Trucking Is the Line Between Other Industries

John Sommers II for Transport Topics

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On an episode of the podcast, “Trucking for Millennials,” co-hosts Michael Clements and Aaron Dunn inquired about my interest in covering the trucking industry.

While answering, I touched upon the world of trade publishing in general through an analogy of a tug-of-war line between manufacturers and distributors/end users.

While most industries fall under that description, the trucking industry differs — in my analogy — from others because it is the line. It’s the logistics of it that make everything possible.

Freeze

I thought about this dynamic a bit more this season as the snow makes its way to our nation’s roads and highways.

In my former life, I covered the snow and ice management industry. What I learned most about that industry was not only that the men and women working in it were “salt” of the earth people, but they’re truly the first responders of the first responders.

Who else gets up before everyone else to make sure the roads to our workplace are clear? Who does it no matter the weather or holiday? No matter the emergency, no one can reach any destination unless the pathway to it is clear and safe to travel.

• Fleets implement techniques to fight corrosion from salts
• State DOTs find alternative solutions to clearing roads
• Tire maintenance involves familiar practices, new technology
• Automated manual transmissions become industry's popular option
• Braswell: Keeping a solid ADAS foundation
• Freeze: Trucking is the line between other industries

I’ve spoken with leaders in the snow and ice industry who have perfected the art of snow removal, and they have assisted and trained others to become more proficient in their craft. They also have led the way in providing environmentally safe products, such as brine technology (aka “liquid salt”), that clear roads and parking lots more effectively while creating less harm for the environment.

One of those leaders who comes to mind is Phill Sexton, managing director of WIT Advisors and longtime veteran of the snow and ice industry. Sexton speaks about brine technology in our story on alternative solutions in this latest edition of our Equipment & Maintenance Update. Throughout his career, he has spoken at length about the importance of brine in curbing the effects of corrosion on commercial fleet vehicles.

Sexton has spent decades providing management services for companies to ensure the safety of their employees and customers, and implementation of brine technology is an important part of that. Also, many departments of transportation have taken that knowledge and service to our roads with much success.

Like snow and ice, logistics and trucking serve that same purpose: to provide that service within the services between the manufacturer, distributor and eventual end user. Because they are that line in between.

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