Erica N. Guy

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Averitt is collaborating with the Tennessee State Parks as a community outreach project. Averitt and the Tennessee State Parks held a collaborative meeting recently, which included representatives from Fall Creek, Cummins Falls, Burgess Falls and other local officials. In this meeting, the two shared their initiatives focusing on community engagement, environmental sustainability and fostering a positive impact on the local landscape. Through this partnership, Averitt officials say they aim to help preserve and enhance the natural beauty these parks offer to the public. “Averitt is committed to cultivating impactful relationships within the communities we are privileged to serve. Through our collaboration with Tennessee State Parks, our shared goal is to enhance education, promote sustainability, and preserve the natural beauty of Tennessee and its surrounding communities,” said Kent Williams, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Averitt. The contribution signifies the beginning of an ongoing relationship, with both parties committed to exploring further opportunities for collaboration. For more information about Averitt and its commitment to community engagement and sustainability, visit www.averitt.com/about/environment. Pictured are: Kent Williams, Averitt’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing; Tim Saylor, Averitt’s Vice President of Information Systems; and Mark Davis, Averitt’s Vice President of Pricing and Traffic, alongside Tennessee State Park employees and rangers. (Courtesy: Averitt)

ALBANY, N.Y. — Bestpass recently announced that it has added two key team members to its leadership team. Shay Demmons is now the new chief product officer, and Scott Chao is the new chief marketing officer (CMO). “These strategic hires will aid Bestpass’s commitment to scale its service offerings and network integrations for commercial fleets and owner-operators,” a news release states. Bestpass CEO Tom Fogarty said he’s glad to have the pair on board. “We set out to build out our innovation and growth teams by attracting accomplished leaders as our first C-level executives in product and marketing,” he said. “Scott and Shay bring extensive and dynamic work experience, both in and outside the transportation industry. As we continue to grow the Bestpass brand and bring forth new solutions for our customers, I am confident that their leadership will play a pivotal role in driving our success.”   Chao joins Bestpass as CMO and has deep experience growing companies through strategy and transformational improvements, according to the news release. Chao recently served as CMO and chief growth officer for Appspace, a leading workplace management software company backed by private equity firm Accel-KKR. Before Appspace, he held sales and marketing leadership positions at other private equity-backed companies, including DealerSocket, Stack Sports and Cvent.  Demmons joins Bestpass as CPO. He has more than 25 years of experience in product development across multiple industries, including commercial transportation. Most notably, Demmons served as CPO at GPS Insight, a fleet management and field services company, where he was responsible for the strategy and execution of all product and development-related activities.    Bestpass, founded in 2001, is a leading toll management and payment platform for commercial vehicle operators in the U.S. and Canada. It covers 100% of significant toll roads in the U.S., supports more than 30,000 customers, and processes over $1.5 billion in toll transactions annually. Since 2018, Bestpass has grown its customer base and revenue by more than three times. 

SAN MATEO, Calif. — BeyondTrucks has launched a new Fuel Transport Solution, complete with digital inventory monitoring. The solution digitizes and centralizes all of the customers’ inventory readings into one place, according to a news release, allowing for real-time tracking, order point reevaluation and automated order generation. “BeyondTrucks is designed for unique industry needs,” said Hans Galland, founder and CEO of BeyondTrucks. “Our Fuel Transport Solutions now extends our core offering of simplifying work for dispatch, back office and drivers — and makes it uniquely relevant to fuel transportation. This translates to improved efficiency, control and safety for this unique industry segment. Specifically, with J.P. Noonan, we’re proud to make the most competitive service provider ensuring gas stations in New England never run out of fuel.” According to said Mark Cicchini, director of special projects at J.P. Noonan, the old processes and transportation management system made it challenging to monitor multiple fuel customers efficiently.  But “BeyondTrucks allows us to automate this work and unlock valuable data,” he said. “With real-time fuel monitoring data, we can now run our entire fleet operation on a single, streamlined platform and use analytics to make more efficient dispatch decisions and become much more competitive.”

DENTON, Texas — Peterbilt Motors Company and Rush Truck Centers (RTC) have donated $1.5 million to Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) and Wreaths Across America (WAA). According to a news release, representatives from both charities received donations from Peterbilt General Manager and PACCAR Vice President Jason Skoog and RTC CEO Rusty Rush at the Mid-America Trucking Show, held recently in Louisville, Kentucky.  Each charity received an equal share of the donated money: $750,000. “It is very fitting that the proceeds from the last Model 389 will support these two worthy organizations,” Skoog said. “We thoughtfully selected TAT and WAA as the recipients of this donation to help fund their efforts in supporting our trucking community, specifically combating human trafficking and honoring our fallen soldiers. We are proud to stand with them and look forward to seeing all the great work they will accomplish in the years ahead.” RTC contributed $625,000, which came from an auction they held for the last ever-produced Model 389 in February 2023. Peterbilt split its raised funds to the charities in the amount of $125,000 each. “Rush Enterprises is proud to join Peterbilt Motors Company in supporting Truckers Against Trafficking and Wreaths Across America,” said W.M. “Rusty” Rush, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Rush Enterprises, Inc. “We all can take part in protecting the more vulnerable members of our society, and Truckers Against Trafficking’s efforts to aid law enforcement in the recovery of victims of human trafficking is truly life-saving work. Further, the mission of Wreaths Across America, to honor those who serve, especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, while inspiring the next generation to value our freedoms, is important to me personally as well as to countless Rush Enterprises employees who have served in the armed forces or who come from military families,” Rush added. The last Model 389 will be the centerpiece at one of RTC’s sweepstakes that will run throughout the year to raise additional funds for a third charity, the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). For more information about these charities, visit www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org and www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.

AVON, Ohio — Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has finalized the sale of SafetyDirect to Chicago-based Rand McNally of TELEO Capital Management LLC. SafetyDirect is a video-based driver safety platform engineered specifically for big rig fleets. “Bendix will provide all marketing, data and product integration support to Rand McNally to help enable a cohesive, coordinated approach for optimized customer solutions,” according to a news release. “To foster continued alignment between the organizations, Bendix will receive an equity stake, which is an ownership position, in Rand McNally/SafetyDirect operations and hold an observer seat on the Rand McNally Board of Directors.” The sale has no impact on the existing portfolio of Bendix braking, steering and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Rand McNally will continue to offer SafetyDirect and its integration with Bendix ADAS and brake systems, the news release notes. “Delivering value to our customers is at the core of all we do and the driver behind this action,” said Piotr Sroka, president, CEO and chief operating officer at Bendix. “Connectivity and data access are essential parts of Bendix’s strategy for our evolving ADAS solutions suite. The sale supports our desire to deliver enhanced functionality and more rapid and robust technology advancement under a partner well equipped to deliver on that need.” Effective the moment the sale was finalized, Bendix and Rand McNally will begin a detailed, phased shift of operations and systems. The complete changeover is expected to take up to one year. “While it will initially be business as usual, our transition goal is to help mitigate and minimize upfront risks, establish and maintain momentum and complete an intelligent transfer with nominal impact to our customers and our suppliers,” said Nicole Oreskovic, Bendix vice president of sales and marketing. “The SafetyDirect solution and the Rand McNally platform will remain independent during a technology integration period to meet customer and market needs.” Kevin Hatch, president at Rand McNally, said that the combined expertise of Rand McNally and SafetyDirect will result in an expanded catalog of offerings that cater to the diverse needs of the trucking industry and other companies that own or operate vehicle fleets. “The acquisition will enable Rand McNally to deliver enhanced innovations in real-time monitoring and driver alerts, predictive maintenance, fleetwide management and compliance management, among other critical fleet operations,” Hatch concluded.

NEW YORK—Together for Safer Roads (TSR) recently announced that a new member has been added to their family: the fleet operations company, Motive. “We are thrilled to welcome Motive to our diverse coalition of industry leaders,” said Peter Goldwasser, TSR’s executive director. “Their commitment to safety technology, focus on partnerships, and diverse expertise aligns perfectly with our mission to advance fleet safety.” According to a news release, Motive has a fully unified Integrated Operations Platform that “combines driver safety, fleet management, equipment monitoring and spend management all in one place. It also leverages advanced AI to deliver critical value for fleets, offering greater control, deeper insights and enhanced safety measures. Motive’s AI Dashcam ensures enhanced safety and fewer road disruptions.” In addition to its AI Dashcam, Motive also offers driver-friendly electronic logging devices that simplifies compliance, which helps fleets reduce risk while providing automation tools that are appreciated by truck drivers. “We protect drivers across more than 120,000 businesses and a wide range of industries who use our technology to drive safely, efficiently, and have more profitable operations,” said Gary Johnson, head of safety and compliance strategy at Motive. “Joining Together for Safer Roads aligns perfectly with Motive’s mission to prevent incidents and reduce risk for those that move the physical economy forward, powering our homes, delivering our food, and making our society function .” TSR’s Board Chair and Global Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Anheuser-Busch InBev, Andres Penate, said that Motive’s membership in TSR strengthens the organization’s position as a global leader in road safety advocacy and innovation. “We welcome them on board as our newest member,” he concluded.

RENTON, Wash. — PACCAR Parts and its private label, TRP, announced that TRP is expanding its network by opening stores at different locations internationally. “The expansion will allow TRP to possibly reach new customers and support the established and loyal customers who already depend on TRP for the products and services that support the expectancy of their trucks and trailers,” a news release stated. On the list of store openings is TRP’s milestone 300th global store in Ecuador. According to the news release, this year, TRP “marks 30 years as an industry leader in providing high-quality aftermarket transportation solutions. TRP offers unparalleled parts availability, including more than 157,000 parts for customers through PACCAR Parts’ network of 19 state-of-the-art parts distribution centers around the world.” “I’m thrilled to acknowledge TRP’s 300th store and welcome each new store to the TRP network,” said Laura Bloch, PACCAR Parts general manager and PACCAR vice president. “With every new location, TRP increases customer satisfaction by giving them better access to the parts they need and rely on.” Indusur’s National Parts Manager, Maria Cristina, praised TRP. “In my eight years of experience with the TRP brand, its excellent quality and pricing have built and maintained trust with the customer base,” she said. TRP Manta, operated by Indusur, is strategically located in an area known for heavy-duty transportation. It has access to the seaport, the airport, and one of the country’s main highways. TRP Manta is a parts-only store that offers a wide portfolio of TRP products. It services a market of over 3,000 trucks manufactured around the world. Following is a list of all of the TRP global store openings since July 2023. Store Location Offerings TRP Warwick Sladevale, Queensland, Australia Parts Only TRP Peninsula Hastings, Victoria, Australia Parts Only TRP Mossoró Mossoró, Brasil Parts and Service TRP Três Cachoeiras Três Cachoeiras, Brasil Parts and Service TRP Colinas Colinas do Tocantins, Brasil Parts and Service TRP Edmonton South Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Parts Only TRP Saint-Eustache Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada Parts Only TRP Manta Manta, Ecuador Parts Only TRP Batumi Batumi, Georgia Parts and Service TRP Mittelsinn Mittelsinn, Germany Parts and Service TRP San Pedro Sula San Pedro Sula, Honduras Parts Only TRP Bastia Umbra Bastia Umbra, Italy Parts and Service TRP Piacenza Piadena, Italy Parts and Service TRP Acolman Acolman, Mexico Parts Only TRP Ciudad Victoria Ciudad Victoria, Mexico Parts Only TRP Kenitra Kenitra, Morocco Parts and Service TRP Gisborne Gisborne, New Zealand Parts Only TRP Cuzco Cuzco, Peru Parts Only TRP Lurin Lurin, Peru Parts Only TRP Mirna Peč Mirna Peč, Slovenia Parts and Service TRP Södertälje Södertälje, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Örebro Örebro, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Hisingsbacka Hisingsbacka, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Jönköping Jönköping, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Malmö Malmö, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Helsingborg Helsingborg, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Borlänge Borlänge, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Järfälla Järfälla, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Norköping Norköping, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Stockholm Stockholm, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Luleå Luleå, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Örebro Örebro, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Årsta Årsta, Sweden Parts and Service TPR Göteborg Göteborg, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Vallentuna Vallentuna, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Arlöv Arlöv, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Borlänge Borlänge, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Gävle Gävle, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Jordbro Jordbro, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Karlstad Karlstad, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Linköping Linköping, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Kristianstad Kristianstad, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Tibro Tibro, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Uppsala Uppsala, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Västerås Västerås, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Växjö Växjö, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Sundsvall Sundsvall, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Umeå Umeå, Sweden Parts and Service TRP Burton-on-Trent Burton-on-Trent, United Kingdom Parts and Service TRP Dalhart Dalhart, Texas, U.S. Parts Only TRP Wichita Wichita, Kansas, U.S. Parts Only TRP Greenville Greenville, Ohio, U.S. Parts and Service TRP Marion Marion, Indiana, U.S. Parts and Service TRP Southport Southport, Florida, U.S. Parts and Service TRP Shakopee Shakopee, Minnesota, U.S. Parts Only TRP St. Cloud St. Cloud, Minnesota, U.S. Parts Only TRP Youngwood Youngwood, Pennsylvania, U.S. Parts Only TRP Nogales Nogales, Arizona, U.S. Parts Only TRP Sun Valley Sun Valley, California, U.S. Parts Only TRP Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. Parts Only