McLean not only secured the grand champion crown but also emerged victorious in the highly competitive three-axle class.

Special Award Winners Recognized

Several participants were honored for their exceptional performance in specific categories:

• Team Trophy: XPO
• Pre-trip Inspection Flatbed: Daren Hackney, Walmart Supply Chain
• Pre-trip Inspection Straight Truck: Davin Strong, FedEx Express
• Rookie of the Year: Graham Roger, Martin Brower Company
• Ray Dagostino Award: Jeffrey Nesci

Class Winners

The competition featured a wide range of vehicle categories, highlighting the drivers’ skills across different classes:

• Step Van: Robin Newton, FedEx
• Straight Truck: David May, XPO
• 3-Axle: Mark McLean, FedEx Freight
• 4-Axle: Randy Merle, FedEx Freight
• 5-Axle: Oliver Estevez, Martin Brower Company
• Flatbed: Raymond Waage, FedEx Freight
• Tank Truck: Zack Bourque, Wegmans Food Markets
• Twin Trailers: Francisco Caravajal, FedEx
• Sleeper Berth: James Kohr, FedEx

The event celebrated the dedication and expertise of New York’s trucking professionals while fostering a sense of camaraderie among industry participants. Mark McLean’s remarkable achievement underscores the skill and precision required to excel in the trucking industry.

Image Source: (Trucking Association of New York) Mark Mclean
Source: Truckers News

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Acknowledging Excellence

“We are honored to work with so many excellent partners across all modes and are thrilled to once again be awarding this recognition,” said Gene Welsh, chief transportation officer and head of all transportation product lines for MODE Global. “While 2024 was another challenging year for the industry, our carrier partners did not waver in providing superior service and value to our customers despite a difficult backdrop. We thank you all for your tremendous support and look forward to our continued partnership in the year ahead.”

The award program highlights MODE’s unwavering dedication to service and strong partnerships while recognizing the critical role carriers play in maintaining industry standards and operational success.

Celebrating Standout Contributors

The recognition extends across various categories, rewarding carriers for their exceptional performance. According to a press release by MODE Global, the criteria for the awards span key areas such as service quality, technological capabilities, customer service excellence, and measurable contributions like volume and revenue growth. Additional partnership qualities, including collaboration, communication, and competitive enablement, also play a crucial role in determining the winners.

2024 MODE Global Carrier of the Year Winners

• National Truckload Carrier of the Year: Brite Logistics

• Regional Truckload Carrier of the Year: One Nation Trans Inc.

• National LTL Carrier of the Year: Old Dominion Freight Line

• Regional LTL Carrier of the Year: AAA Cooper Transportation

• National Drayage Carrier of the Year: ARL Transport

• Regional Drayage Carrier of the Year: Redbird Carriers

• Parcel Carrier of the Year: FedEx

• Railroad Carrier of the Year: Union Pacific

• International Carrier of the Year: Shipco Transport

Source: The Trucker

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Spreading Holiday Cheer to Military Families

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) took an active role in the event, with Director Tim Boring and Chief of Staff Kathy Angerer heading the efforts. They were joined by key representatives from the Michigan Christmas Tree Association and the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

The ‘Trees for Troops’ initiative, powered by the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation in collaboration with FedEx, has been delivering free, farm-fresh Christmas trees to U.S. service members and their families for an impressive 20 years. Thanks to generous donations, sponsorships, grants, and a network of dedicated volunteers, thousands of trees are distributed every holiday season. For 2024, 93 military bases across the country—15 of them new to the program—are set to receive these festive gifts.

“It’s wonderful to be here at Wahmhoff Farms today to help support the Trees for Troops program and to give back to the hard-working men and women in military service, who protect us every day,” said Tim Boring. “The Trees for Troops program creates the perfect opportunity to give the gift of local agriculture – fresh, Michigan-grown Christmas trees – given with the utmost respect for our military members. Wahmhoff Farms and other Michigan Christmas tree farmers, along with community donors and volunteers, have come together to fill a semi-truck with holiday cheer. This is what the holiday season is all about.”

Colonel James Rossi of the Michigan National Guard shared similar sentiments, noting, “The Michigan National Guard is thrilled to work alongside dedicated community members to assist with this year’s Trees for Troops event. This event is a fantastic representation of the level of support Michigan communities strive to provide military service members and their families. It is incredible knowing the amount of effort the Trees for Troops volunteers put in to make sure military members are able to celebrate the holidays around these beautiful Michigan-grown trees.”

Celebrating the Legacy of Wahmhoff Farms Nursery

Wahmhoff Farms Nursery, a family-owned staple of Southwest Michigan, has proudly operated for over seven decades. Known for its exceptional Christmas trees, the farm also offers wreaths, garlands, U-cut options, and other festive products that capture the holiday spirit and serve the community.

Michigan’s Vital Role in the Christmas Tree Industry

Michigan holds a prestigious position in the U.S. as the third-largest producer of Christmas trees. With over 500 tree farms spread across the state, Michigan supplies roughly 2 million fresh Christmas trees annually. The industry’s total farm gate value exceeds $40 million, solidifying its importance to Michigan’s agricultural economy.

This year, Governor Gretchen Whitmer officially proclaimed December as Michigan Christmas Tree Month. This designation celebrates the tradition of family Christmas trees and encourages residents to support local farms by purchasing fresh, Michigan-grown trees.

Source: The Trucker

Image: MDARD

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Two of the top for-hire carriers in the U.S., FedEx and J.B. Hunt, are setting the stage for a potential upswing in the freight industry following a period of tepid demand, as highlighted by executives at a recent industry gathering.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services’ President Shelley Simpson remarked on Nov. 12 at the 54th annual Baird Global Industrial Conference, “This, for us, has been the toughest freight recession — and longest — in terms of depth and duration in my 30-year career. But I think we’ve done a good job managing through that part of the process. We’re looking forward to turning the chapter and hopefully moving into a better position coming into 2025.”

During this downturn, J.B. Hunt prioritized three core areas to ensure readiness for market improvement. These include enhancing customer value to seize emerging opportunities, scaling investments across diverse business units, and delivering long-term returns to shareholders.

Simpson elaborated, “Our first priority is really to reinvest back into the business for long-term returns. Anytime that we could put more capital to use from an equipment perspective on behalf of our customers, that’s going to be over a longer-term basis. And then, certainly, we’re going to be thinking about opportunistic buying from a stock perspective and then return back dividends to our shareholders.”

Meanwhile, FedEx Corp.’s Chief Financial Officer John Dietrich discussed the broader economic challenges affecting their key revenue streams. “I think if you reflect on the numbers, we were impacted by reductions in our highest yielding products,” he noted. The industrial sector’s decline has had a notable impact, with manufacturing contracting 23 times over the past two years as per the Manufacturing ISM Report on Business.

Dietrich predicts that industrial production, alongside the rise of e-commerce, will play a significant role in boosting freight volume growth. “We’ll be well positioned for that,” Dietrich said. “E-commerce is going to make up a large percentage — probably up to 90% — of the volume growth that our ground network and our freight business will be the beneficiary of. So, we can’t ignore that volume is going to be there. We just have to find the right cost structure to accommodate it.”

Until the anticipated rebound, FedEx is focused on maximizing revenue quality and managing capacity, largely by transferring heavier freight to truckload services due to ample capacity. Despite some softness in volumes, the pricing environment remains favorable, with Dietrich adding, “You’re seeing volumes are softer [and] the weight per shipment is down slightly, roughly 3%. But we’re seeing a 5% improvement per hundredweight. You have a strong pricing environment and we’ll be very capable of adapting to the return of volumes.”

Simpson also emphasized the freight recession’s link to market disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to an oversupply of capacity post-pandemic. “We’ve not been good at predicting the entire COVID up or down,” she stated. Despite these challenges, she noted positive developments, particularly in dedicated contract services, which have maintained a robust pipeline and excellent sales productivity.

Looking ahead to 2025, Simpson highlighted the significance of investing in long-term opportunities for personnel, technology, and capacity. “We’ve invested in long-term opportunities for us and our people, our technology and capacity,” she affirmed. “That’s going to be really important for us as we lean into 2025 and think about the capacity that we’ve added. If you think about it from an intermodal perspective, we still have plenty of equipment to really source for our customers, and help them as they grow.”

Source: Transport Topics

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Held at Texas State Technical College in Waco, the 2024 State Truck Driving Championship and Technician of the Year Contest attracted elite drivers from major Texas cities including Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The winners from each category will represent Texas at the upcoming American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) National Truck Driving Championship in Indianapolis, scheduled from August 21 to 24.

Class Winners in the Truck Driving Championship:

• Flatbed: Ruben Cortez, HEB

• Step Van: Matthew Logan Montandon, FedEx Ground

• Sleeper Berth: Juan Carrillo, FedEx Ground

• Straight Truck: Clint Anderson, FedEx Express

• Tank Truck: Randolph Gamez, HEB

• Twin Trailers: Christopher Flippin, FedEx Freight

• 5-Axle Van: Andres Garcia, FedEx Freight

• 4-Axle Van: Mario Gonzales, Jr., HEB

• 3-Axle Van: Olamide Olayiwola, FedEx Freight

“These competitions showcase the elite driving abilities and technical expertise required to operate and maintain commercial trucks safely on our highways,” stated John D. Esparza, President and CEO of TXTA. “We’re proud to honor these outstanding professionals who keep our economy moving every day.”

Source: Truckers News

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“FedEx is making significant strides in advancing opportunities for women within their organization,” said Chris Spear, ATA President and CEO. “We are fortunate to have their support and expertise as we work together to showcase the opportunities, they, and the entire trucking industry, are providing for women in the transportation industry.”

The Women In Motion program holds a dedicated mission in the transportation industry: to establish connections and empower women, irrespective of their level of experience, within the sector. Its vision is to create a supportive and nurturing environment where women can assist one another in navigating the challenges and celebrating the triumphs of their careers, as outlined in a press release.

Through the promotion of advocacy, mentorship, networking, and collaborative learning, WIM aspires to bring about transformative changes in the trucking industry, ultimately fostering a strong and inclusive community.

“This is an exciting day, not only for ATA but for our entire industry. The overwhelming response from our members affirms that we are in the right place at the right time, and we eagerly anticipate the journey ahead,” said Sarah Rajtik, WIM co-chair and ATA chief operating officer.

The collaboration is, “the next big step in WIM’s effort to champion the advancement of women in the transportation industry and promises to advance the council’s goal of delivering meaningful change,” according to the news release.

“For decades, the logistics industry has been male-dominated, but we continue to break that mold at FedEx; and thanks to ATA’s unwavering commitment to our industry and their aggressive advocacy, we are confident trucking is positioned to push for real change for women in the transportation industry,” said Lisa Lisson, senior vice president, Network Operations for FedEx Express. “Our missions and goals are seamlessly aligned, making it a natural decision to support ATA’s Women In Motion. We are honored and excited to be part of this initiative.”

Source: The Trucker

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