Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023:
Wreaths Across America seeking more wreath haulers
Virginia-based owner-operator Steven Meyer, hauling for Hampton Roads Moving & Storage, participated in the 2022 Wreaths Across America event in Danbury, Connecticut with his 1998 Freightliner FLD120 and a custom-wrapped 2014 Kentucky trailer.Alex Lockie
Each December with the help of hundreds of volunteer trucking companies and professional drivers, Wreaths Across America is able to honor fallen heroes through wreath-laying ceremonies at more than 4,000 participating locations across the United States.
This year, WAA transportation partners will assist in delivering more than two million Veterans’ Wreaths to be placed on veterans’ graves all over the country on Dec. 16.
Trucking companies who join as volunteers will become a part of WAA’s "Honor Fleet," get the opportunity to give back in recognition of the sacrifice our veterans make, and have opportunities for recognition from the organization, veterans’ programs, local media and more.
According to WAA’s spreadsheet of open lanes for this year, several are still available to pick up wreaths at WAA headquarters in Columbia, Maine, with deliveries going to Richland, Mississippi; St. Louis; Sarasota, Florida; and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Those interested can fill out the form on this page.
[Related: Remember, Honor, Teach: What Wreaths Across America means for trucking, and all of us]
Advisory board for women truckers set to meet again
The Women of Trucking Advisory Board (WOTAB), which most recently met Oct. 26 to discuss ways the trucking industry can facilitate support for women pursuing trucking careers, is set to meet again in November to review notes from previous meetings.
WOTAB’s next meeting will be held virtually on Monday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
The board will complete its review of the discussion notes from the deliberations concerning Tasks 22-1 through 23-4, which were discussed during previous meetings, and the draft report prepared by its Report Subcommittee. The Report Subcommittee members were designated during the WOTAB’s Aug. 14 meeting for the purpose of compiling information from the discussion notes for the meetings and drafting a report for the full WOTAB to review prior to its submission to the FMCSA Administrator.
WOTAB’s tasks slated for review:
- Task 22-1 focused on identifying and eradicating sexual harassment and violence against women, particularly drivers, in the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) industry
- Task 23-1 focused on barriers to women’s entry into the CMV industry
- Task 23-2 focused on maximizing existing avenues of employment for women
- Task 23-3 examined how to enhance CMV driver training, mentorship, and education opportunities for women and to best support career advancement opportunities for women in the CMV industry
- Task 23-4 examined how all the relevant stakeholders -- such as trucking companies, non-profit organizations, training and education providers, and trucking associations -- can work together to support women pursuing careers in trucking
Those interested in attending the Nov. 13 meeting are required to register by Nov. 6. Oral comments from the public will be heard during designated comment periods at the discretion of the WOTAB chair and Designated Federal Officer.
[Related: Women of Trucking Advisory Board takes aim at billboard lawyers, NIMBYs]
Coyote Logistics joins TriumphPay payment network
Freight broker Coyote Logistics, a subsidiary of UPS, has joined the open payments network of TriumphPay, the companies announced Tuesday.
Now, carriers enrolled in TriumphPay that haul loads for Coyote will be able to manage those invoices and get paid through the system.
The TriumphPay open payments network has rapidly expanded since launch in January 2022, now with more than 30 of the top 50 U.S. brokers as clients, the company said. It's a hub for the presentment, audit and payment of invoices.
Said Pat Campbell, chief operating officer at Coyote Logistics. “With TriumphPay, we're making the payment process with Coyote even easier so carriers can focus more on growing their businesses."
Brokers joining the TriumphPay payments network enjoy additional layers of data insights, security and transparency through its platform, the company said. The payments network reviews invoices in a secure data exchange between factors and freight brokers.
[Related: TriumphPay partners with Trax to fight freight fraud]
Shippers’ conditions fell negative in August
After months of positive conditions, FTR's Shippers Conditions Index fell into negative territory in August.FTR
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) continued to fall in August to its first negative reading since October 2022 at -2.7. Freight rates were not quite as positive as they had been during the month with the real market challenge for shippers being the recent surge in diesel prices.
“The decline was almost entirely the result of higher diesel prices as overall capacity remains abundant across modes,” said Todd Tranausky, vice president of rail and intermodal at FTR. “But diesel prices pushed up rates and fuel surcharges, leading to a less favorable environment for shippers. It is possible that diesel prices stay elevated for an extended period of time.”
[Related: Carriers took a beating in August as trucking conditions deteriorated]
