Surface Transportation Summit
‘Where are the regulators?’
Stephen Laskowski, the CEO of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, is clearly frustrated by trucking companies that are skirting the rules to gain a business advantage. "Where are the regulators?" he asked during a conversation at the recent Surface Transportation Summit. He also questions why major shippers -- including Fortune 500 companies -- are not aligning their transportation choices with corporate mission statements.
The 2020 economic outlook for trucking
The economic pendulum has swung when it comes to setting trucking rates. Carriers are giving up some of the gains secured last year, particularly in the spot market. But other factors will continue to place pressure on rates in the year to come. A panel at the 2019 Surface Transportation Summit offered a look at what 2020 has in store.
Video: 2020 economic outlook for fleets and shippers
TORONTO, Ont. -- The economic pendulum has swung when it comes to setting trucking rates. Carriers are giving up some of the gains secured last year, particularly in the spot market. But other factors will continue to place pressure on rates in the year to come. Here were some of the related insights shared during the Surface Transportation Summit's presentation on the 2020 economic outlook.
5 mighty trucking tips from three smaller fleets
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Large carriers don’t have a monopoly on the secrets of success. Just ask the managers of smaller operations like Sutco Transportation Specialists, Paul Quail Transport, and Liberty Linehaul, who participated in a panel discussion at the recent Surface Transportation Summit. “Just because we’re a smaller carrier doesn’t mean we can’t come up with a solution that works for us,” observed Leanne Quail of Paul Quail Transport.
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.