Operations

Your Jan. 19 Pre-Trip: Large trucking companies laud ELDs

Jan. 19, 2016

Here are five things worth knowing today.

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. According to a Logistics Management report, large trucking companies are applauding the federal government’s mandate to require electronic logging devices as a gain for safety and efficiency. Chuck Hammel, president of Pitt Ohio, which operates 813 tractors and nearly 400 straight trucks, said the mandate “simply makes us safer as an industry,” according to the report. Logistics Management has more.2. Roadrunner Transportation Systems has hired Curtis Stoelting as its new president and chief operating officer, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Stoelting is the former CEO of RC2 and TOMY International, according to the report. The Journal Sentinel also states that his experience with acquisitions “tracks well with Roadrunner.”3. Daimler AG is getting back into the Iranian market, the automaker announced Monday. According to The Free Lance-Star, the German automaker announced its plans for a joint venture in the country to build Mercedes-Benz trucks after trade restrictions tied to Iran’s nuclear program were lifted this past weekend. According to the report, “More declarations of investment are likely in coming weeks as companies seek to profit from rapprochement with a country that has the world’s largest natural gas reserves, a young, well-educated population of almost 80 million people and a $406 billion economy served by a relatively developed road and rail network.”4. Omaha, NE, city crews are hard at work preparing for incoming snow, KETV reports. The municipal fleet is preparing to battle the impending snow by loading salt into trucks and making sure plows are ready to go. One truck owner said preparing for this type of weather is “the worst,” calling it brutal on the equipment and on the crews working through it.5. Truck drivers were in high demand during a Times Union job fair on Monday at the Albany Marriott Hotel, the Times Union reports. One recruiter, according to the report, sought to fill 47 driving positions. Tom Mulvaney, a recruiting manager for Wadhams Enterprises, told the Times Union that he spoke with several qualified candidates and had interviews lined up with truck drivers.

About the Author

Cristina Commendatore

Cristina Commendatore was previously the Editor-in-chief of FleetOwner magazine. She reported on the transportation industry since 2015, covering topics such as business operational challenges, driver and technician shortages, truck safety, and new vehicle technologies. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.