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Omnitracs Celebrates Platform’s 30th Anniversary

NASHVILLE. Omnitracs is holding its fourth annual user conference here this week. The event marks the telematics platform's debut in the trucking industry 30 years ago and features an array of training sessions, workshops, industry briefings and exhibits.

Ray Greer, Omnitracs CEO noted that it was 30 years ago that Omnitracs (then a part of Qualcomm) installed its first unit and it was 35 years ago that Omnitracs business unit RoadNet installed its first routing system. He also said that 30 years ago, only about 30,000 computers were connected to the Internet.

Omnitracs CEO Ray Greer, speaking in Nashville. Photo: Jim Beach

He also commented on the changes in the industry brought about by e-commerce and talked about the so called, “uberization” of trucking.

“For many years, we've been doing that – matching up trucks and customers,” he said. And while the industry has seen tremendous change over the last 30 years, Greer said he felt the industry is “in a period of great change,” and that Omnitracs is well positioned to capitalize on these changes.

“It's my belief this industry is undergoing the greatest transformation since deregulation due to the rapid advancement of technology,” he said. With the ELD mandate, every truck cab will have a computer in it, which will lead to even more connected things.

He described the company's new platform, Omnitracs 1, as a secure, open, hardware-agnostic software system that “addresses what the industry has been moving toward – greater integration” and said it addresses the convergence of the first, middle and last miles in truck movement.

“The industry grew up thinking about those things differently,” he said. It ...Read the rest of this story

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Outlook for Trucking is Stellar, ATA Economist Says

The trucking industry is seeing the best economic climate since deregulation, according to Bob Costello, chief economist and senior vice president of the American Trucking Associations.

Speaking at the opening session of Omnitracs' Outlook 2018 user conference in Nashville on Feb. 26, Costello said the trucking industry should face smooth sailing over the next year or two. “This is a growing environment,” he said, noting that the economy is in its third-longest expansion in history— which is on track to becoming the second-longest by springtime.

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello tells attendees at the Omnitracs Outlook 2018 user conference in Nashville that trucking should face smooth sailing over the next year or two. Photo: Jim Beach

From a macroeconomic view, the two key drivers are productivity and population growth, he said, with those two indicators suggesting GDP growth of about 2.3%. Instead, the economy is chugging along at 2.7% growth and should remain there for the next couple of years. Part of what is boosting GDP growth can be attributed to the new tax law, he said, but other factors are also playing a role.

Even higher interest rates don't bother him, Costello said, noting that the Federal Reserve was expected to increase rates 4 times this year. Interest rates have been very low and the increases are just “normalizing interest rates. I believe a higher interest rate can add to the economy in the near term.” Banks will be more likely to make loans if they can get better returns.

Costello pointed out three “big buckets” and one smaller one that he said drive freight growth: consumer spending, construction, factory output, and inventory levels (the half bucket). And for the first time during this expansion, all three of the big buckets are doing well at the same time.

Consumer Spending

From ...Read the rest of this story

Hornady Transportation Offers Guaranteed Minimum Pay Program for Drivers

Flatdeck carrier Hornady Transportation announced a new pay program offering its truck drivers a guaranteed weekly gross minimum pay.

Under this new program, drivers are guaranteed pay increases as pay-per-mile increases.

The pay program, effective March 6, applies to all linehaul 1 and 2 drivers and provides guaranteed weekly gross minimum pay determined by their pay bracket. Drivers who earn 46-50 cents per mile will be guaranteed $1,000 per week; those who earn 52 and 53 cents per mile will be guaranteed $1,100 per week; and drivers earning 54-56 cents per mile will be guaranteed $1,200 per week. In addition to the guaranteed weekly pay, Hornady Transportation will also prorate holiday weeks.

“We know that this line of work requires a lot of sacrifices for professional drivers. They're away from home and their loved ones for long periods of time,” said Joe Booker, president of Hornady Transportation. “This new pay program is one of the ways we can show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication.”

Drivers can expect the first settlement reflecting the new guarantee pay on their March 16 paychecks.

“As one of the Daseke family of companies, Hornady Transportation operates successfully by utilizing some of the best drivers in the trucking industry and offering top pay and benefits,” said Chris Hornady, CEO for Hornady Transportation. “Introducing a weekly minimum pay guarantee is just another way Hornady Transportation can compensate professional drivers for the sacrifice they make.”

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