TT_051518_AllPages

Vol. 31, No. 10 

www.thetrucker.com May 15-31, 2018 

Panel: Trucking’s so-called technician shortage an easy fix; 

fleets need to work with schools, re-tool management styles 

Courtesy: J.B. HUNT 

Opioid epidemic? 

The Trucking Alliance is renewing 

its plea for hair testing for 

substance abuse, noting the high 

number of prospective drivers 

using opiates. 

Page 4 

Navigating the news 

Missouri bypass audit.............3 

GPS mix-up ...........................6 

Denham amendment .............7 

Honor Roll..............................8 

Team driving.........................10 

Truck Stop............................16 

Women to Watch..................18 

Tonnage ups and downs......21 

Fleet Focus...........................23 

Brewery orders Nikolas .......29 

Peterbilt all-electric...............31 

Around the Bend..................33 

Courtesy: BAGGETT TRANSPORTATION 

Celebrating 90 years 

When Joe McDonald graduated 

college in 1984, he thought he 

might be able to spend some 

time on the beach and then the 

ski slopes before going to work. 

He didn’t, and today he’s head of 

Baggett Transportation, which is 

celebrating its 90th anniversary. 

Page 21 

Klint Lowry 

klint.lowry@thetrucker.com 

There’s a lot of concern these days about the 

growing driver shortage. And it’s a valid concern. 

But there is another area where the supply of qualified 

labor looks to be falling behind the growing 

demand that also has fleet executives worried. 

As much as drivers are needed to keep the 

wheels turning, those wheels won’t even get out 

on the road without technicians. 

Back in March, Mobil Delvac held its 2018 

Fleet Maintenance Forum in Louisville, Kentucky, 

the evening before the start of the Mid- 

America Trucking Show. The panel discussion 

was led by George Arrants, director of training 

and recruitment for the WheelTime Network and 

chairman of the American Trucking Associations’ 

Technology and Maintenance Council Super Tech 

Competition and the Future Technicians Skills 

Competition. 

The discussion was titled, “Facing the Technician 

Shortage: How to Recruit and Retain Top 

Talent.” Arrants opened the discussion by challenging 

the premise that there truly is a technician 

shortage, showing that the raw numbers don’t 

bear that out. A 2014 survey showed there were 

263,900 diesel technicians at the time and projected 

that by 2024 the industry will need to have 

291,500. Allowing for the number of technicians 

expected to leave the profession for one reason or 

another, it’s estimated the industry will need to 

come up with 76,900 new technicians in that 10- 

year span. 

Meanwhile, technician programs at public and 

private schools are churning out an average of 

10,700 graduates a year. “Do the math,” Arrants 

See Shortage on p9 m 

The Trucker file photo 

A story published by DC Velocity April 30 portrayed 

ATA President Chris Spear as lashing 

out in anger toward OOIDA, calling the group 

“combative” and its approaches “meaningless.” 

Courtesy: VOLVO TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA 

Industry concern about a lack of qualified technicians may be misguided, said a panel at the 2018 

Mobil Delvac Fleet Maintenance Forum. They suggested fleet managers need an attitudinal tuneup 

in their perspectives of how to develop young talent. 

ATA’s Spear allegedly lashes out at OOIDA; 

group’s response: accusations ‘patently false’ 

Dorothy Cox 

dlcox@thetrucker.com 

It can be said that the Owner-Operator Independent 

Drivers Association (OOIDA) and the American 

Trucking Associations (ATA) occasionally see 

eye-to-eye but most of the time don’t agree. 

But a story published by DC Velocity April 

30 portrayed ATA President Chris Spear as lashing 

out in anger toward OOIDA, calling the group 

“combative” and its approaches “meaningless.” 

Spear was also quoted in the DC Velocity story 

as saying he and his family had “received death 

threats from OOIDA interests” and that “persons 

affiliated with OOIDA interests have threatened to 

bomb ATA’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.” 

The story said Spear made the comments in answer 

to questions about OOIDA following his keynote 

address at the Nasstrac Shippers Conference 

& Transportation Expo 2018 in Orlando, Florida, 

held April 12-15. 

OOIDA May 1 issued a formal response, saying 

“Mr. Spear’s suggestion that OOIDA employs 

questionable tactics and threatens harm on others 

is patently false.” 

It went on to say that “ … Mr. Spear simply 

feels ATA’s positions and policies are vulnerable 

and he is lashing out with falsehoods and misrepresentations.” 

Spear was traveling in Europe and couldn’t be 

reached for comment or clarification as to the Velocity 

story, but Sean McNally, ATA vice president 

See Spear on p7 m

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Nation May 15-31, 2018 • 3 

Missouri’s state auditor says HELP Inc. 

given preferential treatment over competitor 

Drivewyze; HELP says claims are not true 

THE TRUCKER STAFF 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s state 

auditor said April 26 that she’s turning over records 

to authorities after her office found evidence 

of conflicts of interests between state agencies 

and a trucking technology company. 

The State Highway Patrol and Missouri Department 

of Transportation are under scrutiny because 

officials at the agencies had served on the 

board of a company that for years received the 

only state contract to provide technology allowing 

truckers to bypass Missouri weigh stations. 

Democratic Auditor Nicole Galloway said 

findings in the audit show state officials gave 

preferential treatment to the nonprofit HELP Inc. 

over its competitor, Drivewyze. 

She said the office found potential violations 

of state conflict-of-interest and financial-reporting 

laws and turned over documents to the FBI 

and Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley, 

whose office is investigating. 

“What we have here really is a breach of public 

trust and a clear conflict of interest,” Galloway 

said. 

In responses included in the audit, the agencies 

said they withdrew members from HELP 

Inc.’s board, changed the process used for picking 

contractors and partnered with Drivewyze. The 

Transportation Department also later found an 

employee’s related actions warranted discipline 

and updated internal conflict-of-interest policies. 

Missouri contracted with HELP Inc. starting 

in 2002, when it was the only company that could 

provide the weigh-station technology. 

“HELP Inc. has been assured by the auditor’s 

office on telephone calls and in writing that 

HELP is not a subject of the audit. HELP is a nonprofit 

public-private partnership which requires 

oversight by a board of directors,” HELP CEO 

Karen Rasmussen told The Trucker. “The HELP 

board of directors is comprised of both public 

and private representatives, which helps ensure 

the PrePass program meets the needs of both 

government and industry. Each state determines 

its participation in the program, including representation 

on the board. HELP adheres to a strict 

conflict-of-interest policy that is fully compliant 

with IRS regulations, and has offered to assist 

Missouri agencies with information if requested.” 

Friction started when Drivewyze contracted 

with the state in 2014 for a pilot program to provide 

similar services. Emails included in the audit 

show HELP Inc. and top state officials at both the 

Highway Patrol and Transportation Department 

coordinated to promote HELP Inc. as Drivewyze 

tried to compete for state work. 

In one email, Rasmussen forwarded talking 

points touting the company to then-Maj. Bret 

Johnson of the Highway Patrol in November 

2013. Johnson, who later became colonel, responded 

that “this issue is not going anywhere 

if I can help it.” Rasmussen the next day sent 

Johnson an email with information to use against 

Drivewyze. 

The Highway Patrol canceled the pilot program 

with Drivewyze in August 2016, primarily 

citing concerns that the company did not provide 

weighing data. But the initial agreement between 

the state and Drivewyze did not allow it to install 

the equipment needed to gather that data. 

The Highway Patrol backtracked shortly after 

that, reopening the contract process and later 

awarding contracts to both companies in April 

2017. 

Drivewyze President and CEO Brian Heath 

said since Drivewyze was launched in 2012 the 

company has had a vision of helping create a safe 

and efficient commercial vehicle transportation 

system with zero crashes and zero fatalities. 

See HELP on p13 m 

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4 • May 15-31, 2018 Nation 


Trucking Alliance promotes hair testing law to catch opioid 

abusers; says it’s much more effective than urine sample 


WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Alliance 

for Driver Safety & Security, also known as 

the Trucking Alliance, is promoting a new 

drug testing law that requires all applicants 

for safety-sensitive jobs in the U.S. trucking 

industry to verify no opioid addiction or illegal 

drug use for at least 30 days prior to 

obtaining employment. 

The Trucking Alliance announced its 

drug test initiative at the United Nations as 

part of an event titled, “The Use of Technology 

to Promote Road Safety – The Brazilian 

Experience.” Brazil requires all commercial 

truck drivers to pass a hair test before renewing 

their licenses. More than 1 million Brazilian 

drivers have either failed the hair test 

or refused to renew their license since the 

law took effect two years ago. 

The UN program can be found at itts.org. 

br/unitednations/ingles.html#portfolio 

“Current federal drug test rules for truck 

drivers are failing,” said Lane Kidd, managing 

director of the Alliance. 

He told UN attendees that in 2017, J.B. 

Hunt Transport identified 1,213 people who 

tested positive on their pre-employment hair 

test. Yet, 1,130 of those applicants, or 93 percent, 

passed the urinalysis. “Clearly, the U.S. 

Department of Transportation’s drug test statistics 

give a false picture, because we are using 

an inadequate test and missing lifestyle drug 

users and opioid addicts and that’s a national 

problem for our industry,” Kidd said. 

“We have an opioid problem in our nation 

and from my experience, we have one in our 

industry, too,” said Dean Newell, vice president 

of safety and driver training at Maverick 

USA, headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. 

Newell also represented the Trucking Alliance 

as a speaker during the UN meeting. “We 

[Maverick] started testing for opioids in 2014 

and we’ve seen a steady increase [in opioid addiction] 

every year.” 

Opioids stay in a person’s system for a 

few hours, allowing opioid abusers to abstain 

from the drug briefly before submitting to the 

current pre-employment drug test. However, 

a hair exam will detect drug use for up to 90 

days, according to an Alliance news release. 

“Opioids subject to drug abuse in the 

trucking industry include codeine; morphine 

pain killers under hundreds of brand names; 

hydrocodone; hydromorphone; oxycodone 

marketed under such names as OxyContin, 

Endocet, Endodan, Percoset, Percodan, 

Oxy-Fast, OxyIR, Roxicet and Tylox; and 

the highly addictive opioids methodone and 

fentanyl. The federal DOT recently added 

hydrocodone, oxycodone, hydromorphone 

and oxymorphone to its pre-employment 

drug test protocols. But the current drug test 

method misses these and other illegal drugs, 

unless the applicant has taken them within 

hours of the collection. 

In 2017, J.B. Hunt 

Transport identified 1,213 

people who tested positive 

on their pre-employment 

hair test. Yet, 1,130 of 

those passed the urinalysis. 

Courtesy: J.B. HUNT TRANSPORT 

This pie chart shows the distribution of positive urine and hair tests in 2017 at J.B. Hunt. 

The carrier processed 15,804 samples that returned 1,213 positives, 47 percent of which 

were opiates, 27 percent were cocaine, 16 percent were for marijuana and 10 percent 

were for amphetamines. 

“We hope that Congress will follow Brazil’s 

leadership and require a drug test that 

proves a job applicant has not taken illegal 

drugs or abused opioids for at least 30 days 

before applying for employment,” Kidd said. 

He also said Congress should apply the requirement 

to all truck drivers before they renew 

their license, as does Brazil. 

“Too many loopholes allow truck drivers 

to avoid a drug test, even after drivers are 

involved in a serious, large truck accident.” 

Newell shared Maverick’s experience 

that current regulations are not capturing 

lifestyle drug users. “We’ve had 154 drivers 

at Maverick who failed their hair test after 

they passed a urine test. Those 154 drivers 

are working for another company,” Newell 

said. “They’re running up and down the road 

with our families and that is not acceptable.” 

Kidd added that since 2006, J.B. Hunt 

Transport has refused to employ 5,060 job 

applicants who failed a hair test, even after 

passing their urinalysis. Most of those applicants 

found jobs at other trucking companies 

because they only utilize the federally 

required urinalysis. “Apply this company’s 

experience to the number of truck driver job 

applications industry wide and across the 

United States, and we have a major problem,” 

Kidd said. 

Hair testing “will save lives and hair testing 

is the right thing to do,” Newell said. 

“Maverick wants to make sure the company 

is the safest it can be, and that all drivers are 

well-trained and drug-free. We have a moral 

obligation to our employees, but we also 

have a moral obligation to the public.” 

The Alliance supports policy reforms to 

improve the safety and security of commercial 

drivers and to reduce large truck crashes. 

Member carriers are: Cargo Transporters Inc. 

in Claremore, North Carolina; Dupré Logistics 

in Lafayette, Louisiana; JB Hunt Transport 

in Lowell, Arkansas; KLLM Transport 

Services in Jackson, Mississippi; Knight- 

Swift Transportation in Phoenix; Maverick 

USA in Little Rock, Arkansas; and US 

Xpress in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 

Collectively, the companies employ 

80,200 professionals in 50 states, and operate 

71,000 trucks and 220,000 trailers/intermodal 

containers to provide transportation 

and logistics solutions. 8 

USPS 972 

Volume 31, Number 10 

May 15-31, 2018 

The Trucker is a semi-monthly, national newspaper for the 

trucking industry, published by Trucker Publications Inc. at 

1123 S. University, Suite 320 

Little Rock, AR 72204-1610 

Trucking Division Senior Vice President 

David Compton 

davidc@targetmediapartners.com 

Vice President / Publisher 

Ed Leader 

edl@thetrucker.com 

Trucking Division General Manager 

Megan Cullingford-Hicks 

meganh@targetmediapartners.com 

Editor 

Lyndon Finney 

editor@thetrucker.com 

Assistant Editor 

Dorothy Cox 


Associate Editor 

Klint Lowry 

klint.lowry@thetrucker.com 

Production Manager 

Rob Nelson 

robn@thetrucker.com 

Graphic Artist 

Christie McCluer 

christie.mccluer@thetrucker.com 

Special Correspondent 

Cliff Abbott 

cliffa@thetrucker.com 

National Marketing Consultants 

Jerry Critser 

jerryc@targetmediapartners.com 

Dennis Ball 

dennisb@targetmediapartners.com 

Kelly Brooke Drier 

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Erin Garrett 

erin.garrett@targetmediapartners.com 

John Hicks 

johnh@targetmediapartners.com 

Meg Larcinese 

megl@targetmediapartners.com 

Greg McClendon 

gregmc@targetmediapartners.com 

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6 • May 15-31, 2018 Nation 

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Trucker goes astray, lost for days in remote Oregon area after GPS snafu; walks home 

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

LA GRANDE, Ore. — An Oregon trucker 

who went missing for four days walked 

a shorter distance to get home than was 

reported by the man’s employer, authorities 

said Sunday, April 29. 

Oregon State Police Sgt. Kaipo Raiser 

said the agency’s investigation shows Jacob 

Cartwright, 22, walked about 14 miles over 

four days before he showed up April 28 near 

the town of La Grande. 

His boss, Roy Henry of Little Trees 

Transportation, previously said Cartwright 

walked 36 miles back to civilization after 

getting lost in a remote and rugged area. 

Henry has said Cartwright went missing 

April 24 when he took a wrong turn and his 

tractor-trailer got stuck. 

Henry didn’t immediately respond to a 

message seeking comment. 

Cartwright, meanwhile, remains hospitalized. 

A woman who answered the phone in 

his hospital room and identified herself as 

Cartwright’s wife said he would remain there 

for at least a few days. She declined to be 

interviewed. 

Henry said Cartwright was driving a 

truckload of potato chips but the tractortrailer 

got stuck after he took the wrong turn 

in an area with limited cellphone coverage. 

The driver apparently got lost after 

plugging in the wrong address in a GPS 

mapping device. 

Cartwright started walking away from the 

direction he had come from without any food 

or water just after midnight April 25, wading 

through snow at some points. 

He didn’t stop until the morning of April 

28, when he neared La Grande, where he 

lives, Henry said. From there, the trucker got 

a ride from a passing motorist to his home. 

Cartwright’s wife returned home from 

meeting with local officials about the search 

for her husband only to find him at their house. 

Henry said Cartwright was driving the 

truck about 400 miles from Portland, in 

northwestern Oregon, to the town of Nyssa 

near the Idaho border. Temperatures in the 

region had been dropping into the 30s at 

night. 

Oregon State Police, after interviewing 

Cartwright, were able to locate his truck, 

which had several wheels sitting precariously 

on a steep embankment, 21 miles away from 

the last known GPS location. 8 

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Nation May 15-31, 2018 • 7 

House passes funding bill preventing states from enacting trucker meal, rest break laws 


WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives 

April 26 passed an amendment to the 

Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization 

bill that would prevent states from creating 

a patchwork of meal and rest rules for interstate 

truck drivers. 

The amendment was approved by a vote of 

222-193, and reaction from both sides of the 

issue soon followed. 

“The Truckload Carriers Association applauds 

Thursday’s vote and looks forward to 

dedicating our effort towards creating one single, 

national standard for requiring, measuring 

and tracking our drivers’ meal and rest breaks 

and ensuring that one federal entity is responsible 

for governing interstate commerce and 

improving upon our industry’s safety record,” 

said David Heller, TCA’s vice president of government 

affairs. 

“Since our republic was founded, the federal 

government — not individual states like 

California — has had the power to regulate 

interstate commerce. Congress reaffirmed this 

for the trucking industry first in 1994 and again 

today by approving the Denham-Cuellar-Costa 

Amendment,” said ATA President and CEO 

Chris Spear. 

The amendment was based on California’s 

meal and rest break initiative, but it has spread 

to other states and included a retroactivity 

clause that makes its effective date 1994 — or 

in essence — as if it had been enacted through 

the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization 

Act (commonly called F4A) of 1994. 

That means no one could file litigation for 

violation of state meal and rest break laws, as 

b Spear from page 1 b 

of public affairs and press secretary, said while 

he was not in Florida for the event at which 

Spear spoke, “I understand … at the conclusion 

of his remarks and presentation he was asked 

specifically about the OOIDA issue and offered 

a candid response based on the experiences of 

ATA staff in recent months. 

“That said, ATA’s mission is to secure victories 

on behalf of our industry and our members. 

We’ve worked hard to build broad coalitions, 

reaching out to those who have an interest in 

the future of this industry, including OOIDA, 

and we will continue to do so as we advocate on 

behalf of the entire trucking industry. We hope 

OOIDA’s members can see the value in joining 

the broader industry and support change.” 

OOIDA in its already mentioned response 

said, “most small-business truckers — who 

represent the majority of motor carriers — 

have objected to ATA’s policies in a firm, but 

extremely respectful and civil manner.” 

Both OOIDA and ATA have agreed on such 

issues as supporting Truckers Against Trafficking 

and have expressed their desires to promote 

the trucking industry’s best interests and put the 

industry in the best light possible. 

Some major disagreements have come 

over regulations, however, the most recent being 

the ELD mandate, which was vehemently 

opposed by OOIDA and vigorously supported 

by ATA. 8 

occurred after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals 

ruled in July 2014 that F4A does not 

preempt the application of California’s meal 

and rest break laws for motor carriers because 

these state laws are not sufficiently “related to” 

prices, routes or services. 

The California law requires employers to 

provide a “duty-free,” 30-minute meal break 

for employees who work more than five hours 

a day as well as a second “duty-free,” 30-minute 

meal break for people who work more than 

10 hours a day. Other states followed, enacting 

their own break rules. Nearly 20 states have 

their own separate meal and rest break laws. 

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Trucking industry lobbying groups pushed 

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Opponents to the amendment say it would 

keep states from requiring carriers to give drivers 

paid meal and rest breaks and would protect 

carriers from being required to pay drivers for 

nondriving tasks. In a press release, Jim Hoffa, 

president of the International Brotherhood of 

Teamsters, said this fight is not over. 

“This union pledges to stand up for truckers 

and demand that they continue to have the 

ability to earn a fair wage with the rest break 

protections they deserve,” Hoffa stated. 

“By prohibiting the enactment or enforcement 

of any law or regulation that imposes on 

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8 • May 15-31, 2018 Nation 


Courtesy: NCI 

Team drivers Lisa Peal and Louis Jones are 

eligible for NCI’s Driver of the Year award. 

NCI Drivers of the Month 

National Carriers has tapped Jay Heater, 

Lisa Peal, Louis Jones, Clark Journagan 

and Arturo Lopez-Gallardo as Drivers of 

the Month. 

Team owner-operators Peal and Jones 

live in Lubbock, Texas, and transport freight 

on the National Carriers Southwest Regional 

Fleet. 

They are now finalists for NCI Driver of the 

Year, which will be announced during a company 

award ceremony held at the Bob Duncan 

Center in Arlington, Texas. 

“Neither Lisa nor myself come from 

over-the-road trucking backgrounds,” Jones 

said. “When we bought our truck, I asked a 

friend for advice. He told me he had driven 

for National Carriers in the past and if he 

were still driving, this is where he would be. 

I decided to give it a try and that was three 

years ago. Lisa joined me as a co-driver this 

past summer.” 

“Louis and Lisa are very quiet people and 

easy to get along with. We can always count 

on them in times of need and to do their job 

every day. We appreciate them for what they 

do for our company and enjoy working with 

them,” said Operations Manager Shaun Berry. 

“I joined Louis on the truck this year. 

I know it gets lonely when he is by himself 

for weeks at a time on the road,” Peal said. 

“Together, we have a plan for our future and 

we are working hard to accomplish our goals 

through National Carriers.” 

A former offshore drilling rig operator 

and retired merchant marine captain, Heater 

has added another accolade to his long list of 

accomplishments. Heater makes his home in 

Courtesy: NCI 

Jay Heater is a former offshore drilling rig operator 

and retired Merchant Marine captain. 

Florida and operates a company truck on the 

NCI 48 State fleet. 

“I saw a very positive online review of 

National Carriers so I gave them a call,” 

Heater said. 

“Jay was working for another company 

who was not meeting his needs,” said Rick 

Ham, director of recruiting. “When he called, 

Jay had many questions, good questions, and 

he knew what he was doing. He told me if he 

came to NCI he’d be the best driver we have 

if we could keep him running. This Driver of 

the Month recognition is an example of both 

parties working together for mutual driving 

success.” 

Each Driver of the Month is a finalist for 

NCI Driver of the Year, 2017 with each monthly 

winner receiving a $500 bonus. National 

Carriers Driver of the Year is announced at the 

NCI Driver of the Year Banquet. 

Journagan operates a company truck on 

NCI’s 48 State Division and is a second-generation 

NCI driver following in the footsteps of 

his stepfather, Leonard Journagan. 

He is now a finalist for NCI Driver of the 

Year 2018. 

Safety has always been a key component 

in Journagan’s worldview. Earning his 

chauffer’s license at age 19, he drove at National 

Carriers for a short stint from 1998 thru 

2000. He returned to NCI in 2010. He drives 

a 2017 Kenworth T-680, which is equipped 

with invertor, APU, satellite communication, 

automatic transmission, refrigerator and double 

bunks. 

“Clark Journagan is a great example of 

a safe, professional driver, who is dedicated 

to delivering his loads on time,” said NCI 

spokesman Ed Kentner. “He will always put 

Courtesy: NCI 

Clark Journagan operates a company truck 

on NCI’s 48 State Division and is a secondgeneration 

NCI driver. 

the safety of the motoring public first, while 

maintaining his delivery schedule.” 

Lopez-Gallardo operates a company truck 

throughout the United States. 

He started driving for NCI in December 

2013 and has never had a service-related issue. 

“He is a very special guy, a great husband, 

and father of three daughters and one son. He 

is admired by many. In the past, he had some 

hardships to overcome, but he kept smiling 

and persevered,” said Al Love, NCI director 

of driver services. “The operations department 

loves him as there is no place he won’t 

go. He is a hard runner who is always on time 

and puts safety first.” 

Montgomery Driver of the Year 

Montgomery Transport’s Driver of the 

Year winner, Bob Foran, was announced at 

the Bristol Motor Speedway Fitzgerald Glider 

Kits 300 race weekend, where he took a 

lap around the track in his new, custom Peterbilt 

579. 

On April 14, Foran was brought up to the 

NASCAR Xfinity Series stage where he expressed 

his surprise and pleasure at receiving 

the award. 

“It’s an awesome feeling — my mind has 

been blown since it was announced,” he said. 

“I couldn’t work for a finer organization than 

Montgomery Transport. I’m very proud of 

Mr. Montgomery and all the people who have 

supported us, and I just don’t know what else 

to say but thank you! This has been an overthe-top 

experience for me.” 

In addition to the custom Peterbilt presented 

by Tommy Fitzgerald Jr. and the oncein-a-lifetime 

opportunity to run the track at 

Bristol, Foran will also receive a $1,000 cash 

Courtesy: NCI 

Arturo Lopez-Gallardo operates a company 

truck throughout the United States. 

award. The new tractor will be his to use for 

daily company business. 

Since joining Montgomery Transport in 

September 2015, Foran has logged more than 

300,000 miles. 

“He is the ultimate team player – always 

on time, safe and willing to help the company 

and his fellow employees,” said Rollins 

Montgomery, president of Montgomery 

Transport. “He really exemplifies what it 

means to be a professional truck driver and 

we’re very proud he’s on our team.” 

C.R. England Million Milers 

C.R. England has added three new drivers 

to the Gene England Million Miler Club, 

an honor that recognizes drivers who have 

achieved a million or more safe driving 

miles. These honorees have a combined total 

of over 6 million miles without an accident. 

“We’re honored to recognize these C.R. 

England drivers,” said Dan England, chairman 

of the board. “They do their job with a 

professionalism that makes us proud to have 

them on the C.R. England team and with 

safety records that attest to their outstanding 

driving abilities. The Million Milers are 

a great asset to our company and are truly the 

best of the best.” 

The honorees are: 

• Mark Kaminski, who makes his home 

in Burbank, California. Kaminski began 

driving for C.R. England six years ago and 

has achieved 1 million safe miles. 

• James Spina is from Plainfield, Illinois. 

He has been driving for C.R. England for 24 

years and has achieved 2 million safe miles. 

See Honor Roll on p13 m


b Shortage from page 1 b 

said — there shouldn’t be a shortage. 

So, what’s the problem? He and his fellow 

panelists proposed there isn’t so much a shortage 

of technicians as much as they are being 

squandered. 

Arrants said at events like this he likes to 

ask fleet representatives if it is really a shortage 

of applicants that’s the problem or of qualified 

applicants. 

“And nearly 90 percent of them say, ‘we 

have a shortage of qualified applicants,’” he 

said. 

He and his fellow panelists suggested that 

fleets need to look at their definition of “qualified,” 

and how they determine who meets that 

definition. Too many companies have come to 

rely on formulas and computerized algorithms 

in the application process, Arrants said. 

Panelist Mike Morvilius, vice president 

of maintenance for Moore Transport, agreed. 

Nation May 15-31, 2018 • 9 

When Moore Transport opened, he had no 

problem finding people, he said. But when 

he started to have to replace a few, he could 

place an ad and after a month he wouldn’t see 

a single candidate. He went down to the human 

resources department and found out that, yes, 

there had been applicants, but they’d all been 

rejected for not meeting the hiring criteria. 

“I’ve never been a big fan of ‘criteria,’” 

Morvilius said — very few of us go through 

life with a spotless record. From that point on, 

he insisted all applications have to cross his 

desk. Since then he’s hired some of his best 

people. 

Arrants suggested fleet executives submit 

their own resumés to see if they could get hired 

at their own companies, and “if you can’t even 

get out of the system, there’s a problem.” 

Speaking of criteria, Arrants added, if 

you’re the type who insists on years of experience, 

consider this: “If you start with entrylevel 

technicians, the only bad habits they’ll 

have are the ones you teach them.” 

One of the most common comebacks Arrants 

hears is these new guys come out of the 

schools knowing nothing except how to rebuild 

engines. That’s a valid complaint, he said. “I’m 

sorry, but there’s not a company I know that’s 

going to let a 19-year-old work on a $60,000 

engine.” 

Mobil Exxon CVL applications engineer 

Paul Cigala works with fleets across the country 

to develop their maintenance programs, and 

hears the same complaint. “You have your entry 

level who’s probably changing oil, greasing, 

maybe some lighting/electrical work.” But 

too many entry-level technicians are coming 

out of school untrained in these areas. 

This is a national problem with a local solution, 

Arrants said. And that local solution, 

Mr. and Ms. Fleet Owner, is you. If you don’t 

like what the technician programs at your local 

schools are churning out, let them know what 

skills you need and offer your expertise and assistance. 

“You have to get involved,” Arrants said. 

“Industry has to drive the train.” 

Panelist Jerry Clemons, automotive and 

diesel technology program coordinator at 

Elizabethtown (Kentucky) Community and 

Technical College, can hold up is school as an 

example. 

“We have a very strong relationship with 

industry and have had for many years,” he 

said. The school conducts advisory committee 

meetings twice a year in which members of the 

industry are invited to provide feedback about 

the program. Local companies also help with 

donations of components, and even trucks and 

trailers. 

The curriculum is set up to give the students 

a wide range of knowledge, Clemons 

said. “Our students are in high demand and we 

don’t get any feedback that they are not ready 

for the industry teaching them what we teach,” 

Clemons said. 

More schools and companies are developing 

internships programs as part of their relationships, 

Clemons said. He’s also found local 

employers will hire promising students parttime 

while they’re finishing school. 

See Shortage on p12 m 

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10 • May 15-31, 2018 Nation 

The Trucker: KLINT LOWRY 

Don and Glenna Smith of Joplin, Missouri, take a meal break outside North Little Rock, Arkansas, 

while hauling a load nonstop to Quebec. The couple has been driving as a team for 

10 years for Tri-State. Don has been a driver since 1980. Glenna was a bus driver for 22 years 

and still does when she isn’t teaming up with Don. While we were talking (about ELDs, ironically), 

they had to cut it short because their 30 minutes was almost up. They said even driving 

as a team, the HOS rules can be hard to work with. 

Lyndon Finney 


In the ‘right now’ world of increasing 

freight, teams much more in demand 


Without a doubt, we live in a fast-paced, 

competitive, “I want it now” world. 

For those musically inclined, think of it 

this way. We’re moving from largo (in a slow 

tempo and dignified in style) to prestissimo 

(at a very fast pace). 

All of which has the maestros of the 

trucking industry frantically waiving their 

batons in search of team drivers. 

“We’re looking to grow that business segment 

because of our freight volumes,” says 

Chris Conroy, director of safety and recruiting 

for Summit Express/Summit Logistics. 

“We have an overabundance of freight, a lot 

of which does require expedited movement. 

There’s a lot more freight than we have capacity 

for at the moment.” 

Eric Ostrander, expedite lead driver recruiter 

at XPO Logistics, echoed Conroy. 

“We have a lot of variety of freight so 

we’re always looking for drivers who would 

like to run as a team because our customers 

are wanting their freight quicker and more 

efficiently rather than having to have their 

shipment on a truck that has to shut down 

every day,” he said. “Teams are the biggest 

target in the market across the board.” 

XPO Logistics deals a lot with the automotive 

industry, Ostrander said. 

“Automotive plants don’t like to have to 

worry about the truck carrying their parts 

getting shut down,” he said. “They want to 

know they are going to receive their product 

in a timely manner to keep that production 

line running.” 

Terry Turner is director of safety at East- 

West Express, and is also responsible for 

recruiting, retention, driver training and orientation. 

“With teams, we can give our customers 

better on-time delivery and a shorter delivery 

window,” he said. “With a team, we can 

travel from the southeast United States to the 

California coast, deliver the shipment and 

get the products back to our customer in the 

Southeast.” 

There are both positives and negatives 

about team driving. 

As more and more carriers feel the pressure 

of customers for faster delivery, there 

will be an increase in available jobs as customers 

and trucking companies love the fact 

that the deliveries can be made faster with 

teams than with a solo driver. 

On the flip side, there’s the issue of finding 

a co-driver with whom you are compatible. 

See Teams on p11 m

TM 


b Teams from page 10 b 

Because of the cramped quarters, if one 

driver gets sick, there’s a good likelihood so 

will the other. 

You have to be able to get quality sleep 

while the truck is moving and the other 

driver is listening to the radio or carrying on 

phone conversations. 

Quality of sleep is an important factor in 

safety, says Russ Meyer, CEO of California 

Overland, where 90 percent of the carrier’s 

freight is moved by teams. 

“You have to remember that the truck is 

moving all the time so one of the drivers has 

to be able to drive at night,” he said. “The 

ability to stay alert is ultra important because 

you just don’t want to have an accident because 

somebody is not alert. It’s also very 

important because you have another life in 

the bunk.” 

There are some drivers who can stay 

awake at night and sleep during the day and 

be alert all night and some people can’t. 

“It would seem like sleeping would be 

more difficult in a team situation because of 

the circadian rhythm factor and with light 

shining coming in the windows in the daytime, 

but I guess you get used to being able to 

sleep with anything going on,” Meyer said. 

Finding team drivers can be difficult. 

Summit is partial to experienced husband 

and wife teams, which Conroy said offer 

more stability than drivers who are paired 

without knowing one another. 

“We also look for a minimum of two years 

over-the-road experience for both drivers but 

prefer a minimum of five years,” he said. 

“Most of our teams now have a minimum 

of 10 years per driver. We don’t typically 

pursue two strangers getting together thinking 

they want to run team. It’s a demanding 

job and our experience has been with finding 

stable husband and wife or sibling teams.” 

Ostrander said finding team drivers is 

difficult. 

“We try to target any avenue we can with 

advertising,” he said, adding that one of the 

Nation May 15-31, 2018 • 11 

big targets is household teams. 

“Those single household teams are what 

our owners want for their trucks because it’s 

a lot more feasible and the drivers get along 

better,” he said. “It’s hard to pair up drivers. 

Teams are definitely a high commodity and 

it’s very hard to find right now. It’s almost 

like that sports car that you always wanted. 

It’s a hard item to find, but when you do 

find it, it’s going to cost you money. It’s the 

same with teams. It’s a hard sell to get them 

to come to you because everybody wants 

them.” 

The demand of customers becomes a demand 

for teams, and some companies are going 

to extremes to hire them, Turner noted. 

Ostrander said in recruiting XPO Logistics 

points out the fact that there is more revenue 

for team drivers. 

“It can be a lot more money per se because 

of the fact they’re not going to be limited 

to the Hours of Service rules and regulations, 

and the fact that they can pick up more 

opportunities to be able to gain load options 

to be able to continue moving that truck versus 

having to shut the truck down every 10 

hours.” 

“I was looking on the Web and noticed 

that one major carrier is offering a $50,000 

team sign on bonus. If you look at that for 

what it’s worth, it sounds great, but there’s 

only so many smoke and mirrors on achievability 

factors to get that. It’s dang near 

impossible,” he said. “So, we try to have a 

more common-sense approach to what we 

do. We offer a great benefits package, we 

offer a great salary for our teams. We have 

very good incentives, the biggest of which 

is our driver referral bonuses because at the 

end of the day your drivers are your best recruiters 

because as a former driver, when I 

was looking for a driving job, I would listen 

to the recruiter, I would listen to the safety 

guy. And then the next thing I would do is go 

find a driver for that company and say, ‘Hey, 

I’m thinking about coming to work for your 

company. What say you about East-West?’” 

And what say you who are considering 

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12 • May 15-31, 2018 Nation 

b Shortage from page 9 b 

“The companies that are doing that are not 

having a problem,” Arrants said. They’re getting 

first crack at the best prospects before they 

graduate. 

But as so many trucking companies know 

all too well, getting employees in the door 

is one thing, holding onto them is another. 

This is particularly true with entry-level 

employees, Arrants added. “I tell people, we 

eat our young,” he said. “We take them out, 

first day on the job, throw them out in the 

shop and expect them to be productive. 

“Sometimes we’ll ask these kids to do 

a job, and they do it different than we do it. 

Then we think it’s wrong and we call them 

idiots or say, ‘I can’t believe you graduated 

from this school’ or whatever,” and so a lot 

of them quit. 

Older generations like to complain that 

millennials are too sensitive, they feel entitled, 

they’re lazy. But “we created them,” 

Arrants said, “We’ve been giving them trophies 

for coming in last place since they 

were 6 years old when we should have been 

saying, ‘pick another sport.’” 

But if you take this generation at face 

value and work with them, and you might 

be pleasantly surprised, he added. 

“We forget, at one point we were ‘those 

darned teenagers,’” Arrants said, and just 

like our parents’ generation found out, there 

comes a time when youth must be served. 

In 2000, baby boomers represented nearly 

half of the nation’s workforce. Today, 

baby boomers and Generation Xers combined 

make up less than half the workforce. 

Generation Y, the millennials — they’re the 

majority of your workforce now. 

Arrants advises his fellow “gray hairs or 

no hairs” to accept that today’s young adults 

didn’t have the experiences his generation 

did growing up. 

“We turned wrenches as a kid,” Arrants 

said. Guys grew up in the driveway, working 

on their bikes, then on some beater of a 

car. Not anymore. 

thetrucker.com 

“When I taught 20 years ago, a kid 

knew what a Phillips screwdriver was, or a 

straight blade or whatever. Nowadays, we 

have to teach these kids what a screwdriver 

is, and that a torque bit is not a ‘star thing.’” 

There’s nothing you can assume they 

know, Arrants said. But don’t assume they 

can’t learn it. As always, it’s a matter of 

knowing how to motivate employees. 

When it comes to employee satisfaction, 

the whole work-life balance equation has 

changed, Arrants said, and that applies to 

time on the clock, as well. 

“One of my quotes is, do you treat your 

employees like your children or like your 

grandchildren?” he said. Fewer kids grow 

up in traditional, stable homes these days, 

Arrants said. Young workers value a clean, 

safe work environment and a sense that 

they’re part of a work family. 

Creating this sense of inclusion needs to 

start right at the beginning, Arrants said. He 

strongly suggests companies have designated 

mentors to show new people the ropes, 

both on the job and within the company culture. 

If the new technicians coming out of 

school seem a bit deficient, the panelists 

suggested, bear in mind that with the speed 

at which trucking technology is evolving, 

so is the definition of “qualified applicant.” 

The kids coming out of school today are 

generally a lot faster adopting new technology 

than their graybeard counterparts, Arrants 

said. 

“These kids have great skills,” he said. 

They may not be the skills of 20 or 30 years 

ago but that may be a good thing. While 

your older workers may have to show the 

newbies the right wrench to use, these kids 

may help demystify the latest electronic innovations 

to reluctant old-timers. 

As technology changes, so does the definition 

of “qualified,” Cigala pointed out. 

The training never really ends for technicians 

to keep up with changing times. 

“Some people think, ‘if you train them, 

they will leave,’” Arrants said. “But if you 

don’t train them, they may stay. Think about 

that.” 8 

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b Honor Roll from page 8 b 

• John Dombrowski, who lives in Melbourne, 

Florida. He has been with C.R. England 

for 23 years and has achieved 3 million 

safe miles. 

Established in 2015, the Gene England 

Million Miler Club is named for C.R. England’s 

president emeritus. Prior to retiring 

from active driving, Gene England surpassed 

7 million safe driving miles during 

his career. The more than 100 members of 

the Gene England Million Miler Club have 

driven over 160 million safe miles. Drivers 

are recognized each time they reach another 

threshold of a million safe miles. 8 

Nation May 15-31, 2018 • 13 

Courtesy: C.R. ENGLAND 

From left, Dan England, C.R. England chairman; Mark Kaminski; Gene England, C.R. England president emeritus; John Dombrowski; and 

James Spina celebrate the induction of the three drivers into the Gene England Million Miler Club. 

b HELP from page 3 b 

“Our mission has been to revolutionize the 

delivery of highway safety and transportation 

management through world-class products, 

systems and services,” Heath told The Trucker. 

“This includes our weigh station bypass service, 

PreClear, which is delivered through public-private 

partnerships with 46 agencies in 43 states at 

no cost to state governments. Bypass programs 

are one of the most successful voluntary compliance 

models in the transportation industry, 

incentivizing carriers to maintain or improve 

safety and compliance in exchange for bypass 

privileges. 

“Despite Galloway’s report, which raises serious 

legal concerns about the activities of those 

who interfered and colluded to favor HELP Inc.’s 

position in Missouri, Drivewyze today enjoys a 

strong and successful partnership with both the 

Missouri Department of Transportation and Missouri 

State Highway Patrol. We look forward to 

announcing the activation of our first sites and 

restoring bypass services in Missouri for our customers 

in the coming weeks.” 

Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass services 

are once again available in Missouri starting 

with the eastbound and westbound weigh stations 

at Joplin on U.S. Interstate 44, Heath said, adding 

that activation of the weigh station bypass service 

began following the installation and calibration of 

new weigh-in-motion sensors embedded in the 

roadway. 

Drivers with the Drivewyze PreClear weigh 

station bypass service on their Drivewyze-enabled 

smartphones, tablets and electronic logging 

devices receive bypass opportunities at the two 

weigh stations, which are located 2 1 /2 miles east 

of the Missouri-Oklahoma state border, between 

Joplin and Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

Other concerns cited in the Missouri audit 

include work by state officials to promote HELP 

Inc. to Texas, Kansas and Minnesota and discourage 

peer agencies from working with Drivewyze 

and other competitors, failure to publicly report 

membership on the nonprofit’s board and expenses 

paid by the company, and a revolving door of 

state officials who later went to work for HELP 

Inc. and then continued to work with former coworkers 

in Missouri government. 

Missouri law bans former state staffers from 

working to influence the agency they worked at 

for a year after they leave. 8 

Associated Press sources contributed to this 

report. 

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Perspective May 

15-31, 2018 • 14 

Letters 

Word ‘tout’ in headline has negative 

taint; reader believes it shows liberal bias 

I am writing about the headline in your 

April 15-30 issue: “Former White House press 

secretary Fleischer touts Trump before friendly, 

compatible audience at TCA convention.” 

“Tout” is a word with negative connotations. 

It is what is sometimes called a “negatively 

loaded” word. 

Merriam-Webster says “tout: to praise or 

publicize lavishly and often excessively,” and 

suggests for synonyms such words as “ballyhoo, 

crack up, glorify, trumpet, and beat the 

drum for.” 

Why would you use such a word about 

Trump? I have never thought of The Trucker as 

part of the liberal media. 

Your readers are truckers, after all. We’re 

not well-known as liberals. Many of us voted 

for Trump. I certainly did. I have been impressed 

with what Trump has accomplished 

and, equally, am appalled at the viciousness 

and intensity of media attacks on him, which 

have been continuous and unremitting. 

Surely you have no need to participate in 

that particular feeding frenzy. Please! 

— Yours very truly, 

Annette F. Wilcox, MA 

Million-mile trucker 

Driver says new breed of trucking 

executives are not focused on safety 

This is a reply to the article in the April 15- 

30 edition from W. Payne. 

On May 11 I will reach a milestone of 25 

years driving a CMV, all but two years overthe-road. 

I am in agreement with the W. Payne letter 

about it’s not four wheelers’ fault, but truck 

drivers’ [fault], and it is. 

More so, a lot of the “blame” with today’s 

drivers are the companies that hire them. My 

company, which I won’t mention, has about 

100 trucks and about 300 trailers. Prior to a few 

“old school” executives retiring, my company 

had an excellent safety score, and these executives 

with a combined 70-plus years experience 

in trucking catering to its driver fleet. 

Then the “ new breed” came in to replace 

them. They lowered the standards that were in 

place to hire a driver from three year-reportable 

issues. Prior to these events, in [the] last four 

years my firm had only three. 

This is my opinion on why today’s drivers 

and fleets have been bombarded with all these 

regulations: They don’t take this job seriously. 

These mega fleets just want a body behind the 

wheel and no brain and when you have people 

with no regard to safety issues, you have accidents. 

I watched a driver kick the tandems of his 

trailer with his toes wearing flip flops. I asked 

this man what he was doing and he said he was 

checking for a flat. My response was there is a 

See Letters on p15 m 

Trucking Alliance turns up heat to get hair testing approved 

Lyndon Finney 


Eye on 

Trucking 

Bad, rough roads and highways cause 

all sorts of physical harm. Your body is 

shaken and bounced, your nerves are on 

edge, and you are exhausted. And don’t get 

me started on the way roadwork is set up 

or just trying not to run over stupid car drivers. 

— Kathy Blailock Williamson 

Clearly, the United States is not the world 

leader in everything. 

Case in point: The federal government of 

Brazil requires professional commercial vehicle 

drivers to pass hair tests for drug use whenever 

they obtain or renew their licenses. 

Licenses in Brazil are valid for five 

years, and this is one reason why hair testing, 

as the drug testing method with the 

farthest reach, is preferred over urine and 

saliva samples. 

In fact, since the Brazilian law went into 

effect two years ago, more than 1 million Brazilian 

drivers have either failed the hair test or 

refused to renew their licenses. 

In the U.S., only urine testing is required. 

One of the reasons many trucking executives, 

including those in the Trucking Alliance, 

are pushing hard to get the government to approve 

hair testing is because it has the longest 

testing window. 

It is also less embarrassing to collect samples 

and harder to cheat compared to urine 

analysis, trucking executives say. 

Recently, Lane Kidd, managing director 

of the Trucking Alliance, and Dean Newell, 

vice president of safety and driver training at 

Maverick USA, spoke about drug testing during 

“The Use of Technology to Promote Road 

Safety: The Brazilian Experience” held at the 

United Nations in New York City and sponsored 

by the Institute for Trade and Transportation 

Studies (ITTS). 

Kidd presented information provided by 

J.B. Hunt Transport of Lowell, Arkansas. 

J.B. Hunt is considered one of the pioneers 

in hair testing for substance abuse. 

Data from 112,775 drivers compaired hair 

and urine testing from May 2006 through the 

end of 2017 and revealed that 106,906 were 

negative on both tests, 652 were positive or refused 

on both tests, 157 were positive and /or 

refused on urine only, and 5,060 were positive 

on hair only. 

Of those who were positive/refuse on hair 

only, 2,444 were for cocaine, 1,004 were for 

marijuana and 729 showed positive for opiates. 

Of those positive on urine only, 107 were 

for marijuana and nine were positive for cocaine 

and eight for opiates. 

Kidd showed delegates to the meeting J.B. 

Hunt hair testing data from 2017. 

What that information revealed was a shift 

in substance of choice. 

Of the 15,804 samples processed in 2017, 

1,213 returned a positive result. 

Kidd noted that 622 of the total turned up 

the use of opiates, 350 for cocaine, 138 for amphetamines 

and 206 for marijuana. 

“Current drug testing methods for truck 

drivers are failing,” Kidd told delegates during 

a session on “Drug Testing in the USA.” 

Newell said Maverick began hair testing in 

August 2012. 

There has been much talk recently about the poor condition of the 

nation’s infrastructure. How do poor roads impact the ability to do 

your job and how do poor roads impact your compensation? 

The poor road conditions impact my 

ability to do my job by the resulting delays 

from all of the lane closures and detours. 

We need media to help us educate drivers 

on how to keep traffic flowing better 

through these restricted areas. Somebody 

needs to review how many strobe safety 

lights are necessary, as they hinder flow by 

blinding drivers — especially truck drivers 

sitting four feet above the roadways. Every 

day, I unsafely suddenly have to brake 

firmly because somebody has seen a flashing 

light (of any color) and dropped their 

anchor abruptly. 

—James Stark 

The hair tests are given at the same time as 

the urine test. 

To date, Maverick has conducted 6,938 preemployment 

hair tests. 

There were 162 positive hair tests; only 

eight were positive on the urine test. 

Since 2014, 41 opioid positives have been 

returned, Newell said. 

“We have an opioid problem in this country 

and from my experience we have one in our 

industry,” Newell said. “As a former driver, 

I know what it’s like to operate safely on our 

roads. There is no room for drug use in our industry. 

Hair testing can and will save lives.” 

“This data will get larger as we include the 

other carriers, but what strikes me is that the 

basic urine test isn’t catching 90 percent of the 

opioid and drug users,” Kidd told The Trucker. 

Psychemedics Corp. pioneered the use of 

hair testing for drug abuse over 30 years ago. 

“The No. 1 use of drug testing is for preemployment 

testing where the goal is to eliminate 

applicants who regularly use drugs,” Psychemedics 

says. “Those individuals represent a 

risk to organizations from a cost, productivity 

and health and safety perspective. Often organizations 

are surprised at the actual level of 

drug use in their applicant pool after switching 

from urinalysis to Psychemedics’ hair drug 

testing.” 

On average, 85 percent of the drug users 

identified by Psychemedics’ hair testing would 

be missed by urinalysis. 

It’s time for the federal government to 

wake up and allow hair testing. It’s viable 

and needed. 8 

I am a team driver. I can’t sleep while he 

is on these poor roads. It makes it dangerous 

for me to drive at night when I couldn’t 

sleep all day. 

— Linda Simpkins


b Letters from page 14 b 

thing called a tire gauge and kicking a tire with 

your toes won’t indicate the tire is flat. 

W. Payne is correct in his article about 

“growing up” and not just doing one’s job. 

Know how to do it. There are no “professional” 

pilots, there are no “professional” doctors, 

there are no “professional” brick layers. They 

are seasoned, experienced people in their fields. 

There are no “professional” truck drivers, at 

least not anymore. 

— Robert Rowe 

Trucker: REST Act could backfire, let 

shippers/receivers use it to their benefit 

While I’m pleased to hear that lawmakers 

are considering updating Hours of Service 

rules, I fear that the “real” issues aren’t being 

addressed. 

The REST Act [April 15-30 issue of The 

Trucker] sounds like a really good idea, on the 

surface. However, I firmly believe that in short 

order carriers, shippers and receivers will begin 

to use this exception only to their benefit. 

Lost time resulting from detention at shippers/receivers 

costs all drivers, but owner-operators 

lose more than company drivers. Most 

broker rate confirmations allow for 2 to 3 hours 

of unpaid detention at the shipper or receiver 

locations. After the initial unpaid time period, 

most will pay $25 to $50 per hour, generally up 

to a maximum of $250 or less. 

Delays at shipping facilities, more often than 

not, create late deliveries to receiving facilities. 

When delivering to large distribution centers 

such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Publix, U.S. Foods (to 

name a few), delivering more than 1 hour late can 

result in extensive unloading detention (detention 

is NOT paid, because the load was late) at the 

least. It can also result in being rescheduled for 

a next-day delivery. The financial cost can be extremely 

burdensome. Personally, my truck earns 

between $650 to $1,000 per day. If my truck gets 

rescheduled because of a delay caused by a shipping 

facility, the net financial loss can easily exceed 

several hundreds of dollars. 

It dumbfounds me how this system was 

ever allowed to be put in place: Shippers/ receivers 

schedule the appointments, but are then 

allowed to determine how long they can detain 

a truck, without pay, and to add insult to injury 

are allowed to determine how much they will 

pay for the detention. 

Could you imagine if our criminal court 

system operated under these types of guidelines? 

Furthermore, as a driver I can be fined 

upwards of $250 (per most broker rate confirmations) 

if I’m late in arriving to a facility. 

In the end, I believe that shipping/receiving 

facilities could/will use legislation like the 

REST Act to their advantage by stating that detaining 

a truck for 3 hours no longer negatively 

impacts the carrier or its driver, because the 

driver’s 14 hour clock will be paused. 

As I stated in my opening sentence, I’m 

happy to hear that lawmakers are considering 

updating HOS rules, but I don’t believe that the 

REST Act does enough. I believe they should 

also allow greater flexibility with the 10-hour 

provision. I believe that 6/4, 5/5 or 10 consecutive 

hours would greatly improve drivers’ quality 

of life, while keeping the roads safe. 

Perspective May 15-31, 2018 • 15 

I don’t know anyone who sleeps for 10 

hours. Usually, I sleep for 6.5 to 7 hours. I 

brush my teeth, change clothes, grab a bite to 

eat, then spend the next 2½ to 3 hours staring 

out the window of my truck, waiting for my 

HOS clock to reset. I don’t know about you, 

but when I sit for hours on end, I start to get 

lethargic and tired. 

I won’t complain about elogs, because like 

them or not, they’re never going away. I just 

wish that the legislators who created the additional 

regulations would also consider how 

much it handcuffs the very people they’re trying 

to make safer. 

— Sincerely, 

Douglas J. Williams 

Owner-Operator 

Good pay is important, says driver, 

but being treated with respect is key, too 

You know for sure the money part is definitely 

what matters [in a job], but I think I can 

probably speak for a lot of drivers that they 

want to be treated with respect as well as having 

good pay. 

In the past when talking to recruiters they’ll 

say, “We care about our drivers.” So I would 

ask them, “In what ways can you give me an 

example of how you care for your drivers?” 

I never get a response. Companies would 

be a lot better off if they treated their drivers 

better. 

— Rick Youngquist 

Some states fix same roads over and 

over, that causes perpetual delays 

The problem is like in Michigan. It will fix a 

road that doesn’t need any fixing but completely 

ignore a road that is crumbling apart. So needless 

to say, there are delays like on the Ohio 

Turnpike when there are three or four 50-milean-hour 

speed limit zones while they fix the 

same stretch of road over the last five years. 

— John Brohl 

Goes without saying that bad highways 

make it harder for truckers to do jobs 

It’s pretty self-explanatory that if the infrastructure 

is bad it makes it hard for you to do 

your job, thereby reducing your ability to make 

income. 

— George P. George 

Poor infrastructure is bad for health; 

taxes, fuel go up but roads not fixed 

Driving on poor roads are bad for your 

health in every way. 

[It’s bad] if you’re an owner-operator paying 

for taxes or [for increased] prices on fuel 

for repair of these roads and they’re not getting 

road repairs done. 

Indiana 65 and Michigan roads … New 

York roads, 95 are bad. 

We are to blame for these conditions. 

— Lawrence Millstein 

The worse the roads become, the more the repairs 

cost for all drivers using them. The roads get 

worse and the repair costs go up. 

— Steve Strickland 8 

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16 

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Skyline Transportation: Family carrier loves 

challenges, relationships, keeping it real 

Courtesy: SKYLINE TRANSPORTATION 

Jeff Reed and son Tate, 13, enjoy a bit of family time while posing with one of Skyline Transportation’s some 130 power units. Jeff and his brother Bill Reed III own the carrier, having taken 

it over from their father, Bill Reed Jr. 

Dorothy Cox 


Lyndon Finney 


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Growing up around a trucking 

company that his grandfather and great uncle bought, one that 

was continued by his father, Jeff Reed couldn’t help but want 

to stay with the family business, Skyline Transportation in 

Knoxville, Tennessee. 

Family vacations were planned around company and trucking 

association meetings across the country, “all the acronyms” 

like ATA (American Trucking Associations), Southern Motor 

Carriers and numerous others, Reed recalls. 

“Really, our social life was around that and that was the people 

I knew growing up. And the good thing was that a lot of dad’s 

colleagues and people at other trucking companies, you know, we 

learned from,” says Reed, now the owner of Skyline along with 

his brother, Bill Reed III. They’re the two sons of Bill Reed Jr. 

His brother was the same way about continuing the family 

business, Jeff Reed says. “It was kind of like, ‘let’s go get our 

education through school and then get our education by handson 

work. Let’s continue to own and run a trucking company.’” 

In other words, the two didn’t have the desire to do anything 

else unless it was play golf, which Jeff says he wasn’t good 

enough at for a career. 

Skyline has from 125 to 130 power units and about 120 

drivers, all company drivers except for three owner-operators. 

The truckload carrier hauls hazardous materials, chemicals, 

automotive freight and building products, a small company 

compared to some but “as diverse as you can be,” says Jeff. 

“We try to be in several different industries so we’re not 

reliant on one.” 

Skyline dates back to the ’40s but Reed’s grandfather, W.H. 

Reed Sr., and uncle, J. Earl Reed, bought the company in 1954. 

Among other things, Reed Sr. did bookkeeping for a trucking 

company in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that was thinking about 

purchasing Skyline. He was tasked with crunching numbers 

and doing the analytics to see if the purchase was a good fit 

and became intrigued with Skyline. When the company decided 

not to buy them, he and his brother sold everything they had, 

including a filling station and some tow trucks, bought Skyline 

and moved to Knoxville. 

It was before deregulation, and at the time, Skyline was a lessthan-truckload 

company operating within a 200-mile radius of 

Knoxville. 

After deregulation, they started offering LTL service to the 

rest of Tennessee and into Ohio, North Carolina and Alabama. 

As time went on, the carrier continued to grow — from three 

freight terminals to 22. 

By January 1999, Skyline was a major competitor in the 

southeast regional LTL market, and employed more than 600 

people in 10 states. 

Wanting to branch out even more, Skyline then sold its LTL 

book of business to Old Dominion Freight Lines, keeping the 

right to operate under the Skyline name and compete in TL. 

Why have he and his brother continued to stay in trucking? 

It’s the challenge, says Jeff. 

“There’s nothing easy and no day is the same” and things are 

constantly changing, he says. 

“Part of the challenge is that it’s an interesting industry 

and people are constantly coming up with new ways or new 

technologies or new processes in how to do what we do that 

makes us better, more efficient or makes our lifestyles better as 

far as driver comfort and that kind of thing.” 

And, he adds, it’s the relationships. 

“Trucking is kind of misnamed because trucks are just a tool 

that our people use. It’s the relationships that we have with the 

drivers and all that they do and their dedication and then the 

relationships we have with our fellow competitors. We have 

friends in the trucking companies and with the vendors that help 

support us and allow us to do what we do and do it better.” 

He says they’ve “tweaked” their dispatch software to go by 

drivers’ names, not by a number or a truck. 

“I think we’ve got a pretty good place to make a career in our 

company and earn a good wage. We tell drivers the truth … we 

want that relationship with the individual [driver].” 

Typically, Skyline drivers are out on the road five days and 

home for two but can request to be out longer. 

“My goal,” Jeff says, is not to just “carry on with the status 

quo. My goal is to challenge the way it’s always been done, find 

new technology and processes to improve and help our industry 

mature.” 

Jeff has three sons: Tyler, 16; Tate, 13; and Parker, 8. 

Bill Reed III has a daughter, Grace, who’s 18, and a 14-yearold 

son, Hugh. 

Will one or more of them carry on Skyline to the next 

generation and beyond? 

Jeff says he doesn’t want to put expectations on his youngsters. 

If they find trucking, he wants them to find it on their own. 

Judging from history, however, at least one will. Probably 

more. 

After all, it’s a family thing. 8

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Dorothy Cox 


When 9/11 happened, Melissa Allen, Women 

in Trucking’s April Member of the Month, was 

already waiting to be cleared for active duty, 

having been in the Army Reserves for eight years. 

After the bombings her wait was cut short, 

and Allen, now 46, was deployed to Kandahar 

International Airport in Afghanistan in just a few 

months. 

Allen had joined the Reserves after high school 

because, she says, “I needed something to do, to 

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She was also ready to move on from a young 

marriage she found out was “a mistake.” 

At the time of her deployment, Allen was 

working in shipping and receiving for a 

manufacturing firm and swiftly applied for 

military leave, left the house she was in the middle 

of selling in the hands of a friend she trusted, and 

packed up and left for Kentucky’s Fort Campbell. 

Then it was on to Afghanistan. 

In Kandahar, she was introduced to trucking 

via Humvee training, which she took to like a 

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Perspective May 15-31, 2018 • 19 

Trucker can be charged with same crime in 2 states, not necessarily found guilty in 2 

Jim Klepper 

exclusive to the trucker 

Ask the 

Attorney 

Can I be charged in two separate 

states with the same violation? I thought 

there was a law against double jeopardy. 

I am being charged with reckless driving 

in both states for the same act and all I 

did was cross a state line. I was in Kansas 

City, Missouri, coming from Kansas City, 

Kansas, when I was pulled over by the 

Missouri officer and given a ticket. Will I 

be able to fight this reckless driving ticket 

in one state or will I have to fight it in both 

states? 

You don’t say how you received the Kansas 

ticket but I suspect the Kansas officer 

called ahead to the Missouri officer and you 

were pulled over. The Kansas officer could 

follow you into Missouri and would be justified 

in giving you a ticket outside his jurisdiction 

if he was in what is called “hot 

pursuit,” which just means the Kansas officer 

was either following you or on his way 

to stop you when you crossed the state line. 

“Double jeopardy is prohibited in the 

U.S. Constitution Fifth Amendment, which 

says: 

“No person shall be held to answer for a 

capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless 

on a presentment or indictment of a grand 

jury, except in cases arising in the land or 

naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual 

service in time of war or public danger; nor 

shall any person be subject for the same offense 

to be twice put in jeopardy of life or 

limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal 

case to be a witness against himself, nor be 

deprived of life, liberty, or property, without 

due process of law; nor shall private property 

be taken for public use, without just 

compensation.” 

Exception to the double jeopardy in the 

Fifth Amendment is the Dual Sovereignty 

doctrine which the U.S. Supreme Court 

decided in United States v. Cruikshank, 92 

U.S. 542 (1876): The government of the 

U.S. and of each state may each enact their 

own laws and prosecute crimes. The dual 

sovereignty doctrine says when a defendant 

in a single act violates the peace and dignity 

of two sovereigns (either state/federal 

or state/state) by breaking the laws of each, 

the defendant has committed two distinct offenses 

for double jeopardy purposes. 

Jeopardy attaches: in a jury trial when the 

jury is empaneled and sworn in, in a bench 

trial when the court begins to hear evidence 

after the first witness is sworn in, or when 

a court accepts a defendant’s plea unconditionally. 

It does not attach in a retrial of a 

conviction that was reversed on appeal on 

procedural grounds, in a retrial for “manifest 

necessity” has been shown following a 

mistrial and in the seating of another grand 

jury if the prior one refuses to return an indictment. 

You cannot be charged twice in the same 

state with the same crime you were acquitted 

or convicted of, but you can be charged 

twice in separate states with same crime. 

The U.S. Supreme Court in Blockburger 

v. United States, No. 374 (1932) put a stop 

to prosecutors overcharging defendants in 

order to get more convictions and held that 

the government may prosecute an individual 

for more than one offense stemming from 

a single course of conduct only when each 

offense requires proof of a fact the other 

charge does not. Blockburger requires the 

court to examine the elements of each crime 

as stated in the statutes, which then makes 

the prosecutor show that at least one mutually 

exclusive element. That means if one 

offense is included in another, it becomes a 

lesser included offense and deemed the same 

and punishment is allowed only for one. 

So the simple answer is yes, you can be 

charged by each state for your crime of reckless 

driving. Keep in mind just because you 

are found guilty in one state does not mean 

you are necessarily guilty in the second 

state. Each state will have to prove beyond 

a reasonable doubt you did violate their law 

by proving each element of your crime in 

their state. The elements may even be different 

in each state, but you will have to have 

violated the specific law of the particular 

state to be found guilty. 

Jim C. Klepper is president of Interstate 

Trucker Ltd., a law firm dedicated to legal 

defense of the nation’s commercial drivers. 

Interstate Trucker represents truck drivers 

throughout the 48 states on both moving and 

nonmoving violations. He is also president 

of Drivers Legal Plan, which allows member 

drivers access to his firm’s services at 

discounted rates. He is a lawyer that has 

focused on transportation law and the trucking 

industry, in particular. He works to answer 

your legal questions about trucking 

and life over-the-road and has his CDL. 

Contact him at 800-333-DRIVE (3748) 

or interstatetrucker.com and driverslegalplan.com. 

8

20 • May 15-31, 2018 Perspective 


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Business 

May 15-31, 2018 • 21 

90-year-old Baggett Transportation 

a family company with people who 

‘get along together,’ president says 

Lyndon Finney 


BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — When Joe 

McDonald graduated college in 1984, he 

thought he might be able to spend some time 

over the next few weeks on the beach and 

then the ski slopes. 

But his grandfather, William Sellers, who 

owned Baggett Transportation, had other 

ideas for the young graduate. 

“My grandfather gave me seven days 

off,” McDonald, now the company president, 

said. “I showed up here the day after Labor 

Day in 1984 and have been here ever since.” 

It certainly wasn’t his first foray into the 

carrier, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary 

this year. 

“I started working here back in the shop 

during the summer during my high school 

days back in the late 1970s,” McDonald said. 

“I would change tires, change the oil in the 

trucks, pull nails out of floors and sweep the 

trailers.” 

Baggett Transportation Co. was founded 

by Jess Baggett in Birmingham in 1928 as a 

local carrier hauling dynamite for area coal 

companies. 

In the mid 1930s, Sellers joined Baggett, 

and acquired a small interest in the company. 

Today, Baggett continues to be a familyowned 

company. 

McDonald, 56, and in his own words 

about to turn 57, is the only son of one of 

Seller’s two daughters and heads the company. 


Some things never change. With trucking companies there always will be a need for maintenance 

as shown in this historic photo of a Baggett Transportation maintenance department. 

Three cousins — David Crommelin, Claiborne 

Crommelin and Charles Crommelin, 

are active in the company, head up safety, 

pricing and operations. 

Sellers passed away in July 1990 “in the 

office where I’m sitting,” McDonald said. 

McDonald’s father had chosen medicine 

over trucking, and the younger McDonald 

wasn’t quite ready for the presidency when 

his grandfather passed away. 

“We had a man whose name was Robert 

Nunnally,” McDonald said. “He was our accountant 

and ran the accounting department 

for my mother and my aunt until they felt 

I was ready to step into an executive role,” 

which occurred in the late 1990s. 

His mother is still living, although not involved 

in the company. His aunt is deceased. 

Although the company had long hauled 

for the Department of Defense, the events of 

September 11, 2001, required Baggett to enter 

into a different business model. 

“Over the years, we had progressed to 

doing more and more for the Department 

of Defense with our team drivers, but 9/11 

literally changed the way we did business,” 

McDonald said. “We could no longer have 

terminals storing sensitive items and we had 

to go directly from shipper to consignee with 

no stopping. Everything was now monitored 

by satellite and other communications equipment.” 

Hauling for DOD is quite different from 

hauling general commodities. 

The security level for hauling government 

goods is intense. 

There are satellites on the tractor and the 

closed vans and trailers and the government 

work requires teams because trucks cannot 

stop for more than two consecutive hours. 

“You are monitored all the time by the 

government,” McDonald said. 

Today, some 50 percent of Baggett’s business 

comes from DOD. 

Sixty percent of its some 100 tractors are 

driven by teams, and sometimes team drivers 

are hard to find. 

“We do better hiring someone who’s 

been in this business before,” McDonald 

said. “If it’s a team from a general commodity 

[hauler], they are used to running 

a bunch of miles. Transporting Department 

of Defense commodities is about what you 

can earn with less miles because with the 

See Baggett on p25 m 


JOE McDONALD 

ATA’s Truck Tonnage Index (Seasonally Adjusted; 2015=100) 

110 

108 

106 

104 

102 

100 

98 

96 

94 

92 

APR - 13 

JUL - 13 

OCT - 13 

JAN - 14 

APR - 14 

JUL - 14 

OCT - 14 

JAN - 15 

APR - 15 

JUL - 15 

OCT - 15 

JAN - 16 

APR - 16 

JUL - 16 

OCT - 16 

JAN - 17 

APR - 17 

JUL - 17 

OCT - 17 

JAN - 18 

MAR - 18 

Tonnage down 1.1% in March, but 

6.3% better than same month in 2017 


Arlington, Va. — American Trucking 

Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted 

(SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index declined 

1.1 percent in March after easing 0.8 percent 

in February. In March, the index equaled 110 

(2015=100), down from 111.2 in February. 

ATA revised the February decline from the 

originally reported 2.6 percent to 0.8 percent. 

Compared with March 2017, the SA index 

jumped 6.3 percent, which was below February’s 

7.7 percent year-over-year gain, but still 

well above 2017’s annual increase. For all of 

2017, the index increased 3.8 percent over 

2016. In the first quarter of this year, tonnage 

rose 0.9 percent and 7.4 percent from the previous 

quarter and a year earlier, respectively. 

The not seasonally adjusted index, which 

represents the change in tonnage actually 

hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, 

equaled 114.6 in March, which was 12.9 

percent above the previous month (101.5). 

“Despite a softer March and February, truck 

freight tonnage remains solid as exhibited in the 

year-over-year increase of 6.3 percent,” said ATA 

Chief Economist Bob Costello. “While I expect 

the pace of growth to continue moderating in the 

months ahead, if for no other reason than yearover-year 

comparisons will become more difficult 

as tonnage snapped back in May of 2017, the 

levels of freight will remain good going forward.” 

See Tonnage on p22 m

22 • May 15-31, 2018 Business 

b Tonnage from page 21 b 

In other news important to the industry in 

terms of freight movement, privately-owned 

housing units authorized by building permits in 

March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate 

of 1,354,000, the U.S. Census bureau reported, 

2.5 percent above the revised February rate of 

1,321,000 and 7.5 percent above the March 2017 

rate of 1,260,000. 

Single-family authorizations in March were at 

a rate of 840,000, 5.5 percent below the revised 

February figure of 889,000. 

Privately-owned housing starts in March were 

at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,319,000, 

1.9 percent above the revised February estimate 

of 1,295,000 and 10.9 percent above the March 

2017 rate of 1,189,000. 

Single-family housing starts in March were at 

a rate of 867,000, 3.7 percent below the revised 

February figure of 900,000. 

Meanwhile, new orders for manufactured 

goods in March, up seven of the last eight months, 

increased $7.8 billion or 1.6 percent to $507.7 billion, 

the Census Bureau said. 

This followed a 1.6 percent February increase. 

Shipments, up 15 of the last 16 months, increased 

$2.1 billion or 0.4 percent to $502.8 

billion. This followed a 0.2 percent February increase. 

Unfilled orders, up six of the last seven 

months, increased $9.2 billion or 0.8 percent to 

$1,153.8 billion. 

New orders for manufactured durable goods 

in March, up four of the last five months, increased 

$6.5 billion or 2.6 percent to $255.2 billion, 

unchanged from the previously published 

increase. This followed a 3.6 percent February 

increase. 

Transportation equipment, also up four of the 

last five months, led the increase, up $6.4 billion 

or 7.6 percent to $91.4 billion. New orders for 

manufactured nondurable goods increased $1.2 

billion or 0.5 percent to $252.4 billion. 

Meanwhile, U.S. employers only modestly 

stepped up hiring in April, and the unemployment 


rate fell to 3.9 percent, evidence of the economy’s 

resilience amid the recent stock market chaos and 

anxieties about a possible trade war. 

Job growth amounted to a decent 164,000 last 

month, up from an upwardly revised 135,000 in 

March. The unemployment rate fell after having 

held at 4.1 percent for the prior six months, largely 

because fewer people were searching for jobs. 

The overall unemployment rate is now the 

lowest since December 2000. The rate for African-Americans 

— 6.6 percent — is the lowest on 

record since 1972. 

For-hire trucking added 4,900 jobs in April, 

bringing the total for the year to 22,600, based on 

not seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics. 

Just as the trucking industry is having problems 

finding new drivers, many employers say 

it’s difficult to find qualified workers. But they 

have yet to significantly bump up pay in most 

industries. Average hourly earnings rose 2.6 

percent from a year ago. 

Much of the economy’s strength, for the moment, 

comes from the healthy job market. The increase 

in people earning paychecks has bolstered 

demand for housing, even though fewer properties 

are being listed for sale. Consumer confidence 

has improved over the past year. And more 

people are shopping, with retail sales having 

picked up in March after three monthly declines. 

Workers in the private sector during the first 

three months of 2018 enjoyed their sharpest 

average income growth in 11 years, the Labor 

Department said last week in a separate report 

on compensation. That pay growth suggests 

that some of the momentum from the slow but 

steady recovery from the 2008 financial crisis is 

spreading to more people after it had disproportionately 

benefited the nation’s wealthiest areas 

and highest earners. 

The monthly jobs reports have shown pay 

raises inching up. At the same time, employers 

have become less and less likely to shed workers. 

The four-week moving average for people applying 

for first-time unemployment benefits has 

reached its lowest level since 1973. 8 

The Associated Press contributed to this 

report. 

Recruiting Area 

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Taking Care of Our Customers and 

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Cliff Abbott 

cliffa@thetrucker.com 

It’s one of the easiest things to do in truck 

maintenance. Just pull the dipstick, check the oil 

level and, if the reading indicates, add a gallon of 

oil. Drivers who don’t know a ball-joint from a 

muffler bearing can still determine when to add a 

gallon of oil, right? 

Thanks to advancements in both engine and 

engine oil technology, the answer isn’t quite as 

easy as it used to be. 

It’s not that the task of adding a gallon of oil 

has changed much. The type of oil added, however, 

has changed periodically since the American 

Petroleum Institute (API) started putting standards 

in place nearly 100 years ago. 

To make sure, skip all of the sales jargon on 

the oil container and look for the API “donut” that 

tells you exactly what the oil was designed for. 

In a marketing ploy designed to attract the 

business of more highway travelers, including the 

lucrative RV market, most of the truck stops today 

brand themselves as “Travel Centers.” When 

it comes to oil, that means some of what’s on the 

shelf has an “S” designation, meaning that it’s designed 

for spark-plug fired engines, not diesels. 

Even those oils with a “C” designation, meaning 

combustion-fired engines (diesel), can vary 

widely. 

Up until December 2016, the designation to 

look for was “CJ-4.” With new EPA standards 

for emissions coming online with 2017 engines, 

however, CJ-4 oil was no longer good enough. 

Closer engine tolerances and greater heat production 

required better oils that were thinner but 

could lubricate just as well and carry away heat 

even better than before. 

Enter the new “CK-4” designation. Not only 

does the new CK-4 work in the new engines, but 

it is “backwards compatible,” meaning it works 

in older engines, too. 

Another new designation that is NOT backwards 

compatible is “FA-4.” This new oil offers 

the same protection as CK-4, but at a thinner viscosity. 

Some new tractors may specify 10W-20 

engine oil for even the hottest weather, instead 

of the 10W-30 or even 10W-40 familiar to many 

drivers. Thinner oil creates less friction, enabling 

the engine to work more efficiently and burn less 

Fleet Focus 

fuel. The catch, however, is that the engine must 

be able to operate at the closer tolerances that 

FA-4 will protect. 

The only way to be sure that the oil being 

poured in the crankcase is OK for your engine is 

to read the owner’s manual for the engine. Then, 

check the API “donut” on the bottle to ensure it’s 

the right oil. Inside the top half of the printed “donut,” 

the API’s service categories are listed. The 

Business May 15-31, 2018 • 23 

Don’t be a dipstick; bone up on new oil designations and what your engine requires 

donut “hole” contains the viscosity of the oil, for 

example, SAE 10W-30. The bottom of the graphic 

lists additional information, such as the current 

“plus” designation for the latest blend of CK-4 oil. 

Some truck stops may carry multiple types of 

oil, including oil for both gas and diesel engines. 

Some may still have the older CJ-4 on the shelf. 

Others may have FA-4 oil placed next to CK-4 

oil in a display that could be confusing to drivers 

who are looking for the right brand or a familiar 

viscosity. 

More confusion may result for drivers who 

get their extra oil from a shop or terminal, rather 

than buying it at a truck stop. As carriers replace 

the tractors in their fleets, they may need to stock 

both types of oil until the whole fleet is replaced 

with units using the new oil. In many cases, old 

oil jugs are refilled from a bulk supply at the terminal. 

Sometimes, oil is available at company locations 

after hours, when there’s no one around to 

ask if it’s the right type for the equipment. 

The way to be sure, is to know what the engine 

oil requirements are and to make sure any oil 

added is the right type. Doing so will help reduce 

friction in the operation of the business as well as 

the engine. 8 

©2018 FOTOSEARCH 

To make sure you get the right oil, skip all of 

the sales jargon on the oil container and look 

for the API “donut” that tells you exactly what 

the oil was designed for.

24 • May 15-31, 2018 Business 

thetrucker.com


Business May 15-31, 2018 • 25 

b Baggett from page 21 b 

government, a lot of bases are only open 

four days a week, 10 hours a day. So, you 

don’t have a lot of Friday work. Sometimes 

these team drivers can adjust, sometimes 

they can’t. The rate of pay is better, but they 

are not going to get the 5,000 miles a week 

going from base to base for the U.S. government.” 

In addition to mileage pay, team drivers 

hauling for the DOD are paid a percentage of 

the gross revenue of the load they are hauling. 

Prospective team drivers are carefully 

scrutinized and so are some staff. 

“They check them out pretty good,” he 

said. “Also, any of our staff who knows anything 

about the shipments must be cleared 

through the Department of Defense.” 

McDonald strives to maintain a family 

oriented culture at Baggett right down to the 

dress code. 

“When I started here, it was coat and 

tie for men, dresses for women,” he said. 

“We’ve become a lot more casual because 

I thought a coat and tie might be intimidating 

when you were talking to drivers, so now 

we wear khakis with a collared shirt and we 

allow jeans on Fridays. We have a youngeraged 

staff. 

When I came here 33 years ago, everyone 

was my elder and now I’m one of the older 

ones here. We have a lot of young, energetic 

employees who want to be successful.” 

Today, the company is prospering. 

McDonald is hoping to strengthen 

Baggett’s non-DOD business, which he says 

“comes and goes.” 

He’s hopeful revenue will top $40 million 

in sales this year. 

McDonald credits the success of Baggett 

to comradery within the company. 

“We’re people persons,” McDonald said. 

“We all enjoy working with one another. Now, 

I’m not going to say we haven’t had our arguments, 

but we all get along together.” 8 


Sixty percent of Baggett’s some 100 tractors are driven by teams, and sometimes team 

drivers are hard to find. 

ROTELLA 

ROUNDUP 

The 411on10W-30 

By Dan Arcy, Shell Lubricants 

Many fleets are switching to 10W-30 engine oils from traditional 15W-40 oils. 

The reason is fuel economy. Thinner viscosities mean the engine doesn’t have 

to work as hard and uses less fuel. Think of it like swimming through honey vs. water. 

Honey is thicker than water, so more energy is used to move through it. The same 

goes for an engine’s moving parts. A 15W-40 oil requires more energy to move 

through it whereas 10W-30 oil produces less drag on your engine. 

But can a 10W-30 protect as well as a 15W- 40? You bet. It comes down to quality 

additives and composition of base oil. In fact, Shell ROTELLA ® T5 10W-30 can 

protect as well or better than industry-standard 15W-40 oils. Give it a shot in 

your fleet. 

To learn more go to ROTELLA.com/products 

Comments, questions or ideas? 

Email us at RotellaRoundup@JWT.com 

1151572_A127_Nov_2017_TheTRUCKER_5.125x7.5.indd 1 

10/20/17 1:47 PM

26 • May 15-31, 2018 Business 


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RECRUITING at a Glance 

Company Driver Owner Operator Teams Lease Purchase Flatbed Van Reefer HAZMAT Expedited Specialized Tanker 

Cargill 

www.cargillmeatlogistics.com 

(316) 462-7220 

See our ad on page 30! 

FedEx Custom Critical 

www.customcritical.fedex.com 

(866) 729-9789 


Mercer 

www.mercertown.com 

(888) 374-8445 


PFS Brands 

www.jobs@pfsbrands.com 

(573) 893-1361 


Smith Transport 

www.smithdrivers.com 

(866) 451-2859 


CD OO T LP F V R H E S TK 





CFI 

www.CFIDrive.com 

(877) 592-3642 


Janco Ltd. 

www.jancoltd.com 

(800) 526-9085 


Miller Transporters 

www.drivemillert.com 

(888) 716-4959 


P.I.&I. Motor Express 

http://www.piimx.com 

(855) 693-8963 


Transport Designs, Inc. 

www.transportdesigninc.com 

(855) 496-3039 







D&D Sexton, Inc. 

www.ddsextoninc.com 

(800) 743-0265 


Landstar 

www.lease2landstar.com 

(877) 472-0097 


National Carriers 

www.drivenci.com 

(888) 439-3196 


ProFleet Transport Corp. 

www.profleet.com 

(877) 684-8787 


Tribe Transportation 

www.TribeTrans.com 

(877) 628-6285 







Diamond Transportation 

www.diamondtrans.net 

(262) 554-4025 


McColister’s Transportation 

www.mccollisters.com 

(800) 257-9595 ext. 9490 

See our ad on pages 6 & 34! 

Penske Logistics 

www.gopenske.com/careers 

(855) 235-1361 


Schneider 

www.schneiderjobs.com 

(800) 44-PRIDE 





CD OO T LP F V R H E S TK

28 • May 15-31, 2018 Business 


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Technology 

May 15-31, 2018 • 29 

Courtesy: ANHEUSER-BUSCH 

The zero-emission Nikola trucks are expected to be integrated into Anheuser-Busch’s dedicated 

fleet beginning in 2020. 

Volvo Group North America well on 

way to meeting reduced-energy goal 

THE TRUCKER NEWS SERVICES 

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Volvo Group 

North America, manufacturers of Mack and 

Volvo trucks, is well on the way toward achieving 

its goal of reduced energy consumption in 

the Department of Energy (DOE) Better Buildings, 

Better Plants Challenge. 

The company met its first Better Plants 

goal — a 25 percent reduction in energy consumption 

at U.S. facilities — five years ahead 

of schedule and set a new goal of 25 percent 

more in savings by 2024. In the first three years 

of the new challenge, the Volvo Group is more 

than halfway to its target, reducing energy 

consumption by 14.4 percent compared with a 

2014 baseline. 

“We’re proud of the work we’ve done within 

the Volvo Group to improve our efficiency 

and reduce our impact on the environment,” 

said Rick Robinson, director of health, safety 

and environment for Volvo Group North America. 

“As we shift from technical changes — 

which tend to have a large one-time impact — 

to operational and behavioral changes that are 

more people-driven, we see that commitment 

reflected in our employees. These creative and 

committed employees are really driving our 

See Volvo on p30 m 

Courtesy: DAT 

Over 161 million loads were posted on DAT load boards in 2017, and freight volume continues 

to be very strong. 

Brewery orders 800 hydrogen-electric 

Nikola tractors; to be on road by 2020 

Dorothy Cox 


ST. LOUIS and SALT LAKE CITY — 

Anheuser-Busch May 3 said the American 

brewery has placed an order for up to 800 hydrogen-electric 

powered tractors from Nikola, 

a pioneer in hydrogen electric renewable technology. 

The zero-emission trucks — which will 

be able to travel between 500 and 1,200 miles 

and be refilled within 20 minutes, reducing 

idle time — are expected to be integrated into 

Anheuser-Busch’s dedicated fleet beginning in 

2020. 

Through this agreement Anheuser-Busch 

aims to convert its entire long-haul dedicated 

fleet to renewable powered trucks by 

2025. 

“Hydrogen-electric technology is the future 

of logistics and we’re proud to be leading 

the way,” said Trevor Milton, CEO of 

Nikola. 

The partnership with Nikola will contribute 

to Anheuser-Busch’s recently announced 

2025 sustainability goals, which include reducing 

CO2 emissions by 25 percent across 

its value chain. Company spokesmen said in 

a news release that the tractor, named Nikola 

One, is capable of pulling a total gross 

See Nikola on p30 m 

Courtesy: VOLVO GROUP NORTH AMERICA 

Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge events conducted at the Volvo Trucks New River 

Valley plant in Dublin, Virginia, (pictured here) and the Mack Trucks Lehigh Valley Operations 

in Macungie, Pennsylvania, identified approximately $700,000 in low-cost or no-cost 

energy efficiency opportunities. 

DAT announces significant upgrades for 

popular driver load board, TruckersEdge 


PORTLAND, Ore. — DAT Solutions announced 

significant upgrades to DAT TruckersEdge, 

the company’s load board for independent 

owner-operators and small fleets. The 

changes and new features make it much faster 

for truckers to find the right loads and negotiate 

terms. 

The launch comes at a time of unprecedented 

freight demand. Over 161 million loads 

were posted on DAT load boards in 2017, and 

freight volume continues to be very strong. 

“These upgrades to TruckersEdge come at a 

time when available load volume continues to 

exceed seasonal levels, and demand for trucking 

services is expected to grow in the weeks 

and months to come,” said Neerav Shah, VP 

Products at DAT. 

“There are 637,000 good load options on 

our service for carriers to choose from every 

day, and DAT’s been really focused on speeding 

up their load selection process so our customers 

can be even more efficient and productive,” 

Shah added. 

The new TruckersEdge incorporates the 

latest search technologies used by the leading 

web browsers, with auto-populated fields personalized 

to fit the user’s needs. 

Dispatchers and drivers can also save time 

by identifying favorite searches, setting alarms 

for automatic notification when a new load 

matches their preferences, and sorting search 

results with one click. They can even sort 

search results by the offer rate posted by the 

freight broker. 

See DAT on p30 m

30 • May 15-31, 2018 Technology 


b DAT from page 29 b 

A new dashboard also gives users a realtime 

view of inbound and outbound load volume 

in every state, so they can see where their 

equipment is most in demand, plus a feed of 

trending trucking industry news. 

These latest improvements come soon after 

the addition of DAT TruckersEdge Pro, which 

includes average spot market rates based on 

actual transactions from the past 15 days, 

plus DAT TriHaul, a routing tool that suggests 

better-paying round trips based on the lane 

searched. 

“The new features in TruckersEdge show 

that DAT listens to truckers,” said Chad Boblett, 

owner and driver of Boblett Brothers 

Trucking and founder of Rate Per Mile Masters, 

a Facebook group of 20,000 transportation 

and logistics professionals. “DAT gets it right. 

The upgrades to TruckersEdge make it easier 

to find loads, and give me the research tools I 

need to get the best possible rate for my truck.” 

DAT TruckersEdge subscriptions include 

a free smartphone app, DAT Load Board for 

Truckers, available from Google Play for Android 

devices, and from the Apple App Store 

for iPhones and iPads. 

DAT TruckersEdge is now available at 

truckersedge.dat.com. 

DAT operates the largest spot freight marketplace 

in North America. Transportation brokers, 

carriers, news organizations and industry 

analysts rely on DAT for market trends and 

data insights derived from 179 million annual 

freight matches and a database of $45 billion of 

market transactions. Related services include a 

comprehensive directory of companies with 

business history, credit, safety, insurance and 

company reviews; broker transportation management 

software; authority, fuel tax, mileage, 

vehicle licensing, and registration services; and 

carrier onboarding. 

Founded in 1978, DAT Solutions, LLC is a 

wholly owned subsidiary of Roper Technologies, 

a diversified technology company and 

constituent of the S&P 500, Fortune 1000 and 

Russell 1000 indices. 8 

• Expanding Our Reefer Fleet • Work for the shipper 

• Priority Loads from Cargill Plants 

• 100% Owner-Operator Fleet • Sign-on Bonus 

• Settlements Processed Twice Weekly 

• Year round Freight available • Fleet Owners Welcome 

New Mid-West Regional Opportunities! 

• Looking for Owner Operators 

with 2 years OTR experience 

• We Have Fleet Owners 

Looking for drivers 

• Base Plate Program available 

Sign On 

TOday 

b Volvo from page 29 b 

progress toward our new goal.” 

While structural upgrades such as LED 

lighting and modernized HVAC systems are 

playing a part, many of the energy-saving ideas 

came from energy “treasure hunts” at Volvo 

Group facilities, Robinson said. 

These are events in which employee teams 

observe their facilities during idle or partially 

idle periods (frequently Sunday) to identify energy 

waste. 

Two such events conducted on two consecutive 

weekends in the fall of 2017 at the 

Volvo Trucks New River Valley plant in 

Dublin,Virginia, and the Mack Trucks Lehigh 

Valley Operations in Macungie, Pennsylvania, 

identified approximately $700,000 in low-cost 

or no-cost energy efficiency opportunities. 

An additional treasure hunt at the South 

Plainfield, New Jersey, Prevost facility uncovered 

$12,000 in potential savings opportunities, 

which was equivalent to 34 percent of the 

utility expenditures. 

Volvo Group North America’s progress 

in energy efficiency reflects efforts to reduce 

consumption at eight manufacturing 

facilities and six service centers in the United 

States: 

• Volvo Trucks, Dublin, Virginia 

• Volvo Group Powertrain, Hagerstown, 

Maryland 

• Mack Trucks, Macungie, Pennsylvania 

• Volvo Construction Equipment, Shippensburg, 

Pennsylvania 

• Volvo Penta, Lexington, Tennessee 

• Volvo Bus, Plattsburgh, New York 

• Volvo Group Remanufacturing, Charlotte, 

North Carolina 

• Volvo Group Remanufacturing, Middletown, 

Pennsylvania 

• Prevost Service Centers in Tennessee, 

New Jersey, Texas, California and Florida 

Since DOE launched the Better Buildings, 

Better Plants program, nearly 200 partners 

have saved $4.2 billion and 830 trillion BTUs 

of energy. 

For more on the Better Plants Challenge, 

visit https://betterbuildingsinitiative.energy. 

gov/better-plants/challenge. 8 

b Nikola from page 29 b 

weight of 80,000 pounds and can run more 

than 1,200 miles between fill-ups of natural 

gas (NG) depending on terrain and load. 

Companies have been trying to make 

electricity-powered OTR trucks for years, 

mostly with electricity generated by braking 

and stored in batteries, but since a lot of stopand-go 

braking was needed to capture the 

electricity, it was only feasible for in-town 

trucking. 

How did Nikola Motor Co. get around 

that? First, “we designed our chassis from the 

ground up,” Milton said. “Other OEMs are 

stuck with using the same chassis. … We have 

a lower chassis, a new design, and advanced 

lithium batteries and turbine technology. ” 

Most of the Nikola One’s heavy components 

sit at or below the frame rail, thereby 

lowering the center of gravity and improving 

safety, he explained. “This was partially 

accomplished by removing the diesel engine 

and transmission and manufacturing the cab 

out of lighter, but stronger, carbon fiber panels,” 

Milton added. “Benefits of removing 

the diesel engine include a drastic reduction 

in greenhouse gas emissions, a larger and 

more aerodynamic cab and a significantly 

quieter and more comfortable ride.” 

All that is necessary to make the Nikola 

One go or stop is the electric pedal and brake 

pedal (no shifting or clutches), Milton said, 

noting that “Nikola One’s simplified operation 

will open up the line-haul market to a whole 

new group of drivers.” 8

Equipment 

May 15-31, 2018 • 31 

Courtesy: PETERBILT MOTORS CO. 

The all-electric Model 579 produces up to 490 horsepower, has up to a 200-mile range, 

recharges in less than five hours and has a battery storage capacity of 350-440 Kwh. 

Carrier Transicold now using new APX 

control system for its Solara heating units 


ATHENS, Ga. — Engineered to protect 

temperature-sensitive products transported by 

trailer or rail through sub-freezing ambient 

conditions, Carrier Transicold’s Solara heating 

unit now features the APX control system, 

providing improved functionality, the company 

said in a news release. 

Using a Z482 2-cylinder diesel engine 

compliant with the Environmental Protection 

Agency’s Tier 4 standard, the Solara unit can 

generate 50,000 BTU/hour of heating at 0 degrees 

Fahrenheit ambient to protect against the 

freezing of sensitive commodities such as produce, 

beverages, flowers, plants, paints, chemicals, 

pharmaceuticals and more. 

“The addition of the APX controller means 

Solara unit users now enjoy the same advantages 

found with our trailer refrigeration system 

controls,” said Patrick McDonald, product 

manager, trailer products, Carrier Transicold. 

“The modular APX system combines control 

intelligence, temperature control and system re- 

See Carrier on p32 m system. 

Courtesy: EATON 

Eaton commercial vehicle components are backed by Eaton’s Roadranger network of more 

than 180 drivetrain professionals who provide solutions, support and expertise to fleets and 

dealers. 

Peterbilt debuts all-electric day cab at 

Advanced Clean Transportation Expo 


LONG BEACH, Calif.— Peterbilt’s commitment 

to alternative energy solutions was 

showcased at the Advanced Clean Transportation 

Expo where an all-electric Model 579 day 

cab tractor was on display. 

The drayage application tractor that will go 

into service at the Port of Long Beach after the 

show is one of 12 tractors built by Peterbilt in 

collaboration with Transpower, the California 

Air Resources Board, and the Port of Long 

Beach. 

The all electric Model 579 produces up to 

490 horsepower, has up to a 200 mile range, recharges 

in less than five hours and has a battery 

storage capacity of 350-440 Kwh. 

“These demonstrator vehicles will be used 

to test the performance of an all-electric powertrain 

in a real-world environment,” said Scott 

Newhouse, chief engineer. “Electrification is 

not a new concept to our industry; however, 

the advances made in battery and electric technology 

can make this a real possibility moving 

forward. I am confident that when the market 

is ready Peterbilt will have the most effective 

powertrain solution.” 

Funding for the tractors was provided in 

part by the California Climate Investments 

(CCI), the state’s climate change-fighting, capand-trade 

program. 

The award is part of California Climate Investments, 

a statewide program that puts billions 

of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing 

greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the 

economy and improving public health and the 

environment. 

The cap-and-trade program also creates 

a financial incentive for industries to invest 

in clean technologies and develop innovative 

ways to reduce pollution. 

For more information, visit https://arb. 

ca.gov/caclimateinvestments. 

For more information on Peterbilt, visit Peterbilt.com. 

8 

Courtesy: CARRIER TRANSICOLD 

Carrier Transicold’s improved Solara heating unit is now featuring the APX control 

Eaton adds enhancements to aftermarket 

clutch line to aid maintenance, performance 


GALESBURG, Mich. — Power management 

company Eaton has added two new enhancements 

to the company’s line of Ever- 

Tough Self-Adjust and EverTough Manual- 

Adjust heavy-duty aftermarket clutches to help 

streamline maintenance and improve performance. 

The release bearing has been upgraded with 

wider thrust pads to optimize the interface with 

the release fork providing more contact area for 

the fork resulting in less wear and longer clutch 

life, according to Steve Case, product managerclutch. 

A third grease zerk fitting also has been 

added to provide better access for routine lubrication. 

The new EverTough clutches include 100 

percent new, genuine Eaton components and 

undergo Eaton’s rigorous standards for testing 

and performance prior to engineering approval 

and release to the market for sale, Case said. 

Eaton EverTough clutches are designed and 

engineered for older vehicles typically operated 

by the second and third owners. The Ever- 

Tough line of products provides a balance of 

price, features and value for older vehicles in 

the marketplace. 

EverTough clutches are available in 7-, 8-, 

See Eaton on p32 m

MAKE A LIVING 

AND ENJOY THE 

LIVING PART 

Penske is hiring safe, professional truck drivers to 

haul freight for some of the world’s leading brands. 

• Return home daily 

• Choose from a variety of shifts and customers 

• Receive outstanding benefits 

• Join an internationally renowned team 

855-235-7367 

gopenske.com/drivers 

Apply using job number 1003259 

Penske is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

Sign the ELD Petition & Fight Back! 

Join the Small Business in Transportation Coalition 

http://www.Truckers.com 

First they came for the Small Brokers, and I did not speak out- 

Because I was not a Small Broker. 

Then they came for the Small Carriers, and I did not speak out- 

Because I was not a Small Carrier. 

Then they came for Owner-Operators, and I did not speak out- 

Because I was not an Owner-Operator. 

Then they came for meand 

there was nO OnE left to speak for me. 

32 • May 15-31, 2018 Equipment 

liability with amazingly simple operation.” 

The APX controller has an easy-to-read, 

full information dashboard-style display and is 

preloaded with Carrier Transciold’s programmable 

IntelliSet software to create heating parameters 

for different commodities. 

With the APX controller, the DataLink data 

recorder is now integral to the Solara unit, and 

a USB port makes for easy downloading and 

uploading of information to the controller, Mc- 

Donald said, adding that built-in diagnostics 

simplify service and troubleshooting for technicians. 


Western Star, Daimler Truck Financial 

continuing military discount program 


PORTLAND, Ore. — Western Star Trucks 

and Daimler Truck Financial (DTF) are continuing 

a program to give discounts on new 

trucks to U.S. and Canadian military veterans 

through 2018. 

The Western Star VetStar Military Appreciation 

Program, which launched this year, offers 

U.S. veterans up to a $2,000 match on a 

down payment on a new Western Star financed 

through DTF. 

Canadian veterans are eligible for a $3,000 

match (in Canadian currency) on their down 

payment through DTF. 

“We owe a tremendous debt to our armed 

forces members and veterans in the United 

States and Canada, and we can think of no better 

way to show our appreciation than to make 

it easier for them to start or upgrade their trucking 

businesses with the VetStar discount,” said 

Samantha Parlier, vice president of marketing 

and product strategy, Western Star. 

The VetStar program applies to all new 

Western Star models (glider kits and used units 

are not eligible), and is intended for owneroperators 

and small fleets. There is no limit per 

customer and the discount can be used in conjunction 

with other programs. 

b Carrier from page 31 b 

b Eaton from page 31 b 

9- and 10-spring designs with torque ratings 

ranging from 1,400 to 2,050 lb.-ft., and include 

premium dampers to help reduce harmful 

driveline vibration and come with a one-year/ 

unlimited miles warranty. A two-year warranty 

is available with the purchase of a Genuine Eaton 

Clutch Installation Kit. 

More information on extending the warranty 

to two years is available at roadranger. 

com/clutch. 

“These improvements were made to address 

the needs of the vehicle operators in 

North America,” Case said. “The updated 

EverTough line complements our portfolio 

of medium- and heavy-duty clutches, 

including our top-of-the-line Advantage 

Series and our line of remanufactured 

Courtesy: DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA 

U.S. veterans can receive up to a $2,000 

match on a down payment on a new Western 

Star financed through Daimler Truck 

Financial. Pictured is the Western Star 

5700XD 68-inch sleeper. 

To find a Western Star dealer, visit WesternStarTrucks.com 

or call (866) 850-7827. 

Western Star Trucks Sales Inc., headquartered 

in Fort Mill, South Carolina, produces 

custom trucks for highway and vocational applications. 

Western Star is a subsidiary of Daimler 

Trucks North America. 8 

Options for the Solara unit include: 

• DataTrak software, which enables remote 

communications via telematics 

• Flush-mount and surface-mount control 

panels, providing optional control placement 

on the outside or inside of the trailer 

• Fuel-level sensors 

• An open-door indicator, and 

• Shutdown switches. 

Users can choose from fuel tank options 

ranging from 30 gallons to up to 120 gallons. 

For more information about the improved 

Solara heating unit, turn to Carrier Transicold’s 

North America dealer network. 

Carrier Transicold is a part of UTC Climate, 

Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies 

Corp. 8 

clutches, providing a competitive offering 

for vehicles of all ages operating in North 

America.” 

Eaton clutches are the No. 1 specified medium- 

and heavy-duty clutch for commercial 

trucks in North America, Case said 

Eaton commercial vehicle components are 

backed by Eaton’s Roadranger network of 

more than 180 drivetrain professionals who 

provide solutions, support and expertise to 

fleets and dealers. For more information visit 

www.eaton.com/roadranger, where the latest 

product information is available, as well 

as service, parts and training assistance, 24 

hours a day. 

Experts are available in the Roadranger 

Call Center by calling 800-826-4357 in the 

U.S. and Canada. In Mexico, dial 01-800- 

826-4357. 

Eaton recorded 2017 sales of $20.4 billion. 

For more information, visit eaton.com. 8

Features 

May 15-31, 2018 • 33 

Hornady Transportation perseveres in 

family-friendly, nimble business model 

Alabama carrier celebrating 90th anniversary 

SPECIAL TO THE TRUCKER 

MONROEVILLE, Ala. — It takes a lot of 

words to describe the long and rich history of 

Hornady Transportation Inc. — a Daseke company 

— but two in particular provide a succinct 

explanation of why the company is around to celebrate 

its 90th birthday. 

Those words: Perseverance and family. 

Perseverance — the stick-to-it determination 

to keep trying in the face of adversity — helped 

turn a small trucking company in rural Alabama 

into today’s flatbed hauler with 270 trucks, 400 

trailers, and operating 22 million miles a year. 

“It’s a very tough, challenging, ever-changing 

business,” said Chris Hornady, chief executive 

and grandson of the company’s founder. “To 

keep up with all of the challenges and to take advantage 

of all the opportunities requires a lot of 

hard work. Just as being safe on the road requires 

our drivers to pay constant attention to other traffic 

and weather; being successful in trucking requires 

staying on top of what’s going on.” 

The word “family” can be used literally in 

the case of Hornady, now in its third generation 

of family leadership. But it can also be used to 

describe the Hornady way of operating, building 

a family-style environment in a company of 325 

Dorothy Cox 


Around 

the Bend 

If you read this column regularly you 

know we update readers from time to time 

on what efforts are being made by Truckers 

Against Trafficking (TAT), truck drivers 

themselves, government entities, truck stops, 

law enforcement and others in combatting 

human trafficking. 

North Carolina is putting its money where 

its mouth is so to speak, by putting up signs 

in liquor stores stating in part that “No one 

should be forced, deceived, or pressured into 

work or sex acts.” 

In a story by Anne Blythe in the online 

News Observer, it says the signs encourage 

people to watch for behavior that denotes 

someone is being job trafficked or sex trafficked 

and gives the national trafficking hotline 

number to call or text. 

In 2017, the National Human Trafficking 

Hotline received more than 900 calls from 

drivers and staff employees based on loyalty to 

and caring for one another and for the customers 

they serve. 

“This is a huge people business,” Hornady 

said. “Having drivers and staff working together, 

looking out for each other and for our customers 

are very important.” 

That sense of family is echoed by Raina Dees, 

Hornady’s pricing manager. “You couldn’t ask 

for anyone any better to work with or work for,” 

she said. “People know you and your family. It 

makes all the difference in the world. You’re not 

a number, but a name.” 

The Hornadys “are hardworking people and 

they care about their employees, their drivers and 

their customers,” said Lynn Burgess, operations 

manager, who also cites the Hornadys’ business 

acumen, values and work ethic as contributors to 

the company’s success. 

“A combination of all that makes a difference.” 

The Hornadys’ perseverance has been tested 

many times over the 90 years since G.E. Hornady, 

father of B.C. Hornady, started trucking in 

1925, hauling crops and cattle from Monroeville 

to Mobile and Montgomery. In those early days, 

hauls sometimes paid as little as $15 per load and 

North Carolina. There were 258 human trafficking 

cases brought by law enforcement 

and more than 1,200 victims and survivors 

identified last year in the state, according to 

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein. 

A North Carolina law in 2017 mandated 

that the signs be placed in liquor stores, and 

the story said other states such as California, 

Texas and Oregon have also targeted liquor 

stores for the signage because it’s thought 

traffickers may be likely to frequent the stores. 

The signs were also posted at truck stops, 

rest areas, welcome centers, job centers and 

emergency rooms across North Carolina, 

Blythe wrote. 

Stein was quoted as saying 1.8 million 

children are trafficked worldwide, and in the 

United States an estimated 100,000 children 

are trafficked for sex. 

Meanwhile, TAT continues to make inroads 

into educating truckers, carriers and 

law enforcement about human trafficking 

and how to spot it, having recently presented 

an overview of TAT’s work to 39 law enforcement 

personnel as well as to representatives 

from Western Trucking in Nashville, 

Tennessee, according to TAT. 

The event included a presentation on 

how various states, law enforcement and 

Courtesy: HORNADY TRANSPORTATION 

Hornady Transportation is led by company president Chris Hornady, a third-generation 

company leader. Hornady Transportation was founded by Chris’ grandfather, G.E. Hornady, 

in 1928, and later led by his father, B.C. Hornady. 

were done over unpaved roads with 30-mile-perhour 

speed limits. 

The family nature of the business came early. 

Because trucks of that era didn’t have sleeper 

cabs and there were no motels on some routes, 

G.E. Hornady built extra bedrooms at his home 

where drivers would stay during the night. 

Such innovation was a Hornady hallmark. 

For example, Hornady devised a peanut picker 

that ran off a belt attached to a truck’s jacked-up 

rear wheels. 

The company faced more challenges in the 

war years, with rationing of gasoline, and the eras 

the trucking industry are working together 

to stop trafficking, and attendees also heard 

from trafficking survivors. TAT Deputy Director 

Kylla Lanier told attendees how traffickers 

“recruit” their victims. 

About a week later, Lanier and TAT field 

trainer Beth Jacobs gave the presentation to 

members of the Minnesota State Police and 

members of their motor vehicle unit. Minnesota 

has now agreed to distribute TAT wallet 

cards — the same ones given out to truckers 

who have gone through training — at all 

state weigh stations and ports of entry. The 

cards contain tips on how to spot behavior 

of someone being trafficked and the national 

hotline number. That number, by the way, is 

1-888-3737-888 in the U.S. and 1-800-222- 

TIPS in Canada. 

The card says: “Traffickers use force, 

fraud and coercion to control their victims. 

Any minor engaged in commercial sex is a 

victim of human trafficking. Trafficking can 

occur in many locations, including truck 

stops, restaurants, rest areas, brothels, strip 

clubs, private homes etc. Truckers are the 

eyes and the ears of our nation’s highways. 

If you see a minor working any of those areas 

or suspect pimp control, call the national 

hotline.” 

of regulation and deregulation, in which Hornady 

found itself battling not just regulatory entities 

like the Interstate Commerce Commission, but 

competitors trying to block the company’s efforts 

to expand its service territory. Eventually, Hornady 

persevered; most of those competitors, as well 

as the ICC, didn’t. 

Another big change came in 2015 when Hornady 

joined the Daseke family of flatbed haulers. 

Don Daseke, the founder, chairman and CEO of 

the Dallas-based company, says everyone in the 

Daseke family can take pride in Hornady’s lon- 

See Hornady on p34 m 

Putting its money where its mouth is: N.C. fights trafficking with signs in liquor stores 

A trafficking victim may have a lack of 

knowledge of their whereabouts; is not in 

control of his or her own identification such 

as driver’s license or passport; isn’t allowed 

to speak to others; and is fearful, anxious, depressed, 

cowed, submissive and tense. 

Questions to ask suspected victims include: 

are you being paid; are you being 

watched or followed; are you free to leave; 

are you being physically/sexually abused; 

are you and your family being threatened and 

what kinds of threats are being made. 

In its May newsletter, TAT noted that one 

of its most effective strategies in curbing human 

trafficking is the Iowa Motor Vehicle 

Enforcement model (Iowa MVE), created by 

David Lorenzen, chief of Motor Vehicle Enforcement 

for the Iowa DOT. 

Given the success of this model, TAT is 

providing technical assistance to interested 

states with a goal of full implementation on 

a national level. In the model, government 

agencies, legislators, law enforcement, carriers 

and truckers partner to disseminate TAT’s 

educational materials through a variety of 

entry points in the trucking industry. 

For more information go to truckersagainsttrafficking.org. 

God bless and be safe out there. 8

34 • May 15-31, 2018 Features 

b Hornady from page 33 b 

gevity and legacy. “There are very few companies 

in trucking or in U.S. business generally that 

achieve that milestone,” Daseke said. “To have 

one family at the helm for 90 years is also very 

impressive. It’s quite an achievement.” 

Daseke credits several factors with contributing 

to that achievement. The Hornadys, he 

said, “have figured out how to manage through 

all economic cycles. They’ve been very nimble 

from a management standpoint. They have focused 

on people, and that’s crucial in our business. 

Great management, a team atmosphere 

and focusing on the people are all key to making 

a business survive for 90 years.” 

Affiliating with an industry-leading group 

of companies like those in Daseke has given 

Hornady a boost in purchasing economies of 

scale, in marketing, and in the exchange of 

ideas with fellow Daseke companies, Chris 

Hornady said. 

Those benefits will come in handy as Hornady 

Transportation confronts trucking’s many 

challenges, including driver recruitment and 

retention. 

“We need to raise driver pay so we can 

compensate them for the type of work and the 

lifestyle they have to live,” Hornady said. He 

has been a leader on that issue, having recently 

announced increased per-mile pay for both current 

and new-hire drivers and increasing other 

incentives; it also announced a guaranteed minimum 

driver weekly pay of $1,200. 

Hornady’s leadership is on display in other 

ways, from its Hornady Heroes program to help 

military veterans transition to new careers in 

trucking, to its six consecutive silver awards for 

safety performance from Great West Casualty. 

The company’s legacy, its operating philosophy 

and affiliation with Daseke positions Hornady 

well for whatever’s ahead, Hornady said. 

Dees agrees. “The foundation is so solid, 

and the company has the vision to push forward,” 

she said. “I see great things ahead.” 

So does Don Daseke. “The 90th anniversary 

party was terrific,” he said. “I look forward to attending 

the 100th anniversary in 2028.” 8 


Advisers aid baseball prospects, might do same in basketball 

Eric Olson 

THE ASSOCIAED PRESS 

Evan Skoug had a decision to make his senior 

year of high school in 2014: go pro or go 

to college. 

He was rated the No. 1 prospect in Illinois 

for the Major League Baseball draft that year, 

and he had signed a letter of intent to play 

catcher at TCU. 

Skoug ended up going to TCU, but not before 

he and his family weighed the pros and cons and 

had many conversations with an adviser. 

“It was good for me to have someone there to 

help me through the professional process because 

nobody in my family has played professionally 

and nobody knows the industry,” Skoug said. “It 

was nice to have somebody invested in the sports 

industry, invested in myself, there to help me 

make the correct informed decision.” 

NCAA rules governing baseball and ice 

hockey allow high school players to hire advisers 

as long as those advisers are paid their normal 

fees. Also, baseball and hockey players who are 

drafted are allowed to retain college eligibility as 

long as they don’t sign a contract. 

Under proposals put forth by the Commission 

on College Basketball, facets of those baseballhockey 

rules would be applied to high school and 

college basketball players. 

One recommendation would have the NCAA 

create a program for certifying agents and make 

them accessible to players from high school 

through their college careers. The NCAA already 

allows players in college to retain advisers. 

“I think information and data are power, so 

to speak,” Nebraska basketball coach Tim Miles 

said. “I think that’s really important — to educate 

the parents, to educate the players to this whole 

process.” 

Another recommendation would allow high 

school and college basketball players who declare 

for the draft and aren’t drafted to remain eligible 

for college unless they sign a pro contract. That 

recommendation assumes the NBA changes its 

rules and allows high school seniors to be drafted 

instead of requiring a player be 19 years old or 

one year removed from high school. 

Miles said he favors that proposal, as well, but 

he sees a potential problem. He currently has two 

rising seniors who have declared for the June 21 

draft without signing an agent, and they have until 

May 30 to pull out of draft consideration and 

retain their eligibility. 

If the recommendation were in place now, 

and those players stayed in the draft pool but 

weren’t selected, their status for next season 

might not be known until well into the summer. 

That, Miles said, could present a roster-management 

issue. 

“I think you need a clear conversation with 

the student-athlete and his family asking ‘What 

are your intentions?’” Miles said. “Those are 

things that should be decided earlier than June 

21.” 

The baseball agent-adviser rule, as it applies 

to the Power Five conferences, changed in 2016. 

As part of the autonomy movement, high school 

players who are drafted are permitted to hire an 

agent for contract negotiations, but the relationship 

must be severed if the player decides to enroll 

in college. Conferences outside the Power 

Five are allowed to adopt that rule if they choose. 

Skoug said he knew he needed help sorting 

out the MLB draft process as he neared his senior 

season at Libertyville (Illinois) High. His high 

school coach recommended a friend, Scott Pucino, 

who heads the baseball division for Octagon 

sports and entertainment agency. 

Pucino gave Skoug tips on how to word answers 

on the multitude of questionnaires sent by 

major league clubs, explained what life would be 

like in a rookie league if he chose to turn pro and 

stressed the importance of finding an experienced 

and trusted wealth manager. 

The Skoug family paid a few hundred dollars 

for Pucino’s services — “inconsequential for 

what we got,” said Evan’s father, John Skoug. 

“We had 28 of the 30 major-league teams 

march through our living room and asking a 

bunch of questions. We didn’t know what to really 

expect,” John said. “You hear stuff from Person 

X and Person Y, and each of these scouts will 

tell you, but I’d rather have an independent party 

telling me what’s going on.” 

The most important conversation dealt 

with setting the minimum amount of money it 

would take for Evan Skoug to sign. Only he 

and his family could make that decision, but 

Pucino had input. 

“The question for Evan: life-changing money, 

what was that going to be?” Pucino said. 

“The thing I tell these players is if you don’t 

make it, at least you have three years of college 

education done. So for (MLB) to buy you 

out of that college education — even though 

there’s a scholarship program (through clubs) 

— it should be a pretty good amount of money. 

It’s easy to finish a year if you’re drafted as a 

junior. It’s not the same to be 28 or 29 and now 

do three or four years of college.” 

Evan set his price at $1.5 million — more 

than any club was willing to pay. He was drafted 

in the 34th round by the Washington Nationals, 

what he called a “courtesy pick.” 

“The Nationals wanted to follow my career at 

TCU, so it was nice to hear my name get called 

and to be drafted,” he said. “But once I heard that 

the number wasn’t going to be there, my mind 

was totally set on college.” 

At TCU, Skoug started 198 of 199 games, 

batted .286 with 36 homers and 168 RBIs and 

was the 2017 Big 12 co-Player of the Year. His 

draft stock rose accordingly. He was picked in 

the seventh round last year by the Chicago White 

Sox and signed for $300,000. He now plays for 

the Kannapolis (North Carolina) Intimidators in 

the Class A South Atlantic League. 

Pucino — who represents Seattle’s Felix Hernandez, 

the New York Mets’ Asdrubal Cabrera 

and the Chicago Cubs’ Ben Zobrist, among others 

— went from being Skoug’s adviser to agent. 

“I would have been very confused and out 

of the loop as to what was going on throughout 

the upcoming months of the (2014) draft 

without Scott,” Evan said. “He did a great job 

of preparing me and my family for what was 

coming, so that was a big help to us, because 

we had no idea.” 8 

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Features May 15-31, 2018 • 35 

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will pay for itself quickly & for years to come. 

Two Year 

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Mention T-8 to include free 

shipping plus options. 

12-Volt Cooling 

since 1989 

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$515 Includes Filing Fee, BOC-3 & FREE Access to 4 Loadboards 

CALL TODAY 239-603-6500 - OR FIND US ONLINE 

EQUIPMENT 

EQUIPMENT 

There’s never been 

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Schneider has hundreds of well maintained 

tractors and trailers ready to sell! 

TRACTORS: 2005-2009 FREIGHTLINER C120’S 

WITH DETROIT DIESEL 


Mileage between 400,000 to 1,000,000 

10 Speeds and Automated (Ultra-shift) Transmission 

70” Raised Roof, 58” Mid Roof, 70 XT Extra Tall and Day Cabs 

TRAILERS: 1999-2004 WABASH 53’ VAN TRAILERS 


2005 @ 53’ Utility & Great Dane trailers, Pup Trailers and Dolly Converters 

LOCATIONS 

Atlanta | Charlotte | Columbus | Dallas 

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Indianapolis | Laredo, TX | New Orleans | Portland 

Salt Lake City | St. Louis | Toronto | West Memphis, AR 

schneidertrucks.com | 800-635-9801 

TruckSales@schneider.com 



ACCESSORIES 

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Go to otrdrivertaxservices.com for coupons 


WE FIGHT TICKETS! 

• 24 Hour Legal Action 

• The Truckers’ Voice in court! 

HOME DELIVERY: NATIONWIDE CALL COVERAGE 

www.prodriver.com/rhnot 405-464-7351 800-687-7218 

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Hate it it when when you can’t you 

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Features May 15-31, 2018 • 39 

A lot has changed in 50 years. 

1968 

2018 

but our great service will never go out of style. 

tbsfactoring.com 866.761.1458 

Factoring MC/DOT Permitting Insurance

TRUCKING IS TOUGH 

THE COMPETITION IS 

TOUGHER 

Join us: June 14-16 for the 36th Annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs ® Truck Beauty Contest at 

White’s Travel Center in Raphine, Virginia. 

Contestants participating in North America’s Premier Truck Beauty Contest compete for more than 

$25,000 in cash & prizes and vie for a coveted spot in the Annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs ® Calendar. 

Activities include: 

Contestant Dinner and Luncheon 

Live Bands 

Free Health checks 

Scavenger Hunt 

Truck Light Show 

Downtown Lexington Street Party 

Fireworks 

Historic Truck Show 

Family (and dog) Friendly and 

So Much More! 

ROTELLA.COM/SUPERRIGS | WHITESTRAVELCENTER.COM 

SHELL ROTELLA ® 

SUPERRIGS 2018 

TRIBUTE TO TOUGHNESS 

RAPHINE, VIRGINIA 

NSR01775-Shell Rotella SuperRigs Advert_The Trucker AWv2.indd 1 18/04/2018 17:39

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