Tennessee Trucking News Q1 Spring 2019

TENNESSEE
trucking
BEST OF THE BEST:
TLD Logistics
WOMEN IN TRUCKING:
Milan’s Lovell
Receives Accolades
Tennessee
WORST
Bottlenecks
NEWS
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
OF THE TENNESSEE TRUCKING ASSOCIATION
Q2 SPRING 2019 $4.95 VALUE
TTA’S ROAD TEAM
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TennesseeTruckingNewsOFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE TENNESSEE TRUCKING ASSOCIATION TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER STORY
RECRUITING, RETAINING AND HONORING
WOMEN
IN TRUCKING
Rachel Lovell, Milan Supply Chain Solutions, Inc., named Transport Topics’ Recruiting Professional of the Year BY RENEE MILLER
FEATURES
9 ATRI’s Bottleneck Analysis Finds Tennessee in the Lead Again
State improves on worst bottleneck list, but construction looms
BY STEVE BRAWNER
14 TLD Logistics Named Among TOP 20 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR Four Consecutive Years
BY TODD TRAUB
27 TTA’s ROAD TEAM
Images and cutlines from events around the state
BY CATHERINE STUART
32 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
Comdata Checks in with Mobile App to Streamline Transactions Comdata’s CEO, Jon Bernstein, shares insight into the company’s latest technology
BY TODD TRAUB
DEPARTMENTS
5 Chairman’s Message BY CONNIE VAUGHAN
7 From the President BY DAVE HUNERYAGER
34 TTA New Members
34 Calendar of Events
34 Advertiser Resource Index
P16
Q2 SPRING 2019
PHOTOGRAPHY OF RACHEL LOVELL ON COVER AND THIS PAGE BY JOHN SOMMERS II FOR
TRANSPORT TOPICS.
Q1 SPRING 2019 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 3


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trucking
Official Magazine of the Tennessee Trucking Association
Tennessee Trucking News is owned by the Tennessee Trucking Association and is published quarterly by Matthews Publishing Group. For additional copies, to order reprints of individual articles or to become a subscriber to Tennessee Trucking News, contact Carol Foster at [email protected]
TENNESSEE
Publisher Executive Editor Art Director Photographers
Contributing Writers
Ad Production
Jennifer Matthews-Drake [email protected]
Dave Huneryager [email protected]
Fran Sherman [email protected]
Clay Cook Larry Kuzniewski Caleb Shane Lollar John David Pittman Catherine Stuart
Steve Brawner Jim Harris Renee Miller Derek Rayment Jennifer Barnett Reed John Schulz Todd Traub
Doug Benjamin
NEWS
www.TNTrucking.org Tennessee Trucking Association Staff
President & CEO
Dave Huneryager [email protected]
Director of Safety
Jeremy Snapp [email protected]
Membership Coordinator
Donna England [email protected]
Foundation Coordinator
Catherine Stuart [email protected]
Administrative Coordinator
Carol Foster [email protected]
An affiliate of the American Trucking Associations
Tennessee Trucking Association (TTA) has served as the voice for Tennessee’s trucking industry since 1930. TTA is a trade association dedicated to the furtherance of the trucking industry’s goals and interests in Tennessee and the United States. Our membership is a diverse group comprised of motor carriers, both public and private, and companies providing products and services to the industry. TTA serves these companies as a governmental affairs representative before legislative, regulatory and executive branches of government on issues that affect the trucking industry. The organization also provides public relations services, operation services and serves as a forum for industry meetings and membership relations.
For more information, contact TTA at:
Tennessee Trucking Association 4531 Trousdale Drive, Nashville, TN 37204 Telephone 615-777-2882 Facsimile 615-777-2024 www.TNTrucking.org
Chairman’s Message
SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES
There are many great opportunities for you to be the voice of the
trucking industry. Thank you to our sponsors and dedicated allied
members who consistently give resources to make these activities
possible. It’s the goal of TTA staff and executive committee members to make sure that every activity is driving us to excellence and safety. Check TTA’s calendar and plan to attend!
We had a great time sharing the story of trucking to the U.S. Congress during TTA’s Call on Washington. We met with both U.S. Senators from Tennessee and all nine U.S. House of Representatives. Our message was heard loud and clear. There is no doubt that we will need to continue to share the impacts of congestion, poor roads and bridges have on our ability to get the goods delivered in a timely and cost-efficient manner. Unfortunately, we had a very visual example to share with the recent partial bridge collapse in Chattanooga. Every Member of Congress agreed that infrastructure funding is a priority. The question is how to pay for it. ATA has a plan supporting an increased “user fee” for every vehicle using the roads and TTA supports this.
A good time was had by all who attended the special event sponsored by Congressman Phil Roe honoring TTA’s presence in DC. The Congressman’s bluegrass band, The Pony Express, played while attendees mingled with more than 30 members of Congress about infrastructure, trade and workforce development.
It was exciting to have several from the Young Professionals Council (YPC) join us for this Call on Washington. Their energy and dedication is inspiring. I’m looking forward to the YPC shaping our association and industry to meet the challenges of the future. We are in good hands. We were pleased to have Darcie and Holly as the first recipients of the Bill Reed Call on Washington Scholarship. I know “Big Bill” would be very proud.
In the coming weeks, be on the lookout for information about the 89th Annual Convention in Destin, Fla. Thanks, again, to those who are sponsoring the event.
Summertime and roadside inspections go hand in hand. If you’ve not attended a TTA sponsored Roadside Inspection, you certainly should. TTA’s partnership with Tennessee’s Highway Patrol and local motor carriers is strong in part because of the roadside inspection events. These events provide great opportunity for equipment suppliers and support teams to see what drivers experience during a real inspection. Please consider sending as many representatives from your company as possible to a roadside inspection this summer.
The list of events and opportunities to get involved in TTA is long and constantly evolving. I hope you are thinking about the next generation in your organization. Are they involved
in TTA? Should they be? I say, “Yes!! May I suggest you make a point to bring a “next generation” person with you to your next TTA event? We need everyone’s input and feedback if we are going to continue our mission for another 89 years. See you there.
Sincerely,
Connie Vaughan, Governmental Affairs, McKee Foods TTA Chairman
[email protected]
Q1 SPRING 2019 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 5


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Tennessee Trucking Association
Executive Committee
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
CONNIE VAUGHAN McKee Foods Transportation, LLC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President & CEO
DAVE HUNERYAGER Tennessee Trucking Association
ATA State Vice President
SCOTT GEORGE TCW, Inc.
TruckPAC Co-Chairman
DAVE MANNING TCW, Inc.
TruckPAC Co-Chairman
TERRY MINOR Cumberland International Trucks, Inc.
TTF President
TOMMY HODGES Titan Transfer, Inc.
Allied Vice Chairman
TROY DICKENS
Rush Truck Center, Nashville
Immediate Past Chairman
WAYLAND THOMPSON FleetFirst, Inc.
General Counsel
C. DALE ALLEN Adams and Reese LLP
Secretary
JIM MOSBY FirstBank
Treasurer
SCOTT SCHUMPERT Carr, Riggs & Ingram CPSs
East Tenn. Vice Chairman
JEFF REED Skyline Transportation
Middle Tennesse
Vice Chairman
MIKE MCFARLIN
M & W Transportation Co., Inc.
Southeast Tennesse Vice Chairman
JOE SMITH
Kenco Transportation Services
West Tennesse
Vice Chairman
JASON HIGGINBOTHAM Ozark Motor Lines, Inc.
Non-Domiciled Vice Chairman
NICK D’ANDREA UPS
DIRECTORS AT LARGE
BRAD ALLEN Venture Express
BETH FRANKLIN Multi-Task Solutions
STEVE FRANKLIN Multi-Task Solutions
JERRY HAMPTON Pinnacle Bank
JOE SHARP Western Express
SHEILA SHOUN Shoun Trucking Co.
WAYLAND THOMPSON FirstFleet, Inc.
ROB RHEA FedEx Freight
WAYNE WEAVER Rapid Ways Leasing
BOB WEST R.E. West, Inc.
BILLY WHITE Clarke Power Services
EAST TENNESSEE
RUBY MCBRIDE Colonial Freight Systems
BILL REED, III Skyline Logistics, Inc.
JEFF ALLEN
Great West Casualty Company
CRAIG KENDALL
The Peterbilt Store,-Knoxville
MIDDLE TENNESSEE
WILLIAM KEITH FirstExpress, Inc.
PAT MARSH Big G Express, Inc.
BRAD RAHRER Portland Express, inc.
ALLIE SHARP SCHWALB Sharp Transport, Inc.
JOHN WALTON Averitt Express, Inc.
BILL BOB WEST R.E. West, Inc.
JIM BRIGGS Advanced Ergonomics, Inc.
CORY LILE
Occusure Workers’ Compensation
EDDIE WAYLAND King & Ballow
BILL TIRRILL Fleetco, Inc.
SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE
MAX FULLER
U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc.
LISA PATE
U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc.
TOMMY THAXTON Best One Tire & Service
DAREL DYER
Premier Truck Group of Chattanooga
JEFF TANNER
Kenco Management Services
WEST TENNESSEE
MARK GEORGE Intermodal Cartage Co., Inc.
JOHN ROSS
Milan Supply Chain Solutions
TIM GATLIN Empire Express, Inc.
CATHY PHILLIPS COATS H.B. Phillips, Inc.
JEFF REEVES
Reeves Brothers Trucking, Inc.
JEFF EARLE Thompson Power Corp.
TOMMY EARL TAG Truck Center
DICK SWEEBE Summit Truck Group, Memphis
NON-DOMICILED REGIONAL
MIKE KELLEY YRC Worldwide, Inc.
HAL DOWLAND HELP, Inc., Provider of PrePass
GREG SHIPMAN Vertical Alliance Group
SAM FAUCETTE Old Dominion, Inc.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
From The President
Participation Makes All the Difference
I want to take this opportunity to thank the members of the
Tennessee Trucking Association Executive Committee, Board of
Directors, and general membership who took the time to join us at this year’s annual Call on Nashville on April 3rd.
We gathered for meetings with the Senate and House Transportation Committee Chairmen, and then made calls on other Legislative Leaders and several state legislators. This was followed by the most well attended Legislative Reception we have ever held! More than 80 of our state’s elected officials came and went throughout the evening. My thanks to Dale Allen, Brooke Ponder, Leslie Norman and the entire Adams and Reese team for once again putting on a first class event. Pictures of some of those in attendance are posted on our website.
Between Apr. 28 and May 1, we held our Annual Call on Washington. Eighteen of our members attended and did a terrific job of making our Congressional delegation aware of our most pressing concerns. Infrastructure investment, the Drive Safe Act and the ratification of the new USMCA were just a few of the topics we covered with them.
For the first time, members of our Young Professionals Council joined us. Five of their members were along, with two of them; Holly Czuba and Darcie Thompson, being the inaugural recipients of the Willian H. Reed Jr. Memorial Call on Washington Grant for travel expenses. The award is named in honor of “Big “Bill’ who participated in every Call on Washington the TTA has had over the past 15 years and always thought of it as one of the most important trips of our calendar year. We enjoyed having all the YPC members join us and look forward to their participation in the years to come.
We began our trip with an issues briefing by the ATA Hill staff followed by a Capital Tour personally guided by Representative Chuck Fleischmann on Monday evening. This was an experience all who attended will never forget.
We attended Tennessee Tuesday which features Senator Alexander and Senator Blackburn in a casual setting for pictures and a question and answer session. Our Chairman, Connie Vaughan, arranged for a terrific meeting space in the Congressional Visitors Center on Tuesday afternoon where our Congressmen and their staffs each had a time slot to come and visit with us. The day ended with Congressman Phil Roe and his blue grass band, The Pony Express, which was very well attended and immensely enjoyed!
My thanks to all of you who joined us on our calls, and, to those of you of you who have never attended either of these events, my personal invitation to all of you to join us next year is extended. I believe you will truly enjoy it!
Thanks again,
Dave Huneryager
President, Tennessee Trucking Association [email protected]
Q1 SPRING 2019 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 7


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ATRI’s
Bottleneck
Analysis
FINDS TENNESSEE IN THE LEAD AGAIN
State improves on worst bottleneck list, but construction looms
BY STEVE BRAWNER / CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Four of the nation’s worst 100 freight bottlenecks are in Tennessee based on
2017 data, which was much better than the previous year’s ranking, when the state was home to nine of the worst.
According to the American Transportation Research Institute’s 2019 Top Truck Bottleneck List, the intersection of I-24 and I-40 at I-440 East was the nation’s eighth worst bottleneck. The intersection’s average speed was 41.4 miles per hour, which slowed to 28.1 mph during peak hours while averaging 48 mph during non-peak hours. From 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., it slowed to less than 20 mph.
The intersection’s average speed slowed 11.75 percent from the previous year, when it was ranked 15th.
The report, released Feb. 12, assessed truck congestion at 300 locations based on a year’s worth of truck GPS data from nearly 1 million heavy-duty trucks. ATRI uses customized software applications to analyze terabytes of data. Sites are ranked based on speed and volume.
ATRI has been working with truck GPS data for nearly two decades and ATRI’s first bottleneck
CONTINUED 
Q1 SPRING 2019 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 9


report was released in Congestion Costs the Economy while non-peak speeds
2009. The study has identified congested road locations in partnership with the Federal
Highway Administration, state departments of transportation, motor carriers, and state trucking associations. Most of
the ranked locations are interchanges.
Rebecca Brewster, ATRI’s president and chief operating officer, said congestion is worsening overall. Across the top 10 worst bottlenecks, truck speeds decreased nine percent year over year.
Tennessee’s ranking was a marked improvement over the previous year’s report, when the state was home to nine of the worst 100 truck bottlenecks, five of them in Nashville.
“I guess it’s a bit of good news you only have four locations in Tennessee, not nine,” Brewster said. “But the fact of the matter is, you’ve got a top 10 location in Nashville. You’ve got two in the top 50, number eight and number 34. So we’ve still got significant issues.”
Dave Huneryager,
TTA’s president and CEO, said Tennessee’s improved ranking isn’t necessarily good news. Of the 300 locations on the list, 19 are in Tennessee, and 14 of them saw decreases in average peak speeds.
“I don’t know if it’s a byproduct of us getting better or if everybody is else getting worse,” he said.
Huneryager will be watching to see what next year’s report reflecting 2018 data will show. The Nashville site ranked eighth this
10 • TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS
ATRI research findings:
1.2 billion
Lost hours of trucking industry productivity due to congestion
averaged 47.6 mph. Speeds there slowed to about 15 mph during the
425,533 worst of the afternoon drive times. Speeds
$74.5 billion
Annual cost to the trucking industry as a result of congestion on the nation’s highways
Equivalent number of truck drivers sitting idle for an entire year
dropped 13.14 percent from the year before, when it was ranked as the 60th worst bottleneck.
The 51st worst bottleneck was the I-24 at Highway 27 interchange in Chattanooga, with
an average speed of
48.2 mph, peak speeds
of 39.9 mph and non- peak speeds of 52.2
mph. Speeds dropped 5.48 percent from the year before, when the intersection was ranked the 11th worst.
The location improved its ranking even as speeds decreased partly because the study also measures truck volume. A rock slide on Interstate 75
in Campbell County
on Feb. 26, 2016, diverted traffic through Chattanooga, said Brewster. She pointed
out that Chattanooga
is a relatively small
city whose number 51 ranking sandwiches it between bottlenecks in
Top 100 Bottlenecks
States with the Most Bottlenecks
Congestion Getting Worse
Year-over-year average truck speeds at the top 10 locations dropped by nearly 9%
States with Most Bottlenecks
Q1 SPRING 2019
TX .........13 CA ..........7 CT ...........6
GA ..........6 WA..........6 MD/DC ....5
MN ..........5 NY...........5 PA ...........5
IL ............4 IN............4 TN ...........4
#1
Fort Lee, NJ
I-95 at SR 4
Tennessee’s ranking was a marked improvement over the previous year’s report, when the state was home to nine of the worst 100 truck bottlenecks,
five of them in Nashville.
year is undergoing 11 miles of construction from March 1, 2019, to August 2020.
“I shudder to think what it will look like next year at this time... I think the ones that are on there are getting worse, and, have the potential to get even worse in the coming 12 months,” he said.
Among other Tennessee sites, number 34 was the I-40 and I-65 East intersection in Nashville, with an average speed of 41.6 mph. Peak traffic speeds fell to 28.9 mph,
Los Angeles and Minneapolis-St. Paul, two much larger population areas.
The 82nd worst bottleneck was in Nashville at the intersection of I-65 and I-24. It had average speeds of 49.7 mph with peak averages of 40 mph and non- peak averages of 53.7. Speeds fell 2.44 percent from the year before, when the intersection was ranked 77th.
CONTINUED 


Q1 SPRING 2019 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 11


Sometimes there is a silver
lining in a location’s poor
ranking: It’s partly caused by road construction, which means the
ranking should improve. One
bright spot on this year’s list was
I-40 and I-240 East in Memphis,
which saw its ranking drop from 22nd on last year’s list to 181st this year. Thanks to completed road construction, peak average speeds increased 64.57 percent from 30.8 mph in 2016 to 50.7 mph in 2017.
Other Tennessee locations leaving last year’s top 100 list were:
– The I-65 at I-440 interchange in Nashville, which improved from 32nd to 104th despite peak speeds dropping 8.52 percent.
– The I-65 at Route 386 interchange in Nashville, which improved from 68th to 120th despite peak speeds dropping 4.19 percent.
– The I-40 and I-75 at I-140 interchange
in Knoxville, which improved from 84th to 122nd despite peak average speeds dropping 6.6 percent.
– The I-40 at I-640 West interchange in Knoxville, which improved from 85th to 158th despite peak speeds falling .69 percent.
The nation’s worst bottleneck was the intersection of I-95 and State Road 4 coming off the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey. It last held the top spot in 2014. Three of the top 10 were in Atlanta, including this year’s second worst and last year’s worst bottleneck, I-285
at I-85 North, the so-called “Spaghetti Junction.” The other Atlanta sites in the top 10 were I-75 at I-285 North, which was
third, and I-20 at I-285 West, which was ninth.
The rest of the top 10 were:
– Fourth, Los Angeles: State Road 60 at State Road 57
– Fifth, Houston: I-45 at I-69/U.S. 59
– Sixth, Cincinnati: I-71 at I-75
– Seventh, Chicago: I-290 at I-90/I-94 – 10th, Los Angeles: I-710 at I-105
Texas, the continental United States’ largest state geographically, had the most freight bottlenecks with 13. California, the most populous, had seven. Connecticut, despite its small size, had six, as did Washington and Georgia. All of Georgia’s were in Atlanta.
During last year’s legislative session, Tennessee lawmakers approved the Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy Act. The IMPROVE Act will reduce a $10
One bright spot on this year’s list was I-40 and I-240 East in Memphis, which saw its ranking drop from 22nd on last year’s list to 181st this year.
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12 • TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS
Q1 SPRING 2019


billion backlog in transportation projects. Meanwhile, it will send $70 million each year to counties and $35 million annually to cities. The IMPROVE Act includes projects in all 95 counties over the next 10 years.
The act raises revenues several ways, primarily by increasing the diesel tax from 17 cents to 27 cents a gallon over three years, and the gasoline tax from 20 cents to 26 cents over that same time period. Meanwhile, the act cut other taxes by nearly $300 million in 2018 and more than $500 million a year when fully implemented. The IMPROVE ACT included the state’s first fuel tax increase since 1989.
When IMPROVE Act-funded construction gets underway, the bottlenecks likely will become more congested, so things will get worse before they get better. But they will get better eventually.
“It’s a shame we waited as long as we did,” Huneryager said. “It’s important that
we’re investing in the infrastructure, and, the more work we can do and the faster we can do it, the sooner congestion is going to improve.”
The number of monitored locations increased from 250 to 300 for last year’s list but held steady this year, and Brewster said there are no plans to make any big changes in the near future. The list could change
as new distribution centers are built in response to the growth in e-commerce.
“Right now, we feel pretty confident that we’ve got a good representative list of the top freight locations in the country,” she said.
The report is based on 2017 data, and ATRI acknowledges there is a lag.
However, it still accurately reflects the state of the nation’s roadways.
“We see some shifting in that top 10 list, but not a lot. ... Similar locations every year. The ranking may change, but it’s a
lot of the same locations year in year out,” Brewster said.
Huneryager certainly believes it’s an accurate reflection and a useful list. TTA members use the report when planning routes with customers to avoid the worst traffic. The report was part of the packet given to all of the participants in the TTA’s annual Call on Washington and was to
be left with each member of the state’s congressional delegation.
TTA members also have used it to lobby state lawmakers.
“We had our Call on Nashville on
the 3rd of (April), and this was a leave- behind at every call we made, and we had a legislative reception that evening, and legislators were carrying it around with them,” Huneryager said. TTN
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Q1 SPRING 2019 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 13


TLD LOGISTICS
NAMED AMONG TOP 20
COMPANIES FOR WHOM TO WORK
For four consecutive years, TLD has earned top honors
If you want to be named a Best Fleet to Drive For, listen to TLD Logistics.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Knoxville based company is among the Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For as named by the Truckload Carriers Association and CarriersEdge. Celebrating its 11th anniversary, TLD was selected from approximately 200 entrants to maintain its streak.
“As more companies compete for this award, it makes it more rewarding to know we are a top achieving company,” TLD President and COO Jim Peters said.
14 • TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS
BY TODD TRAUB / CONTRIBUTING WRITER
TLD Logistics was formed in 2008 by Toyota Tsusho America, a subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho Corporation, after purchasing L and D Transportation Services Inc. Offering cost-effective transportation and logistics services, TLD now has more than 450 tractors, 400 employees, 150 owner operators and is licensed in 48 states.
Satellite communications, centralized 24- hour dispatch and warehouse capabilities throughout the United States are some of TLDs marquee features.
“The competition gets tougher every year,” Peters said of the Best Fleets honor. “We remain humble and know that we
can’t rest on our laurels. We have to be better, look for opportunities to advance the company and that requires everyone rowing in the same direction. My job
is to direct the rowing; if this is done effectively then the results will follow.”
National recognition, Peters noted,
is not the sought after result, but an acknowledgement of the tangible results TLD gets in the workplace and on the road.
“The management team is constantly searching for ways to separate TLD from our competitors,” Peters said.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24 
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Rachel Lovell, Milan Supply Chain, accepts award from Transport Topics publisher Sue Hensley in Nashville
PHOTO: JOHN SOMMERS II FOR
TRANSPORT TOPICS
MILAN’S RACHELLOVELL
RECEIVES ACCOLADES
Recruiting women into the trucking industry is becoming more and more important, just ask Milan on its recent success
BY RENEE MILLER / CONTRIBUTING WRITER
16 • TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS Q1 SPRING 2019


“Mymommusthavebeen so happy that I fell off the couch with a purpose!” said Rachel Lovell, the first woman to receive the Recruiting Professional of the Year Award from Transport Topics.
That purpose wasn’t formed by going through a self-help program to find and follow her bliss. Nor was she recruited
by a savvy recruitment specialist from
an unknown carrier. Her recruiter was Andy Williams, her uncle. Andy worked for Milan Express and thought she would like to work there. So, he gave her a call, and ‘recruited’ her. She remembers with a touch of humor what her life was like then. “When I interviewed with Milan,
I didn’t have a vehicle – or a license for that matter! I was a single mother living at home with my parents. My sister took me to the main office for the interview and waited in the parking lot until I was finished. Roy Mabry, the local operations manager, hired me on one condition – that I get my driver’s license!” That very day, Lovell’s sister took her to get that license, and she hasn’t looked back since.
Lovell was initially hired as a dispatcher at Milan and, with her first paycheck, began setting aside money to purchase
a car. After a year’s work of consistent saving, she was able to purchase her
own vehicle without her parents’ help. “During that year,” Lovell said fondly, “My mother drove me to and from work, every day. Talk about a support system! So, in addition to my uncle, Andy Williams, I have so much gratitude for my mother and father for the examples they have set my entire life. I’m also incredibly grateful to Roy Mabry for taking a chance on a ‘newbie’ with no driver’s license.” Though hers wasn’t a typical or standard process, she was effectively recruited and retained. She’s never worked anywhere but Milan Express. Lovell’s story underscores the importance of relationships and support in the industry.
Lovell’s career has been a stable one, and as a recruiter herself now, she’s wide- eyed about the potential for attracting more women into the industry. She trusts that many other women can have a secure and rewarding career in trucking, just as she has had. “It’s a career with
a steady paycheck, you’re able to see
the country and there’s opportunity for upward mobility, at least at Milan,” she said with certainty. She’s a realist when it comes to the challenges inherent in the transportation industry whether you are male or female. Consequently, she and her team have refined the recruitment process to focus on the benefits of the career rather than the difficulties a woman might face in the industry. She admits, however, that women do have a different way of looking at things. “Our outlook and approach are different. A
lot has to do with how confident you feel about a company’s willingness to have your back.”
Priscilla Peters, vice president of marketing for Conversion Interactive Agency agreed. “Women are typically goal-driven and vision-focused. Because of this, women can provide thoughtful leadership for the industry that focuses
on long term strategic initiatives with practical goals. When these goals are accomplished, the industry is changed and improved.” Peters has been in the industry over 20 years and has gone from feeling as though she had something
to prove, to feeling that she (and other women) now have a seat at the table and a voice in the industry. “The trucking industry can be a home for women looking for a fulfilling career, but if recruiting female drivers is a company’s goal, attracting them must be part of the company’s strategy,” said Peters.
Chris Spear, president of the ATA, also recognizes the importance of women’s presence in the transportation industry. “There are some 75 million women in
the civilian labor force,” reported Spear, “and that represents a vast and deep talent pool that has enormous value to offer
our industry – even more so at a time like this, as we contend with a growing shortage of drivers and technicians.”
Spear highlighted the valuable work of the ATA in breaking down stereotypes at every level of the industry. Through his own work, he has come to the
CONTINUED 
Q1 SPRING 2019 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 17
Lana Batts, co-president, Driver iQ
PHOTO: JOHN SOMMERS II FOR
TRANSPORT TOPICS


“It’s a career with a steady paycheck, you’re able to see the country and there’s opportunity for upward mobility, at least at Milan.”
seriously as a professional woman and not just a working wife.” That image has been all too real not only in the trucking industry, but in many industries that have been traditionally male-dominated.
Lovell has been able to push through some of the perception challenges by listening to and learning from other women. “My direct supervisor is a woman and watching her executive leadership
has been good for me,” said Lovell with gratitude. “Seeing her handle herself in situations has molded me.”
The creative and innovative methods Lovell and her team use to recruit and retain drivers, was part of why she won the award from Transport Topics. While attending a conference sponsored by Conversion Interactive Agency, Lovell learned more about the driver recruiting journey. She gained new insights on
how to improve her own recruitment strategies. Speaking for the Agency, Peters stated that “One of the biggest mistakes we see carriers make is that they
conclusion that “The biggest hurdle women face is the perception that it
is a male-dominated industry. That mentality prevents countless women from even first considering the profession as a career option. And, it creates a
sort of ‘catch-22,’ where if women
believe that notion to be true, then it becomes true.” As a way to counteract this unfortunate perception, the ATA insists that transportation is a viable path no matter what your race, gender or socio-economic background. When he reflected on Lovell’s accomplishment in receiving the Recruiting Professional of the Year Award, he proudly related that the ATA inducted four women this year as America’s Road Team Captains. “All of it,” he said, “is a sign that the industry is
heading in the right direction.”
The trouble with perceptions is that they are not always easily altered by a
rehearsal of the facts. While most loads are no-touch freight, for example, Peters emphasized that it’s harder to recruit women because of the perception that there is a lot of on-the-job physical activity required to be a truck driver. “Fighting the perception battle can be challenging,” she said.
Lana Batts, co-president of Driver iQ,
a background screening company that specializes in trucking, said, “I remember when I was the only woman in a room full of men, and I was the lowest paid professional.” Looking at the perception problem from a different angle, she said her largest challenge was “being taken
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don’t know and understand what the driver recruitment journey really looks like for their company.” Carriers can be relying on older processes that end up hurting rather than helping them. Peters suggested that carriers flip the script and see things through the driver’s eyes rather than through their own company’s eyes. “Carriers,” she remarked, “need to know what the driver experiences from the time they encounter the company to the time they are hired and are in a truck.”
Lovell took this concept to heart and began doing some investigative analysis on the issue when she returned from
the conference. She began by filling out the online driver application as if she were a driver. As a woman barely older than a ‘millennial,’ she reflected on her own Internet responses and behaviors. “There was that moment of insight when I realized that if I click on a site and it takes more than a few seconds to upload, I
CONTINUED 
Q1 SPRING 2019 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 19
Priscilla Peters, vice president of marketing, Conversion Interactive Agency
PHOTO: JOHN SOMMERS II FOR TRANSPORT TOPICS


“The biggest hurdle women face is the perception that it is a male- dominated industry. That mentality prevents countless women from even first considering the profession as a career option. And, it creates a sort of ‘catch-22,’ where if women believe that notion to be true, then it becomes true.”
drivers, and content is king,” she said. “And, surprisingly, the content doesn’t even have to be about trucking. What’s ‘trending,’ how to keep to a diet while on the road, even a humorous cat,” chuckles Lovell “will get more action when it’s connected and ties in to what drivers (and potential drivers) are experiencing.”
Spear pointed out that the current driver shortage and recruitment and retention are first cousins. “They are two issues that are inextricably linked. Strengthening the industry’s ability to recruit and retain the best and safest talent the labor force has to offer is absolutely essential to reducing the shortage over the long term.”
But, recruitment is hollow without retention and retention isn’t always about what a company does or doesn’t do. Batts, for example, spoke of how the career affects everyday life. Retention can be difficult when the career overshadows the relationships in one’s family. To counter this, Batts and her husband took up sailing
move on.” She easily made the connection that Milan would lose potential drivers
if their process led to frustration. The potential recruits would simply quit filling out the application and move on to something more interesting.
Peters confirmed that Lovell was on the right track. “Whether recruiting men or women, the exercise of documenting, analyzing and adjusting the driver recruiting journey for individual carriers can have a major impact on the driver
recruiting success of the company.” Partly because of her age group
demographic, Lovell understands that we have become a visual culture with adult learners who prefer to interact with their world rather than just have verbal information shoveled on them without restraint. To capitalize on engagement, not only with potential recruits, but with anyone connected with them, Lovell
has pushed the recruitment process in the direction of social media and video content. “Videos are high-use items for
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Partner
Memphis [email protected]
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Partner
Washington, DC [email protected]
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-- something they could share together that got them away from the daily grind and put their minds and emotions in
a different space. No cell phones or
office chores clamoring for attention. They developed sailing friends, rather than friends who were ‘his’ or ‘mine.’ When asked if this was what constituted
a success for her, she humorously
replied, “That and having three weeks of underwear. Nothing can start the week off wrong if you don’t have clean clothes and need to do the washing!”
When recruitment and retention
are so critical to the reversal of the driver shortage, one wonders if gender differences really matter in the end. They may be annoying and present certain sets of challenges, but it seems they are not as stark as might be imagined. Peters affirmed that “while the journey can be analyzed from the perspective of women or men, in most cases, the gaps are the same regardless of gender.”
Batts agreed. Commenting on her work of background processes for drivers she noted, “women tend to do less job hopping and appear to have a better safety record, but I have found little other differences between the genders.”
Spear, takes a wider view and offers
an interesting perspective. He certainly understands the challenges women
face and has actively led the ATA to minimize those challenges. Still, he makes the important point that the size and diversity of the industry can be of benefit to women. “One of the appealing aspects of the trucking industry is the sheer diversity of roles within it. One can serve in management or in the office, or as a driver, technician or even as a fleet owner. There’s no shortage of options for women seeking a career in trucking.”
Lovell and Batts are both examples of such diversity. Lovell began her career as a dispatcher, moved to customer service, then shifted to planning. She managed Milan’s flatbed division for
a year before moving into her current
position in recruitment. All of her work has been within one company. Batts, on the other hand, began as a Transportation Analyst for the ATA, served as senior vice-president of government affairs and then president of the Truckload Carriers Association. She branched out in 2000 as a managing partner of Transport Capital Partners, a boutique investment firm specializing in the buying and selling of trucking companies, and she now holds her current position at Driver iQ.
When Lovell was asked why she
has stayed at Milan all these years she remarked enthusiastically, “I sing Milan’s praises because I have never felt gender discrimination here. Everyone from the CEO down is treated equally. Your age, gender, ethnicity doesn’t matter. You’re valued because you’ve proven yourself. I’ve had no struggle here as a female.” That may not be a common experience in
CONTINUED 
Q1 SPRING 2019 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 21


Rachel Lovell, Milan Supply Chain
PHOTO: JOHN SOMMERS II FOR
TRANSPORT TOPICS
“Whether recruiting men
or women, the exercise of documenting, analyzing and adjusting the driver recruiting journey for individual carriers can have
a major impact
on the driver recruiting success of the company.”
like a victorious athlete on the field she said, “This award wasn’t just an individual award – it was a company award given to me on its behalf. I would not have been successful in the numbers if it weren’t
for everyone in the company. We have
an acronym at our company – T.E.A.M.
– ‘together everyone accomplishes more.’ This award was a team effort.”
It doesn’t look like Lovell will be leaving Milan any time soon. She may be too young to be thinking about what she wants to leave behind, but like everyone, she wants to make a difference. She wants to have
her life count in meaningful ways. When asked about what she wanted her legacy
to be, it’s wasn’t so different than what she has experienced from her own family. “I want to be remembered as an innovative, barrier-breaking mother who loved her family and friends with all that she had. I want my children never to give up and to have the will or drive to make a difference in someone’s life.” Perhaps her children will fall off the couch with a purpose, just as she did. And, it will be a purpose that sets them in the direction of carrying forward the attitude that if you prove yourself by doing your best with passion, your gender most likely won’t stand in the way. TTN
all contexts of the industry, but the more companies adopt practices that bridge the gender divide, the better recruitment and retention of women will be.
The transportation industry has
a history and reputation of valuing relationships. In a time of fragmentation in the society, relationships and teamwork are a central aspect of efficient recruitment and retention processes. Lovell cited the importance of having multiple touches of relationships in her work. She recounted that she finds her passion for her work
in the relationships she develops and cultivates. “We call it Hashtag Milan (#Milan) and I’m all #Milan! Getting someone in and started is so exciting
for me. I enjoy seeing them start their new life here. Through our processes and our programs, I’ve gotten to know our drivers and their families. When they’re remembered, it translates into something bigger. They know they matter and what they do matters.” Even in regard to her award, Lovell focuses on relationships and teamwork. Sounding
22 • TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS Q1 SPRING 2019
Sue Hensely, Transport Topics; Rachel Lovell, Milan Supply Chain and Priscilla Peters, Conversion Interactive Agency
PHOTO: JOHN SOMMERS II FOR TRANSPORT TOPICS


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To be recognized among the “Best Fleets” a company must operate a fleet of 10 or more trucks, regardless of TCA membership status, and be evaluated in areas such as driver compensation, pension and benefits, professional development, driver and community support and safety record.
To be recognized among the “Best Fleets” a company must operate
a fleet of 10 or more trucks, regardless of TCA membership
status, and be evaluated in areas such as driver compensation,
pension and benefits, professional development, driver and community support and safety record.
It is the focus on the driver where TLD really shines, Peters
said. TLD runs four driver training schools, from which it gained about 20 percent of its
driver workforce.
New drivers aren’t asked to sign a
contract — you won’t have to enforce loyalty with a signature if you treat them well, Peters said — and TLD has formed driver committees to ensure it is addressing drivers’ needs and issues of importance.
Additionally, to get a true read on the driver experience, the committees are made up of members whose time in service has varied from six months to the 11-year life of the company.
“This honor speaks to how we truly treat our people,” Peters said. “Part of the vetting process requires that the contest judges talk to 20 percent of our current drivers. If our drivers don’t support our claims, we would not win.
“Personally I think this is the best part of the award, there is no fluff in getting to the winners circle. You either do the things that your application claims or you will not win.”
TLD’s streak of Best Fleet recognitions likely began with its emphasis on driver retention, a major industry worry, Peters said.
Each sector of the company has
set goals and the team members are challenged to achieve them. Separate bonuses are paid according to retention numbers. TLD also works to enhance the relationship between drivers and dispatchers through committed training
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 
TENNESSEE
trucking
MemberSpotlight Dan Kanabroski, Centrality Business Technologies
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24 • TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS Q1 SPRING 2019


opportunities that involve both positions. “They help the dispatcher understand what
is important to a driver,” Peters said. “We presently have more loads that we do trucks so an empty truck really hurts.”
TLD holds a kickoff meeting to start each year, starting it off festively with a get-together for terminal personnel at a local establishment on Friday evening
and continuing into a half-day session on Saturday. The previous fiscal year, including profits, are reviewed to help TLD identify successes, failures, problem areas and opportunities for growth and improvement.
Again, the drivers aren’t being ignored.
“This past year we invited drivers for
the first time and we had about ten drivers attend,” Peters said. “We plan on expanding this participation as we need their input.”
From Peters’ standpoint, the pride and joy is TLD’s driver schools, which have turned out close to 150 drivers, approximately 90 of whom have gone on to work for the company.
“The folks running these schools all started as drivers and they indicate an interest in helping the driver community so we presented them with this opportunity,” Peters said.
Like many in the industry, Peters finds legislation and regulation to be a challenge and bemoans things like driver age limits.
“We are missing out on attracting people to good paying jobs, jobs with secondary opportunities to advance and move up,” he said. “If you can drive a truck at 18 intrastate, you can drive interstate at 18 as well.”
However if TLD continues its efforts to recruit, train, make the job fun and rewarding and, most importantly, take care of its people, industry problems can be met whether or not the awards continue to come, Peters said.
“This is not the trucking industry of
1985,” he said. “These jobs can be done from anywhere; dispatch personnel do not need to beinanofficetotalktoadriver.Wehavea lot of opportunity at our fingertips, plenty of technology to apply. Now the onus is on us to maketheimprovements.” TTN
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Q1 SPRING 2019
TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 25


Sometimes People Must Come Together for a Mission
THANK YOU
Since 1954, the American Transportation Research Institute and its predecessor have been the trucking industry’s source for scientific data and analysis on the many high priority issues facing freight transportation today. The people and companies listed here are our core contributors, annual donors who have come together in this mission to help the industry as a whole. If you or your company has not contributed in the past, now is the time to step up and do your part.
Step up and leave your footprint for the good of the industry. Visit www.atri-online.org to explore your giving opportunities.
Photo: NASA


Tennessee Trucking Association’s Road Team
Thank you THSO and Thermo King Knoxville for making it possible to now heat and cool our TTA No Zone tractor!
Red shirts L to R, -TN Road Team Captains Eddie Lindsey-Big G Express and Juan Morel- FedEx Freight. White shirts L to R, ATA Road Team Captains Steven Richardson-Big G Express and Tim Chelette-Big Express at National Lifesavers Conference in Louisville.
TN RT Captain Eddie LeSueur-Skyline Transportation sharing big truck safety with students at Oak Ridge High School
TN RT Captain Marion Bowers- FedEx Freight on left, with student from Gordonsville High School
TN RT Captains John Anderson-TCW, Eddie Threlkeld-HUB Group, Jamie Sowder-FedEx Freight and Paul Boykin-HUB Group pose with certificates for participating in the Airways Achievement Career Fair
TN RT Captains Wayne Covely-Walmart Transportation and Scott Lambert-FedEx Freight (at end of line in navy shirts) pose with students at John Adams Elementary
TN Road Team Captain Tom Bell (first on L) and Mark Copas - FedEx Freight (Middle) with law enforcement officials at Sumner Teen Safety Day
Road Team Captain Rick Tetreault-Averitt Rick Tetreault-Averitt Express at Kenwood Express with Clarksville High Student and Virtual High School
Reality Goggles
Q1 SPRING 2019 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 27


RT Captain Mike Mosier-Old Dominion Freight Line, took their baseball wrapped trailer to Touch a Truck at Smokies Ballpark
TN Road Team Captain Ken Wheeler- Old Dominion Freight Lines has fun in the Kids Zone at our annual Truck Driving Championships
Michael Mosier-Old Dominion Freight Line, Right and daughter Lyli (middle) present Papa Doug book to Principal Genetry at Mary Hughes School
Nice Selfie of TN Road Team Captains Eddie Lindsey-Big Marion Bowers-FedEx Freight (front left, kneeling) and Eddie Lindsey-Big G Express (front G Express, Eddie LeSueur-Skyline Transportation and David right, standing) with students at White House High School
Brady-Old Dominion Freight Lines as they help at ETN Big
Rigs for Kids
Heroes of the Highway Juan Morel-FedEx Freight, David Gooch-Sharp Transport, Paula Harper-FedEx Freight, Devin Rackley-Averitt Express and Vernon Brewer-UPS Freight at Mid America Truck Show
(L-R) Michael Mosier-Old Dominion Freight Line, Devin Rackley-Averitt Express, Donna and Ken Wheeler-Old Dominion Freight Line at Drive 4 Life event
28 • TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS Q1 SPRING 2019


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John Henderson-TCW kneeling in front, with students at Carthage High School L - Paula Harper-FedEx Freight and R - Vernon Brewer-UPS Freight present Catherine Stuart-TTF with Women in Trucking’s Clare doll at
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L to R in red shirts, TN Road Team Captains Vernon Brewer and David Pugh-UPS and Captain Paul Boykin-HUB Group Trucking at Gateway Senior Center in Martin
L to R John Henderson-TCW, Marion Bowers-FedEx Freight andf Vernon Brewer-UPS Freight at CarFit Event for Fairfield Glade
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at Auburntown Elementary School
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Last two kneeling in front right, Road Team Captains Charlie Jordan – Walmart Transportation and Jeff Stinson – FedEx Freight. Last one far right standing, Road Team Captain Scott Lambert – FedEx Freight pose with students from Sullivan Central High School
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MemberSpotlight
COMDATA
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BY STEVE BRAWNER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Not much that happened in 1969 was going to overshadow humans landing
on the moon.
But in that year of technological and scientific achievement, a
company came into being to offer earthbound ideas and
innovations that have helped keep America on the move,
if not necessarily flying into space.
Brentwood, Tennessee-based
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The founding may not have been “One small step for man,”
but it turned out to be a big deal for fleets, drivers and owner-operators of the trucking and transportation industry. And,
while it began in trucking, Comdata now partners with more than 30,000 businesses to help manage $55 billion a year in fleet, corporate purchasing, payroll and health care spending.
“Comdata has been in the forefront
in terms of innovation and bringing new products and services to market,” said Jon Bernstein, Comdata vice president of product management.
That continues with Comdata’s update of its Comchek offering through the introduction of the Comchek Mobile app a significant upgrade to its industry-leading, payment platform.
“I’ll call it an evolutionary kind of progression of the Comchek offering,” Bernstein said.
But first, a little history.
One of Comdata’s most important early wrinkles was its Comchek and Express Code payment method. Prompted by
a Western Union strike in the 1970s, Comchek was created as a transportation- specific method of moving money around similar to a Western Union wire transfer.
Utilizing a paper draft resembling
a voucher, Comchek was a convenient and cash-free method of completing the transactions that have always been a part of trucking -- buying fuel, payment for loads delivered and much more.
“Think of Comchek kind of being synonymous with Kleenex and Ketchup. It’s an industry term,” Bernstein said. “But the Comchek itself was literally a blank piece of paper. It resembles a check you’d get out of your checkbook. The real term was technically a draft.”
32 • TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS Q1 SPRING 2019
The Express Code would be registered


to the draft, which was presented to clerks, vendors or cashiers who would use it to claim their money.“Drivers out on the road, many of those trucking companies
-- or they themselves if they’re owner/ operators -- they don’t want to be having wads of cash in their trucks at any time,” Bernstein said. “They’re paying for services while out on the road away from home. The Comchek really gave them a way, in essence, to transact for those services but doing so through the Comdata means.”
Naturally Comdata was going to keep up with the times and so, to limit the
use of paper and make the system more convenient and secure, the company has rolled out Comchek Mobile, an update that digitizes receipt of payments and advances and allows businesses to take advantage of the platform’s speed and simplicity.
Driver advances, settlements, lumpers, repairs and other common needs can be handled through the digitized system. Basically it’s a method of moving money through the trucking and transportation “logistics ecosystem,” Bernstein said.
Using an iOS- or Android-enabled smartphone app, users -- as individuals or a business entity -- can receive, access and distribute funds sent to them via a Comdata card, which acts as a debit card, and then some.
To register, a user downloads the Comchek Mobile app and enters information about themselves or the business they are registering as. Once approved a card in the individual or business’ name is issued. To validate the Comdata card a user simply opens the Comchek Mobile app and enters the last six digits of the card number, then follows the steps to set up a PIN.
With the card validated and the PIN established, the user can receive funds, make purchases and check the express code balance using a smartphone or other device.
Notice of funds deposited appears on
the home screen. To check balances a user taps the Express Code Balance button and enters the code.
Users can apply an Express Code Balance to the Comdata card by logging into the mobile app and tapping the Transfer button. Funds can also be transferred to anyone in the Comdata Mobile network.
This is especially useful, Bernstein noted, for family members on the road who want to immediately transfer a payment received to a household account or that of a spouse or significant other so that bills can be paid and other necessities, groceries or doctor visits, can be seen to.
“If there is a $1,000 settlement they can peer-to-peer the person back home,” Bernstein said. “It’s similar to Venmo
or PayPal.”
The Comdata Card can be used to make purchases anywhere Mastercard is accepted and there are no fees for point- of-sale transactions. Comdata’s proprietary fuel network allows the card to be used for fuel purchases at thousands of truck stops within the Comdata proprietary network.
Finally, if a vendor awaiting payment doesn’t have a Comchek Mobile ID or accept Mastercard, a Comchek draft can be created from the mobile app.
“We’re now seeing settlement or quickpay kind of programs that are instantaneous,” Bernstein said.
Not only does the upgrade reduce the use of paper, it provides better security. The express code-paper draft system ran the risk of someone with knowledge of the system getting ahold of the code and using it to access money.
“If the code got into the wrong person’s hands there is a security flaw that can occur there,” Bernstein said. “[Now] we know exactly who the funds are going to.”
Also, the more universal concept of a card with a balance on it means Comchek Mobile can be used in more places. In the past, a driver using the Comcheck Express
code draft system might find himself trying to conduct a transaction with someone who didn’t use Comchek.
“Where the drivers went, there’s only a limited number of folks or institutions that know what Comchek is and were willing to take it as a form of payment,” Bernstein said.
While always trying to look forward, Comdata has a number of plans for marking its 50th anniversary in 2019. Among other things, Bernstein said, this year’s Comdata User Exchange event
in April will be part of the celebratory happenings.
In 50 years of providing a vital service to the trucking and transportation industry, Comdata and its innovators have been perfectly positioned to witness and be a part of the expanding role of technology.
“At Comdata, we’re very pleased to be
a part of the Tennessee trucking industry, and we will always appreciate working with organizations like the Tennessee Trucking Association that devote themselves to building and providing for this wonderful community. TTA has always been a fantastic resource and partner to us through the years, and we look forward to continuing that relationship over the next 50” emphasized Bernstein.
Electronic logging, transmission of truck data, fleet tracking systems and more are part of everyday life in the industry, leading Bernstein to liken some transport company ops centers to NASA Mission Control.
Why not? If they can land a man on the moon they can certainly trick out trucking tech.
“You pass trucks all the time and you never think about [high tech] being in the industry,” Bernstein said. “To know how things are, it’s pretty cool and exciting to see.”
Of course, when it comes to technology and new ideas, Comdata has always been along for the ride. TTN
Q1 SPRING 2019 TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS • 33


Calendar of Events
JUNE
June 7 Roadside Inspection, Portland Scales I-65 North (RESCHEDULED FROM 06/14/19)
June 12-13 NATMI – Certified Driver Trainer Program
June 21 Roadside Inspection, Knoxville Scales I-40
Tennessee Trucking News
ADVERTISING RESOURCE INDEX
June 26-27
JULY
Q1 spring 2019
Adams and Reese LLP ATRI
Clarke Power Services Drivers Legal Plan Fleetco, Inc.
Great West Casualty Co. Hall & Booth PLLC HELP Inc. / PrePass International/Navistar J.J. Keller & Associates Joe Morten & Son MHC Kenworth Nacarato
NATMI – Advanced Fleet Accident
NATMI - Safety & DOT Compliance* Location: Chattanooga, TN
August 2 Roadside Inspection, Greenville Scales I-81
August 7-9 NATMI-Maintenance Supervisor & Maintenance Director Certification
August 10 HOLBROOK TNG: Defensive Driving Course for Professional Truck Drivers
August 10 YPC Gives Back Day
August 14-17 National TDC Competition in Pittsburg, PA August 21 Roadside Inspection, Manchester Scales I-24 August 29 Big Rigs for Little Kids Golf Tournament
SEPTEMBER
September 14-17 TSC Super-Tech Competition, Raleigh, NC
September 15-17 TTA 89th Annual Convention at Sandestin Beach Hilton,
Destin, FL
September 15-21 Driver Appreciation Week
OCTOBER
October 2 Southeast TN Big Rigs for Little Kids Golf Tournament – Ringgold, GA October 4 Roadside Inspection, Knoxville Scales I-40
October 5-9 ATA MC&E – San Diego, CA
October 7 Top Golf Presented by the YPC
October 7-11 NATMI - Safety Supervisor (CSS) & Director of Safety (CDS) Certification
October 16 Roadside Inspection, I-65 Giles County October 18 Roadside Inspection, Portland Scales I-65 North
New TTA Members
20 26 12 19 21
July 24-25
July 30 Sounds Baseball Game Presented by the YPC
AUGUST
ALLIED
• Best One Tire – Knoxville
• Carrier Transicold South
• DMC Insurance, Inc. •Emission Cooling Solutions • Fleet Resources, LLC
•Four Seasons Services Inc. • KeepTrukin
•Maxon Lift Corp.
•Mutual of American
– Your Retirement Company •Nova Medical Centers •PNC Bank
•Verizon Connect
CARRIER
• Harrison Transport, Inc. • CarMax
• A & A Express LLC •HGX Logistics
• Nash Family Hauling, LLC •Liberty Lane Carriers
This edition of Tennessee Trucking News
was made possible with the support of these corporate advertisers, all TTA members. They support the trucking industry by enabling Tennessee Trucking Association to provide
this publication to its members, prospective members, elected officials and the business community at large. They deserve your consideration and patronage when making your corporate purchasing decisions. Thank you!
34 • TENNESSEE TRUCKING NEWS Q1 SPRING 2019
Inside front cover 25 18 Inside back cover 29 25 8 13 4 Premier Truck Group of Chattanooga 23
Neely Coble Company, Inc.
Rush Truck Center Southern Tire Mart TA/Petro
Tennessee Trucking News Truckers Against Trafficking
Back cover 15 11 24, 30 31


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