News
Time is the key to profitability
MISSISSAUGA, ON - Maximizing profitability in an industry where margins can be thin comes down to just one thing: time. Panelists at the Surface Transportation Summit had differing views about where fleets could make the best use of their time to convert it into dollars and cents, but both agreed that the old adage is true: time is money. "Time in trucking is a perishable commodity," said Brian Abel, a freight network engineer for KSM Transport Advisors. Abel and fellow panelist Mike Buck, president of MCB Management Consulting, spoke about different ways fleets could save time by being proactive and rooting out waste. Buck presented ways fleets could capitalize on being proactive about maintenance, creating a schedule that would mean less downtime, would control costs, and would maximize the efficiency of equipment.
Rewarding companies keep employees: HR experts
MISSISSAUGA, ON - Wowing your drivers is the key to keeping them, according to industry human resources experts. Tim Hindes, CEO for Stay Metrics, and Tracy Clayson, managing partner for In Transit Personnel, spoke to an audience looking for clues to relieving tight labor conditions at the Surface Transportation Summit, Wednesday. Clayson emphasized that companies looking to recruit the best drivers and retain them should start trying to keep them from the very first meeting. How we hire drivers, how we give them orientation, how we explain the company's processes is really key, she said. Hindes agreed saying that folding employees into the company culture shouldn't be left to chance, managers should actively socialize employees starting with their hire.
September truckload demand at an all-time high
PORTLAND, OR - The DAT North American Freight Index is reporting a soaring demand for truckload capacity last month. Spot fright demand was at an all-time high in September, with a 74% gain over the same month in 2016. The increase was the largest seen since 2010.
Navistar executives looking ahead
NEW CARLISLE, IN - Backed by a new family of products and a robust economy, Navistar executives are clearly feeling positive about the future. "We have [introduced] a lot of new products in the last two years, and we got a lot of new products coming in the next two," said Denny Mooney, senior vice president - product development, during a briefing to industry media. Those new products include the LT linehaul tractor, its RH regional hauling counterpart introduced at the Expocam trade show in Montreal, the heavy vocational HX tractor launched last year to replace the PayStar, and the new HV that replaces the WorkStar. The HV was unveiled at the recent North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta, Georgia. The HX itself represents a market segment that Navistar saw drop in half after it stopped producing 15-liter engines. "Our [13-liter model], because it was an EGR engine, we couldn't cool it at some of the power and torque ratings we needed," he said.
