Good news Employees for CFI of Joplin, Mo, collected $6,700 for the Truckloads of Treasures fundraiser that benefits area children and senior citizens. Additional money will be added to the total in November when a portion of the proceeds from the Disney production, 'Winnie the Pooh,' will be donated to the benefit. CFI and other Joplin businesses are sponsoring the touring production, which was held last month. Weeks later the company donated transportation to take a truckload of food and medical supplies to the victims of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras.
Early in October, the town of Lusk, Wyo., was battered by a major ice storm that effectively cut electricity throughout the community. Enter Powersource Transportation, a power-only transportation provider. The company delivered temporary generators and power was restored within two days.
Every week for the past decade, the 5,500 employees of Averitt Express have been putting a portion of their paychecks into a program called Averitt Cares. Last month, they donated $1.5 million of that fund to the children of St. Jude Children's Hospital for research and treatment.
For the eighth year in a row, Con-Way Transportation Services has teamed with educators to promote the annual Red Ribbon Week drug-abuse prevention campaign in schools and communities through the U.S. Employees at the company service centers adopt a school in their local community and provide the red ribbons and stickers that signify a commitment to be drug-free. Employees deliver these supplies to schools in Con-Way trucks and speak to the kids about the importance of a drug-free lifestyle. This year Con-Way carriers are sponsoring more than 1,000 schools and providing more than 600,000 ribbons.
Matchmaker, matchmaker It's been a busy time of year for Penske Truck Leasing. First of all, its logistics unit was chosen by Carpenter Technology, a manufacturer and distributor of stainless steel, titanium, and other specialty alloys to manage all of the freight moving from its Reading, Pa, plant to the company's 17 distribution centers around the country. Penske will also manage direct deliveries to customers using a combination of truckload, LTL, small-package, and intermodal services. In addition, Penske was named to handle the contract maintenance for the San Francisco Newspaper Agency's fleet of 460 trucks. Finally, the company announced it will acquire Young NationaLease of Canton, Ohio.
Smithway Motor Xpress has acquired JHT Inc. of Grand Rapids, Minn. A dry van truckload carrier, JHT operates 185 power units, about half of which are company owned. The move follows the acquisition of 34-unit TPTransportation of Enid, Okla. Yellow Corp. announced that it is acquiring Action Express, an LTL carrier based in Boise, Idaho, to expand its regional trucking service in the Pacific Northwest and West. Yellow is the parent of two regional LTL carriers, Phoenix-based WestEx and Saia Motor Freight Line in Atlanta, and longhaul LTL carrier Yellow Freight System. The company recently sold Preston Trucking, an interregional carrier serving the Midwest and Northeast, to Preston's management. M.S. Carriers will buy Interstate Trucking Corp. of America, a dry van truckload carrier based in Merrill, Wis. Chairman Mike Starnes said he expects to hire 280 drivers and purchase 803 trailers.
Company briefs Eaton Fuller Clutch is the new brand name for what were formerly known as Spicer clutch products. Eaton Corp. purchased the Dana Corp.'s Clutch Div. in August of 1997. ... Delco Remy International acquired Summerville, S.C.-based Williams Technologies from the W.W. Williams Co. ... The merger agreement between XTRA Corp. and Wheels MergerCo. has been terminated. ... J.D. Power and Assoc. has named Freightliner the 'best conventional medium-duty truck in customer satisfaction,' and International dealers as the 'best medium-duty truck dealer service.' ... Kenworth PremierCare Fleet Card customers can obtain emergency tire-related roadside assistance or roll-in service through a program developed with Bridgestone. For more information, contact your Kenworth dealer or call 1-888-999-6030 ... Meritor Automotive's Tilbury, Ont., brake manufacturing facility has achieved ISO-14001 certification. ... Holland Binkley has been awarded ISO-9001 registration. ... Hendrickson Truck Suspension Systems achieved QS-9000. Neway Anchorlok International unveiled results of a three-year field test of its Life Seal spring brake at TruckCan '98: a contaminant-free chamber and a compression spring that looked like new.
