My how times have changed. Far from viewing the rails as its modal enemy, truckload giant Schneider National has named the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. (BNSF) as the first recipient of its new "Partner in Quality" award. Schneider says the honor is meant to recognize the importance of its "largest, most significant rail partner" in servicing customers.
Higher and higher Just in are these fascinating facts on the trend to high-horsepower engines: In '99, Detroit Diesel Corp. reports it shipped 83,841 Series 60 engines to OEMs. Of those, 74,139 - or better than 88%- were rated 430 hp. or higher. And of the 83,841 engines, 65,500 - or over 78% - carried torque ratings of 1,550 lb.-ft. or higher.
Charm school? The Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI) has completed what it terms "driver-finishing standards," intended "to improve the quality and performance" of drivers throughout the industry.
"Consistency is the key word," says Tim McLain, academy manager with M.S. Carriers, on why the standards are needed. "They will cut out a lot of frustration students currently have because the training program they receive through carriers will be more consistent with what they learn in school. For the industry as a whole, this will allow us to have a much better quality entry-level driver."
And, points out Stacy Dove, corporate training manager for D.W. Bowman, "If you're using a PTDI school on the front end and a PTDI carrier on the back end, continuity of training should be greatly enhanced." We just have to wonder if the finishing standards will help drivers select the right fork for the salad bar.
"I.F.S. is not just a trucking company. We're a service company that just happens to provide transportation as its commodity." - Dawn Capalbo, owner, I.F.S. Freight & Courier, Eatontown, N.J.
"Quality helped build our company. Dramatically." - J.D. Hodge, owner of 50-tractor J Trans Inc.,Marion, Ind., on the value of attaining ISO 9002 quality certification for his general-freight fleet.
Success story "If the company has respect for you, they have trust in you, pay you right, and they put you in the best equipment. That makes you a very dedicated driver and company employee." - PacLease Driver of the Year Mike Scumaci, an Owens-Corning driver with 30 years and 3.5-million accident-free miles behind the wheel
