« May 2006 | Main | July 2006 »

Posts from June 2006

June 12, 2006

Maverick USA, Inc. to Acquire the Specialized Division of Schneider National

Acquisition of Specialty Division Enables Maverick to Expand Its Services to Include Glass Transportation Capabilities

Maverick_transportation_llc_1
Green Bay, Wis. and Little Rock, Ark. - June 12, 2006 - Maverick USA, Inc., a leading flatbed transportation and logistics provider, today announced the impending purchase of Schneider National’s Specialized Division. Schneider Specialized is currently the largest specialized glass carrier in North America, and also offers other specialized services. This transaction enables Maverick USA to expand its services to include national specialized glass transportation capabilities, and allows Schneider to focus on its strategy of developing global transportation and logistics solutions for multinational Fortune 1000 organizations. The acquisition is expected to close by July 31, 2006.

“Schneider Specialized Carriers has established itself as an industry leader and has continually improved over the years to create ongoing value for our customers,” said Chris Lofgren, president and CEO, Schneider National, Inc. “As we searched for a partner in this transaction, we wanted to find a company of Maverick’s caliber that would provide the associates of Schneider Specialized with a tremendous career opportunity.”

Maverick USA, through its subsidiary companies, will acquire the assets of Schneider’s Specialized Division. These assets include 380 tractors, 870 trailers, over 425 drivers and independent contractors, 80 office and maintenance associates, other load-related equipment and dedicated operations, and several facilities in the United States, including key operations in Laurinburg, N.C. and Knoxville, Tenn. The new company will operate as Maverick Specialized, LLC.

Based in Little Rock, Maverick USA was founded in 1980 by Chairman and CEO Steve Williams. The Maverick USA companies are focused on flatbed transportation and logistics services, and collectively operate 1,170 units in 48 states. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, Maverick USA companies operate terminals in Gary, Indiana; Madison, Illinois; Jarrat, Virginia; Scottsboro, Alabama; Mangum, Oklahoma and Fort Smith, Arkansas, which also comprises warehouse facilities.

“Maverick USA will significantly expand its specialized service offering to include glass hauling capabilities with the acquisition of the Specialized Division of Schneider National,” said Williams. “Schneider is the leader in the specialized glass transportation industry, and the addition of their knowledge, expertise and overall capabilities will be a strong complement to our existing flatbed transportation services. Maverick Specialized plans to retain all Schneider Specialized drivers, shop, and office associates and looks forward to a successful future as they join our team.”

Maverick Specialized will continue to operate from the current Specialized Division location in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Craig Brown of Schneider Specialized, a 16-year industry veteran, will serve as General Manager of Maverick Specialized and oversee the transition of ownership to ensure that customers continue to receive the high level of service that they are accustomed to.

“As Schneider continues to execute its strategy of building comprehensive, global transportation and logistics solutions, it is important for us to continually refocus our financial and human resources on key businesses,” added Lofgren. “As a well-respected leader in flatbed transportation, Maverick USA is best positioned to provide the level of focus and investments needed to take the Specialized Division to the next level of performance.”

For more information, please contact Maverick USA at 800-289-6600 or visit www.maverickusa.com.

About Schneider National Inc.

Schneider National Inc. is a premier provider of truckload, logistics and intermodal services. Serving more than two-thirds of the FORTUNE 500® companies, Schneider National offers the broadest portfolio of services in the industry. The company’s transportation and logistics solutions include One-Way, Intermodal, Transportation Management, Dedicated, Bulk and Specialized. With wholly owned subsidiaries Schneider Logistics, American Port Services and American Overseas Air Freight, Schneider National is the only truckload carrier to offer customers end-to-end domestic and international logistics solutions.

Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Schneider National has provided expert transportation and logistics solutions for more than 70 years. A $3.5 billion company, Schneider National conducts business in more than 28 countries in North America, Europe and Asia, and continues to grow its international service offerings. For more information about Schneider National visit www.schneider.com or call (800) 558-6767.

About Maverick USA, Inc.

Maverick USA, Inc. is the parent of three transportation companies, Maverick Transportation LLC, Maverick Logistics LLC and Mav IC, LLC. Based in Little Rock, Arkansas and collectively operating 1,170 units, Maverick USA companies have over 25 years of experience providing flatbed services to the steel and building material industries coast-to-coast. The company has a variety of driving opportunities available for over-the-road drivers. With eight locations throughout the United States, Maverick USA companies offer long-haul, regional, dedicated and brokerage services. For more information, visit www.maverickusa.com or call (800) 289-6600.


June 08, 2006

Melton Truck Lines Wins Safety Award From ATA

Melton_truck_lines_1
Tulsa, OK - Melton Truck Lines was recently awarded second place in the American Trucking Associations (ATA) National Safety Award for Flatbed/Local Division. Winning this prestigious award helps to reinforce Melton Truck Lines’ work in the expansion of its safety program. Over the past two years, Melton has initiated a new company-wide safety educational program, expanded our driver-training program, and launched other safety initiatives.

The American Trucking Associations notified Melton Truck Lines in May that the company had placed second in the Flatbed/Local Division, Unlimited Mileage Category in the 2005 ATA National Truck Safety Contest. The American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of other trucking groups, industry-related conferences, and its 50 affiliated state trucking associations, ATA represents more than 37,000 members covering every type of motor carrier in the United States. Melton Truck Lines’ second place finish qualifies the company to compete this summer for the ATA President’s Trophy, which is the highest safety award given each year through the ATA.

Russ Elliott, Vice President of Safety for Melton Truck Lines said, “Safety is the cornerstone of our company and we are very proud of this honor. I would like to congratulate all of our drivers, contractors, terminal and office staff for their contribution in winning this impressive award.”

Melton Truck Lines, Inc. is an air-ride flatbed carrier serving the United States, Canada and Mexico. Melton office and terminal locations include Tulsa, OK; Laredo, TX; Birmingham, AL; Dallas, TX; and El Paso, TX. Melton’s corporate offices are located in Tulsa, OK.

Melton Truck Lines Places

Melton Driver Sammy Belvin takes First Place in Flatbed Division

Melton_truck_lines
Tulsa, OK - Melton Truck Lines driver Sammy Belvin took first place at the Oklahoma Truck Driving Championship on Saturday, June 3 in Oklahoma City, OK. In August 2006, Belvin will represent Melton and the State of Oklahoma and compete in the National Championship in New Orleans.

Five Melton drivers competed in the 2006 Oklahoma Truck Driving Championships. The Melton team included: John Johnson, Lloyd Cruz, Sammy Belvin, Shawn Panther, and Ken Phillips. Previous Melton first place winners include: Alton Jackson, Richard Baringer, Ronnie French, and Pete Tyler.

Russ Elliott, Melton Vice President of Safety says, “We are very proud of Sammy and look forward to him representing both Melton and the State of Oklahoma in the flatbed division at the National Championship competition in New Orleans.”

Continental Express Driver Reaches Milestone in Safe Driving

Continentallogo_1
Little Rock, Ark. – Continental Express driver Virgil Huffman of Kaufman, Texas, recently reached 2 million safe driving miles and believes the key is simple: defensive driving.

Huffman, who has 32 years of experience behind him including 15 with Continental, says “I never follow too close and I never speed.” He learned the importance of this after a fellow driving friend could not get stopped in time and was involved in an accident, after which he lost his job. He adds, “I often upset people behind me because I drive safely. That’s just what comes with the job. You really have to watch people because so many truly don’t know how to drive in a safe manner.”

Huffman remains loyal to Continental believing that they really are a good company to work for. “Continental has been good to me all of these years. I drive because I enjoy the sights, the freedom and being my own boss. Continental works well with me, getting me home when I want to be and out on the road when I need to be,” he adds.

When he is not on the road, Huffman enjoys playing guitar and singing. He has family in the music industry, including his nephew Rocky Votolato, who is an up and coming musician whose music has been heard several places, including the hit show The O.C. “I love music and am very proud of my musically gifted family. I have even sung backup for one of Rocky’s albums,” Huffman says. He adds that it would be nice to use his driving experience to drive a tour bus for his nephew someday.

Continental Express was founded two decades ago as a small truckload carrier with only 25 trucks. Today, the company is a premier coast-to-coast truckload, truck/rail, and logistics transportation company with over 500 trucks and more than 1,200 dry van trailers. Headquartered in Little Rock, Ark., Continental Express has a network of secure regional drop facilities that sweep the nation from California to Georgia.

Drivers interested in company driver positions or the lease purchase program at Continental Express should call 800.745-9670 or visit www.continentalx.com.


Former Marine says second career at JCT perfect for his skills, personality

John_christner_trucking
Sapulpa, Okla. -- As the nation took time to recognize military service members this week, former Marine Bill Duckworth, a driver with John Christner Trucking, reflected on his second career after retiring from the military.

“I had served in the Marines for 21 years and been on every continent but had seen only a few states,” says Duckworth. “I love to travel and driving for JCT gives me the opportunity to see America and earn a good living.”

Duckworth enlisted in the Marines in 1969 serving in both Vietnam and Japan before retiring in 1990.

Generally, Duckworth drives from his home in Leesburg, Ga., to the West Coast and back each week. “JCT has been great for me,” he says. “John Christner runs the company for drivers. It’s a great atmosphere.”

Duckworth and his wife Connie have a brood of children between them and seven grandchildren to keep him busy in his spare time. “I’ll pay off my lease in December of this year,” he says. “I’m looking forward to being an owner operator.”

JCT offers an excellent lease purchase program featuring zero down, no credit checks along with several models of brand new trucks at great rates.
New 2007 Kenworth, Peterbilts, and Freightliners are coming in now while International 9900IX with CAT engines arrived in February and Kenworth T600s were delivered in March. In addition, JCT has 2006 Kenworth W900s, 2005 & 2006 Freightliner Classics XL, and 2006 Freightliner Columbias among other models.

John Christner Trucking was founded in 1986 with one truck and two drivers. Today, the company primarily focuses on truckload transportation, specializing in temperature controlled cargo. JCT operates equipment yards in Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Los Angeles and San Leandro, California with drop trailer pools at shipping locations throughout the U.S.

Professional drivers interested in career openings at John Christner Trucking, should call (800) 528-3675 or visit johnchristner.com for more information.

June 06, 2006

Warren Transport Announces Driver of the Month

Warren_transport
Warren Transport, Inc. is proud to announce that Andres Robles, an independent contractor, owner/operator with Warren, has been selected as their June Driver of the Month.

Andy has been with Warren Transport since January of 1989 and he and his wife, Maria, reside in Texas. Robles has also been the proud recipient of this prestigious award in August of 1994 and again in February of 2003.

Warren, headquartered in Waterloo, IA., is a specialized motor carrier operating in all forty-eight contiguous United States and Canada, with through trailer service to and from Mexico. Warren is the largest transporter of agricultural and farm machinery in North America.

June 01, 2006

Paschall Truck Lines Announces March Awards

Paschall Truck Lines (PTL) congratulates the winners of the March Company Driver and Owner Operator of the Month Awards. David Molesworth is the Company Driver of the Month and Mark Hatfield is the Owner Operator of the Month.

Ptl_driver
In addition to this award, Molesworth is a previous Driver of the Month and a Driver of the Year. A veteran driver with 29 years experience, he “loves the freedom and seeing this great country” as a driver. Molesworth thanks God for his many blessings, including his wife. When not driving, he can be found working on the house and yard and keeping up with his flower garden.

Ptl_driver_hatfield
Hatfield has been driving for four years and has achieved a 600,000 Safe Driving Mile Award. He was previously named Owner Operator of the Month in February 2005. When not on the road, Hatfield makes his home on a dairy farm where he has lived most of his life. He thanks his wife, Mary Jane, for helping him achieve this award, saying he couldn’t have done it without her.

PTL provides driving opportunities for solos, teams and owner operators. The company offers a competitive pay package, including great sign-on bonuses for owner operators and company drivers. PTL also offers a competitive fuel surcharge along with a fuel bonus, incentives to run in New York City and the Northeast, guaranteed home time and no loading or unloading. To find out more about the opportunities at PTL, call 1-800-848-0405 or visit www.ptl-inc.com for an online application.

DANNY O’QUINN, JR. FINISHES 22ND AT LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Danny O’Quinn, Jr. and the No. 50 Barr-Nunn Ford Fusion

Barrnunn_transportation_4
CHARLOTTE, NC. -- Danny O’Quinn, Jr. returned to Lowe’s Motor Speedway two weeks after visiting the track for the first time during the final test session of the season for the NASCAR Busch Series. His biggest concern of the weekend was practicing on the newly paved track during the hot afternoon hours when the combination of the new tire and the track made for a very slippery run.

After qualifying 34th on Thursday night O’Quinn, Jr. mentioned that he thought the No. 50 Barr-Nunn team had hit the nail on the head with the car’s setup and he felt good going into Saturday night’s CARQUEST Auto Parts 300.

The race got underway at 8:00pm, but the track’s surface was still very hot from the afternoon heat. This caused the No. 50 Barr-Nunn Ford Fusion to handle like it was being driven on a sheet of glass.

As the evening continued and the track’s surface cooled down the tires began to grip the track better and the handling of the car improved.

O’Quinn, Jr. headed in for his first pit stop of the evening on lap 11 to top off his fuel tank and make a few minor adjustments to the track bar and wedge. He came onto pit road in 37th position and exited pit road in 30th.

After several cautions due to accidents on the new track surface there were only 8 cars on the lead lap come lap 110 of the race. O’Quinn was not one of them, but still was running in 23rd position.

Over the course of the night the No. 50 Barr-Nunn team made a total of 3 stops for tires and only a couple more wedge adjustments after completing the first stop.

“Overall, we brought a great car out here tonight,” said Blickensderfer. “Danny did a great job of handling the combination of the new track surface and the new tire. He also did a great job of avoiding quite a few wrecks out there tonight. It would have been great to get a top-20 out of it considering how well we ran throughout the course of the night, but everybody with the No. 50 Barr-Nunn team did a great job tonight and we are really looking forward to next weekend in Dover.”

O’Quinn, Jr. finished the race on Saturday night in 22nd place.

O’Quinn, Jr. and the No. 50 Barr-Nunn team will be competing in the StonebridgeRacing.com 200 on June 3, 2006 at the Dover International Speedway.

To find out more about the racing program at Barr-Nunn Transportation or to become part of the Barr-Nunn team call: 1-888-999-7576.

KLLM Receives American Spirit Award

Mississippi-based company recognized by Small Business Administration

Kllm
RICHLAND, Miss. – KLLM Transport Services is one of just 14 small businesses nationwide being presented with the American Spirit Award, which recognizes outstanding efforts for disaster areas that were impacted by last year’s hurricanes.

The award, given by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), celebrates America’s entrepreneurial spirit. KLLM will be honored during National Small Business Week (April 9 – 15) in Washington, D.C. as SBA showcases the accomplishments of outstanding businesses and individuals who helped the region to recover from disaster. Mississippi-based KLLM is one of the largest transportation companies in the southeastern United States, operating a fleet of trucks, temperature-controlled trailers and dry-haul vans.

“This award is a tribute to our company, but especially to our drivers and the employees who have been so critical to our success,” said Jim Richards, chief operating officer at KLLM. “The unprecedented scope of last year’s disaster affected so many people and businesses within our home region, and we have seen first-hand how everyone has risen to the challenges of recovery.”

Since Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma devastated the Gulf Coast last year, KLLM carriers have shipped goods and relief supplies to affected areas. Richards said many KLLM drivers volunteered to make repeated trips to the most severely impacted areas to aid recovery.

“Our drivers are among the best in the industry,” Richards said. “Their efforts in the immediate aftermath were so important to the critical needs of the Coastal areas, and the work continues in getting needed goods and supplies to keep the recovery effort going.”

ADD ONE / KLLM RECEIVES AMERICAN SPIRIT AWARD

During the storm’s aftermath, KLLM devoted approximately 75 cargo trailers from its fleet for transporting goods and supplies to the affected areas. Working with churches, law enforcement and charities, KLLM drivers made more than 125 deliveries during the most critical period following landfall of the hurricane.

SBA spokesperson Carol Chastang said 2006 is the first year the American Spirit Award has been presented. She said KLLM will be honored along with other American Spirit Award recipients during a breakfast April 13 at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center.

“We have annually recognized outstanding contributions to disaster recovery, but this past year was so unusual with Hurricane Katrina,” she said. “This award represents special recognition for 14 businesses and individuals who helped bring relief to the Gulf Region and assisted with recovery efforts.”

The 14 award recipients are from across the United States, some as far away as California. Chastang said no decision has been made whether SBA will make the American Spirit Award an annual presentation.

KLLM provides transport of truckload freight to customers throughout the continental United States and Mexico and maintains a fleet of company-owned tractor/trailers and owner operators. For over 40 years, KLLM has been transporting perishable commodities and dry haul cargo.

Epes Transport System Introduces New Team Pay Package

Epeslogo
Greensboro, NC — Epes Transport System, a truckload carrier based in North Carolina, recently introduced a new opportunity to its drivers: team runs. Epes has also announced an attractive pay package for its team drivers. Company driver team pay is 50 cents per mile, plus a two-cent safety bonus, a guaranteed minimum paycheck of $1,000 per week and home weekends. Owner operator team pay is $1.10 per mile, plus a fuel surcharge of 23.8 cents per mile.

“Once we knew we had dedicated freight, we knew we had the opportunity to provide premium pay to teams,” said Ken Wade, Director of Recruiting at Epes. Ken expects the opportunity to generate great interest among drivers. “Driving as a team can be a very positive, rewarding experience,” he said, “and the dedicated freight will give our teams a consistent schedule, something that many drivers crave.” Britt Colley, President of Epes, has already reported a favorable response to the team runs among current drivers, and believes it will attract new drivers to the company as well. He noted that new regulations on hours of service make it much harder for single drivers to earn the weekly pay they’re used to. But, he says, “Driving as a team makes it easier for drivers to earn what they need to and get enough rest without worrying about exceeding the new hours of service.”

About Epes Transport System
Epes Transport System is a truckload common and contract carrier headquartered in Greensboro, NC. It is the largest privately owned trucking company in the state, with over 700 units. Epes has authority in the 48 contiguous states, and is most active in the eastern two-thirds of the United States. To learn more about Epes Transport System Inc., call 866-323-1046 or visit www.epestransport.com.

My Photo

Recent Comments

May 2008

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
        1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31

My Online Status