By Rip Watson, Senior Reporter
This story appears in the Feb. 27 print edition of Transport Topics.
The truckload industry, on the upswing as rates and freight rise, gathers for its annual meeting next week in Florida in a business environment that also includes unresolved questions such as the effects of more government regulation.
The Truckload Carriers Association is convening in Kissimmee March 4-7 at a time when “the truckload industry is very robust, doing very well and has a great future over the next four or five years,” in the words of Swift Transportation Co.’s CEO, Jerry Moyes.
Moyes, who heads the largest truckload fleet ranked in Transport Topics’ list of for-hire carriers in the United States and Canada, spoke earlier this month at an investor conference.
One highlight at TCA’s meeting will be an assessment of the industry’s challenges and opportunities by Mike Gerdin, CEO of Heartland Express; Aaron Tennant, president of Tennant Truck Lines; Robert Penner, chief operating officer at Bison Transport; and Steve Gordon, COO of Gordon Trucking.
Industry leaders also slated to comment are Dan England, chairman of American Trucking Associations and chairman of C.R. England Inc., as well as outgoing TCA Chairman Gary Salisbury, president of Fikes Truck Line.
Additional features of the event are an exhibition and trade show, election of officers, presentation of industry awards and remarks by energy pioneer T. Boone Pickens, who is seeking to boost natural-gas-powered vehicles in heavy trucking applications.
Also on the agenda is a series of open forums on a range of operating, financial and driver-related subjects.
On the driver front, attendees will discuss entry-level driver hiring strategies, what makes a good driver, driver health issues and new recruiting approaches.
Those forums include equipment utilization, increased federal regulations, performance benchmarking and independent contractor status offerings.
Others at the investor meeting, while also foreseeing better times for carriers, touched on the unresolved questions slated for discussion at the TCA gathering.
Derek Leathers, chief operating officer at Werner Enterprises, said the industry faces “three big headwinds” — hours-of-service changes, the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program and the industrywide effect of electronic on-board recorders.
“Truckers have some issues that have to be resolved,” said David Parker, CEO of Covenant Transport, referring to higher costs for trucks, tires, maintenance and insurance.
Also during the conference, the Influential Woman of the Year award will be presented at a Women in Trucking reception.
