Overdrive

Fleet News 54 | Overdrive | March 2017 By Dean SmallwooD AVERITT EXPANDS IN NORTHEAST, HIRING DRIVERS AVERITT EXPRESS added locations in Hagerstown, Maryland, and St. Albans, West Virginia, to help the less-than-truckload fleet meet grow- ing freight demands in the Northeast. The Cookeville, Tennessee- based company is offering a $5,000 sign-on bonus for solo and team drivers. DART TRANSIT raised starting pay for long-haul drivers along its main lanes by 5 cents per mile, allowing experienced top-performing drivers to earn more than $60,000 in their first year. The Eagan, Minn.- based fleet also rolled out a 3.5-cent-per-mile monthly per- formance bonus, anniversary pay increases and a "sign-on- plus" bonus paid incrementally over the first 18 months. BUSINESS LANDSTAR SYSTEM relocated its U.S.-Mexico logistics service center in Laredo, Texas, to a larger 31,000-square-foot facility on a 50-acre site that accommodates 450 trailers and has room for future expansion. RECOGNITION J.B. HUNT awarded 73 drivers a total of $890,000 in safety bonuses during a two-day Million Mile Celebration host- ed by the Lowell, Arkansas- based fleet. The event honored drivers for achieving two million and three million acci- dent-free miles. COMMUNITY SOUTHEASTERN FREIGHT LINES participated in more than 2,800 hours of chari- table service in 2016 as part of the Lexington, South Carolina-based company's "Southeastern Serves" pro- gram dedicated to helping communities in the less-than- truckload fleet's service area.

• Cover
• Readers: Behind-the-wheel training minimum critical.
• Pulse: FMCSA backpedals on safety proposal.
• The ELD mandate and the “House Freedom Caucus.”
• Dry bulk for the long haul.
• “Build the wall”: Majority favors Trump plan.
• Lawsuit opposes Trump order to reduce regs.
• Industry united against safety rating change.
• Court to review border policy.
• C.R. England plans to appeal fraud ruling.
• Lag growing between CDL training, skills test.
• Big-rig race series returns in new format.
• Rare 96-year-old White 5-ton finds new home.
• Reader Rigs: ’07 W900L an ice cream truck; ’14 389 a “Green Monster”; ’09 W900L a million-miler.
• BUSINESS: Make the most of your tax deductions.
• Gear Guide: Trailer brake drum, wheels, clutches, more.
• FLEET NEWS: Averitt expands in Northeast, hiring drivers.
• 5 APPS FOR THAT: Matching book lovers with recordings.
• RESPECT THE DINOSAURS: Diverse drivers united for a common goal is what it’s all about, Wendy Parker writes. Page 8.
• COVER STORY: Sleight of truck | Imagine arriving at a gate and presenting papers to pick up a load. The man in the guard shack looks confused and says you’ve already been there and that the load is gone. Heists involving false identity and other fraud ar
• Dodging the middleman: While no one service will be “Uber for all” in the fragmented brokerage market, on-demand load-matching services are seeing some success at circumventing traditional brokers and promising gains for owner-operators in rates, freight
• $25,000 awaits top owner-operator: Three owner-operators – Gary Buchs, Philip Keith and Kevin Kocmich – are finalists for the 2016 Owner-Operator of the Year award, produced by the Truckload Carriers Association and Overdrive.
• Maintaining your wheels: A pre-trip inspection for cracks and rust is usually sufficient for maintenance of aluminum and steel wheels. A few other best practices, though, can almost ensure that wheels last as long as your truck.