"Sometimes when you have the opportunity, you also have the obligation." - James L. Hebe, president and CEO of Freightliner Corp., introducing new truck safety systems
Good news is no news . . . According to figures from the Dept. of Transportation, the fatal crash rate involving heavy trucks is 2.33 per 100-million miles in 1998, the lowest rate ever recorded. That's a stunning 8.3% drop from 1997, when the industry recorded 2.54 fatal crashes per 100-million miles. The rate for all vehicles is 3.4%. So where are the "safe truck" stories? Certainly not on the nightly network news.
. . . But it is good business "This isn't an industry of windfall profits (please check with Wall Street if you doubt my word). Those who place profits or revenues ahead of safety don't generally survive in this competitive environment." - Herb Schmidt, senior vp-sales/marketing, Contract Freighters Inc., in Inbound Logistics, November 1999
Coupon clipper sent packing Kenneth Willey, the fleet manager for Sun Valley Fruit Co. in Rio Rancho, N.M., is going to Hawaii just because he likes to save money. Willey won a free trip for two in the Kenworth Advantages Savings Book Sweepstake after he used the coupons to buy batteries and alternators at the Albuquerque Truck Center. Who says clipping coupons doesn't pay?
"When I entered this industry some 20-30 years ago, all you needed was a toolbox filled with tools, some maintenance intuition, and basic skills. Today, and going forward in the future, those minimum requirements are changing drastically. Now you need a whole toolbox full of electronic equipment and an understanding of how computers integrate with each other. It's going to be a whole new world as far as what technicians need to know in the future." - Jim Cade, group director-maintenance, Ryder Transportation Services (Commercial Leasing and Rental Business Unit)
"The truth only hurts if it should." - Mike Reaves, senior vp-driver services for M.S. Carriers, discussing the persistent driver shortage and the need for federally supported job training programs.
