Q&A: TMC Chairman Jeff Harris to Focus on Technicians

Jeff Harris, vice president of maintenance at USA Truck, has been in trucking for almost three decades, since graduating from the Nashville Auto Diesel College in 1988. Today, the newly named chairman of the American Trucking Associations' Technology & Maintenance Council says he wants to build on the work of his successors while making even greater strides to promote diesel technicians as a career of choice for today's young people. HDT caught up with him shortly after the TMC annual meeting in Atlanta.

HDT: How long have you been involved with TMC?

Harris: I've been an active member since 2006. I entered the trucking industry when I got a job at a small fleet – MS Carriers in Memphis, Tennessee, – 14 days after graduating from Nashville Auto Diesel College. We had 200 trucks at the time. And 13 years later, we'd grown that to 5,000 tractors. In 2001, we were bought out by a larger fleet, and the number of power units grew to 17,000. So I've been based out of the same office for 29 years, and just came on with USA Truck as vice president of maintenance last September.

HDT: What do you see as the primary challenges facing the trucking industry?

Harris: The need to fill positions on the maintenance side of things. Everybody talks about the driver shortage – which is a very important issue. But we're having a tough time filling any maintenance position you can think of, from parts techs, to external breakdown technicians, to shop techs. We're really struggling to find people.

HDT: How do ...Read the rest of this story

Trump's China tariffs aren't crazy

Trump plans to impose new tariffs on Chinese imports to address theft of US trade secrets and other abuses.

This jarring photo reveals the death of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet in America (DAL, BA)

The Boeing 747's run as a passenger carrier for major US airlines has come to an end. Both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines retired their fleets of jumbo jets in 2017. The Boeing 747 is disappearing from the skies over the US.

BFGoodrich unveils all-terrain commercial truck tires

GOP spending bill not what Republicans voted for?

Former CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder on the Republican spending bill and the feud between former Vice President Joe Biden and President Trump.

Economic Watch: Manufacturing, Leading Indicators, Existing Homes All Move Higher

Manufacturing activity this month hit a three-year high, while other reports showed healthy increases in where the economy is headed over the next several months.

U.S. manufacturers experienced a robust and accelerated improvement in their overall business conditions in March, as the IHS Markit Flash U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index rose to a reading of 55.7, from 55.3 in February. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.

The gauge signaled the strongest upturn in manufacturing operating conditions since March 2015. Stronger contributions from the employment, inventories and suppliers' delivery times components helped to lift the headline reading.

The latest data also pointed to robust rises in manufacturing production and new orders, although in both cases the rates of expansion eased since February.

Also, input buying increased at the fastest pace since September 2014, which a number of survey respondents linked to pre-purchasing and stock-building ahead of expected raw material price rises, particularly steel-related items. A number of survey respondents cited higher prices for metals and increased charges by suppliers amid strong demand for raw materials.

The findings are part of a larger report that includes a look at the services industry. The IHS Markit Flash U.S. Composite PMI Output Index declined slightly to a reading of 54.3 this month from 55.8 in February.

“The Flash PMI surveys indicate that the economy likely continued to expand at a robust pace in March, rounding off a solid opening quarter of the year,” said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit. “The surveys are running at a level consistent with annualized first quarter gross domestic product growth approaching 2.5%, though we note that official GDP estimates may once again understate growth in the opening quarter of the year.”

He said the survey found average prices charged for goods and services are rising at one of the strongest rates ...Read the rest of this story

Nissan showcasing upfits, accessorization