IC_06-17_OnlinEdition

At MAG Carriers, 

you control your 

own destiny. 

The company’s basic objective, according 

to its official website, is “to provide 

excellent customer service based 

on our Christian values of honesty and 

integrity.” 

“And we pay you for what you do,” 

said George Hayes, MAG Carriers’ founder 

and owner who launched the business 

in 2002. 

“That’s where we’re different,” Hayes 

continued. “We don’t 

dispatch you. We don’t 

tell you where to go. If 

you want to go home, 

you go home. If you 

want to take a week 

off, then take a week 

off. We pay you for 

what you do and you 

pretty much run your 

own show. It’s up to 

you.” 

This has been 

Vincent Clayton 

Hayes’ vision: an all owner operator business 

for people like himself that want to 

run when and where they want to with no 

one telling them how to run. Drivers set 

their own schedules. They go home when 

they want to go home. They pick their own 

freight to pull and they negotiate the rate 

with a shipper or a broker. 

“I came up with this because of all of 

the problems I was having running myself, 

so I developed this company to take 

care of those problems for other drivers,” 

Hayes explained. “So that they can be 

semi-independent. They control their own 

destiny. They go when they want to go by 

booking their own load and negotiating 

their own rates. They know what the load 

is going to pay because they are the ones 

who negotiated the rate to pull it!” 

Vincent Clayton is a successful owneroperator 

who has been with MAG Carriers 

for six years. Like many other drivers, 

Clayton was drawn to the freedom to 

operate on his own schedule, pulling the 

freight that he chooses. 

“It gives you the opportunity to be your 

total boss,” Clayton said. 

And it takes a lot of responsibility off 

of your plate. In an effort to make sure 

that his drivers are running their own 

businesses, Hayes 

says that the executives 

at MAG handle 

“all the back-office 

stuff” so drivers can 

focus on running miles 

and earning money. In 

time, he likes to see 

drivers move on from 

MAG and start their 

own business endeavors. 

“This is kind of a 

stepping stone from working for a company 

and them dictating to you where to go 

and booking your loads for you, to getting 

to where you are fully independent and 

have your own authority and are running 

your own company,” Hayes said. 

MAG Carriers currently has 17 company 

trucks and 95 owner-operators leased 

on and are continuing to grow. They are 

always looking for more owner operators 

to lease on and more company drivers to 

hire. Hayes says he is buying trucks as he 

hires more company drivers. 

“I dedicated this business to the Lord 

back in 2005 and it’s been awesome ever 

since,” Hayes said. 

For more information on MAG Carriers, 

including possible employment or 

leasing opportunities with the company, 

visit www.magcarriers.com. • 

2 INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR 2017 HUNDREDS OF JOBS www.TruckJobSeekers.com

CONTENTS 

June 2017 • Vol. 20 • Iss. 6 

Business Solutions 

Interesting things 

to know: 

Tax Enforcement – 

Audit Risk for Sole 

Proprietors 

Page 12 

IC News 

USA Truck Named a 

Most Valuable Employer 

for Military 

by RecruitMilitary 

Product Profile 

Page 22 

Air-Weigh Launches 

New LoadMaxx 

Trailer Scale 

Page 38 

s t a f f 

General Manager Megan Hicks 

Sales Manager Jerry Critser 

Creative Director Chad Singleton 

Administrative Staff Tammy Borrelli 

Charlene Abernathy 

Editor Sean O'Connell 

Advertising Account Executives 

Roger Fair 

1.256.676.3688 

rogerf@targetmediapartners.com 

Sean Hayes 

1.256.405.4017 

seanh@htwoservices.com 

John Hicks 

1.770.418.9789 

johnh@targetmediapartners.com 

Meg Larcinese 

1.678.325.1025 

megl@targetmediapartners.com 

Greg McClendon 

1.678.325.1023 

gregmc@targetmediapartners.com 

Carol Trujillo 

1.213.221.9993 

CarolT@targetmediapartners.com 

Wilshire Classifieds, LLC 

P.O. Box 2685 

Anniston, AL 36202 

(256) 237-2801 • (256) 237-2802 Fax 

COPYRIGHT: Copyright 2017 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. 

Member of NATSO, Inc.

Business 

Solutions By Shasta D. May 

INTERESTING 

THINGS TO KNOW 

Health Care – Change in Enrollment Time 

If you are planning to buy health coverage 

for 2018 on the exchange, please note the shorter 

open 

enrollment 

period. 

You will 

have 45 

days to 

sign up, 

not three 

months 

as in prior years. Enrollment runs November 1 

through December 15. 

Tax Levies – Economic Hardship Exemption 

IRS agents cannot proceed with a levy that 

creates 

economic 

hardship. 

Only individual 

taxpayers 

qualify for 

the economic 

hardship exemption. 

The 

statute requires 

IRS to 

release levies 

that create 

economic 

hardship to 

taxpayers because of their financial situation. 

This rule does not apply to levies against corporations. 

Tax Enforcement – Audit Risk for Sole 

Proprietors 

Whether you’re 

a higher grossing 

sole proprietor 

or a smaller one, 

you are on the IRS 

radar. Auditors 

know from experience 

that many 

self-employed 

taxpayers claim 

excessive writeoffs 

and/or don’t 

report all their 

income. Reporting multiple years of losses on a 

Schedule C increases audit risk as well. Audits 

are low but there are still red flags that can draw 

extra scrutiny especially higher-than-average 

deductions and if deductions shown are disproportionately 

large compared to income. 

Shipping – Better Budget for Trucking Costs 

this Year 

A better outlook for trade and manufacturing 

will translate into more truckloads of cargo to 

be moved. Figure on a 3% bump up in contract 

rates, with spot trucking rates up 7% to 10%. 

Freight rail costs are also headed higher, about 

3% compared with last year. 

Space Tourism – The Space Tourism Industry 

Preparing to Launch as Early as Next Year 

Flights aren’t just for fun as they will help 

fund more serious endeavors in the satellite 

12 INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR 2017 www.TruckDriverMagazines.com

Business 

Solutions 

industry as the 

wealthy pay as 

much as $300,000 

per ride. Trill 

seeking tourists 

will give rocket 

companies lots 

of practice and 

help raise millions 

of dollars. Blue 

Origin, founded 

by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, plans to launch its 

reusable rockets starting in 2018 for short tourist 

trips that include several minutes of weightlessness. 

As space tourism takes off, the cost of satellite 

launches is sure to fall. In addition to Blue 

Origin, other major players are Virgin Galactic, 

Rocket Lab and Space X. 

Health Care – Shortage of Primary Care 

Physicians 

The shortage could be as high as 43,000 by 

2030, along with a decline of specialists in anesthesiology, 

radiology, neurology and psychiatry. 

At the same 

time an 

aging U.S. 

population 

will drive 

up the need 

for medical 

services. By 

2030, the 

U.S. population will grow by about 12%, but the 

ranks of people age 65 and up will soar 55%. 

And many doctors will hit retirement age over 

the next decade. 

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 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 

USEFUL WEBSITE 

is meant for general information purposes 

only. Specific tax and legal recommendations 

can only be made after an individual 

360FinancialLiteracy.org/Calculators 

Dozens of calculators to crunch numbers on 

auto loans, emergency savings, long-term care, has consulted his or her qualified tax or legal 

retirement options, etc. From the American professional. 

Institute of CPAs. 

14 INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR 2017 www.TruckDriverMagazines.com

NEWS 

Independent Contractor 

June 2017 

USA Truck Named a 

Most Valuable Employer 

for Military by 

RecruitMilitary 

USA Truck Inc. is a winner for the 2017 

Most Valuable Employers for Military. 

Awarded by RecruitMilitary, MVE recognition 

serves to help military-experienced job 

seekers identify top employers to target for 

civilian careers. 

“It’s an honor to serve U.S. veterans, 

and we are grateful that our efforts are being 

recognized by such a prominent group,” 

says James D. Reed, 

president and CEO. 

“We make a special 

effort to recruit veterans 

and transitioning 

military members to 

our team.” 

“Veterans truly represent the finest 

talent our country has to offer,” said Peter 

Gudmundsson, president of RecruitMilitary. 

“Judging by the stature of the businesses that 

comprise the Most Valuable Employers for 

Military winners, we can see that organizations 

thrive when they include veteran hiring 

initiatives in their human resource strategies.” 

The 2017 Most Valuable Employers 

for Military, presented by Vinnell Arabia, 

was open to all U.S.-based companies. In 

observance of Armed Forces Day, the annual 

list of MVEs will be released in the May/ 

June issue of RecruitMilitary’sSearch & 

Employmagazine. Winning employers will 

also be displayed on the RecruitMilitary.com 

web site. 

Celadon Says It Will 

‘Refocus’ On Core 

Trucking Operations 

Celadon spokesmen Wednesday in a 

conference call for shareholders discussed 

the “significant” management changes it 

announced, 

and the 

company’s 

efforts to 

“refocus” 

on its core 

trucking operations. 

Jon Russell, son of late Celadon founder 

Steve Russell, was appointed president and 

chief operating officer and Doug Schmidt 

was appointed president of the Celadon 

Trucking subsidiary. Former COO Eric Meek 

is in pursuit of other interests. 

Noting that the management changes are 

“substantive and symbolic” of refocusing 

efforts on truckload, “We took these actions 

because the trucking business is a main 

driver of cash-generating opportunity and it 

was underperforming [according] to our standards,” 

said Paul Will, CEO and Chairman of 

the Board at Celadon. 

The call came amidst Celadon stock 

shares falling to $1.30 Tuesday morning, and 

rebounding to $1.48 that afternoon, The Wall 

Street Journal reported. The company has 

announced it expects to turn in an operating 

loss of $10 million for the quarter ended 

March 31. The share price a year ago this 

time was in the $12 range. 

Will said the company should release 

earnings for the quarter on or before May 

15 and that they would provide additional 



NEWS 

comments regarding the financial statement 

“at that time.” 

Russell noted that since October 2014 the 

company had acquired four carriers specializing 

in hauling dedicated freight: A&S Kinard, 

Taylor Express, Buckler Transport and FTL 

Inc., and that those four have contributed 

operating profits since that time. 

However, he said Celadon’s irregular 

route truckload business had been “the key 

factor in our consolidated operating ratio 

deterioration,” with increased driver turnover 

and a reduction of seated trucks along with 

increased deadhead miles and longer dwell 

times in some markets exacerbated by its 

heavy dependence on independent contractors 

and lease purchase drivers. 

To sum up the company’s efforts, Will 

said it was important to remember that No. 

1, Celadon is one of the largest carriers in the 

industry; No. 2, it’s establishing an asset base 

to support the company’s liquidity needs; No. 

3 it’s reducing its debt and No. 4, it’s improving 

its truckload business. 

“We’re turning back to the basics of 

trucking,” he said. 

Preliminary Class 8 Orders 

for April at 23,600 Units, a 

4% Increase Over March 

FTR said preliminary Class 8 net orders 

for April were 23,600 units, maintaining a 

steady track that started seven months ago. 

While OEM activity was modestly better 

for some and down marginally for others 

month-over-month, April orders met expectations 

with a 4 percent increase over March 

and up 77 percent versus a year ago. 



NEWS 

Fleets are expecting better freight 

conditions in the second half of the year and 

current order activity reflects that, said Don 

Ake, vice president of commercial vehicles 

at FTR. 

Backlogs should increase in April, getting 

close to where they were a year ago. Class 8 

orders for the past six months now annualize 

to 262,000 units, he said. 

“The order pattern continues to track a 

sustained, normal pattern. In this order cycle, 

the fleets did not place all the big orders in 

October and November,” Ake said. “They 

all didn’t jump into the pool at once. Some 

fleets did order at that time, but since then, 

fleets have placed orders in a more measured, 

steady fashion as they became more confident 

about 2017. There should be one more 

month of good orders before the traditional 

summer break.” 

Ake said the Class 8 market continued to 

show some solid momentum as orders remain 

at good levels and production is starting to 

rise. 

“This is a typical moderate market recovery,” 

he said. “The orders increased first, 

then production and then the actual sales. 

Truck sales were weak in the first quarter, 

but so was the economy. Freight growth is 

increasing, and the fleets see this and are 

responding to this trend. This market continues 

to track the 2013 upswing with modest 

growth creating a positive environment for 

the OEMs.” 



PRODUCT 

PROFILE 

Air-Weigh Launches New 

LoadMaxx Trailer Scale 

Air-Weigh has released the next generation 

LoadMaxx Trailer Scale. 

The new scale combines the best of previous 

LoadMaxx and 

Quickload trailer 

scales into one 

trailer scale with 

two options: Load- 

Maxx base model, 

and LoadMaxx with ComLink. 

The updated LoadMaxx scale 

continues to offer the same features as 

previous generation scales, including 

an icon-based touch screen display; 

built-in LED alarm 

lights; dual-point 

calibration and high 

precision pressure 

sensor for weight accuracy; 

compensation 

for temperature and 

altitude change; PIN 

protected calibration; 

and English, Spanish 

and French language options. 

“In our ongoing effort to optimize fleet 

efficiency, the new LoadMaxx trailer scale 

has evolved to offer the best of our previous 

trailer scales, as well as important new features,” 

said Air-Weigh CEO Martin Ambros. 

“Our goal for fleets is to maximize the payload 

they haul, and minimize the complexity 

and effort in their operations.” 

The ComLink option now available for 

the LoadMaxx trailer scale enable drivers 

to view steer, drive, trailer, GVW and net 

payload on an in-cab 

LoadMaxx tractor 

display. 

Tractor/trailer 

weight information 

can also be sent 

to the fleet’s management 

software 

via the built-in 

data communication 

interface. 

When used 

with the Bluetooth 

compatible LoadMaxx 

Tractor Scale, weight data is 

also available on any Smartphone 

or tablet through Air- 

Weigh’s LoadMaxx App. 

ComLink is also available 

as a simple plug-andplay 

upgrade even after installation of the 

economical LoadMaxx base model, Ambros 

said. 

Among the other new features, the Load- 

Maxx trailer scale now provides the option 

to store up to four manual calibrations for 

multiple axle configurations. For example, 

a tandem trailer with a liftable axle can now 

have two calibrations — one with all axles 

down, and one with the liftable axle up. 



PRODUCT 

PROFILE 

“This is an exciting 

new generation 

of LoadMaxx 

Trailer Scales” said 

Bob Zirlin Air- 

Weigh’s director 

of trailer OEM and 

dealer sales. “It reflects 

Air-Weigh’s 

commitment to 

provide a comprehensive 

on-board 

weighing solution for all weight sensitive 

trailer applications. The new LoadMaxx 

trailer scale gives fleets the ability to monitor 

and improve their 

performance, 

keeping trailers 

on the road, where 

revenue is generated.” 

For more 

information on 

the new series of 

trailer scales, call 

Air-Weigh at (888) 

459-3444. 

For more information on Air-Weigh visit 

www.air-weigh.com. 



Advertiser 

Index 

The Ad Index is provided as a convenience. The publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. 

COMPANY PAGE COMPANY PAGE 

Amazon Logistics, Inc ................ 6, 45 

Atlas World group .....................20 

BCT ................................35 

Cargill Logistics .......................37 

Celadon .......................... 11, 27 

EM Way Inc.. .........................40 

Enterprise Truck Line...................25 

Fed EX Custom Critical .................19 

Freight Relocation Management ....... 24, 50 

FTI. ............................. 10, 52 

Hirschbach ........................ 7, 47 

Landstar ............................39 

Logix ...............................41 

MAG Carriers ................ Cover, 2-3, 51 

Mercer Transportation ...................5 

Miller Truck Lines .................. 26, 44 

RTI..................................9 

Page Trucking ........................33 

Panther Expedited Services Inc ...........31 

Skyview Transportation .............. 13, 36 

Stageline Express ......................8 

Star Freight ..........................43 

Summit Logistics......................16 

Trans Am ......................... 17, 30 

Tran Stewart .........................21 

Turquoise Trucking. ....................44 

Warren Transport ......................13 

Western Express ................... 23, 49 

Y & T Trucking ........................15

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