Exports and imports rose in December
Talent matters, especially in trucking. But it’ll stay hard to find and keep.
One of the many definitions of the word “talent” is “a special often athletic, creative or artistic aptitude.” And that fits perfectly with the needs of the trucking industry, for the skills required to safety pilot big rigs on our roadways – much less what's needed to keep them up and running day in and day out – can certainly labeled “talents.”
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Diesel down for fourth week
Diesel prices have fallen, slightly, for the fourth week in a row but continue to run well above $2.50 in much of the country.
The average U.S. retail pump price for diesel dipped 0.4 cents in the Feb. 6 report by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), to $2.558 per gallon. That's 55 cents higher than this time last year.
Prices slipped in every region except for the West Coast, where California saw a 1.7-cent gain to $2.944, the highest price in the lower 48 states.
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TCA Launches Accreditation Program to Foster Professional Development
The Truckload Carriers Association has launched an accreditation initiative for truckload carriers to foster professional development to help carriers attract new people and create career paths as a retention tool.
The program will initially offer certificates addressing human resources, recruitment, retention and fleet management. To earn a certificate, participants must earn 40 continuing education credits, which TCA will offer through webinars, on-demand training, face-to-face meetings, and other opportunities.
Driver iQ, providers of background screening and driver monitoring services, will sponsor the certificate and certification programs. Lana Batts, Driver iQ's co-president and former TCA president, will serve as the official spokesperson of the initiative.
As part of its sponsorship agreement, Driver iQ will serve as the only non-carrier member associated with the certificate and certification offerings. It will sponsor five webinars to support the programs and will also serve as one of the host sponsors of TCA's 2017 WorkForce Builders Conference.
“Lana is a natural choice to speak on behalf of this program, as she has worked for more than 40 years in the trucking industry. She is highly respected and knows the industry inside and out,” said Russell Stubbs, TCA chairman. “She also understands the value of providing professional development opportunities for non-driving staff. She will bring significant credibility and exposure to this program.”
The Human Resources Certificate will provide learners with training in three key subject areas: operations, recruitment and retention, and legal. The Recruitment Certificate will focus on driver recruitment, workforce recruitment, and hiring legal challenges. The Retention Certificate will provide training related to increasing driver retention and employee engagement.
The Fleet Manager Certification program is intended for fleet managers, driver managers, dispatchers, operations managers, customer service representatives, planners, front-line managers, and other employees with similar functions that have at least two years of experience in those roles. The program will cover topics ...Read the rest of this story
Big Brown goes long on solar and other power
Indo-Canadian Chamber and Ontario truckers get a new thing going
Earnings Watch: YRC Trims Quarterly Loss, USA Truck Moves Into Red
The parent of less-than-truckload carrier YRC Freight and others managed to reduce its losses in the final quarter of 2016 while a truckload carrier reported a loss for both the final three months of last year and all of 2016.
YRC Worldwide Inc. reported a net loss of $7.5 million, or 23 cents per share, compared to a net loss of $23.5 million, or 73 cents per share a year earlier. Revenue was nearly the same during the two periods at $1.14 billion.
Operating income for the final quarter totaled $14.9 million compared to an operating loss of $15.3 million in the final three months of 2015, which included a $28.7 million non-union pension settlement charge.
“In the fourth quarter 2016, year-over-year tonnage per day was up at YRC Freight and flat at the regional segment,” said James Welch, CEO. “However, YRC Freight's year-over-year revenue per hundredweight declined, which impacted its ability to offset cost increases during the quarter.”
The company's results in 2016 from the year before were better with net income of $21.5 million, or 65 cents per share, versus a 2015 net loss of $700,000, or 2 cents per share. Revenue last year slipped to $4.7 billion from $4.83 billion a year earlier.
In contrast, 2016 operating income improved to $124.3 million from $93 million a year earlier, which the company said was the highest since 2006.
Last year, YRC said it invested $253 million in its business, mainly in the form of tractors, trailer and technology-- nearly $13.4 million more than it did in 2015. The company said during the quarter it also paid down its long-term debt to its lowest level since 2005.
The company's nationwide service, YRC Freight, barely reported an operating loss while its operating ratio fell from 102.9% a year earlier to 100% in the most recent quarter while ...Read the rest of this story