: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Official Representative : __________________________________________________Title: __________________________________ Alternate Representative: __________________________________________________Title: __________________________________ Signed: ______________________________________Date: ____________Referred by:____________________________________
CONTRIBUTIONS OR GIFTS TO THE ALABAMA TRUCKING ASSOCIATION, INC., ARE NOT DEDUCTIBLE AS CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS. HOWEVER, THEY MAY BE TAX DEDUCTIBLE AS ORDINARY AND NECESSARY BUSINESS EXPENSES. FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY CODE # _________________ Date_____________________
Freq_____________________
ACT ____________________
BC ____________________
Check # __________________
Exp Date__________________
ATU ____________________
DC ____________________
Dues Amt ________________
Nxt Bill Date _______________
MAG __________________
400 ____________________
MC ____________________
WCSIF __________________
GC ____________________
CONTACT SHEET __________
YR ____________________
WINFAX ________________
Mbr Class ________________
AL Sen___________________
Mbr Type _________________
AL Hse___________________
Dues Cat _________________
CG Dist __________________
A LABAMA T RUCKER • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013
LTR/PLQ ________________
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Schedule of Membership Dues A. Motor Carriers Domiciled in Alabama 1) Gross Annual Revenue Under and not over 1,000,000 and not over 5,000,000 and not over 10,000,000 and not over 15,000,000
$999,999 4,999,999 9,999,999 14,999,999 19,999,999
Annual Dues $500 600 900 1,200 1,500
2) Gross Annual Revenue and not over 20,000,000 and not over 25,000,000 and not over 30,000,000 and not over 35,000,000 and over 40,000,000
$24,999,999 29,999,999 34,999,999 39,999,999
Annual Dues $1,800 2,100 2,400 2,700 3,000
B. All Other For-Hire and Private Carriers Schedule based on miles traveled in Alabama From 0 500,001 1,000,001 2,000,001 3,000,001 4,000,001 5,000,001 6,000,001 7,000,001 8,000,001 9,000,001
To 500,000 1,000,000 2,000,000 3,000,000 4,000,000 5,000,000 6,000,000 7,000,000 8,000,000 9,000,000 10,000,000
Annual $200 250 360 510 640 750 870 960 1,040 1,150 1,250
From 10,000,001 11,000,001 12,000,001 13,000,001 14,000,001 15,000,001 16,000,001 17,000,001 18,000,001 19,000,001 20,000,001
To 11,000,000 12,000,000 13,000,000 14,000,000 15,000,000 16,000,000 17,000,000 18,000,000 19,000,000 20,000,000 25,000,000
Annual $1,320 1,410 1,495 1,575 1,650 1,720 1,795 1,865 1,950 2,030 2,500
C. Allied Industry – Annual Dues • Local and State Suppliers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $300
• National Concerns (distributors or manufactuers of accessories, parts and small equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $400 • National Concerns (distributors or manufacturers of major equipment, integrated product lines, leasing companies and companies marketing statewide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $600 D. Household Movers Based on intrastate revenue only - includes tariff participation 1) Gross Annual Revenue Not Over 100,001 and not over 150,001 and not over 200,000 and not over
$100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000
Annual Dues $420 480 540 600
2) Gross Annual Revenue 250,001 and not over 300,001 and not over 400,001 and not over
Annual Dues $780 $300,000 900 400,000 1,200 500,000
Payment Schedule (Dues payable in advance) Below $500...................................................................Annually $500 - $1,200 ......................................................Semi-Annually
Above $1,200 ................................................................Monthly
CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT – The amount of dues paid by individual members of the Alabama Trucking Association is confidential information and is not subject to publication. Dues information can only be released by ATA to the principal representative of the member in question, and requests by other persons or parties will not be honored. Members are strongly urged to honor this privacy statement and to not share their confidential dues information with other ATA members or the general public. 40
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2013 ATA Buyer’s Guide We make every effort to ensure this list is correct. For changes or corrections to your companyʼs listing, contact Jane Nixon at jnixon@alabamatrucking.org.
Brett Rucker AFLAC (423) 503-9628 www.aflac.com
Alabama Trucking Assn.’s Buyer’s Guide lists those companies that have taking an active role in supportCaribou Insurance Agency, Inc. ing Alabama’s trucking industry by becoming members of the Association. We ask that each time you (205) 822-7577 plan a purchase that you consult this guide and give ATA members the opportunity to gain your business. www.caribouins.com These companies proudly support your association and deserve your support, as well. ADVERTISING/PUBLISHING Randall-Reilly Business Media & Information (205) 349-2990 www.rrpub.com BUS SALES & SERVICE Southland International Trucks, Inc. (205) 942-6226 www.southlandtrucks.com Transportation South, Inc. (205) 663-2287 www.thebuscenter.com Ward International Trucks, LLC (251) 433-5616 www.wardintltrucks.com
EQUIPMENT LEASING Eagle Equipment Leasing LLC (205) 999-5410
Southern Truck & Equipment, Inc. (251) 653-4716 www.southerntruck.net
H.E.C. Leasing, LLC (615) 471-9300 www.hecleasing.com
Thermo King of B’ham-DothanMobile-Montgomery (205) 591-2424 www.midstatetk.com
KLLM/Equipment Solutions LLC (205) 515-1478 www.kllm.com Southern Truck & Equipment, Inc. (251) 653-4716 www.southerntruck.net Southland International Trucks, Inc. (205) 942-6226 www.southlandtrucks.com
Thompson/Caterpillar (205) 849-4365 www.thompsontractor.com W.W. Williams (205) 252-9025 (334) 279-6083 www.wwwilliams.com
Cottingham and Butler (563) 587-5521 www.cottinghambutler.com Custard Insurance Adjusters, Inc. (770) 729-8160 www.custard.com Great West Casualty Co. (865) 670-6573 www.gwccnet.com Hudgens Insurance, Inc. (334) 289-2695 Johnson-Locklin & Associates (205) 980-8008 www.johnson-locklin.com
ESTATE AND BUSINESS PLANNING The Kennion Group, Inc. (205) 969-1155 Christian & Small LLP CHEMICAL PRODUCTS www.kennion.com (205) 795-6588 Star Leasing Co. Rushing Enterprises, Inc. www.csattorneys.com (205) 763-1280 (334) 693-3318 Liberty Mutual Group www.starleasing.com www.rushingenterprises.com (804) 380-5169 FINANCIAL SERVICES www.libertymutual,com BancorpSouth Equipment Finance COMMUNICATIONS/ELECTRONICS Transport Enterprise Leasing LLC (423) 463-3390 (205) 422-7111 Fleetmatics Liberty National Life Insurance www.transportenterpriseleasing www.bxsequipmentfinance.com (727) 674-2912 (256) 596-0930 www.fleetmatics.com www.libnat.com Truck & Trailer Leasing Corp. Comdata (256) 831-6880 (615) 376-6803 J.J. Keller & Assoc., Inc. Liberty Truck Insurance www.comdata.com (920) 722-2848 (205) 352-2598 EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING www.jjkellerservices.com Electronic Funds Source LLC BigBee Steel Lyon Fry Cadden Insurance (615) 777-4619 (256) 383-7322 Omnitracs, Inc. Agency, Inc. www.efsllc.com www.bigbee.com (770) 271-3654 (251) 473-4600 www.omnitracs.com Freight Capital Eaton Corp./Roadranger Field Marvin Johnson & Associates, Inc. (800) 775-0391 Marketing PeopleNet (812) 372-0841 www.freightcapital.com (205) 601-8440 (888) 346-3486 www.mjai.com www.roadranger.com www.peoplenetonline.com GE Capital McGriff, Siebels & Williams, Inc. EQUIPMENT PARTS/ACCESSORIES (770) 960-6307 Rand McNally (205) 252-9871 www.ge.com Ancra International, LLC (501) 835-1585 www.mcgriff.com (334) 306-4372 www.randmcnally.com People’s Capital & Leasing Corp. www.ancra.com Joe Morten & Sons, Inc. (205) 856-9354 DRIVER STAFFING (865) 670-6544 www.peoples.com Dothan Tarpaulin Products, Inc. Best Drivers www.joemorten.com (800) 844-8277 (205) 916-0259 People’s United Equipment Finance www.dothantarp.com www.bestdrivers.com S. S. Nesbitt Corp. (205) 262-2620 (205) 664-9374 FleetPride, Inc. EDUCATION & TRAINING www.ssnesbitt.com www.financialfederal.com (205) 322-5621 J.J. Keller & Assoc., Inc. www.fleetpride.com (920) 722-2848 Palomar Insurance Corp. PNC Financial Services Group www.jjkellerservices.com (334) 270-0105 (251) 441-7286 FQS Bear Equipment www.palomarinsurance.com www.pnc.com (803) 957-4946 JP Transportation Safety www.fqs-inc.com Consulting, LLC Regions Insurance, Inc. Renasant Bank (205) 329-8182 (501) 661-4880 (334) 301-5955 GFA, Alabama (205) 945-8550 www.regions.com www.renasantbank.com (205) 481-1090 www.jptsc.com www.gfany.net Regions Insurance/Barksdale Bonding ServisFirst Bank Transportation Safety Services (334) 808-9441 (205) 949-3433 Imperial Supplies LLC (251) 661-9700 www.barksdalebonding.com www.servisfirstbank.com www.transportationsafetyservices.com (920) 494-7474 www.imperialsupplies.com Reliance Partners, Inc. INSURANCE Trucking Partners, LLC (877) 668-1704 American Claims Service, Inc. Kinedyne Corp. (256) 737-8788 www.reliancepartners.com (205) 669-1177 (334) 365-2919 www.truckingpartners.com www.kinedyne.com Sentry Insurance Aon Risk Solutions USA Driver-s, Inc. (800) 610-4888 (501) 374-9300 Meritor Heavy Vehicle Systems (205) 661-0712 www.sentry.com www.aon.com (334) 798-0080 www.usadrivers.com www.arvinmeritor.com Trans Con Assurance, LTD Aronov Insurance, Inc. (205) 978-7070 ENGINE MANUFACTURERS (205) 907-9622 Metro Trailer Repair Co., Inc. Cummins Mid-South, LLC www.aronovinsurance.com (205) 323-2877 Turner & Hamrick L.L.C. (901) 488-8033 www.metrotrailer.net (334) 566-7665 www.cumminsmidsouth.com The Baxter Agency www.turnerhamrick.com (334) 678-6800 Paccar Parts/Kenworth Thompson/Caterpillar www.baxteragency.com (205) 679-7925 York Risk Services Group (205) 849-4365 www.kenworth.com (205) 581-9283 www.thompsontractor.com BB & T Insurance Services www.yorkrsg.com (912) 201-4706 Star Truck Parts Westport HD div. of Westport (205) 324-4681 Innovations, Inc. Benton & Parker Insurance Services Zurich (800) 553-3055 (251) 635-7143 (770) 536-8340 www.zurichna.com/zdu www.westport.com www.bentonandparker.com
MEDICAL/DRUG & ALCOHOL SERVICES Alabama Specialty Clinic (256) 736-1460 www.ascoccupationalhealth.com Bradley Screening, LLC (334) 272-3539 www.bradleyscreening Brookwood Medical Center (205) 807-4977 www.bwmc.com Carlisle Medical, Inc. (251) 344-7988 www.carlislemedical.com Employers Drug Program Mgmt., Inc. (205) 326-3100 www.edpm.com ErgoScience, Inc. (205) 879-6447 www.ergoscience.com J.J. Keller & Assoc., Inc. (920) 722-2848 www.jjkellerservices.com Safety First-Div. of Behavioral Health Systems (205) 443-5450 www.bhs-inc.com
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS BP Castrol Lubricants (205) 266-4863 www.castrol.com Clean Energy Fuels (423) 341-1779 Corridor Clean Fuels, LLC (256) 894-0098 Jack Green Oil Co., Inc. (256) 831-1038 Kimbro Oil Company (615) 320-7484 www.kimbrooil.com Major Oil Company, Inc. (334) 263-9070 www.unitedfoodandfuel.com Slidell Oil (334) 262-7301 The McPherson Companies, Inc. (888) 802-7500 www.mcphersonoil.com W.H. Thomas Oil Co., Inc. (205) 755-2610 www.whthomasoil.com
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Accounting Firms: Aldridge, Borden & Co. (334) 834-6640 www.aldridgeborden.com Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC (334) 271-6678 www.cricpa.com Katz, Sapper & Miller, LLP (317) 580-2068 www.ksmcpa.com Attorneys: Austill, Lewis & Pipkin, P.C. (205) 870-3767 www.maplaw.com Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C. (205) 328-0480 www.bakerdonelson.com Ball, Ball, Matthews & Novak, P.A. 334-387-7680 www.ball-ball.com
ATA_2Q13_11751 ATA 6/21/13 2:05 PM Page 43
(as of 6/13/2013) Carr, Allison, Pugh, Howard, Oliver & Sisson (205) 822-2006 www.carrallison.com Christian & Small, LLP (205) 795-6588 www.csattorneys.com DeLashmet & Marchand, P.C. (251) 433-1577 www.delmar-law.com Ferguson, Frost & Dodson, LLP (205) 879-8722 www.ffdlaw.com Fisher & Phillips, LLP (404) 231-1400 www.laborlawyers.com Friedman, Dazzio, Zulanas & Bowling, P.C. (205) 278-7000 www.friedman-lawyers.com Hand Arendall LLC (251) 432-5511 www.handarendall.com James M. Sizemore, Jr. (256) 409-1985 McDowell Knight Roedder & Sledge, LLC (251) 432-5300 www.mcdowellknight.com Porterfield,Harper,Mills,Motlow & Ireland PA (205) 980-5000 www.phm-law.com Webster, Henry, Lyons, White, Bradwell & Black, P.C. (334) 264-9472 www.websterhenry.com Zieman, Speegle, Jackson & Hoffman LLC (251) 694-1700 www.ziemanspeegle.com
Other Services: Ahern & Associates LTD (602) 242-1030 www.ahern-LTD.com Direct Chassislink (704) 571-5408 www.chassislink.com The Earl Dove Co., LLC (334) 793-7117 George L. Edwards & Associates (334) 745-5166 Help, Inc. Provider of PrePass (931) 520-7170 www.prepass.com J.J. Keller & Assoc., Inc. (920) 722-2848 www.jjkellerservices.com Jeffers Trucking, Inc. (205) 808-1112 JP Transportation Safety Consulting, LLC (205) 329-8182 (205) 329-8183 www.jptsc.com McLeod Software (205) 823-5100 www.mcleodsoftware.com Mobile Asphalt Co., LLC (251) 408-0770 www.mobileasphalt.com Motor Carrier Safety Consulting (205) 871-4455
Power South Energy Cooperative (334) 427-3207 www.powersouth.com
Metro Trailer Repair Co., Inc. (205) 323-2877 www.metrotrailer.net
Fontaine Fifth Wheel NA (205) 421-4300 www.fifthwheel.com
Neely Coble Co. (256) 350-1630 www.neelycoble.com
Securance Group, Inc. (334) 272-1200 www.securancegroup.com
Rowe Management Corp. (205) 486-9235 www.rowemachinery.com
Great Dane Trailers (205) 324-3491 www.greatdanetrailers.com
Nextran Truck Corporation (205) 841-4450 www.nextrancorp.com
Spectrum Environmental Services, Inc. Star Leasing Co. (205) 664-2000 (205) 763-1280 www.specenviro.com www.starleasing.com
Gulf City Body & Trailer Works, Inc. (251) 438-5521 www.gulfcity.com
Peterbilt Motors Co. (615) 208-1800 www.peterbilt.com
Tax2290.com/ThinkTrade Inc. (866) 245-3918 www.tax2290.com
Thompson/Caterpillar (205) 849-4365 www.thompsontractor.com
Gulf Coast Truck & Equipment Co. (251) 476-2744 www.gulfcoasttruck.com
Peterbilt of Montgomery & Birmingham LLC (800) 264-4555 www.peterbilttruckcenters.com
TMW Systems, Inc. (216) 831-6606 www.tmwsystems.com
W.W. Williams (205) 252-9025 (334) 279-6083 www.wwwilliams.com
R C Trailer Sales & Service Co., Inc. (205) 680-0924 www.rctrailersales.net
Transportation and Logistical Services, Inc (205) 226-5500 www.tlsincorp.com Transportation Billing Solutions, LLC (205) 788-4000 Transportation Compliance Services, USA (228) 872-7160 www.dottrucksafety.com
TIRE DEALERS & MANUFACTURERS Best-One Tire & Service (615) 785-2834 www.bestonetire.com Bridgestone Commercial Solutions (770) 317-5777 www.trucktires.com
Butler Industrial Tire Center, Inc. (334) 376-0178 Transportation Safety Services (251) 661-9700 Columbus Tire Co., Inc. www.transportationsafetyservices.com (706) 321-8133 www.columbustireco.com Transportation Support, Inc. (205) 833-6336 GCR Tire Centers www.transportationsupport.com (205) 914-6818
Southland International Trucks, Inc. (205) 942-6226 www.southlandtrucks.com Star Leasing Co. (205) 763-1280 www.starleasing.com Tennessee Valley Recycling LLC (256) 353-6351 www.tvrllc.com Transport Trailer Center (334) 299-3573 Utility Trailer Sales of Alabama LLC (334) 794-7345 www.utilityalabama.com
Rush Truck Center-Mobile (251) 459-7300 www.rushofmobile.com Southland International Trucks, Inc. (205) 942-6226 www.southlandtrucks.com Taylor & Martin, Inc. (662) 262-4613 www.taylorandmartin.com Thompson/Caterpillar (205) 849-4365 www.thompsontractor.com Truckworx Kenworth – Birmingham (205) 326-6170 www.TRUCKWORX.com Truckworx Kenworth – Dothan (334) 712-4900 www.TRUCKWORX.com
TripPak SERVICES & ACS Advertising McGriff Tire Co. (801) 349-2433 (256) 739-0710 www.acsexpeditedsolutions.com www.mcgriffindustries.com
TRUCK DEALERS, MANUFACTURERS Action Truck Center (334) 794-8505 www.actiontruckcenter.com
Trucking Partners, LLC (256) 737-8788 www.truckingpartners.com
McGriff Treading Co., Inc. (256) 734-4298 www.mcgriffindustries.com
Birmingham Freightliner (205) 322-6695 www.birminghamfreightliner.com
Truckworx Kenworth – Mobile (251) 957-4000 www.TRUCKWORX.com
Welborn & Associates, Inc. (423) 822-1608 www.transportcap.com
Michelin North America (864) 201-6177 www.michelintruck.com
Capital Volvo Truck & Trailer (334) 262-8856 www.capitalvolvo.com
Truckworx Kenworth – Huntsville (256) 308-0162 www.TRUCKWORX.com
Real Estate: Mary Lou’s Team RE/MAX, Inc. (205) 566-5911 www.marylousteam.com
Snider Fleet Solutions (404) 361-0130 www.snidertire.com
Coffman International Trucks (334) 794-4111 www.coffmaninternationaltrucks.com
Volvo Trucks North America (336) 393-2975 www.volvotrucks.volvo.com
Tire Centers, LLC (TCI) (205) 252-3150 www.tirecenters.com
Daimler Trucks NA LLC (404) 368-6860 www.freightlinertrucks.com
Ward International Trucks, LLC (251) 433-5616 www.wardintltrucks.com
Ventech USA (707) 499-7765 Birmingham Frame & Alignment, LLC www.ventechusa.com (205) 322-4844 birminghamframeandalignment.com Waste Two Energy (251) 452-3690 Carl Carson Truck Center, Inc. Wilks Tire & Battery Service, Inc. (205) 592-9966 (256) 878-0211 www.carlcarson.com www.wilkstire.com Carrier Transicold South Yokohama Tire Corp. (404) 968-3130 (317) 385-2611 www.ctsouth.com www.yokohamatire.com Carroll Truck Repair, Inc. (205) 983-3375 TRAILER DEALERS/ MANUFACTURERS Childersburg Truck Service, Inc. C & C Trailers, Inc. (256) 378-3101 (334) 897-2202 www.childersburg-truck.com Dorsey Trailer Coffman International Trucks (334) 897-2525 (334) 794-4111 www.dorseytrailer.net www.coffmaninternationaltrucks.com Empire Truck Sales, LLC Eufaula Trucking Co., Inc. (601) 939-1000 (334) 687-0391 www.empiretruck.com
Eagle Equipment Leasing LLC (205) 999-5410
TRUCK & EQUIPMENT AUCTIONEERS Taylor & Martin, Inc. (662) 262-4613 www.taylorandmartin.com
Long Lewis Western Star (205) 428-6241 www.longlewistrucks.com
VEHICLE LEASING Southland International Trucks, Inc. (205) 942-6226 www.southlandtrucks.com
H & M Trailer Repair, Inc. (334) 262-0692
Mack Trucks, Inc. (678) 201-4770 www.macktrucks.com
Ward International Trucks, LLC (251) 433-5616 www.wardintltrucks.com
Repairs: Big Moe Spring & Alignment of B’ham, Inc. (205) 780-0290
Lazzari Truck Repair, Inc. (251) 626-5121
Equipment Logistics, Inc. (256) 739-9280
Empire Truck Sales, LLC (601) 939-1000 www.empiretruck.com
Truckworx Kenworth – Montgomery (334) 263-3101 www.TRUCKWORX.com
Fleetco, Inc. (615) 256-0600 www.fleetco.net
TRUCKSTOPS Love’s Travel Stops, Inc. (405) 202-4451 www.loves.com
Four Star Freightliner (334) 263-1085 (Montgomery) www.fourstarfreightliner.com
Oasis Travel Center, LLC (251) 960-1148
International Truck & Engine Corp./Navistar (813) 382-3113 www.internationaldelivers.com Kenworth of Huntsville, Inc. (256) 308-0162 www.kenworthofalabama.com
Pilot Flying J (800) 562-6210 www.pilotflyingj.com TravelCenters of America/Petro Shopping Centers (404) 231-4142 www.tatravelcenters.com
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ATA
NEW MEMBERS & EVENTS
New Members (as of 6-18-2013)
For Advertising Info Call Ford Boswell 334-834-3983
Able Body Moving & Delivery LLC 3029 Brookhigh Drive Birmingham, AL 35242 (205) 567-6878 Mr. Jason Burroughs
Glovis Alabama LLC 300 Hyundai Blvd. Montgomery, AL 36105 (334) 531-6707 Ms. Leslie Garvin
RangeWay Carriers, LLC 120 Bishop Circle Suite 126 Pelham, AL 35124 (205) 623-5722 Mr. Wesley Dunn
BTC Trucking, Inc. 1315 AL Hwy 9 South Piedmont, AL 36272 (256) 447-8399 Ms. LaVonda Burns
Hurricane Trucking, Inc. P.O. Box 955 Bayou La Batre, AL 36509 (855) 234-1310 Mr. Phillip Robinson
Star Truck Parts 2616 North 20th Street Birmingham, AL 35234 (205) 324-4681 Mr. Jerald Brooks
Clean Energy Fuels 3020 Old Ranch Parkway, Suite 400 Seal Beach, CA 90740 Mr. Brian Wennerstrom
Lovett, David Trucking Corp. 930 Highway 243 S. Haleyville, AL 35565 7308 (205) 302-3109 Mr. David Lovett
T & T Haulers, Inc 125 Empire Drive Arab, AL 35016 (256) 931-5719 Mr. Alan Tweedie
McDowell Knight Roedder & Sledge, LLC P. O. Box 350 Mobile, AL 36602 (251) 432-5300 Mr. Will Chason
Transport Enterprise Leasing LLC 400 Birmingham Highway Chattanooga, TN 37419 (423) 463-3390 Mr. Doug Carmichael
Electronic Funds Source, LLC 3100 West End Avenue Ste. 1150 Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 777-4619 Mr. Tim Hampton Fleetmatics 1255 Cleveland Street, 3rd Floor Clearwater, FL 33755 (727) 674-2912 Mr. Austin Deeds Freight Lime & Sand Hauling/Flash P. O. Box 574 Green Lake, WI 54941 (920) 294-0430 Mr. Bradley Rost
A Alabama Trucker (AT), the official publication of the Alabama Trucking Association (ATA), is an award-winning trade publication highlighting the Association's activities while documenting the business environment of the day. AT is published quarterly and distributed to more than 2,500 trucking executives, regulatory officials, and political figures. Want to reach decision makers at more than 1,500 Alabama-based trucking firms? Consider this: Advertising in AT reaches the most concentrated readership of trucking professionals in the state. Our rates are affordable, but on top of that, your helping ATA send positive messages about one of the state's largest employers.
Contact Ford Boswell at fboswell@alabamatrucking.org or 877-277-TRUK (8785) For More Information 44
Triple C Transportation, LLC P. O. Box 193 Monroeville, AL 36461 (251) 282-7268 Mr. Chris Stallworth
Metro Truck Rental 100 Metro Parkway Pelham, AL 35124 (205) 985-8701 Mr. Eddie Lumpkin Porterfield, Harper, Mills, Motlow, Ireland PA 22 Inverness Center Pkwy., Suite 600 Birmingham, AL 35242 (205) 980-5000 Mr. Robert W Heath
D V E R T I S I N G
I
Dale R. Waldrep 775 County Road 1686 Cullman, AL 35058 6543 (256) 796-5519 Mr. Dale Waldrep
N D E X
ADVERTISER PG. NO. PH. NO. WEB ADDRESS ATA WCSIF BC (334) 834-7911 www.atacompfund.org The Baxter Agency 31 (800) 873-8494 www.baxteragency.com Bell & Co. 36 (501) 753-9700 bellandcompany.net Carrier Transicold South 41 (205) 328-7278 www.trucktrailer.carrier.com Great Dane IBC (800) 383-0094 www.greatdanetrailers.com Great West Casualty Co. 37 (800) 228-8053 www.gwccnet.com Greenbush Logistics 35 (877) 585-4749 www.greenbushlogistics.com International Trucks IFC (800) 844-4102 www.navistar.com JP Transportation Safety Consulting 30 (205) 329-8183 www.jptsc.com J.J. Keller 11,20 (888) 473-4638 ext. 7892 www.jjkellermobile.com Johnson Locklin 25 (251) 947-3015 www.johnson-locklin.com Nextran Truck Center 13 (800) 292-8685 www.nextrancorp.com Palomar Insurance 38 (800) 489-0105 www.palomarins.com Parman Energy 10 (888) 350-5576 www.parmanenergy.com PrePass 26 (800) 773-7277 www.prepass.com Regions Insurance 28 (800) 807-1412 www.regionsinsurance.com Transport Enterprise Leasing LLC 17 (423) 463-3389 transportenterpriseleasing.com Thompson Cat 3 (205) 849-4288 www.thompsontractor.com Truckworx Kenworth 21 (800) 444-6170 www.truckworx.com Turner & Hamrick 16 (888) 385-0186 www.turnerhamrick.com WH Thomas Oil Co. 22 (205) 755-2610 www.thomasoil.com W.W. Williams 27 (800) 365-3780 www.wwwilliams.com A LABAMA T RUCKER • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013
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