Award-Winning Magazine of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 27 | Issue 2 2022 | $4.95
LANCE MOLL
Point of Reference
Insurance Premiums | TRUCK PARKING | SMARTRESUME
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and cost of risk for motor carriers and
additional commercial transportation.
For more information on Aon’s
Transportation & Logistics practice
please contact leader Mark Brockinton
at [email protected]
Aon is proud to support the Arkansas
Trucking Association. We applaud their
commitment to advancing the trucking
industry’s image, efficiency,
competitiveness and profitability.
Aon’s Transportation & Logistics Practice
is dedicated to improving client programs
and cost of risk for motor carriers and
additional commercial transportation.
For more information on Aon’s
Transportation & Logistics practice
please contact leader Mark Brockinton
at [email protected]
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IN THIS ISSUE
VOLUME 27 | ISSUE 2 2022
FEATURES
COVER STORY
POINT OF REFERENCE 28
FedEx Freight President and CEO Lance Moll on being
back in the office and the words that give him direction
By Werner Trieschmann
CAPITOL WATCH
PAVE AN OLD SITE; PUT UP A PARKING LOT 18
Trucking industry, ARDOT partnering to build
84-space parking lot in West Memphis
By Steve Brawner
ATRI STUDY: FLEETS PAYING MORE FOR LESS INSURANCE 22
Carriers face rising insurance costs
despite investments in new technology or improving safety records
By Steve Brawner
TRADE SECRETS
A RESUME WITH A GUARANTEE 38
New platform designed to connect
DEPARTMENTS employers with qualified candidates
By Eric Francis
Up Front: by Shannon Newton 7
They Said It 9 PASSING THE BATON 42
News in Brief 10 Arkansas tech company seeks to make trucking
New Members 12 more efficient, driver-friendly
Calendar of Events 14 By Dwain Hebda
Advertiser Resource Index 15
Council Quarterly 28
Insider Trucking 53
Stat View 56
The Last Word: by Mark Morris 58
PHOTOGRAPHY ON THIS PAGE AND COVER BY JOHN DAVID PITTMAN
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 5
WHAT MAKES
US TICK?
We have the most modern semi-trailer repair
facilities in all of Arkansas and Oklahoma, but
what really makes us tick is our people.
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Fort Smith Little Rock Oklahoma City Tulsa Siloam Springs Texarkana
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To find out more, call your local dealer or visit www.utilitytrailer.com.
UP FRONT
Award-Winning Magazine of the Arkansas Trucking Association
Arkansas Trucking Report is owned by the Arkansas Trucking Association,
Inc. and is published bimonthly. For additional copies, to order reprints
of individual articles or to become a subscriber to ATR, contact us at
[email protected] or at 501.372.3462.
executive editor
SHANNON SAMPLES NEWTON
managing editor
BETHANY MAY
contributing writers FAMOUS REDHEAD
STEVE BRAWNER
[email protected] ROBERT O’CONNER
ERIC FRANCIS [email protected] In early April, I traveled with a group of Arkansas trucking executives to Washington D.C. to
[email protected] DEANA NALL
[email protected]
DINA GRUEY meet with our delegation and share our experiences and asks on important policy issues, as
[email protected] TODD TRAUB
[email protected] part of our annual Call on Washington.
DWAIN HEBDA
[email protected] WERNER TRIESCHMANN
[email protected]
DAVID MONTEITH The trip can feel like a whirlwind.
[email protected]
art director
JON D. KENNEDY In two days, our attendees had a briefing with the American Trucking Associations
The Freelance Co. LLC, [email protected]
production editors representatives on current initiatives and proposed legislation that affect trucking, followed
KELLY CARGILL CROW, SARAH NEWMAN, KELCIE SONNIER, KATIE THOMASON
illustrator by face-to-face meetings with all six members of the Arkansas delegation. We had claimed
BRENT BENNETT
[email protected] time and attention between committee meetings and intelligence briefings to talk about
photographers
infrastructure, the supply chain struggles, workforce barriers and lawsuit reform. It was a lot of
JON D. KENNEDY, JOHN DAVID PITTMAN
ground to cover—both policy and literally as we hustled from office to office by trolley, foot and
with an escort.
www.arkansastrucking.com Per usual, the best laid plans and priorities were rearranged by presidential appointments,
president
SHANNON SAMPLES NEWTON top secret security briefings and floor votes on several pieces of legislation in the House of
[email protected]
vice president Representatives. One meeting was rescheduled and held in conjunction with a reception and
KELLY CARGILL CROW
[email protected] another convened impromptu at the bottom of a staircase near the secure rooms where those
director of operations
SARAH NEWMAN with top-secret clearance can view some of the country's most classified information.
[email protected]
director of corporate services Even though I’ve led or attended Call on Washington events for most of my tenure with
KATIE THOMASON
[email protected]
communications director ATA, there’s always novelty with each trip. More times than not, breaking news unexpectedly
BETHANY MAY
[email protected] reshapes our conversations. Whatever happens on the 58-acre lot of the Capitol grounds makes
director of safety and loss prevention
MIKE BRUST national news. Stepping onto the hill can be like stumbling into the headlines.
[email protected]
administrative assistant On Tuesday afternoon, we wrapped our best and final meeting. When we walked out of Hart
KELCIE SONNIER
[email protected]
Senate Office Building, proud of all we’d accomplished and relieved the work was complete, we
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD faced one more surprise.
MARK MORRIS
Morris Transportation Services, LLC
President As we exited, police were standing in the street directing pedestrians. Streets were blocked off.
MICHAEL BARR MIKE MCNUTT
JM Bozeman Enterprises Distribution Solutions, Inc. Yellow tape hung from cone to cone where we had been dropped off earlier. We were directed
CEO CEO, Owner
ROCHELLE BARTHOLOMEW LANCE MOLL across one street, and then another, far from our intended path in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
CalArk International, Inc. FedEx Freight
President President & CEO
GREG CARMAN JAMES REED Eventually, curiosity got the best of us. As we passed yet another officer, someone asked what
Carman, Inc. USA Truck
President CEO
JOHN CULP G.E. “BUTCH” RICE III was going on. With a nonchalance contradicting the uneasy crowd, “Just another day on
Maverick USA Stallion Transportation Group
President President Capitol Hill” he quipped.
JUSTIN FINK ALAN RIELS
Allegiance Trucks Dedicated Logistics
Managing Director President & CEO We continued on our way, unsure if we missed a glimpse of a famous dignitary or were
JEFF HAMMONDS SETH RUNSER
Walmart Transportation LLC ABF Freight
Vice President of Logistics President spared a dangerous encounter. We made our way back to enjoy dinner and fellowship that
CRAIG HARPER PATRICK SIMMONS
J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. Tyson Foods evening. Late that night, just as I had forgotten about the incident, I saw on the news what had
Chief Sustainability Officer, EVP Vice President Transportation
AL HERINGER IV GABE STEPHENS obstructed our path—a rabid redhead.
Star Transportation, LLC C.C. Jones, Inc.
Vice President Vice President
ROB KIBBE JOE VITIRITTO A wild fox was running around the grounds and bit nine people. Capitol Police captured the fox,
Aon PAM Transport
Executive Director Client Services President & CEO
JEFF LOGGINS DOUG VOSS and public health officials confirmed she tested positive for rabies. As we flew home on Wednesday,
Loggins Logistics, Inc. University of Central Arkansas
President & CEO Professor of Logistics & Supply more of the story unfurled: The den had been found; the Capitol fox officially had its own Twitter
Chain Management
An affiliate of the American Trucking page and celebrity status; and her victims were already treated and back to work. We’d walked
Associations through the story, avoided a bite and made some solid connections with our representatives and
Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) is an Arkansas corporation of trucking
companies, private carrier fleets and businesses which serve or supply the senators about the less furry, but very real obstacles that trucking faces every day.
trucking industry. ATA 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, workers’ compensation insurance, operational
services and serves as a forum for industry meetings and membership relations.
For information, contact ATA at:
1401 West Capitol, Suite 185
Post Office Box 3476 (72203) Shannon Newton
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 Drivers Legal Plan
Phone 501.372.3462 Fax 501.376.1810 President, Arkansas Trucking Association
www.arkansastrucking.com
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 7
Drivers Legal Plan
TRUCK SALES | PARTS | SERVICE | BODY SHOP
LEASING & RENTAL | FINANCE | CARRIER
Jonesboro
MHC Kenworth
(855) 483-6994
Little Rock
MHC Kenworth
(866) 419-5718
MHC Truck Leasing
(866) 862-5283
MHC Carrier Transicold
(866) 243-9660
Fort Smith
MHC Truck Leasing
(866) 804-7860
Springdale
MHC Kenworth/Volvo
Dealership (866) 271-0785
Leasing & Rental
Truck Source Van Buren
Carrier MHC Kenworth
RoadReady
TRP (866) 811-1358
OVER 125 LOCATIONS IN 19 STATES
mhc.com |
TRUCK SALES | PARTS | SERVICE | BODY SHOP THEY SAID IT
LEASING & RENTAL | FINANCE | CARRIER
Jonesboro
MHC Kenworth
(855) 483-6994 “If you can handle a tank, if you can handle an
Little Rock
MHC Kenworth armored personnel carrier, you sure in hell can
(866) 419-5718 handle one of these suckers.”
MHC Truck Leasing
(866) 862-5283 —President Joe Biden appeals to veterans during his remarks on the Trucking Action Plan to strengthen our
MHC Carrier Transicold nation’s supply chains
(866) 243-9660
Fort Smith “I was robbed
MHC Truck Leasing “The ‘pro’ is very showbiz … The ‘con’ is
(866) 804-7860 that the oil companies do not necessarily at a gas station
Springdale
MHC Kenworth/Volvo pass that on to the consumer. They in N.J. last night
Dealership (866) 271-0785
Leasing & Rental ... The police
Truck Source Van Buren haven’t in the past. So we’re losing the
Carrier MHC Kenworth asked me if I
RoadReady money in the Highway Trust Fund. It goes
TRP (866) 811-1358 knew who did
OVER 125 LOCATIONS IN 19 STATES to the oil companies. You cannot write it ... I said yes
a law that requires them to pass it on. ... it was pump
That’s just the way that is.” number 9.”
—Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on why she’s against a gas tax holiday as a —Rapper and actor Ice-T tweeted about
response to the surging fuel prices the inflating gas prices
—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared during a video message at the Grammy Awards to ask for
support in telling the story of Ukraine’s invasion by Russia
mhc.com |
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 9
NEWS IN BRIEF
ROBIN HUTCHESON NOMINATED 1,100 people across nine divi-
TO FMCSA ADMINISTRATOR POST sions including drinking water,
On April surface waters and sewers, solid
6, President
waste and recycling, fleet man-
Photo: National Association of City Transportation Officials Biden for- agement and all transportation
functions.
mally nomi-
Hutcheson’s nomination
nated Robin
Hutcheson
will go before the U.S. Senate
to become
administra- for confirmation.
tor of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety POULTRY AND PETROL
Administration. Hutcheson has served PRICES ON THE RISE
as acting administrator since Jan. 19, Prices at the grocery store
and previously served as deputy assis- and gas pump continue to
tant secretary for safety policy for the rise as the U.S. Department of
U.S. Department of Transportation. Agriculture reports 30 of the 38
“We congratulate Deputy commonly traded commodities
Administrator Hutcheson on her are priced higher now than a
nomination to head FMCSA, and year ago.
we support her swift confirmation Among the most inflated
by the Senate,” American Trucking prices are turkey breasts
Associations President Chris Spear (166.5% higher) and chicken breasts ers. In early March, the Consumer Price
said in a statement. “She has (87.3% higher). Chicken processors like Index for all urban consumers rose
deep experience in transportation Tyson Foods and Pilgrim’s increased 7.9% from a year ago. Energy prices
administration, having previously production in February, but ongoing were 25.6% higher, and food prices
served as director of public works supply chain issues and labor shortages were up nearly 8% from the year ago
for the City of Minneapolis and only beleaguer their inability to keep up period. Other items besides food and
transportation director for Salt Lake with demand. fuel saw prices increase 6.4% in March.
City, which makes her well-qualified These and other manufacturers Consumers have to go back nearly 40
and prepared for this vital role. also rely on natural gas, electricity and years to see this level of inflation in
Her commitment to working with crude oil to run their operations. food this high, according to the U.S.
our industry to improve safety is U.S. natural gas booked a triple- Bureau of Labor Statistics.
unwavering.” digit increase at 117.3% amid more
Prior to joining FMCSA, at DOT usage this winter and tightening global TAPPING THE FUEL RESERVES
Hutcheson led the development of the supply since the Russian invasion of As the Russian invasion of Ukraine
National Roadway Safety Strategy and Ukraine began. continues and fuel prices soar at the
was instrumental in the development of While fuel prices in Arkansas are fastest rate ever recorded by the Energy
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, espe- lower than the national average, year- Department, on March 31, President
cially the new Safe Streets and Roads for over-year prices are still up with gaso- Biden announced an unprecedented
All program. line up 42% and diesel prices up 61%. release of crude oil from the nation’s
As director of public works for Rising manufacturing expenses Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Minneapolis, she oversaw a team of translates to higher prices for consum-
10 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
WELCOME,
NEW ATA MEMBERS!
Together, We Are the Power of Association
We welcome the following new members. Each new member
adds to the Arkansas trucking industry’s collective strength to
promote, protect and serve with a unified voice.
ALLIED MEMBERS PEOPLE. DATA. ANALYTICS.
ACADEMY BANK Brentwood, Tenn.
Kansas City, Mo. 479-462-8316
870-688-7216 pdateam.com
academybank.com Driver retention services
Financial services PENSKE TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS
ALLEGIANCE TRUCKS Little Rock, Ark.
Lewisville, Texas 501-562-3744 underground storage caverns along the
469-645-7120 gopenske.com Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts.
allegiancetrucks.com Equipment rental and leasing On March 14, the national average
Truck dealership TRANSTEX LICENSE AND PERMIT price of a gallon of diesel hit a record
GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER SOLUTIONS, LLC high of $5.25. When adjusted for infla-
COMPANY Cedar Park, Texas tion, prices are still lower than the all-
Akron, Ohio 512-456-7142 time highs of 2008; but the Department
901-301-1003 transtexlps.com of Energy warns it has never seen retail
goodyeartrucktires.com License and permitting services fuel prices increase so quickly on a per-
Commercial tire provider CARRIER MEMBERS centage basis over a three-week period.
GULF SOUTH INSURANCE AGENCY The White House emphasized that
Baton Rouge, La. AVT GLOBAL LOGISTICS all of this is a short-term solution and
225-292-3096 Naperville, Ill. stressed the need to transition to clean
gsiala.com 708-515-1062 energy.
Insurance services NEW SOUTH EXPRESS Department of Energy Secretary
ISAAC INSTRUMENTS Myrtle Beach, S.C. Jennifer Granholm said in a statement,
Cleveland, Ohio newsouthexpress.com “Putin’s actions in Ukraine and the
888-658-7520 843-903-8817 resulting disruptions to global energy
isaacinstruments.com Number of trucks: 147 markets have demonstrated the urgent
Fleet management solutions RIDDLE & ASSOCIATES need to accelerate our clean energy
NOCELL TECHNOLOGIES Greenbrier, Ark. transition, which will make our country
Aliso Viejo, Calif. 501-730-5445 more energy independent and much less
920-851-4031 Number of trucks: 3 vulnerable to the whims of dictators.”
nocell.com
Safety technologies For membership information, visit FEDEX FOUNDER STEPPING
arkansastrucking.com DOWN AS CEO
FedEx Corp. founder Fred Smith
NEWS IN BRIEF, will become executive chairman
Continued from page 10 second largest release from the SPR on effective June 1 and current President
record just last November, which was and Chief Operating Officer Raj
The administration will put 1 mil- 50 million barrels. The Department of Subramaniam will be promoted to
lion additional barrels on the market Energy will use the revenue from the president and CEO.
per day on average — every day — for release to restock the SPR, a U.S. gov- “Over the course of five decades,
the next six months. This follows the ernment complex of four sites with deep Fred built FedEx from the ground up
12 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
into one of the pany. He also served as executive vice regardless of age, background and
most iconic and president and chief marketing and gender.”
innovative compa- communications officer of FedEx Corp., Last month, the American Trucking
nies the world has where he was responsible for developing Associations signed a historic agree-
ever known,” said the corporate strategy. ment with the U.S. Department of
American Trucking Labor establishing the association as an
Associations TALKING WORKFORCE AT THE official registered apprenticeship spon-
President Chris Spear. “His contribu- WHITE HOUSE sor. As a USDOL-recognized sponsor at
tions have not only benefited our indus- Against the backdrop of three the national level, ATA can now provide
try; they have helped transform our Class 8 trucks on the South Lawn of its member-companies the ability to
economy and forever changed the way the White House, representatives from offer apprenticeships to job applicants
we all live.” trucking joined President Biden and while ATA and its partner FASTPORT—a
Subramaniam has more than other leaders on April 4 to tout the USDOL intermediary specializing in
30 years of global experience across administration’s progress on industry transportation and logistics—adminis-
strategy and operations. Prior to his workforce initiatives. ters the program for the participating
role as president and COO of FedEx President Biden said the programs, companies.
Corp., Subramaniam was president “allow aspiring drivers to earn while “This long-sought designation
and CEO of FedEx Express, the world’s they learn, while making this essential provides our member companies valu-
largest express transportation com- job more attractive to potential drivers able new tools and resources to help
recruit and train the next generation
of trucking talent,” said ATA President
Chris Spear. “We thank and commend
President Biden, Secretary Walsh and
Secretary Buttigieg for their commit-
ment to the men and women of truck-
ing who keep America moving forward.”
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 13
FMCSA PULLS TWO PROPOSED
CALENDAR OF EVENTS CDL RULE CHANGES
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration is withdrawing two
notices of proposed rulemaking regard-
JUNE JULY ing commercial driver’s licenses due to
concerns from industry stakeholders.
JUNE 7 JULY 17–20 One rule would have allowed states
AFC-MTC-SMC Q2 MEETINGS TRUCKING ASSOCIATION
Rogers, Ark. EXECUTIVES COUNCIL’S ANNUAL to use a third-party skills test examiner
JUNE 8–10 MEETING to administer the commercial driver’s
NATMI ESSENTIAL INSTRUCTIONAL Waimea, Hawaii license skills test to applicants to whom
SKILLS FOR PROFESSIONAL DRIVER AUGUST they had also provided skills training.
TRAINERS AUGUST 8–12 However, some states worried about
Virtual Course potential fraud with no mechanisms
NATMI CSS & CDS FLEET SAFETY
JUNE 23–25 CERTIFICATION in place to verify a person taking the
ARKANSAS TRUCKING Virtual Course knowledge test in one jurisdiction is in
CHAMPIONSHIPS AUGUST 15–19 fact the same person taking the skills
Rogers, Ark.
AMERICAN TRUCKING test in another and the potential for
ASSOCIATIONS’ NATIONAL TRUCK conflict of interest or examiner bias.
DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS In its response to the withdrawal,
AND STEP VAN DRIVING
For calendar CHAMPIONSHIPS American Trucking Associations com-
information, visit Indianapolis, Ind. mented, "ATA believes that eliminating
arkansastrucking.com AUGUST 23–24 the prohibition preventing third-party
NATMI MOTOR FLEET ACCIDENT skills test examiners from administering
INVESTIGATION the CDL skills test to applicants when
Virtual Course the examiners also provided skills train-
ing will have no adverse effect on safety.”
The FMCSA is also withdrawing a
NEWS IN BRIEF, Chewy started a program in proposed rule that would have allowed
Continued from page 13 January to place inventory closer to driver applicants to take CDL general
customers and is in the process of and specialized knowledge tests in a
launching a “transload overseas ship- state (the testing state) other than
LINEHAUL IS FOR THE ping initiative” to position international the applicant’s home. The applicant’s
DOGS’…FOOD inventory closer to fulfillment centers, home state would have been required to
Online pet supply retailer Chewy Singh said. Additionally, Chewy formed accept knowledge test results from the
has begun operating a portion of its an internal supply chain research and testing state. Some states argued secu-
linehaul needs through its own middle planning team that will enable “geo- rity concerns with ensuring the CLP
mile fleet and network in a bid for more located inventory discovery for cus- being delivered to the correct recipient.
reliable and less expensive transporta- tomers,” along with other inventory All of the states that commented
tion, CEO Sumit Singh said on the com- availability improvements. on the proposed rules (Virginia,
pany’s most recent earnings call. Oregon, Washington, Minnesota and
The initiative, called Chewy Freight Missouri) also raised concern that
Services, launched in the Phoenix mar- lifting the prohibition could nega-
ket in the first quarter and comes as the tively impact safety by undermining the
company faces higher out-of-stock lev- integrity of skills testing.
els and expects freight rates to remain
elevated in 2022. Chewy already saw AMAZON SELECTS UA LITTLE
a 22% rise in the cost of goods sold ROCK, UA PULASKI TECH FOR
during fiscal year 2021, in part due to WORKFORCE PROGRAM
outbound freight and shipping costs, The University of Arkansas at Little
according to its annual financial report. Rock and the University of Arkansas –
Chewy Freight Services is just one Pulaski Technical College were selected
way it’s tackling supply chain chal- as education partners for Amazon’s
lenges. Career Choice program, which provides
14 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
ADVERTISER
RESOURCE INDEX
Aon ..................................Inside Front Cover
ArcBest .......................................................37
Arkansas Department of Transportation ..51
Arkansas Trucking
Association ...................25, 27, 43, 49, 52, 59
Bruckner’s Truck & Equipment ................21
Custard Insurance Adjusters .....................32
Drivers Legal Plan .....................................36
FedEx Freight .............................................34
Great West Casualty Company .................47
InfoStream .................................................45
McGriff .....................................................57
McLeod Software .......................................41
Amazon’s hourly employees in central following too closely, improper lane
Arkansas with access to more than 180 change, drunk or drugged driving, etc. MHC ............................................................8
accredited degree programs. “The rising fatalities on our road- PrePass .......................................................29
UA Little Rock and UA Pulaski Tech ways are a national crisis; we cannot
are the first higher education institu- and must not accept these deaths as Rush Truck Centers .....................................4
tions in Arkansas to be named Career inevitable,” said U.S. Transportation
Choice partners by Amazon. Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a press SBS Truck Specialists .................................26
“Having a company pay for an release.
employees’ college education at the In March, the National Highway Southern Tire Mart .....................................3
same time the employee has a great job Traffic Safety Administration released Stallion Transportation ...............Back Cover
removes some of the most significant its latest annual traffic crash report,
barriers to attainment,” said UA-PTC showing that 38,824 lives were lost in TLG Peterbilt .............................................39
Chancellor Margaret Ellibee. traffic crashes nationwide in 2020 — the
Amazon’s Career Choice program highest number of fatalities since 2007. TA Petro .....................................................17
is an education benefit. In the U.S., While the number of crashes and traffic UCA ...........................................................23
Amazon said it is investing $1.2 billion injuries declined overall, fatal crashes
to upskill more than 300,000 employees increased by 6.8%. Utility Tri-State, Inc.....................................6
by 2025 to help move them into higher- A key finding in the report was a
paying, in-demand jobs. 17% increase in speed-related fatalities. Wayne Smith Trucking .............................11
Consequently, speeding, in particular, Whiting Systems .......................................24
OPERATION SAFE DRIVER WEEK will be a dangerous driving behavior
TO FOCUS ON SPEEDING that officers will identify and target This edition of Arkansas Trucking Report
During this year’s Operation Safe during Operation Safe Driver Week. was made possible with the support of these
Driver Week, July 10–16, law enforce- Operation Safe Driver Week was corporate advertisers. They support the
trucking industry by enabling ATA to provide
ment in the U.S., Canada and Mexico created by the Commercial Vehicle this publication to its members, prospective
will be on roadways issuing warnings Safety Alliance with support from members, elected officials and the national
and citations to commercial motor federal agencies in Canada, Mexico trucking and business community at large.
They deserve your consideration and patronage
vehicle and passenger vehicle drivers and the U.S. to improve the driving when making your corporate purchasing
engaging in unsafe driving behaviors, behaviors of all drivers and reduce decisions. Thank you!
such as speeding, distracted driving,
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 15
the number of crashes involving Photo: Tesla.com
commercial motor vehicles on our
roadways through educational and
traffic enforcement strategies.
J.B. HUNT LAUNCHES PROGRAM
OFFERING CARBON OFFSET
CREDITS
J.B. Hunt Transport Services
announced the launch of Clean
Transport, a new program that will
allow its customers to acquire carbon
offset credits equivalent to the emis- The electric vehicle maker Ukrainian people, and we’re proud to do
sions created by their shipments. announced in January it was delaying even a little bit to ease their suffering.”
“J.B. Hunt is committed to lead- introductions of new models to next The Trucking Cares Foundation
ing the industry toward a low-carbon year, citing challenges scaling up exist- board approved donations total-
future,” said Craig Harper, chief sus- ing products in the midst of supply ing $42,500 to three organizations
tainability officer and executive vice chain issues. involved in relief efforts in Ukraine and
president at J.B. Hunt. “Many of our Musk showed prototypes of the its neighbors: Save the Children, the
customers are working towards short- Semi and next-generation Roadster in International Red Cross and the United
and long-term sustainability goals, and November 2017 and the Cybertruck Nations Children’s Fund. These organi-
Clean Transport will serve as a great in November 2019. At the time of zations have been recommended by the
extension of the efforts they’re already their unveiling, initial production was group Trucking & Logistics Professionals
taking to reduce the carbon footprint of planned for 2019 and 2020, respec- for Ukraine, which have launched a
their supply chain.” tively. fundraising and awareness campaign in
Working with third-party organiza- However, Tesla has been rolling out response to the crisis.
tions, J.B. Hunt will provide program plenty of the Model Y vehicles. With “The Trucking Cares Foundation
participants with data showing the additional capacity coming online at was established to help mobilize the
amount of carbon offsets like reforesta- factories in Austin and near Berlin, trucking industry in response to
tion and clean power generation needed analysts expect Model Y to be the disasters — natural and manmade — so
to achieve a carbon neutral shipment world’s best-selling EV this year and to providing relief and comfort to
and obtain carbon credits supporting potentially crack the top five among all Ukrainians suffering as a result of this
the project selected by the customer. vehicles, electric or otherwise. war is something we are called to do,”
Clean Transport is currently avail- said American Trucking Associations
able for J.B. Hunt Intermodal customers TRUCKING CARES FOUNDATION Chairman Harold Sumerford Jr., CEO of
and will expand to additional service DONATES TO UKRAINE RELIEF J&M Tank Lines.
areas as part of the program’s growth. EFFORTS For more information on the
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activity. a trio of organiza-
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TESLA SEMIS RESCHEDULED Ukrainian humani-
FOR 2023 RELEASE tarian relief efforts.
New timelines have been “The war
announced for three Tesla Inc. products, unfolding in Ukraine
including an electric semi. is a terrible tragedy,”
“We’ll be in production with said TCF Chairman
Cybertruck next year, we’ll be in pro- Phil Byrd, president
duction with the Roadster, and with and CEO of Bulldog
Semi,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Hiway Express. “The
stage at the company’s “Cyber Rodeo” trucking industry
on April 7 in Austin, Texas. stands with the
16 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
Untitled-3 1 3/24/22 1:45 PM
Untitled-3 1 3/24/22 1:45 PM
Pave an Old Site;
Put Up a Parking Lot
Trucking industry, ARDOT partnering to build 84-space parking lot in West Memphis
area. Some personal vehicle operators
have used it as a carpool share site.
The project is being made possible
by the Arkansas Commercial Truck
Safety Education Program, or ACTSEP,
which was created by legislation in
2013. The program funds public-private
programs focused on increased enforce-
ment, regulatory compliance, training
and educational programs. Through the
legislation, it is funded with the first
$2 million collected each year from
a 15% increase in the International
Registration Plan fee for certain trucks.
The upfront costs of adding con-
crete and capacity are being covered by
ACTSEP funds. The facility will be con-
structed by the Arkansas Department
of Transportation, which will pay for
operation and maintenance costs as
well as the components of a truck park-
ing notification system.
That system will include a dynamic
message sign that will notify drivers
of available spaces about two miles in
advance. It will be composed among
other elements of a radar detector at
the facility’s entrance and exit with
cameras covering the parking facility for
periodic verification of available spaces.
The project design originally
By Steve Brawner The bid winner, Weaver-Bailey included a Highway Police substation
Contributing Writer Contractors, will probably begin con- and a restroom with four stalls each
struction on the $6.1 million project in for men and women, including two
A partnership between the July, said Brad McCaleb, ARDOT divi- toilets and two urinals for the men.
Arkansas trucking community and the sion engineer for transportation plan- But the initial bids came in too high,
Arkansas Department of Transportation ning and policy. so the number of parking spaces was
will create an 84-space truck parking The location has been open to both reduced, and the building facilities were
lot at a former rest and tourist spot in trucks and personal vehicles, and there removed. McCaleb said ARDOT officials
West Memphis. is some striping in the larger parking realized that combining the parking and
18 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
the buildings in the original contract The 84 spaces will be constructed balance the trucking industry’s need for
was creating some risk for the contrac- primarily of roller compacted concrete. parking with the need for more highway
tors that was reflected in the price. Nine inches will be added to the pave- capacity.
McCaleb said ARDOT hopes to bid out ment at a facility that has existed more Newton said truck parking can be
the restrooms in the near future before a tough sell, especially when there are
the parking facility is complete. The so many other needs. She noted that
department hopes the construction on with electronic logging devices, drivers
the restroom facility can begin while no longer have flexibility as to when
construction on the parking is ongoing. they park lest they violate the federal
It would be easier to construct the rest- “AS FREIGHT DEMAND government’s hours-of-service rules.
rooms before trucks start parking. The The situation forces drivers who are
Highway Police substation is on hold. CONTINUES TO GO bumping up against their allotted 11
UP, THE NUMBER OF hours to either violate the regulation or
SELLING THE NEED TRUCKS CONTINUES park in a less-than-ideal place, like an
The location was one of several exit ramp. Or, they leave the road early,
considered by ARDOT officials and TO GO UP … WE ARE and in the process deprive themselves
ACTSEP members. Steve Williams, HOLDING DRIVERS TO and their companies of income while
chairman and CEO of Maverick THIS HIGHER STANDARD diminishing the supply chain’s capacity.
Transportation, said a parking facility OF ELECTRONIC LOGS Truck parking has become such a prob-
was a natural extension of ACTSEP’s lem that it ranked fifth in the American
focus on safety because drivers need a AND TAKING BREAKS, Transportation Research Institute’s most
safe place to rest. This site had the most BUT WE HAVEN’T recent “Critical Issues in the Trucking
bang for the buck. ADEQUATELY FUNDED Industry” annual survey. Among driv-
Shannon Newton, Arkansas ers, it was tied for first.
Trucking Association’s president, said INFRASTRUCTURE IN “It is hard to get people to under-
last year’s shutdown of the Hernando GENERAL, MUCH LESS stand the necessity of it,” she said. “You
de Soto Bridge over the Mississippi ADEQUATELY FUNDED just don’t think about it unless you’re
River caused major issues with trucks in the industry, but as freight demand
overflowing rest areas and parking on THESE NECESSARY continues to go up, the number of
ramps. PLACES FOR THEM trucks continues to go up, it’s impos-
Newton called the 84 spots a “huge TO SAFELY PARK AND sible for these trucks to be compliant
step in the right direction,” but other REST.” with the hours-of-service regulations.
needs exist, especially on the inter- We’ve increased all of the mechanisms
state corridor between Little Rock and by which we’re enforcing hours of
Texarkana. – SHANNON NEWTON, service. We are holding drivers to this
“We know that the parking spots ARKANSAS TRUCKING higher standard of electronic logs and
that we have are maxed out,” she said. ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT taking breaks, but we haven’t adequately
“We know if you were to drive past the funded infrastructure in general, much
White River rest area or any truck stop less adequately funded these necessary
after 6 p.m., they’re full, and there are places for them to safely park and rest.”
trucks that are being forced out onto than 40 years. In adjacent unpaved ARDOT’s Wiley said the agency
ramps or into places where they don’t areas, constructors will add nine inches doesn’t want to have an adversarial
want to be.” of new material before applying the relationship with drivers who just need
McCaleb said ARDOT has had nine inches of concrete. a place to park.
several conversations with the ACTSEP Jared Wiley, ARDOT assistant chief “It’s impossible for us as DOT
committee about additional locations. engineer for planning, said truck park- or with our enforcement arm as the
Sites are being considered on I-30 ing has been an issue for decades, but Highway Police to go out there and
between Texarkana and Little Rock. the need has become more evident. issue tickets to every parked truck every
ARDOT has also looked at additional ARDOT has already converted some night,” he said. “That’s not feasible.
locations on the I-30 corridor between existing facilities and weigh pads for That’s just not sustainable. So we have
Little Rock and West Memphis but has parking and added portable restrooms to find other ways to try to improve the
not found a suitable location. In some and trash cans. The department recog- situation.”
places, the terrain makes it expensive to nizes the need for additional parking
get the site prepped. along major freight routes, but it must
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 19
She hopes federal funding coming from
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
“IT’S UNFORTUNATE THAT WE DIDN’T GET THE Act will be used to address the parking
DEDICATED FUNDING BECAUSE NOW PARKING HAS problem. She does not expect funding
TO COMPETE WITH EVERYTHING ELSE, AND THERE from the half-cent sales tax approved by
Arkansas voters in 2020 to go directly
ARE MORE NEEDS THAN MONEY IN THE HIGHWAY to parking. That money has already
SPACE, BUT AT LEAST THERE’S THE POTENTIAL FOR been committed to projects presented to
ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM WITH ALL THE NEW voters during the campaign.
Maverick’s Williams said there are
MONEY THAT’S OUT THERE.” many reasons to ensure drivers have a
safe place to park. The industry must
—DARREN ROTH, AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS VICE ensure drivers are rested so they can
PRESIDENT OF HIGHWAY POLICY be safe on the road. Making the sup-
ply chain more efficient is also a goal.
Drivers are managed to the minute and
are often placed in the position of park-
HOW TO PAY FOR PARKING than a full truck stop. He expects the ing illegally or violating their hours-of-
Darren Roth, the American private sector to get creative. service requirements. Many are pulling
Trucking Associations’ vice president “We’ve seen a number of developers over early and losing driving time.
of highway policy, said efforts at the who have become very interested in this “We spent years ensuring that driv-
federal level to appropriate money spe- space, and so they have approached us ers were properly rested from a regula-
cifically for truck parking have been about working together, trying to work tory standpoint, and when you do that,
unsuccessful, but more money is now with state governments to address this guess what?” he said. “You don’t have
available to address the issue. The U.S. issue,” he said. “I think the private sec- room for everybody to sleep. So if the
House of Representatives passed a tor certainly sees this as an opportunity, objective is truly about safety of our
highway bill with $1 billion for park- so I think we’ll see a lot more collabora- driver and safety of those for which we
ing, but the money didn’t make it out tion, a lot more public-private partner- share the road, then we have to deal
of the Senate. Instead, the $1.2 trillion ships trying to address this problem.” with their ability to get a good night’s
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act rest. So this is consistent with our safe-
passed by Congress last year increased THE SUPPLY CHAIN REQUIRES ty agenda. It’s very practical.”
highway funding by 38%. Most of the SAFE PARKING Williams said drivers need more
formula funds can be used for truck The problem is not only a national than just a place to park. It should
parking capacity, and there are a couple issue but also a state-by-state one. John be safe, with proper amenities. Many
of Federal Highway Administration Hausladen, president of the Minnesota parking locations don’t offer enough
grant programs where parking is eligi- Trucking Association, said a study a few security for female drivers. A parking lot
ble. The American Trucking Associations years ago revealed shortages in many without bathrooms will produce unsan-
is encouraging states to apply and use areas in his state that are location- and itary results. Williams polled his driver
federal aid highway money for truck time-of-day specific. The MTA is seek- advisory board at Maverick about what
parking. ing funding to expand a couple of loca- its members felt was needed. They said a
“It’s unfortunate that we didn’t tions northwest of Minneapolis and is level place was highly desirable because
get the dedicated funding because now trying to appropriate $250,000 as seed they can’t sleep on the side of a hill.
parking has to compete with everything money that would be available to local Williams said times have changed
else, and there are more needs than governments. In January, Minneapolis since the days when his father would
money in the highway space. At least, enacted an ordinance prohibiting park- sleep on a blanket underneath his truck.
there’s the potential for addressing this ing a truck on any city street, which “The people that are coming into
problem with all the new money that’s is a problem for trucks under dispatch this industry are not going to tolerate
out there,” he said. that are trying to be close to the busi- what drivers have had to put up with
Roth said more public-private nesses they serve. Also, Minneapolis has over the last 40 years,” he said. “They’ll
partnerships like the one in West a large number of truck drivers who live just go do something else. So we have
Memphis could be on the way. There in city apartments who don’t have any- to get the obstacles out of the way, or
have been proposals for private where else to park. America’s supply chain problems are
developers who want to build parking Newton said the ATA will continue never going to get fixed.” ATR
facilities with basic services but less to advocate for funds for truck parking.
20 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
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ATRI Study: Fleets Paying More
for Less Insurance
Carriers face rising insurance costs despite investments in new technology or
improving safety records
By Steve Brawner
Contributing Writer
Motor carriers are decreasing their
commercial trucking insurance cover-
age and increasing deductibles, but
they’re still paying higher premiums.
Smaller fleets are paying much more
for insurance per mile than larger ones.
Investments in safety technology may
make crashes less likely but don’t neces-
sarily lead to lower insurance costs. And
after a carrier reduces its coverage, it
tends to have fewer incidents.
Those were some of the find-
ings of a new report, “The Impact of
Rising Insurance Costs on the Trucking
Industry,” released in February by the
American Transportation Research
Institute.
ATRI came to its conclusions by
surveying member firms. Responses
came from 82 carriers representing
94,555 truck tractors and straight and
specialty trucks that drove a total of
7.5 billion International Fuel Trade
Agreement miles in 2020. Of those,
29.3% represented “small” carriers with
1–20 trucks, while another 29.3% were
“medium” fleets with 21–100 trucks.
Another 20.7% were “large” fleets with
101–1,000 trucks, while “very large”
fleets with more than 1,000 trucks “WE’RE ALL TRYING TO DO ANYTHING WE CAN
represented another 20.7%. A variety of TO BECOME LESS DEPENDENT ON THE RETAIL
trucking sectors responded, with truck- INSURANCE MARKET.”
load carriers having the most responses
at 23.2%.
Carriers are operating in an —HARVEY BEECH, EOS TRUCKING, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
increasingly costly insurance environ-
22 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
ment. Ninety percent of the respon-
dents said their premiums increased
from 2018 to 2020, even though only
12.5% increased their insurance cover-
age. Additionally, 18.3% of carriers that
did not increase coverage—mostly large
and very large fleets—saw increases of
more than 50%.
Very large and large fleets saw their
premiums increase more than medium
and small fleets. Larger fleets were pay-
ing more because they were maintain-
ing expensive excess coverage. Most
small carriers were maintaining only
the minimum $750,000 required by the
federal government or slightly more,
leaving them more exposed.
CUTTING COVERAGE, NOT PRICES BUSINESS FOUNDATION FOR A
These increases are not new. A pre-
vious ATRI report, “An Analysis of the SUCCESSFUL CAREER
Operational Costs of Trucking,” found
that insurance premiums increased 47%
over 10 years, from 5.9 cents per mile in UNDERGRADUATE & GRADUATE | ONLINE OR IN PERSON
2010 to 8.7 cents in 2020.
A number of carrier-specific factors
affect rates, including fleet size, sector Since its inception in 1969, the UCA College of Business has
and operation type, and the carrier’s educated the business leaders of tomorrow. Our students
primary state or region of operation. receive a high-quality education from knowledgeable, nationally
The adoption of safety technologies had recognized faculty. Our hands-on learning opportunities and
less of an effect, though some insurers rigorous curriculum prepare graduates to navigate the changing
consider safety technology adoption to business world.
be an indicator of a carrier’s commit-
ment to safety, along with the active
involvement by executive leadership in The UCA College of Business is among the top business schools
the fleet’s safety culture. in the country and is continuously accredited by the Association
Carriers were paying more for to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
insurance even though they were car-
rying less coverage. From 2018 to 2020, Go here. Go anywhere.
very large fleets reduced their total
coverage levels by nearly 55 percent,
while large fleets reduced coverage
by 44 percent. Small fleets decreased
coverage less than 1%, while medium
fleets slightly increased their coverage.
Reductions were seen in excess cover-
age above $1 million, which insurance
experts say is the minimum required
by most shippers and receivers. Among
very large fleets, 70.6% cut excess cover-
age by 25% or more between 2018 and
2020. Large and small fleets also saw
uca.edu/business
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 UCA_COB_LSCM_Trucking_Ad2/3.indd 1 4/5/22 4:00 PM 23
drops in excess coverage. The exception Insurance costs varied greatly by insurance costs rose higher in compari-
was medium fleets. sector, with less-than-truckload car- son. And while injury and fatal crashes
But even though carriers were riers paying less per mile while seeing did increase over that time period,
decreasing their coverage, they were still the biggest increase of 66%. LTL carri- they remained below where they had
paying more for insurance. Of those ers’ insurance rates increased from 1.5 been in the early 2000s. Meanwhile,
that decreased coverage either of those cents per mile to 2.5 cents from 2018 average out-of-pocket expenses were
two years, only 14.3% paid lower pre- to 2020. Intermodal carriers were pay- holding steady or actually falling, sug-
miums. Only 12.2% that maintained ing the most at 14.9 cents per mile, an gesting that annual safety incidents
the same level of coverage managed to increase from the 11.6 cents they were had not increased. Very large fleets saw
secure lower premiums. At the same paying in 2018. Flatbed carriers were an increase in average out-of-pocket
time motor carriers were paying more paying the next highest rate at 13.3 incidents from 2018 to 2019, but then
for insurance, all but the small fleets cents versus the 10.3 cents they were the number fell the next year to slightly
were raising their deductibles. paying two years earlier. Tanker car- more than the 2018 levels. Large fleets
Meanwhile, smaller fleets were pay- riers were paying 12.2 cents per mile saw average out-of-pocket expenses fall
ing more per mile for insurance than in 2020, compared to 9 cents in 2018. both years.
larger carriers. In 2020, medium fleets’ Truckload carriers paid 4.6 cents per Unfortunately, safety improve-
insurance costs rose from 10.2 cents mile in 2020, an increase from the 3.2 ments did not result in lower premiums.
to 12.6 cents per mile, while small car- cents they were paying in 2018. Only 17.1% of carriers that reduced
riers’ rates increased from 10.9 cents their three-year crash totals between
to 12.5 cents. In contrast, very large INSURANCE RATES UNCOUPLED 2015-17 and 2016-18, or 2016-18 and
fleets were paying 3.7 cents per mile FROM SAFETY RECORDS 2017-19, saw their premiums fall in the
for insurance, an increase from the 2.1 The increase in insurance rates was next policy year, while 74% had higher
cents they were paying in 2018. Large not directly correlated with carriers’ premiums.
fleets saw their insurance costs per mile safety records. While truck-involved Interestingly, carriers that were
increase from 5.3 cents to 7.2 cents over crashes increased somewhat in fre- raising their deductibles were involved
that time period. quency and severity from 2009 to 2018, in fewer crashes. In fact, 75% of the
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24 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
carriers that increased deductibles
or self-insurance retention costs had
lower out-of-pocket costs. These car-
riers were more than twice as likely UNFORTUNATELY, SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS DID
to reduce crashes as the ones that NOT RESULT IN LOWER PREMIUMS. ONLY 17.1% OF
decreased deductibles. Eighty percent
that decreased excess coverage decreased CARRIERS THAT REDUCED THEIR THREE-YEAR CRASH
their crashes the next year. Carriers that TOTALS BETWEEN 2015-17 AND 2016-18, OR 2016-
decreased excess coverage were almost 18 AND 2017-19, SAW THEIR PREMIUMS FALL IN
twice as likely to have fewer crashes as
the ones who increased coverage. As the THE NEXT POLICY YEAR, WHILE 74% HAD HIGHER
ATRI report notes, “For these carriers, PREMIUMS.
greater exposure was an effective incen-
tive to lowering risk.”
At the same time carriers were
paying more for insurance, they also had adopted those cameras in the last However, ATRI could find no signif-
were paying more for expensive safety three years. Speed governors were next icant correlations between purchasing
technology. Ninety-two percent of the (46.1%), followed by forward collision these systems and insurance premi-
survey’s respondents had adopted new warning systems (43.4%), adaptive ums. Road-facing cameras can provide
safety technology in the last three years, cruise control (42.1%), lane departure evidence of a carrier’s innocence, but
and 56% had adopted three or more warning systems (42.1%), and air disc the other technologies do not directly
safety technologies. By far the most brakes (40.8%). Also seeing high adop- reduce rates, in part because they add
popular technology added from 2018-19 tion rates were automated emergency to the cost of truck repairs and replace-
was road-facing cameras, which were braking systems (31.6%), tire pressure ments.
added by 82.9% of all fleets. The sur- monitoring systems (30.3%), and driv-
vey found that 58.3% of small carriers er-facing cameras (26.3%).
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 25
total cost of risk calculation where it
evaluates all costs associated with risk,
including coverage, deductible, liability
exposure and other risk costs.
Looking to the future, insurance
“IT’S ALL JUST PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND experts expect cost increases to con-
DRIVER EDUCATION AND AWARENESS, AND THEN tinue, though at a slightly slower pace
IT’S UP TO US TO DO THE BEST JOB TO SHOP THE in 2022. Commercial auto insurers were
MARKET AND DO THE BEST WE CAN. OF COURSE, significantly more profitable in 2020,
which may help.
THE MARKET’S PRETTY LIMITED THESE DAYS.” Harvey Beech, founder and presi-
dent of North Little Rock-based EOS
—BILL DAVIS, BILL DAVIS TRUCKING FOUNDER Trucking, knows too well the challenges
of running a trucking company in this
insurance environment. He’s still pay-
ing the same premium now as when he
started with five trucks in 2013. Now
CARRIER RESPONSES TO RISING equipment purchases and maintenance he has 270, which would qualify him as
INSURANCE RATES and 13.4% were cutting costs through a “large fleet” in the ATRI survey.
The survey found that carriers were employee hiring and firing. The report “I’m so much more premium and
reducing costs in order to pay for insur- noted the irony that cutting wages and a much bigger account, but I have not
ance. The most common cost reduc- maintenance can increase a carrier’s achieved any kind of savings whatso-
tion was reducing wages and bonuses, risk of a crash or of other bad outcomes. ever,” he said.
which 34.1% of respondents said they The report said the most important Beech’s dry van truckload carrier,
were doing. Another 24% were cutting thing a carrier can do regarding insur- which delivers products from paper and
insurance costs, while 22% were cutting ance is to conduct a comprehensive rice mills in Arkansas and northern
26 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
Louisiana to 48 states, has been with “The insurance industry really “It’s all just paying attention to
the same insurer for several years. The started pushing the cameras and detail and driver education and aware-
company has mitigated the rising costs really started pushing the crash ness, and then it’s up to us to do the best
by becoming a single parent captive for mitigation, right?” he said. "They’ve job to shop the market and do the best
physical damages only — in other words, been pushing that on us, that you need we can,” he said. “Of course, the mar-
he’s basically his own insurance com- to get cameras. You need to get crash ket’s pretty limited these days.”
pany. He’s also increased his deductible mitigation. But I haven’t gotten any The limits in the market and the
for liability coverage. kind of a discount because I went out decreasing competition, Davis references,
“We’re all trying to do anything we and did all that. We’ve gone out and is one of the changes accelerating the
can to become less dependent on the done all that because we want to be a increasing prices. The higher insurance
retail insurance market,” he said. safe fleet.” costs are driven by a variety of factors,
Meanwhile, his company is vigilant For Bill Davis, founder of Bill including general inflation and rising
when it comes to safety. EOS Trucking Davis Trucking, Inc. in Batesville, rising healthcare costs; the rising costs of tech-
has never had a fatality accident. He, health insurance costs have been a big- nical advances in trucks, where electronics
brother Brad Beech, the company’s CEO, ger issue than rising commercial truck compose 40% of the cost; rising litigation
and/or the safety director approve every insurance costs since the passage of the awards; and industry growth that increas-
new driver hire. The company installs Affordable Care Act, otherwise known es exposure to risk. Insurers have been
crash mitigation systems on all its new as Obamacare. reallocating coverage to less risky sectors
trucks, including forward-facing cameras. Liability and cargo insurance costs or leaving the market; the loss of com-
The cameras help truckers establish their have increased as well. One solution for petition causes rates to rise even more.
innocence in an environment where they his carrier has been to focus on safety. Rates have increased as a result of “social
are often assumed to be guilty. One year, He said his company has an excellent inflation,” or a change in public attitudes
he had five crashes on his CSA report safety rating and zero claims. The com- toward fault that go beyond typical eco-
that were the other party’s fault, and he pany hires drivers with safe records, nomic inflation. These changes result in
had video evidence in his favor in two of provides safety bonuses and governs bigger insurance payouts that are reflected
them, he said. speeds. in the rates motor carriers pay. ATR
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ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 27
COUNCIL QUARTERLY
.
.
Networking Professional Development Service
ATA members have the opportunity to be represented in a variety of industry 40 UNDER 40 COUNCIL MEETING
councils that address issues specific to safety, maintenance/technology, March 4
accounting/finance and industry leadership. Each council holds
quarterly meetings, hosts speakers and panels on relevant industry
topics, serves as a forum for interchanging ideas and best practices,
and discusses new strategies and implementation practices.
Members of the 40 Under 40
Council gathered in Hot Springs for the
first quarter meeting of 2022. James
Reed, president and CEO of USA Truck,
was the featured speaker. He discussed
the importance of diversity, equity and
inclusion in the workplace, includ-
ing how they can positively impact
a company’s bottom-line. Shannon
Newton, ATA president, then previewed
the 2022 election season in Arkansas.
SAFETY MANAGEMENT In the second session, Dave Parker She focused on state-wide races as well
COUNCIL MEETING from the Arkansas Department of as contentious state house and senate
March 1
Sponsored by PrePass Transportation, introduced the new races.
statewide work zone safety campaign— Following the formal meeting,
The SMC kicked off the 2022 meet- Slow Down, Phone Down—and how council members visited Oaklawn Race
ings with three sessions sponsored by law enforcement will be cracking down Track for a networking lunch and time
PrePass at the Statehouse Convention on reckless and distracted driving to together at the races.
Center in Little Rock. In the first ses- reverse the rising trend of work zone
sion, FMCSA representatives, Kevin accidents in the state. ACCOUNTING & FINANCE
Breedlove and Gary Grigg, outlined the In the final session, Darron Ming COUNCIL MEETING
administration’s 2022 priorities, the of People. Data. Analytics. presented March 8
Trucking Action Plan introduced by the data from over 200,000 phone calls to Sponsored by Ritchie Bros.
White House in 2021, how the FMCSA truck drivers revealing the issues they The AFC first quarter meeting
is approaching truck parking issues and face while over the road that leads to drew 26 attendees to Little Rock to
working with the Arkansas Department turnover. Ming shared how the data can discuss the top issues affecting busi-
of Transportation to prioritize and be used to improve safety, retention and ness’ bottom line. In the first session,
expedite funding, and how the agency driver attitudes. legal experts Michelle Kaemmerling
engages in workforce issues for the and Lee Muldrow, both attorneys at
trucking industry. Wright Lindsey Jennings, presented on
28 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
Ritchie Bros. to share their experiences
and insights as truck dealers and auc-
tioneers.
In the final session, Davis Looney
of Tenney Group reviewed the trucking
merger and acquisition market in 2021,
including the trends that influenced
deal structure and business value. American Trucking Associations’
Looney provided a forecast for mergers Technology & Maintenance Council
and acquisitions for 2022. Executive Director Robert Braswell
Because Arkansas Trucking moderated the discussion of establish-
Association is registered with the ing a registered apprenticeship program
the implications of Long-Covid in the National Association of State Boards of for medium/heavy duty truck techni-
workplace, and the HR-related concerns Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of cians based on the successful launch
for employers to consider when accom- continuing professional education on last year of a similar program for auto-
modating affected workers. the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, motive technicians. ATR
During the meeting’s second ses- AFC attendees received three CPE cred-
sion, AFC chairman Darron Ming its for these sessions.
moderated a panel discussion about IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN
the current shortage environment and MAINTENANCE & TECHNOLOGY SPONSORING A FUTURE ATA
how the scarcity of equipment changes COUNCIL MEETING
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included Matt Ernst of Bruckner’s Truck MTC was a virtual panel discussion on KATIETHOMASON@
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ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 29
Point
of
Reference
FedEx Freight President and CEO Lance Moll on
being back in the office and the words
that give him direction
By Werner Trieschmann
Contributing writer
The rain has moved off, and the sun is struggling to break
through Memphis’ slate gray skies. It’s gloomy out but it doesn’t
bother the normal, informal lunch break taking place in the com-
pany cafeteria at FedEx Freight’s headquarters.
Groups of two or three FedEx team members—dressed casu-
ally—are eating, talking and laughing together. The cafeteria offers
an envious view through large windows.
Lance Moll, president and CEO of FedEx Freight, pauses from
eating his lunch, looks around the room and smiles.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN DAVID PITTMAN
30 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
Point
of
Reference
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 31
celeb r atin g
“Look at all these people!” Moll
says with genuine affection. “It’s great
to see folks back in the office.”
Moll’s comment might sound odd, “WE ARE A BLUE-COLLAR COMPANY. MY ADVICE
but not when putting it in context
with the last 18 months, where FedEx TO NEW LEADERS IN THIS BUSINESS IS TO NEVER
Freight’s company headquarters was LEAD WITH YOUR TITLE. STATE YOUR AREA OF
a veritable ghost ship. Moll says there RESPONSIBILITY. YES, TITLES ARE NECESSARY FOR
were days during the height of the pan-
demic when he was one of only a few STRUCTURE IN LARGE CORPORATIONS, BUT THEY
people working in the building. He said SHOULD NEVER DEFINE A LEADER.”
he would go from dark room to dark
room tripping on the light sensors as he —LANCE MOLL,
went. FEDEX FREIGHT PRESIDENT AND CEO
It was March 2021 when Moll
stepped in the president and CEO role
at FedEx Freight, the largest LTL trans-
portation company in North America, up work stations from home and still out from behind a desk and back out
after serving as senior vice president complete their daily jobs. Safety of every into the field, which for FedEx Freight
of operations at the company. Over a team member was paramount in every spreads over the entire continent.
year later, the pandemic pause at FedEx decision we made during the pandemic.” “I like to get out where the employ-
offices and other businesses around the ees are doing the work,” says Moll. “I
country appears to be easing. Employees OUT OF THE OFFICE, couldn’t do this with the pandemic.
who left the office to work remotely INTO THE FIELD Since most mask mandates have been
have returned to their desks. For the He is on the strategic management lifted, I’m going back out. I think people
first time, the new physical office space committee of FedEx Corporation, which feel like CEOs spend all their time at a
is bustling with people carrying out sets the direction for the FedEx enter- desk, but I try to get out into the field to
their work routines together. Moll is prise. Moll also recently took a seat spend time with the frontline as much
clearly happy to be on this side of the on the Arkansas Trucking Association as possible.”
pandemic. board of directors, replacing his FedEx But Moll also takes time to con-
“Each day created new challenges,” Freight presidential predecessor, John template the larger picture. He is a
Moll says about the early days when the Smith. Additionally, he serves on the collector of quotes, using them as a
U.S. was just coming to grips with the board of directors for the Trucking shorthand to explain his ideas in steer-
COVID-19 virus spreading quickly from Cares Foundation and on the advi- ing FedEx Freight into the future. The
coast to coast. “We had to restructure sory board for the U.S. Chamber of words of his mentors and great thinkers
field offices to allow for six feet of sepa- Commerce Foundation. become points of reference in his own
ration. There was more hand sanitizer Though Moll now occupies the top story and how he wants to lead.
than I had ever seen. We let those who seat in the company, he actively down- To illustrate his servant leader-
could work from home do so. But there plays his title in the day-to-day dealings ship philosophy, he offers this adage by
are so many of our people who can’t do at FedEx Freight. author and motivational speaker Jon
their jobs from home. Wearing a mask “We are a blue-collar company,” Gordon: “You don’t have to be great to
on a freight dock when it’s a hundred Moll notes. “My advice to new leaders serve but you have to serve to be great.
degrees outside is tough.” in this business is to never lead with Remember, you aren’t a true success
Moll’s empathy for FedEx Freight your title. State your area of responsibil- unless you help others be successful.”
workers is not an act. When speaking ity. Yes, titles are necessary for structure
of FedEx’s handling of the pandemic, he in large corporations, but they should TRUCKING, AGAINST
stresses where the credit belongs. never define a leader.” DAD’S ADVICE
“We dealt with more challenges Moll is quick to point out how the Before the trucks, the titles, the
throughout the pandemic than in all frontline of FedEx Freight is not located pandemic, Moll was just a rural kid
my 30 years in the industry. Our front- in the headquarters in Memphis. Only a growing up in Missouri.
line teams not working in the corporate small fraction of FedEx Freight’s 49,000 The town of Jackson, where Moll
office had to be in front of people from team members reports to the Memphis was born and raised with a younger
the very beginning. For the first time, office. For Moll, one of the benefits of sister, sits in the southeast corner of
corporate office employees had to set coming out of the pandemic is being
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 33
“I THINK MORE THAN A SUPPLY
CHAIN ISSUE IS THE LABOR ISSUE.
WE KNOW WE’RE GOING TO HAVE
TO RECRUIT AND ATTRACT PEOPLE
DIFFERENTLY THAN WE HAVE IN THE
PAST. WE NEED TO USE ADVANCING
TECHNOLOGY TO APPEAL TO A
GENERATION WHO HAS NOW GROWN
UP WITH IT THEIR ENTIRE LIVES.”
—LANCE MOLL,
FEDEX FREIGHT PRESIDENT AND CEO
Moll’s father’s family trucking business
delivering televisions in Jackson, Mo.
Missouri. His earliest memories spend- her next column at an old mechanical doing business. He valued his employees
ing time on his grandparents’ farm in typewriter. Moll says his mother is still greatly.”
nearby Daisy are happy ones. The farm asked to write articles to this day. Moll’s family didn’t just work.
felt suspended in time as his grandpar- Moll’s father took over Jackson A trip to Florida’s coast and its sugar
ents’ farmhouse was built around the Transfer Company from his father in white beaches was a yearly ritual. The
property’s original log cabin. 1966. He gravitated towards his father’s first Florida vacation proved to be quite
“I listened to St. Louis Cardinal business. He would hang out there memorable.
baseball games on the radio on the when he was young and work there “During one trip, my mother saw
front porch with my grandfather,” says when he got older. some Spanish Moss hanging from
Moll. “I remember fishing with cane “I would walk to my dad’s office the trees. We pulled over the car so
poles and swimming in the creek. My from school. I learned to drive a fork- she could have some. Later we found
grandmother was a constant playmate lift. I got my chauffer’s license when I out that Spanish Moss has bugs in it.
for my sister and me. I went to sleep at was 18. I drove tractor trailers for him. It wasn’t long before the bugs in the
night with all the windows open and It was a good business to be in at the Spanish Moss were all over the station
when it rained on the tin roof, there time for a smaller trucking company, wagon.”
was no better sound or smell.” but eventually became very competitive Moll said something similar hap-
Jackson is a small town (around after the industry was deregulated.” pened with a shell from the beach.
11,000 citizens counted in the 2000 Moll can look back now and see “For obvious reasons, you should
census). His mother wrote a column the appeal of running a trucking com- always make certain crab shells are
for the local newspaper, The Cash-Book pany. He also sees in his father a model actually empty before you take them
Journal, called “A Cup and a Chat.” Moll of what was important in making the home. The smell is not good,” Moll
says the column featured interviews business successful. joked.
with various people around town. He “I liked that you didn’t have to sit In school, Moll liked the history
remembers lying in bed at night hear- behind the desk. He could be meet- and business classes the most. He par-
ing the clack-clack-clack of her writing ing with customers or out of the office
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 35
doing it. The trucking companies paid
a lot more than bussing tables which
is what most of my fraternity brothers
“I HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND TO LISTEN TO ALL did. They started me at seven dollars an
PERSPECTIVES BEFORE MAKING A DECISION. THE hour.”
IMPORTANT STEP BEFORE THAT IS TO SURROUND Moll didn’t mind the sacrifices that
YOURSELF WITH A DIVERSE GROUP OF PEOPLE came with the trucking work. His shift
would start at 3 a.m. where he drove
SMARTER THAN YOU ON MULTIPLE FRONTS.” hostlers and unloaded trailers before
starting classes.
—LANCE MOLL, FEDEX FREIGHT PRESIDENT AND CEO After earning his degree in logistics,
Moll decided to go into the trucking
business. When he told his father the
news, Moll got a reply he didn’t expect.
ticipated in all the major sports and He assigned us real life business cases “My father said, ‘Come in my
excelled in football. where we had to interview people in the office,’” Moll remembers. “He said, ‘You
After earning his high school diplo- transportation industry to better under- know I will support whatever career you
ma, Moll headed off to the University stand logistics after college. He has choose, but I do not think it’s a good
of Missouri – Columbia. His interest since retired from the university, but we idea to go into the trucking industry. It
in business and logistics was growing. still stay in contact to this day.” can be very difficult and challenging.’”
One business class and one professor in Even while hitting the books for Moll told his father of his
particular helped Moll decide what was college, Moll worked for several truck- upcoming interview with Arkansas
next for him after college. ing companies. The choice to work and Freightways, a trucking company based
“Dr. Bill Wagner, a business pro- go to school was a no-brainer for him. in Harrison, Ark.
fessor, was very influential in my deci- “It was something I was doing “My dad drove me to Harrison and
sion to pursue a transportation career. before college so it made sense to keep sat in the lobby while I had my inter-
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36 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
view. While I was interviewing, the are both strong in our faith. It was an
company’s founder [Sheridan Garrison] immediate attraction.”
sat and talked with him. They had a lot Fast forward a few years – Nancy
in common and on the way home, he has made all five moves with him since
said, ‘if they offer you a job, it seems to the stint in Texas where all three of
be a pretty good company.’ What made their children were born. Innovative
it difficult for my father’s trucking
company to compete after deregulation THOUSANDS OF DECISIONS Logistics
was enabling new regional carriers, like EVERY DAY
Arkansas Freightways, to flourish. This Moll’s short time as FedEx Freight’s Solutions That
was 1992, when I started in their man- CEO has coincided with an environ- Keep Supply
agement trainee program and stayed ment for the trucking industry that has
with the company until FedEx acquired never been as difficult. The pandemic Chains Moving
them in 2000.” overlapped with a headline-grabbing
Moll shares another quote, this supply chain shortage.
time from Mark McCormack’s bestsell- “I think more than a supply chain We’re a trusted
ing business book, What they Don’t issue is the labor issue,” says Moll. “We advisor, and we see
Teach You at Harvard Business School, know we’re going to have to recruit and the world through
“The best lesson anyone can learn from attract people differently than we have
business school is an awareness of in the past. We need to use advancing your eyes. We’re
what it can’t teach you—all the ins and technology to appeal to a generation fueled by the simple
outs of everyday business life. Business who has now grown up with it their notion of finding a
degrees are important on many fronts, entire lives.”
but they are not substitutes to common “Trucking companies can only way to get the job
sense and business sense.” operate if they have the labor and done, no matter what.
The book was a gift to Moll from equipment needed to move goods, We leverage our full
his uncle, who, as a top executive at and we are seeing shortages ourselves. suite of shipping and
Bausch and Lomb, was an influence on However, we have very talented team
the young man. The pages, which Moll members who have enabled us to suc- logistics solutions to
says he read front to back numerous cessfully execute our strategy.” meet your most
times, stayed with him as he climbed Moll is an early riser. One of the critical needs, each
the corporate ladder at FedEx Freight. first things he does is turn on the and every day.
Moll’s extensive knowledge of Weather Channel to monitor how
FedEx Freight is hands-on and hard- events could potentially impact the Welcome to ArcBest.
earned. He moved 12 times during health of the company’s network.
the course of his career and came Elements out of control of FedEx arcb.com
in contact with every area of the Freight—specifically the weather—are
business, including operations, sales, something the public might not take
transportation, fleet maintenance, into consideration when they expect a
facility services and safety. He stated, shipment to arrive on time.
“Each move gave me invaluable “The weather can impact our net-
experience and taught me the work. We have an expansive footprint
importance of how to lead teams in of facilities. It’s very complicated and
differing cultures.” when you encounter a weather event in
A move to Texas early on in his one part of the country, it has a domino
time at FedEx was fortuitous. Thanks effect through your hubs and satellites.
to a fraternity brother, Moll was intro- Even though it’s not snowing in Florida,
duced to his future wife and best friend, shipments could still be impacted
Nancy. upstream. This is part of the reason we
“Being a single young man, I had have worked to develop strong relation-
made seven moves before I met Nancy,” ships with the railroads and truckload
Moll says. “We are similar people. She carriers to give us more flexibility.”
has a great sense of humor. She was
raised in a small town like me. We
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 2 2022 37
“I have to keep in mind to listen to
all perspectives before making a deci-
sion. The important step before that
is to surround yourself with a diverse
group of people smarter than you on
multiple fronts.”
Here, he references another quote,
this one by Marcus Aurelius. “It is the
responsibility of leadership to work
intelligently with what is given, and not
waste time fantasizing about a world of
flawless people and perfect choices.”
It’s no surprise Moll’s goals for the
business include highlighting the team
members who make the company suc-
AT A GLANCE WITH LANCE MOLL cessful.
FedEx Freight has ‘Purple Promise’
awards recognizing team members for
FAMILY: Wife Nancy and three children fantastic customer service stories. They
FAVORITE MEAL: Anything I can put on a grill. also have Humanitarian Awards present-
ed to team members who go the extra
I REALLY RELAX WHEN I AM … spending time with my family mile to help someone out—whether that
HOW I START MY DAYS: Jogging before reporting to the someone is in the company or a stranger
office at 6 a.m. they’ve encountered who needs help.
As another example of how his
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Leadership is simply the ability of an company prizes its workers, Moll refers
individual to coalesce the efforts of other individuals toward to the company’s top pillar, Value All
achieving common goals. It boils down to looking after your People. This includes team members
people and ensuring that, from top to bottom, everyone feels and their need to balance work with the
part of the team,” by Frederick W. Smith rest of their lives. One example of how
FedEx Freight ensures this balance is
through the design of its linehaul bids.
For the future, Moll sees flexibility “This also speaks to the importance “Our drivers get to go home to
as a crucial trait to embrace. of having a reduced carbon footprint to their families every night. A lot of
“We’re a very human-centric maintain our commitment to a more people think trucking is an industry
industry but going forward we have to sustainable environment. We have a where drivers have to be gone for days
take advantage of any manual process corporate goal of carbon neutrality by or a week at a time. That’s not true for
we can automate, digitize or influence 2040.” FedEx Freight. It’s important to us that
with artificial intelligence and predic- The bottom line is, despite any team members make it home to their
tive analytics. This business is over a present obstacles, Moll is extremely families every day.”
century old, so unsurprisingly, many upbeat about the future of trucking and When Moll finishes his sandwich
legacy processes are antiquated. There’s FedEx Freight. among other team members in the caf-
a lot of opportunity to take advantage “I’m optimistic about the business eteria, he heads back to work, but not
of technology.” in general because supplying goods will before praising the work of one of the
Moll also sees sustainability always be needed, especially since 70% FedEx Freight team members he passes
initiatives as being vitally important to of U.S. goods are moved by the trucking by. At any other time, this exchange
the industry, as well as the environment industry.” would be innocuous. Today, it car-
as a whole. FedEx is already employing A company as big and as complex ries greater significance: a return to a
electric forklifts, and Moll says more as FedEx Freight moves forward on normal office interaction that seemed
electric vehicles are being tested and thousands upon thousands of decisions unthinkable just a year ago. It’s also an
deployed throughout the company. He made every day at every level. As the indication of the employee-first values
states, “I’m excited about electrifying leader, Moll emphasizes the importance of the new CEO.
more of our equipment as capabilities of listening to various viewpoints pre- Outside, the dark clouds, right on
are further developed.” sented to him. cue, have lifted, and the sun is out. ATR
38 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
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recruiting and retaining quality employ-
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be more inclusive, honest and opportu-
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“Anything we can do to present
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students while also helping the work-
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an initial partner in this promising
endeavor,” he said.
By Eric J. Francis credentials can be found. The platform, CERTIFIED: QUATIFIABLE,
Contributing Writer called SmartResume, is built on block- RANKABLE, UNBIASED
chain so the data is secure and each Dave Wengel, founder and CEO
There’s a slogan you sometimes qualification can be traced back to its of iDatafy, said the inspiration for the
hear among frustrated job-seekers who source. platform has its genesis in his own
find a position they want but don’t have The promise of SmartResume was experience. About four years ago, he
the exact qualifications for: “Fake it such that the University of Arkansas started receiving overtures from recruit-
until you make it.” System has signed on as a partner. ers on LinkedIn, asking if he was inter-
That approach might be tenable for Michael Moore, Ph.D., the system’s vice ested in a search engine optimization
some kinds of work, but when the job in president for academic affairs, said in a management position.
question requires you to drive a tractor- statement that it represented an inno- The thing is, SEO wasn’t one of his
trailer or keep one running—or, for vative and truly impactful idea for both skill sets.
that fact, oversee the cybersecurity of a students and employers. “After the fifth one, I asked why
transportation company’s data—faking “SmartResume immediately opens they were recruiting me,” he said, “and
it won’t fly. However, identifying truly previously hidden doors for students it turns out my peers had recommended
qualified applications from among a and alumni and gives them an edge in me [on LinkedIn] for it.”
flood of resumes can be a daunting task quickly finding valuable employment That’s when the pieces fell together,
for HR departments. opportunities that otherwise may not said Wengel. LinkedIn has become a
An Arkansas tech company, have been discovered,” said Moore. default online resume, but there’s no
iDatafy, is trying to alleviate that bur- “Employers have at their fingertips verification of a member’s qualifica-
den by offering—to both employers potential employees who already have tions—and no control over who recom-
and job-seekers—a platform where only their skills, credentials and degrees mends you for what skills. So iDatafy
verified information on college degrees, verified, which wipes away many of the set about building a platform that
licenses, certificates and professional uncertainties and potential pitfalls of would present only verified qualifica-
40 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
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tions. It’s what’s known as a certified Indeed, the ASU System is so gung-
learner record, or CLR, and the U.S. ho on SmartResume that it is not only
Chamber of Commerce has been push- uploading information about current
ing for the development of the technol- students’ degrees and certifications, “WHAT WE FOUND
ogy. SmartResume is among the first but is beginning to include those of KIND OF CRAZY,
few that are out in the wild. alumni from years past.
“What we found kind of crazy, “We have gone back several years FROM A FRAMING
from a framing perspective, is for 500 to upload degree and credential infor- PERSPECTIVE, IS FOR
years colleges and universities have been mation to iDatafy’s database,” he said. 500 YEARS COLLEGES
issuing certified diplomas,” said Wengel. “The next steps in the months to come AND UNIVERSITIES
“It makes sense, they’re trusted. But will be to encourage alumni to use this
there’s never been a certified resume technology.” HAVE BEEN ISSUING
before, and resumes have also been Joe Rollins, director of work- CERTIFIED DIPLOMAS.
around for about 500 years—Leonardo force development at the Northwest IT MAKES SENSE,
DaVinci is credited with having one.” Arkansas Council in Springdale,
When the company started look- said his agency saw the advantage of THEY’RE TRUSTED. BUT
ing to build the coalition of schools SmartResume for a region that’s adding THERE’S NEVER BEEN
and other sources needed to give 28 people every day and, on one morn- A CERTIFIED RESUME
SmartResume the needed scale, he ing in early May 2021, had 10,000 job
said Matt Waller, dean of the Walton openings posted. BEFORE, AND RESUMES
College of Business at the University “That poses a challenge for HAVE ALSO BEEN
of Arkansas, was the first to sign on. A employers, because now they have to AROUND FOR ABOUT
Walton MBA carries a lot of weight, and sift through mountains of resumes 500 YEARS—LEONARDO
Waller told him there had been instanc- they receive daily,” said Rollins. “What
es where employers contacted the school SmartResume has done is allowed us DAVINCI IS CREDITED
to verify a candidate’s degree only to to partner with iDatafy and build a WITH HAVING ONE.”
find they’d never graduated from the resume generator on our CareersNWA.
Walton School. com site, and that allows employers to —DAVE WENGEL, FOUNDER
The University of Arkansas isn’t have something that’s confirmed for AND CEO OF IDATAFY
the only system in the state to sign on. them. It makes the application process
iDatafy has also recruited the Arkansas a lot simpler, so they don’t have to
State University System, the University chase down all those bullet points on
of Central Arkansas, Arkansas Tech all those resumes.” BEYOND THE DIPLOMA
University, the state’s historically Rollins said with the academic year Northwest Arkansas, Rollins noted,
black colleges and universities, and winding down and new graduates look- is home to several of the nation’s largest
other organizations such as the Forge ing for jobs, he’s seeing more employers trucking companies, and anecdotally
Institute, which teaches computer using SmartResume to find qualified one of its highest demand segments is
coding, and the Northwest Arkansas candidates. Because employers initially for people to work in transportation,
Council, which promotes economic see only anonymized SmartResumes logistics, warehousing and the like. He
development in the state’s fastest-grow- stripped of the job-seeker’s identifying said the council has meetings set up
ing region. information but with all the relevant with trucking and logistics companies
Jeff Hankins, vice president of stra- degrees, licenses and other qualifica- in May to discuss SmartResume.
tegic communications and economic tions, they can make choices based on “Our hope is to start funneling
development for the Arkansas State that. It’s designed to help eliminate more candidates to those employers,”
University System, calls the platform a bias in an employee search, and Rollins he said.
win-win for both the system’s students said that’s been met with approval on One such prospective employer
and prospective employers. the employer side. could be McKee Foods, the national
“I think what is really important “The feedback I’m getting is a loud bakery which produces Little Debbie
to the mix is that this is about connect- ‘thank you’ for helping them wade snack cakes and has a plant in the
ing our students and graduates with through these talent pools,” he said. Benton County town of Gentry. Ryan
employers, so the employer can search “It’s something that’s quantifiable, it’s Womack, fleet maintenance superin-
for the qualifications they’re looking for rankable without showing favoritism. tendent for McKee Foods, is also the
and find those employees around the It’s unbiased.” vice chair of the ATA’s Maintenance
state to recruit from,” Hankins said.
42 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
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CHRIS SPEAR
United States of Trucking
SHELLEY SIMPSON
TAkING Hustle Hero
THE REINS
Butch Rice of
Stallion Transportation
ANTI-INDEMNIFICATION PASSES | TECH IN TRUCKING | CARGO THEFT
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a 2020 grant from the U.S. Department
of Education, Arkansas employers can
I THINK WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE MIX IS use the platform for free until May
THAT THIS IS ABOUT CONNECTING OUR STUDENTS 2023. He hopes that will draw more
employers in to try the system out as
AND GRADUATES WITH EMPLOYERS, SO THE they scale it up, first in Arkansas and
EMPLOYER CAN SEARCH FOR THE QUALIFICATIONS then nationally. The transportation
THEY’RE LOOKING FOR AND FIND THOSE EMPLOYEES industry is one of the segments
AROUND THE STATE TO RECRUIT FROM.” he’d really like to see grow among
SmartResume’s users, but he recognizes
that he also needs users with relevant
—JEFF HANKINS, VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC qualifications to draw the attention of
COMMUNICATIONS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, the industry.
ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM “We have supply chain,
mechanics, we’re starting to scale out
the CDL side,” he said. “We need more
and Technology Council. He said that at but those are not yet active for employ- trucking companies. This is really the
first blush, SmartResume did sound like ers to search. chicken or the egg: The more employers
something that would be useful in the It’s all part of building a digital in here, the more that’s in it for the job
industry. “verifiable credentials wallet” that job- seekers who want to use the system.
“Whenever we’re looking for a seekers can show to potential employers That’s the hardest part of this.
technician or a supervisor that has a to quickly establish their qualifications. “But the good news is,” he added,
background in maintenance, certain And to do so securely, Wengel empha- “there’s literally no reason an employer
things like having a degree are a big sized. The qualifications data held by wouldn’t want to sign up because
thing,” said Womack. SmartResume is encrypted and uses they’re not paying anything until
But he also mentioned other quali- blockchain technology. But it’s also held 2023.”
fications he’d like to be able to find on separately from the job-seeker’s person- So, how important is it to make
SmartResume. al data, which is encrypted separately sure job candidates are not, indeed,
“ASE certifications, that’s a big from the SmartResume by iDatafy. faking it in the hopes of making it? In
thing for technicians and supervisors. “You don’t want to put someone’s short, very, as demonstrated by a report
Those are national accreditations and name, address, phone and email on on resume fraud by the education-
an industry standard,” he said. “And blockchain, an immutable ledger,” he focused consumer group GetEducated.
industry certifications, like if they were said, “so first we create iDatafiers and It conducted a study and found more
certified through an OEM like Volvo or swap that out.” than 450 LinkedIn profiles listing a
Cummins.” The iDatafier — which resembles fake degree from an online “degree
Having two-year technical schools nothing so much as those hard-to- mill” that allows people to purchase
reporting to SmartResume is extremely crack, impossible-to-remember pass- advanced degree diplomas based on
useful, said Womack, because a lot of words your computer suggests when you “work experience.” It also cited an
his technicians have completed associ- create a new account on a website — is earlier study by the Society for Human
ates degrees. But he also said having a all the employer sees when they browse Resources Management that found
verified employment history would be a for job-seekers with the skills they only 35% of employers verify education
big benefit. want. Once the employer “unlocks” a credentials listed on resumes.
“It sounds very interesting and particular SmartResume, the contact The digital age has, sadly, made it
could seem viable, just as long as all of data can be transmitted without being easier to fake it. And that shifts even
the information is, of course, accurate added to the blockchain. more responsibility to employers to
and if there’s some way to get those “It allows us the benefit of block- make sure job-seekers are qualified for
other certifications in there,” said chain without putting anyone’s contact hiring. As Training magazine reported
Womack. “It would be a good resource.” information on there,” he said. in October 2021, the comprehensive
iDatafy’s Wengel said that those learner record or CLR is going to be
items — OEM certifications and employ- THE VALUE OF VERIFIABLE the “missing link between students,
ment verification — are “on our roadmap CREDENTIALS talent and the job market,” creating a
for the future.” They’re also working Wengel said iDatafy will never benefit for universities, students and
with a partner to include verified cre- charge job-seekers or schools to employers alike. ATR
dentials earned during military service, participate in SmartResume. Thanks to
44 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
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infostreamonline.com
Passing the Baton
Arkansas tech company seeks to make trucking more efficient, driver-friendly
Knowledge is Power
By Dwain Hebda To this end a Bentonville-based haven’t been addressed for a whole Not All Trucking Companies Are Alike
Contributing Writer startup, Fr8Relay, is looking to help decade now. We knew that these things
operators of all sizes improve efficiency are there, these gaps, but COVID
Between widespread driver short- and cut wasted time on the road, while brought those gaps into the light for a Trucking is all we do. When you choose Great West Casualty Company to insure
ages, unprecedented kinks in the supply at the same time making the job of lot of people.” your trucking business, you are getting over 60 years of experience serving the
chain and the looming equipment revo- driving more appealing to a new genera- trucking industry.
lution regarding electric and autono- tion of prospective employees. COORDINATING SHORTER RUNS
mous vehicles, times have rarely been Company founder Aayush Thakur FOR LONG-HAUL FREIGHT 800.228.8602 Our agents work with you. We selectively choose agents with a keen focus on
more exciting, or complicated, for the said the events of the past two years “Now, these issues have been gwccnet.com the trucking industry. Our agents are knowledgeable, dependable, and responsive.
trucking industry. have only underscored the need for brought to the forefront and people are They understand your needs and work with you to match the right coverage and
But underneath all that’s new, the companies to be more driver-centric as actively trying to address them. Because level of service for your trucking operation.
operational and financial factors that well as more precise in logistics, fac- of that, we are getting really high-level
set the pulse of trucking companies beat tors that have made the emergence of meetings with really large, Fortune 100 Do one thing, and do it right. Our agents can guide you through the process
as steadily as ever. On-time delivery, Fr8Relay even more timely. companies talking to us, who are trying and customize a plan to provide you the broadest protection possible. You can be
experienced accident-free drivers and “COVID was definitely bad for us to figure out how they can address and confident knowing that our service begins, not ends, with the issuance of your policy.
logistical expertise don’t grab headlines specifically, because it kind of pushed plan for the next decade.”
like environmentally friendlier fuels us down on the priority list for a lot Fr8Relay takes a comprehensive Great West Casualty Company – No matter where the road takes you, you will
®
these days, but they are still what sepa- of companies,” he said. “But it also approach to making the most of drivers’ discover that at Great West, The Difference is Service .
rate profitable companies from those brought out the horrors in the sup- time by recasting cross-country hauls,
headed for the scrap heap. ply chain industry that are there and
46 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
Knowledge is Power
Not All Trucking Companies Are Alike
Trucking is all we do. When you choose Great West Casualty Company to insure
your trucking business, you are getting over 60 years of experience serving the
trucking industry.
800.228.8602 Our agents work with you. We selectively choose agents with a keen focus on
gwccnet.com the trucking industry. Our agents are knowledgeable, dependable, and responsive.
They understand your needs and work with you to match the right coverage and
level of service for your trucking operation.
Do one thing, and do it right. Our agents can guide you through the process
and customize a plan to provide you the broadest protection possible. You can be
confident knowing that our service begins, not ends, with the issuance of your policy.
Great West Casualty Company – No matter where the road takes you, you will
discover that at Great West, The Difference is Service .
®
Perry Johnson, senior direc- want to get their home time, also. To
tor of transportation solutions with a lot of drivers, it’s equally if not more
Fayetteville-based CaseStack, who’s pro- important, than what the pay is.”
“IF WE CAN SIMPLY vided consulting services for Fr8Relay, “It’s not written in scripture driv-
CONTINUE TO SHUTTLE said the system maximizes existing ers should spend their night at gas
A TRAILER THROUGH trailer capacity at a time companies are stations,” Thakur said. “You can still
THE DESIGNATED PATH, struggling to get additional ones. move cargo across the country by coor-
“Dry van equipment is in shorter
dinating local drivers driving four to
THEN THAT EQUIPMENT supply since the pandemic came along,” five hours out of their home base and
IS GOING TO CONTINUE he said. “Those dry vans are being held returning home. That is where we want
TO MOVE FASTER, up at warehouses, shippers, retailers this to go.”
and held more for storage just because
On that point, Fr8Relay fits into
BE UTILIZED MORE of the fewer returns that they’re getting a growing trend of boosting drivers’
FULLY AND REACH ITS on the equipment. What’s nice about at-home time, thus making OTR driv-
DESTINATION IN A this method is that the equipment can ing more appealing and accessible to
MORE TIMELY MANNER. continue to run 24 hours instead of prospective employees who would oth-
erwise be put off by the required long
running for a driver’s schedule and then
WE’RE LOOKING FOR being held for the driver layover and stretches away from home.
GREATER RETURNS being idle.” “One of the main secondary ben-
“If we can simply continue to
ON THAT EQUIPMENT, shuttle a trailer through the designated efits to this is definitely a better quality
of life for the CDL drivers,” said Demi
AVAILABILITY AT THE path, then that equipment is going to Yuan, Fr8Relay ownership partner.
RECEIVING END, ET continue to move faster, be utilized “Many job seekers see truck driving as
CETERA.” more fully and reach its destination in being unattractive and not a good liveli-
a more timely manner. We’re looking hood because of being gone for weeks at
for greater returns on that equipment,
a time. To be locally based in your com-
—PERRY JOHNSON, CASESTACK availability at the receiving end, et munity and returning home more fre-
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF cetera.” quently or even nightly will, we think,
TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS make the industry more attractive to a
REDUCING DEADHEAD AND larger potential workforce.”
GETTING BACK HOME Such benefits are music to the ears
coordinating loads and equipment to Better still, Fr8Relay envisions a of Arkansas trucking company owners.
maximize the 11-hour driving window scenario where each time a driver on “When we talk about managing
allowed by federal law before drivers the run hands off, they can then grab trucking companies, it’s three things:
take a mandatory ten hours off. Fr8relay another load bound for where they it’s people, it’s utilization and it’s ser-
looks to more efficiently use these came from, thereby reducing deadhead- vice,” said Dan Dietter, director of
hours by creating a series of strategically ing costs and making life easier overall operations for Bowerman Trucking
placed hand-offs along a route, similar for drivers. in Searcy. “If you manage your people
to the Pony Express of old. “I can tell you, deadheading is a and you can get them home with their
Utilizing multiple trucks, each big thing that every company looks at,” families more often, they’re going to
making shorter runs, provides a number said Mark Morris, president and CEO be more productive, they’re going to be
of benefits. One, it saves time on the of Morris Transportation Services in happier, they’re going to be more likely
delivery as it eliminates any one trucker Hamburg. “I’m sure every company out to be a long-term employee.”
having to sit in one place for their man- there looks at what their deadhead per- “Over-the-road, long-haul truck-
datory park. Thakur uses the example centage is—weekly, monthly, whatever— ing has evolved for 30 years. People
of the 14-hour drive from Chicago to and wants to keep it under a certain today want to be at home, be with their
Dallas which today a single driver can percentage. You’re not getting paid for families, they want to actually have a
cover in a little more than a day given those miles.” life. They don’t want trucking to define
mandatory rest time. Under Fr8Relay’s “And I can also tell you that driv- them. They want to have a career in
system, handoff points are identified ers like to know when they’re leaving, trucking and enjoy their life. So as far
at shorter intervals to keep the load where they’re going, and when they’re as that goes, the premise of [Fr8Relay’s]
moving for 14 hours with none of the going to be back. You want to make sure product is a good premise.”
drivers having to sit for the required while your drivers have hours to run,
10-hour break. that they’re moving, right? But they also
48 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
Arkansas Trucking Association is awarding for graduating high school
seniors who will be attending a truck technician medium and heavy duty program at an Arkansas
institution.
Technicians are responsible for ensuring the equipment that moves our economy are safe, efficient
and dependable. Truck technicians inspect, diagnose and perform routine maintenance and repair
of any equipment with a hybrid, electric, LNG, CNG or diesel engine. The industry is facing a short-
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Learn more about investing in technical careers to maintain the trucks and trailers of the future.
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Visit www.arkansastrucking.com/tech-scholarship for more information.
As for whether Arkansas’s truck-
ing industry would be open to such a
“IT’S NOT WRITTEN IN SCRIPTURE DRIVERS SHOULD radical new concept, Dietter waved off
SPEND THEIR NIGHT AT GAS STATIONS. YOU CAN any suggestion that companies would
STILL MOVE CARGO ACROSS THE COUNTRY BY not adapt to a system that delivered
demonstrable results. In fact, he said,
COORDINATING LOCAL DRIVERS DRIVING FOUR TO FIVE Bowerman has developed a system in
HOURS OUT OF THEIR HOME BASE AND RETURNING house and knows the challenges that lie
HOME. THAT IS WHERE WE WANT THIS TO GO.” ahead for Fr8Relay.
“In a prior lifetime, one of the
things that we focused on was doing
—AAYUSH THAKUR, FR8RELAY FOUNDER exactly what this technology is all
about,” he said. “Our drivers ran a
shorter length of haul and they were
OLD RELAY CHAIN hubs,” Thakur said. “One is Chouteau, never too far away from home. But you
PROBLEMS AND NEW RURAL Okla., which is where you will see a lot have to do it by creating, essentially,
OPPORTUNITIES of Cherokee Nation. And then there virtual terminals or remote terminals
The underlying strategy of is the city of Rolla, Mo., that will be a and you have to have a lot of density
Fr8Relay — the relay system — isn’t a new location for us, ideally. Then there is the between lanes.”
concept, but Thakur said it’s not widely city of Pontiac, Ill., which could be a Yuan said that is precisely what the
used in the industry, particularly among location.” company is focusing on at the moment,
medium to small trucking companies Yuan and Thakur are in the process in the hopes of benefiting trucking
that don’t have a multitude of rigs on of applying for a Phase II USDA grant companies while bringing new econom-
the road to devote to a complicated relay that would bring them an additional ic development into areas sorely needing
chain to makes the system go. Another $650,000, plus a $100,000 match from it, especially right here in Arkansas.
problem is spacing relay stations at such the state. Additional grant proposals are “We are trying to talk to rural
intervals that make sense, when the pending before the U.S. Department communities along interstates where
logistical math places the optimum relay of Energy and The National Science our exchange locations will be to see if
site in the middle of nowhere. Foundation. they would like to partner with us for
Thakur and Yuan have an even “We will have letters of support the next phase,” Yuan said. “With that,
more ambitious design on that problem: from each of these cities written and we can explore the mechanics of estab-
approaching nearby towns and present- approved by their city council that will lishing a rural hub for an exchange. If
ing their plans as a carrot to lure local be submitted along with our proposal,” that works out, we want to commercial-
or outside investment. By illustrating Thakur said. “We have talked with ize it in 2023 and onwards.”
the model’s anticipated additional traffic these city leaders and they are very Though Yuan acknowledges that
(and with it, a clearer path to return on excited about us potentially creating an bringing hand-off stations to rural
investment) it’s hoped entrepreneurs will avenue for them to revitalize.” communities is not a catch-all solution,
create the required amenities for a trans- Longtimers like Morris, having she’s optimistic that the secondary eco-
fer station site, including future charger seen previous relay efforts not succeed nomic benefits will offer revitalization
stations to accommodate electric trucks. on a broad scale, are taking more of a opportunities in Arkansas and other
The plan landed Fr8Relay a rural wait and see approach. rural areas.
economic development grant from “The thing about relaying one truck Ultimately, the success of
the USDA to further develop the idea. with another truck, it’s not always so Fr8Relay — and with it, the intended
Fr8Relay received $106,500 in the Phase easy. There’s a lot of timing issues and improved efficiency of the state’s car-
I grant, plus a matching $50,000 grant there’s location issues as well,” he said. riers and anticipated development of
by the state. With that, the company “If they’re talking about staging certain rural areas — lies in the degree to which
began building a working relay model locations as a large drop yard for multi- all stakeholders are willing to collabo-
on a route from Chicago to Dallas, ple people to use, yes, that might work. I rate. No one company, technology or
which received favorable response from think for a bigger company that already community solves such complicated and
three communities that lie at the opti- has a network setup with terminals and far-reaching issues by itself; after all, it
mal relay points. locations like that, obviously, it is ideal. takes every runner in the relay running
“Along that corridor, we are adding Building new places would probably be their leg and handing off the baton
three locations that are in rural areas tougher, as there’s a lot of infrastruc- smoothly to win the race. ATR
that would potentially serve as exchange ture issues there.”
50 Issue 2 2022 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
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