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16 • AUGUST 1-14, 2021 PERSPECTIVE Some might view Christ as ‘original truck driver’ CHAPLAIN’S CORNER REV. MARILOU COINS August is a month of transition. Yes, it’s still summer but we are thinking of fall. Schools will soon be in session. We already see all the fall decorations in the stores. Of course, as a truck driver, you already know the rush is on for the fall and winter seasonal events ahead. In addition to fall goods, you’re probably delivering products for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays. As a truck driver, you’re the one who delivers all the goodies that put the smiles on the faces of the nation. Just what is your concept of a trucker? Let me tell you how I see truckers. Truckers comes in all sizes and colors. They are the embodiment of progress with diesel fumes in their hair. They make a living maneuvering 10 tons of steel along the highways. They haul the needs of the nation. They are big business with a road map. And when the tires sing, the road is straight and the moon shines bright on a ribbon of cross-country highway, drivers are the happiest and the most useful people in America. If you were born 200 years ago, you might have been a buccaneer or a soldier of fortune, or maybe a Pony Express driver or a wagon master. And when truckers find themselves in need of a little “time out” with Christ, they need a minister who knows their needs and can relate to them. Because I was a trucker, I believe I can share Christ with drivers in special ways. I know the hurts and pitfalls of the road. The heartache can sometimes get a driver down, and having someone you can open up with and find a connection with is important. Writing this column is my way of giving truckers a way to find Christ in their lives. Did you know that Christ could be considered the original delivery “driver”? Just look at Christ and you can see his role as a truck driver. First, God can be viewed as the original dispatcher. He dispatched Jesus to the world. Then Jesus delivered healing (medical supplies), teaching (school books and lessons) and even food to feed the people. Jesus traveled many roads, delivering all these supplies to all the people along the way. And if you read in your Bible about all the traveling that Jesus did, you will notice also that he took time out to rest — just as you, the trucker, rest after your hours of service. But, now let’s look at the rest of the journey in the life of Jesus. At the end of his route, Jesus carried our load of sins to Calvary. He died on the cross for us and unloaded our sins at Hell’s gate. Christ then was dispatched back home to heaven, just as each driver returns home after a long haul. But it doesn’t end there. Jesus will be coming back as he promised, and his return load will be transporting all of those who are faithful to him to spend an eternity in heaven. Are you seeing how you can view Jesus as the original truck driver? Jesus brought us salvation from sin. You, as a trucker, bring “salvation” to mankind here on earth by delivering the material needs to people here on earth. Don’t ever think that you are not important, because you are. Without truckers, no one would have the clothing, food, shelter and other essentials needed for survival. Jesus, as our truck driver, is our salvation from sin. The road to heaven was paved by his shed blood. He brought us healing from sin. He taught us how to live through his teachings. He fed us the bread of life and the cup of salvation (communion). Every time you take communion, you are fed with the life of Christ. Always remember that you are important to the world. Jesus is important because he hauled your sins to Calvary and left them at Hell’s gate. Because of this, you can claim the promise of eternal life. Best of the roads and all gears forward in Jesus, Rev. Marilou Coins 8 BEEBE cont. from Page 14 THETRUCKER.COM got a post office and a restaurant, but it’s the way she likes it: peaceful. “It’s not really big, but that’s OK, you know. I’m on the road a lot anyway, so when I’m home it’s just nice and peaceful and I really enjoy that,” she said. “You can hike everywhere and there’s lakes and it’s just beautiful.” Even when BeeBe isn’t driving a truck, she says most of her time is spent on the road. Traveling is her sole purpose, and she plans to keep trucking, whether she’s paid or not. “I’m really dedicated to trucking, and I like to travel a lot,” she said. “So, if I’m not trucking, I’m traveling.” Because of that dedication and passion for trucking, BeeBe was recognized this year as the May Member of the Month by the Women In Trucking (WIT) Association. Because she grew up in Europe, BeeBe tries to visit every year. Over the past year, COVID brought much of her traveling, other than work, to a halt. However, she recently took a trip to California, and she plans to soon visit friends in Tennessee. When recreational travel is allowed, BeeBe said the first place she’ll visit in Europe is the Netherlands to see her family. After that, she hopes to vacation in Mexico over Christmas. No matter where she finds herself, BeeBe said she is always struck by the kindness of her trucking family across the world. “With the old-school truck drivers, it’s like family,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re at, if you’re talking to a truck driver, you always have something to [talk] about, and we help each other out.” 8 Aim your camera Find the best truck-driving jobs as well news, videos and job resources ... all in one place! at the code to find jobs.
BUSINESS THETRUCKER.COM AUGUST 1-14, 2021 • 17 Class 8 trucks hit lowest inventory in years PARTS SHORTAGES, RECORD MATERIAL PRICES KEEP TRACTOR SALES ‘MUSHY’ CLIFF ABBO<strong>TT</strong> | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Parts shortages and dwindling inventories are holding back what should be a robust new Class 8 truck market, according to Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst at ACT Research (actresearch.net). “The industry is still having just the hardest time building units,” he told The Trucker. “Inventories are super low. And so sales, at least on a seasonally adjusted basis, have really softened up.” According to ACT, 20,369 new Class 8 trucks were sold in June on the U.S. market. That’s an 8.6% improvement over May sales of 18,761 and a whopping 50.1% better than June 2020 sales of just 13,567. Last year, the market was just beginning to recover from its lowest point of 9,510 trucks moved in May. A better comparison might be the 25,607 Class 8 trucks sold in June 2019, when the backlog of orders was shrinking as assembly lines reached for maximum output. June 2021 sales trailed that figure by 5,238 (20.4%). June is typically a strong sales month for trucks, in part because it’s the final month of the second quarter. When profits are strong, carriers tend to invest in new equipment at the end of each quarter. Investments reduce the amount of profit that must be reported and the taxes that are paid on that profit. Vieth said inventories haven’t been this low in years. “I have to go back to June of 2017 to find a lower inventory number,” he said. Record prices for steel and other materials haven’t helped. Global shortages of plastics, parts and, especially, semiconductors are keeping production levels down, too. “All these supply chain constraints are just making it very difficult for the industry to shift into to another gear for production,” Vieth explained. “Semiconductors is the big one, because semiconductors go into so many different products used on a truck, like door actuators or instrument panel clusters,” he stressed. “There are silicon chips all over the place.” A single vehicle can use more than 100 semiconductor “chips” in parts as small as a turn-signal indicator up to All these supply chain constraints are just making it very difficult for the industry to shift into to another gear for production.” — KENNY VIETH, PRESIDENT AND SENIOR ANALYST AT ACT RESEARCH the electronic control modules (ECMs) in engines and transmissions. Modern electronics-based safety equipment, such as collision avoidance, vehicle stabilization and lane departure, also require semiconductors. In a typical recession, some industries are able to amass large inventories of products while sales are down. When the recovery begins, products are available to get the process moving quickly. That didn’t happen with semiconductors during the COVID-19 recession because consumers continued to purchase items that use them while they were at home. Phones, televisions and other appliances that use the chips ate up stockpiled inventory. Estimates for declines in production of automobiles, a huge sector of the U.S. economy, range from a 1.5 million to upwards of 5 million, and truck builders are facing the same problems. If you’re thinking of ordering a new Class 8 truck, as 25,800 others did in June, plan on a long wait until delivery. The current backlog will take a year to build at current production rates. The impact of steel prices is also being felt. Data shows that 5,105 of the Class 8 tractors sold in June (about 25.1% of the total sold) were for the vocational SEE MUSHY ON PAGE 19 iStock Photo For the first six months of 2021, 39% of new Class 8 trucks sold were Freightliners. Kenworth held a 14.1% share of sales, while Peterbilt held 15.3%. International enjoys 11.7% of the new truck market. Volvo is next with 9.5% and Mack with 7.9%. iStock Photo Knight-Swift Transportation has entered the less-than-truckload market with the acquisition of AAA Cooper. Knight-Swift Transportation acquires LTL carrier AAA Cooper for $1.35 billion THE TRUCKER NEWS STAFF PHOENIX — Last month, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. acquired 100% of Dothan, Alabama-based AAA Cooper Transportation. AAA Cooper is a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier that also offers dedicated contract carriage and ancillary services. The enterprise value of the transaction was $1.35 billion. “We have long had interest in the LTL space and admired the success of AAA Cooper,” said Dave Jackson, CEO of Knight-Swift. “We feel honored to be stewards of the AAA Cooper brand and, similar to previous acquisitions, AAA Cooper will continue to operate independently, while benefitting from the many synergies we expect through Knight-Swift.” The purchase price consideration consisted of $1.3 billion in cash, $10 million in Knight-Swift shares and approximately $40 million in assumed debt, net of cash. Cash for the transaction was funded by a new $1.2 billion term loan provided by Bank of America to Knight-Swift. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to Knight-Swift’s adjusted earnings per share. Reid Dove, CEO of AAA Cooper, has been appointed to the Knight-Swift board of directors and will continue to serve as the CEO of AAA Cooper. “In seeking our first LTL partner, we had three main requirements — the scale for entry with significant market share, the profitability and management depth to operate independently and provide a platform for compelling growth opportunities, SEE LTL ACQUISITION ON PAGE 19
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