T2K_12-16_OnlinEdition

DECEMBER 2016 

GENERAL MANAGER 

Megan Cullingford-Hicks 

SALES MANAGER 

Jerry Critser 

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF 

Tammy Borrelli 

Charlene Abernathy 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR 

Chad Singleton 

EDITOR 

Sean O’Connell 

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES 

Meg Larcinese 

1.678.325.1025 

megl@targetmediapartners.com 

John Hicks 

1.770.418.9789 

johnh@targetmediapartners.com 

Greg McClendon 

1.678.325.1023 

gregmc@targetmediapartners.com 

Roger Fair 

1.256.676.3688 

rogerf@targetmediapartners.com 

Brett Scott 

1.757.777.5113 

Brett.Scott@TargetMediaPartners.com 

COLUMNS 

Bulletin Board...........................14 

Highway Angel..........................20 

Bottomline...............................24 

Advertiser’s Index.....................32 

COPYRIGHT: Copyright 2016 Wilshire Classifieds, 

LLC. Publisher as sumes no responsibility for 

unsolicited material. Reproduction in whole or in 

part without written permis sion is prohibited. All 

advertisements, and/or editorials are accepted and 

published by Publisher on the representation that 

the advertiser, its advertising agency, and/or the 

supplier of the contents are authorized to publish 

the entire contents and subject matter thereof. 

The advertiser, its advertising agency and/or the 

supplier of the contents will defend, indemnify and 

hold Publisher harmless from and against any loss, 

expense or other liability, resulting from any claims 

or suits for libel, violation of privacy, plagiarism, 

copyright or trademark infringement and any other 

claims or suits that may rise out of publication 

of such contents. Press releases are expressly 

covered within the definition of contents. 

TRUCKING 2016 • (256) 835-7610 

4 TRUCKING 2016

October Preliminary Net Class 8 

Orders Negatively Impacted By 

OEM “Clean Up” 

Transportation Analyst FTR reported 

November 3 that preliminary Class 8 net orders 

for October reached 13,800 units, virtually 

even with the previous month. The total was 

46 percent down from October 2015, said 

ACT Research President and Senior Analyst 

Kenny Vieth. “September is typically a weak 

order month,” Vieth said. “Normally, we would 

expect to see about a 30 percent (increase for 

October over September).” 

2015,” FTR stated. 

Don Ake, vice president of Commercial 

Vehicles at FTR, said “The adjusted number of 

21,300 was fueled by the big fleets placing their 

requirement orders for the first half of 2017. 

This indicates the freight markets are stabilizing 

and the fleets are confident enough to replace 

older trucks. 

“FTR expects medium-sized and smaller fleets 

to wait until after the election to place most of 

their initial 2017 orders. Once that uncertainty 

has been lifted, it should help the equipment 

markets and the general economy. Monthly 

orders will likely hover around the 20,000 unit 

mark in November and December.” 

The reported net order number for the 

month, FTR stated, was negatively impacted 

by a “significant cleanup of long-term, excess, 

orders by one OEM.” FTR did not name the 

manufacturer whose cleanup reduced the net 

total, and Vieth said he also could not comment 

on the information. 

“With this backlog adjustment factored 

out, net orders would have been closer to 

approximately 21,300 units, much above 

industry expectations and would have been the 

best monthly order activity since December 

Riverside Transportation is 

breaking into the west coast with 

its Refrigerated Division 

This fleet will operate up and down the 

I-5 corridor, with various trips to Las Vegas, 

Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. 

Those who join the fleet, and who live 

along the I-5 corridor, can enjoy weekly home 

time and consistent miles and pay. Riverside 

Transportation is seeking company drivers with 

12 months 

of over 

the road 

experience. 

Company 

drivers will 

enjoy a 

competitive 

pay package, benefits, 401K, paid vacation and 

paid holidays. 

Riverside Transportation, a family-owned, 

14 www.TruckDriverMagazines.com TRUCKING 2016

has been in business for more than 20 years. 

When you’re a part of the Riverside team, 

you’re a part of the family. We provide our 

drivers with new equipment. All trucks are 

equipped with APUs, inverters, and refrigerators. 

At RTI, we know our drivers are our biggest 

assets. 

Are you ready to join our team? Give us a 

call today at 1-866-670-5717. 

Melton Truck Lines, Inc. Partners 

with FASTPORT To Mentor and 

Hire Military Veterans 

Melton Truck Lines, Inc., a premier 

air-ride flatbed carrier announced a partnership 

with FASTPORT through the Hiring Our 

Heroes Trucking Track program in a joint 

mission to educate Veterans about the variety of 

career paths trucking offers and provide them 

with employment opportunities with 

the industry. 

“Melton Truck Lines believes that it is 

our duty to provide America’s Veterans and 

transitioning service members with access to 

great careers in an industry where they fit in 

so well,” said Bob Peterson, Melton Chairman 

and CEO. “We have found that the military 

culture and our company culture are linked 

with connection points that include the value 

of teamwork, discipline, dedication, and an 

adventurous spirit. With those shared values, 

Veterans are set up for incredible success with 

Melton, and we are excited to help them find 

their career with us.” 

By partnering with FASTPORT, Melton is 

continuing in its strong support of the United 

States Armed Forces. Currently, over 30% of 

Melton employees are Veterans or members 

of the Guard and Reserve. Melton recently 

honored Armed Forces members at the Great 

American Trucking Show when they signed a 

Statement of Support for the Guard and Reserve. 

In addition to its wrapped truck that brings 

awareness and recognition to the Melton’s 

military community, all Melton veterans enjoy 

special decals 

for their 

trucks. The 

company 

has a 

longstanding 

history of recruiting Veterans and helping with 

the transition back to civilian life and is the only 

transportation company based in Oklahoma 

with an on the job training program that is 

certified by the State of Oklahoma Accrediting 

Agency to be approved for Veteran’s Benefit. 

“Melton Truck Lines has an outstanding 

track record for supporting our nation’s heroes, 

and we look forward to helping this militaryfriendly 

company continue to grow and improve 

that effort,” said Brad Bentley, FASTPORT 

President. “The company has truly earned the 

title of 2016’s Best Fleets to Drive For, and 

we are proud to be able to offer the military 

community a direct channel into Melton’s 

excellent careers and culture.” 

Headquartered in Tulsa, OK, Melton 

Truck Lines Inc. is an award-winning leader 

in the air-ride flatbed industry and services 

the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In 

business for almost 65 years, Melton has 

offices and terminals in Tulsa, Laredo, El Paso, 

Birmingham and Masury. For more information, 

please visit www.meltontruck.com. 

16 www.TruckDriverMagazines.com TRUCKING 2016

North Carolina Truck Driver 

Named Highway Angel For Assisting 

Accident Victim 

Carl Debehnke, of Newport, North 

Carolina, a professional truck driver for 

Best Dedicated, LLC of Kernersville, North 

Carolina, has been named a 

Highway Angel by the Truckload 

Carriers Association. 

He is being recognized for 

assisting an elderly man after he 

was involved in a rollover accident. 

On August 3, 2016, around 3:30 

p.m., Carl Debehnke was driving 

westbound on Interstate 74 near 

Greensburg, Indiana. 

In the distance, he saw an 

eastbound van cross the 

median and flip over, 

coming to rest on its roof. 

Debehnke slowed his 

truck and came to a stop, 

quickly running over to 

the van to see if anyone 

was hurt. Inside, he saw an 

elderly man lying on his 

stomach, still strapped in 

his seatbelt. 

Needed to assess the 

man’s injuries, Debehnke went to the 

passenger side of the van and crawled 

through the sliding door. With broken glass 

everywhere, Debehnke had to move the 

shards to access the man still strapped in by 

the seatbelt. 

Debehnke checked the man’s vitals and 

loosened the seatbelt, as much as he could, 

to help relieve pressure from the 

man’s shoulder. 

“I kept talking to him to keep 

him awake and alert until help 

arrived.” Debehnke said. 

When assistance arrived at 

the scene, Debehnke gave them 

a thorough account of what 

happened. 

The Decatur County Sherriff’s 

Department called the professional 

Carl Debehnke 

truck driver’s company and 

complimented them on how 

well Debehnke had handled 

the situation. Debehnke 

was able to find out from 

the elderly man’s family 

that he was going to make 

a full recovery. 

Debehnke has been 

driving for 28 years and is 

no stranger to helping at 

accidents. 

“I have stopped at lots of accidents over 

the years. I learned first aid in the military 

so I try to help when I can,” he said. 

For his willingness to help, TCA has 

presented Debehnke with a certificate, 


patch, lapel pin and truck decal. Best 

Dedicated, LLC also received a certificate 

acknowledging Debehnke as a Highway 

Angel. 

EpicVue sponsors TCA’s Highway Angel 

program. Since the program’s inception 

in August 1997, hundreds of drivers have 

been recognized as Highway Angels for the 

unusual kindness, courtesy, and courage they 

have shown others while on the job. 


The 

Bottom Line 

By Shasta D. May 

YEAR-END 

TAX PLANNING 

December is here already, another year 

is coming to an end, but we still have time 

for some last-minute tax planning. Here 

are a few tax reducing strategies that can be 

accomplished before the end of December 

and information for the upcoming tax season. 

If You Can Itemize 

Prepay Deductible Expenses 

If you itemize deductions, accelerating 

some deductible expenses into this year to 

produce higher 2016 write-offs makes sense 

if you expect to be in the same or lower tax 

bracket next year. 

One of the easiest deductible expenses 

to prepay is the interest included in house 

payments due on January 1. Accelerating 

that payment into this year will give you 13 

months’ worth of deductible interest in 2016. 

If you prepay this year, you can continue the 

practice for next year and beyond. 

Another option is prepaying state and 

local income and property taxes that are 

usually due the beginning of next year. 

If You Are 

Self-Employed 

Prepay Deductible Expenses 

If you have business expenses that 

you can pay in December that you would 

normally pay in January, you can increase 

your business deductions and lower your 

taxable business income. Consider any 

expenses you know you’re going to incur 

in the next 60 days for possible payment to 

maximize write-off before the end of the 

year, such as, tires, repairs, maintenance, 

insurance, etc. 

Another way to minimize your tax burden 

is to minimize your penalties for failure 

to pay sufficient estimated tax payments. 

Often, individuals in businesses get into tax 

trouble because they do not make estimated 

tax payments, and being self-employed you 

have self-employment tax of 15 percent. 

Important: You have the January 15th, 4th 

quarter estimated tax payment to pay in 

any tax liability for 2016 and avoid an 

underpayment penalty. 

2016 Standard 

Deductions 

For 2016, the standard deduction is 

$12,600 for married couples filing joint, 

$6,300 for single filers, and $9,300 for head 

of households. 

Important - 

Company Drivers 

If you file an itemized tax return, you 

can deduct employee business expenses 

you incur but are not reimbursed for. You 

can deduct any expenses that are necessary 

or required in the performance of your 

job and/or operation of the truck but are 


not reimbursed by your employer, such as, 

uniforms, work boots, gloves, logbooks, 

maps, cell phone, CB, tools, etc. These 

deductions are only available if you itemize 

and are not available if you take the standard 

deduction. Remember, you are also entitled 

to the per diem allowance for overnights to 

cover the cost of meals and incidentals while 

on the road. Remember, this deduction is 

only available if you are not reimbursed for 

meals and you itemize. 

To determine if you will benefit from 

itemizing, the total of all your individual 

deductions must be greater than the Standard 

Deduction. 

Example: If you are a single company 

driver and your only deduction is the+ per 

diem for overnights, your deduction for 

overnights must total more than the standard 

deduction. 

Let’s say your overnights for the year total 

250 

250 overnights multiplied by the current 

2016 per diem rate ($63) = $15,750 

The allowable per diem deduction is 80% 

of the total, therefore 80% of $15,750 = 

$12,600 

The Standard Deduction for a single 

company driver is $6,300 - However with 

250 overnights you would qualify to itemize 

with $12,600 in deductions. By itemizing 

you will have $6,300 more in deductions 

(double the standard deduction) than if you 

had used the Standard Deduction and to that 

you may add other itemized deductions in 

addition to the ones mentioned above, if they 

are purchased in the same tax year. 

It is always important for individuals and 

small businesses to plan ahead for taxes. 

Many of you do not have the luxury of using 

an accountant throughout the year. As a 

result, numerous truckers are responsible 

for keeping their own records, determining 

their tax liability and potentially missing 

out on ongoing tax planning that could save 

money. If at all possible, use a trucking 

tax professional for year-end tax return 

preparation. 

Bottom Line 

This article has been presented by MBA 

Tax & Bookkeeping Service, a company proud 

to provide Corporate/LLC filings, income tax, 

bookkeeping and IRS problem resolution 

services to truckers in all states. If you would 

like additional information or have questions, 

calls are always welcome. Contact us at 

888-407-1669 or visit our website at www. 

mbataxhelp.com. 

This article is provided for informational 

purposes only and is not intended as legal or 

tax advice. Each individual business situation 

is different and the information contained 

herein is meant for general information 

purposes only. Specific tax and legal 

recommendations can only be made after an 

individual has consulted his or her qualified 

tax or legal professional. 

The 



ADVERTISERS INDEX 

Alabama Motor Express.......................30 

Beacon Transport.................................36 

Big M Transportation...........................30 

CalArk..............................................9, 34 

Celadon ..............................................6-7 

Central Hauling......................................8 

Harris Quality......................................32 

Hurricane Express................................12 

JK Hackl......................................... 13, 35 

Johnsrud Transport...............................22 

Koch Trucking..................................... 27 

Marten Transport.... Cover, 2-3, 5, 31, 33 

Melton Truck Lines.........................28-29 

Mercer Transportation......................... 17 

Minstar................................................. 25 

Petro/TA...............................................10 

Redneck Trailer Supplies..................... 23 

RTI....................................................... 11 

Trans Am.............................................. 15 

UPS...................................................... 21 

K & B Transportation.....................18-19

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