Business

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) on Oct. 24 announced the appointment of Joe Ohr as the organization’s chief operating officer. Ohr has more than 20 years of experience in engineering product software, gained from roles at Omnitracs, Qualcomm and Eaton. “What NMFTA is being called upon to do with digitization, classification, and cybersecurity demands the sharpest and best deliverables,” said Debbie Ruane Sparks, executive director for NMFTA. “An individual who came from the trucking industry but also possessed extensive tech skills for the creation of elite software was a priority, and Joe Ohr is that expert.” The NMFTA is a nonprofit membership organization representing the interests of less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers. The association’s membership is comprised of motor carriers operating in interstate, intrastate and foreign commerce.

NEW ORLEANS — Schneider has been honored by the National Safety Council (NSC) with the Green Cross for Safety Award for 2023, which is presented to organizations that are working toward — and succeeding in — preventing injuries and saving lives. This year’s other winners are Walgreens and  APTIM. Presented during the 24th annual Green Cross Celebration, presented by U. S. Steel, these accolades recognize the best and brightest in three categories: safety advocacy, safety excellence, and safety innovation. Nine finalists for the three award categories were selected, reviewed and evaluated. Finalists for the Safety Advocate Award were Schneider, Argos and Flagman, Inc., and finalists for the Safety Excellence Award were Anne Arundel County Government Risk Management, Day & Zimmermann and Walgreens. Finalists for the Safety Innovation Award were APTIM, Clayton County Water Authority and SoCalGas. The 2023 winners are: Schneider (Safety Advocate Award, sponsored by First Student): Each year, drunk driving claims around 10,000 lives. The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) program was created to develop a first-of-its-kind technology holding the greatest potential to reverse this deadly trend. In 2021, Schneider became the first truckload carrier to conduct a pilot of this life-saving alcohol detection technology. Between Sep. 2021 and May 2022, the first Schneider trucks were fitted with the DADSS technology device, and drivers began testing the system. Through May 1, 2023, Schneider drove more than 206,634 miles, producing a total of 89,689 samples and 21,784 total sensor operation hours. Through testing, Schneider drivers were the first to identify and report problems with the device. Data generated allowed the device to be optimized and validated the device’s speed, accuracy and reliability. DADSS is now slated to become a feature in new cars once it has completed a performance protocol review. Walgreens (Safety Excellence Award, sponsored by UPS): Walgreens operates more than 8,000 drugstores. In 2017, the company began an in-depth analysis of workers’ compensation claims occurring within its retail locations and found about 40% of injuries were caused by slips, trips and falls occurring in its retail stockroom environments. The analysis identified an opportunity to collaborate cross-functionally, redefining its stockroom inventory controls and storage layouts. Walgreens launched the Safety Focused Stockroom program concentrating on safe storage planograms and the safe storage of merchandise without the use of a ladder. Year to date, Walgreens has successfully transformed more than 76% of its retail locations to ladder-less stockrooms. Workers’ compensation claims associated with slips, trips and falls within the stockroom have been reduced by 66% over the last six years. Walgreens continues to focus on improving its adoption of the program, showing its commitment to managing risks and increasing safety awareness for its team members. APTIM (Safety Innovation Award, sponsored by Amazon): APTIM is responsible for the repair and maintenance of more than 90,000 fuel infrastructure assets for the U.S. Department of Defense in dozens of remote locations. The group realized the potential for safety to be compromised due to gaps in safety planning, processes, communication and documentation. Its program team identified a suite of digital tools to integrate with its safety program needs. These tools have proved to provide an electronic means of group communication, real-time engagement, and seamless field interaction with its safety and engineering support teams. It ensures the safest measures are being implemented at the site, the regulatory documentation required by its customers is maintained, and field staff safety is increased. This digital innovation has resulted in an average of below .01 for all leading indicators that helped drive down incident rates for the past three years of this program. In addition to recognizing this year’s award recipients, the Green Cross Celebration helped raise approximately $720,000 for mission-critical initiatives, including safety research, education and advocacy. Held at Mardi Gras World, the event featured music and entertainment, all surrounded by the unique art and magic of Mardi Gras, as well as a live auction and an inspiring story of first aid saving a life at work.“NSC is proud to recognize these organizations for advocating, excelling, and innovating to keep workers safe,” said Lorraine Martin, president and CEO of NSC. “The commitment to safety amongst this year’s group is unparalleled, and it is a great honor to celebrate their efforts and accomplishments with them. Thank you, and congratulations to this year’s Green Cross for Safety award finalists and winners.”

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) announced its three finalists for the 2023 Influential Woman in Trucking award, which is sponsored by Daimler Truck North America (DTNA). This award was developed in 2010 to recognize female leaders and to attract and advance women in the trucking industry. The award highlights the achievements of female role models and trailblazers in the trucking industry. The 2023 Influential Woman in Trucking finalists are: Tori Blake, CFO and co-owner of Western Logistics Express (WLE) and WLX; Megan Ferguson, vice president of end-to-end delivery acceleration for Walmart; and Shelley Simpson, president of J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. TORI BLAKE Blake has made it her mission to mentor women in all facets of her business. In her role, she is responsible for financial management, talent acquisition, employee development and strategic visioning. WLX and WLE have been recognized as one of Kansas City’s fastest-growing companies each year Blakehas been on the team, as well as one of Kansas City’s best places to work. In addition, Blake was honored as the Kansas City Business Journal’s 2023 CFO of the year. At the start of her career, Blake was an auditor at Ernst & Young, one of the four largest accounting firms in the world. Over her 16-year career as an executive leader, she has led startup companies and has a true passion for entrepreneurial endeavors. Blake has a heart for serving others. She was instrumental in supporting Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City through “Sunshine Taggie” blankets for patients, handmade by WLX/WLE employees. She has also served as chairwoman of her church board, has been a children’s church teacher for over a decade, and is serving as the church mission trip leader. Tori is also a coach of two youth sports teams, where she has the honor of coaching and guiding 25 young female athletes and leaders each year. MEGAN FERGUSON Ferguson has more than 15 years of experience at Walmart and Sam’s Club, with a deep background in transportation operations and strategy and merchandise operations. Shejoined Walmart in 2007 as a private fleet strategy intern and moved into the role of project manager of Walmart’s private fleet strategy upon obtaining a degree in supply chain management at Michigan State University. During her career at Walmart, Ferguson has filled transportation leadership roles in sourcing and procurement, inventory management and optimization as well as merchandise operations. In her current role, shebrings Walmart’s delivery strategy to life across the first, middle and last mile, always prioritizing the customer’s needs. Ferguson is a passionate mentor and leader to her teams. She co-leads Walmart’s Women of Supply Chain Council, in addition to hosting educational sessions and mentorship circles while continuing to grow herself as an active member of Walmart’s Women’s Officer Caucus. While her passions lie in advocating for women in the transportation and supply chain industries, her mentorship extends to all associates seeking guidance in managing relationships, peer collaborations, and various business topics. Ferguson prioritizes volunteering her time to train and participate in fireside chats and panel discussions to inspire other women to take on leadership roles. SHELLEY SIMPSON Simpson’s 29-year career at J.B. Hunt reflects the company’s continued progression as an innovative leader in the transportation and logistics industry. Since joining J.B. Hunt as an hourly customer service representative, she has held multiple positions in business segments across the company, including leading integrated capacity solutions, truckload, customer experience, highway services. Most recently, she served  as chief commercial officer and executive vice president of people and human resources. While leading the strategic direction of marketing, sales, customer experience, and external product development, Simpson also led the development of the company’s freight-matching technology platform J.B. Hunt 360°. As the company evolved the platform and its technology-driven services, Shelley was also responsible for commercializing them on a global scale as the leader of International Services. In 2021, she was named one of the Top 100 Women in Supply Chain by Supply Chain Digital, and she has been named one of the Top 100 HR Professionals by the National Diversity Council in 2022. She recently received the 2022 Woman of the Year in Innovation award from the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas and the Excellence in Free Enterprise Award from Economics Arkansas. There will be a panel discussion at the WIT Accelerate! Conference & Expo planned for Nov. 5-8, 2023, in Dallas. The winner will be announced after the panel discussion on Tues, Nov. 7 at 10:15 a.m. CST.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has extended the comment period for its advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to revise the regulations prescribing the Safety Fitness Determination (SFD) process and other aspects of 88 FR 59489. The deadline for comments is now Nov. 29, 2023. The SFD, currently incorporated in 49 CFR 385.5, requires that motor carriers have adequate safety management controls in place that ensure acceptable compliance with standards related to safety risks including: Commercial driver’s license standard violations; Inadequate levels of financial responsibility; The use of unqualified drivers; Improper use and driving of motor vehicles; Unsafe vehicles operating on the highways; Failure to maintain accident registers and copies of accident reports; The use of fatigued drivers; Inadequate inspection, repair, and maintenance of vehicles; Transportation of hazardous materials, driving and parking rule violations; Violation of hazardous materials regulations; and Motor vehicle accidents and hazardous materials incidents. The factors to be considered in determining the safety fitness and assigning a safety rating include information from safety reviews, compliance reviews and any other data. The factors may include all or some of the following: Adequacy of safety management controls. The adequacy of controls may be questioned if their degree of formalization, automation, etc., is found to be substantially below the norm for similar carriers. Violations, accidents or incidents substantially above the norm for similar carriers will be strong evidence that management controls are either inadequate or not functioning properly. Frequency and severity of regulatory violations. Frequency and severity of driver/vehicle regulatory violations identified during roadside inspections of motor carrier operations in commerce and, if the motor carrier operates in the U.S., of operations in Canada and Mexico. Number and frequency of out-of-service driver/vehicle violations of motor carrier operations in commerce and, if the motor carrier operates in the U.S., of operations in Canada and Mexico. Increase or decrease in similar types of regulatory violations discovered during safety or compliance reviews. For motor carrier operations in commerce and (if the motor carrier operates in the United States) in Canada and Mexico: Frequency of accidents; hazardous materials incidents; accident rate per million miles; indicators of preventable accidents; and whether such accidents, hazardous materials incidents, and preventable accident indicators have increased or declined over time. Number and severity of violations of CMV and motor carrier safety rules, regulations, standards, and orders that are both issued by a State, Canada, or Mexico and compatible with Federal rules, regulations, standards, and orders. SFD regulations are nothing new, having first been enacted by the Federal Highway Administration (predecessor to the FMCSA) in 1988. In the decades since, regulations and requirements have been updated on a regular basis. According to the FMCSA website, “This ANPRM seeks input regarding new methodologies that would determine when a motor carrier is not fit to operate CMVs in or affecting interstate commerce. The intended effect of this action is to more effectively use FMCSA data and resources to identify unfit motor carriers and to remove them from the nation’s roadways.” To submit comments online, click here.

MIAMI — Ryder System Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement in the third quarter to acquire all the outstanding equity of IFS Holdings LLC, also known as Impact Fulfillment Services (IFS). IFS specializes in contract packaging, contract manufacturing and warehousing for some of the largest and best-known consumer brands in the U.S., primarily in the consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail and health care industries. As part of the transaction, Ryder will acquire 15 operations across Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and California. The transaction is expected to add approximately $250 million in annual total revenue to Ryder’s supply chain solutions business segment and be accretive to shareholders. Ryder and IFS expect to complete the transaction in early November 2023, subject to the satisfaction of antitrust approvals and customary closing conditions. “The acquisition of IFS supports our strategy to accelerate growth in our supply chain business, providing Ryder with new capabilities that are complementary to our existing suite of services,” said Steve Sensing, president of supply chain solutions for Ryder. “Initially, the co-packaging and co-manufacturing services will roll into our CPG vertical; however, we see considerable opportunity to leverage these new capabilities across other industry verticals.” IFS has built a blue-chip customer base with its proven model for co-packing and co-manufacturing in both food and non-food products, including a specialty in blending and filling dry powder and viscous products. “Ryder already serves the top 10 U.S. food and beverage companies, and this acquisition will expand and strengthen our relationships with those customers while also attracting new customers in additional verticals, especially in retail, health, and beauty,” said Darin Cooprider, senior vice president of CPG for Ryder. “And IFS’ customer base will benefit from access to Ryder’s capabilities as a fully integrated port-to-door logistics provider.” Ryder will integrate the IFS facilities and operations into its supply chain solutions business, including nine multiclient and six dedicated customer operations, totaling just under 4 million square feet. To ensure a seamless experience for customers, Ryder plans to retain IFS’ workforce of approximately 1,000 full-time employees. IFS President Rob LeBaron will join Ryder as vice president of contract manufacturing and packaging. “As we considered the next step in our growth strategy, it became clear that joining Ryder would open doors in just about every industry vertical while allowing our marquee customer base to leverage Ryder’s comprehensive suite of services,” LeBaron said. Founded 25 years ago, IFS specializes in contract manufacturing, contract packaging and assembly, display engineering, product launches, multichannel programs and club store programs. “IFS was built on trust, saying what we do and then doing what we say,” said IFS Founder Todd Porterfeld, who plans to retire. “It’s the people who come to work every day determined to deliver on the promises we make that have led to our success. Thinking about the future, I want to ensure our employees are in a place where they can continue to grow and our customers are in the best possible hands. I believe Ryder is that place.” Blank Rome LLP is acting as Ryder’s legal counsel for the transaction. Wofford Advisors LLC and Paul Hastings LLP are representing IFS.  

LOWELL, Ark. — J.B. Hunt Transport Services has announced its third quarter of 2023 United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) net earnings, which totaled $187.4 million, or diluted earnings per share of $1.80, versus third quarter 2022 net earnings of $269.4 million, or $2.57 per diluted share. Total operating revenue for the current quarter was $3.16 billion, a decrease of 18% compared with $3.84 billion for the third quarter of 2022, according to a news release. The current quarter’s total operating revenue, excluding fuel surcharge revenue, decreased by 15% versus the comparable quarter of 2022. This decrease was primarily driven by a 14% and 22% decrease in Intermodal (JBI) and Truckload (JBT) revenue per load (excluding fuel surcharge revenue) respectively, a 38% decrease in volume in Integrated Capacity Solutions, a 20% decrease in stops in Final Miles Services (FMS), and a 1% decline in average revenue producing trucks in Dedicated Contract Services, partially offset by a 1% increase in JBI volumes and a 6% increase in JBT loads versus the prior-year period. Operating income for the current quarter decreased 33% to $241.7 million versus $362.2 million for the third quarter of 2022. Operating income decreased primarily due to lower revenue across all business segments, higher equipment-related costs, and higher insurance and claims expenses compared to the third quarter of 2022. In addition, the third quarter of 2023 included an $8 million net loss from the sale of equipment compared to a negligible net gain in the prior year quarter. On a consolidated basis, operating income as a percentage of consolidated gross revenue decreased year-over-year as a result of higher professional driver and non-driver wages and benefits and equipment-related and maintenance expenses as a percentage of gross revenue. These items were partially offset by lower rail and truck-purchased transportation costs as a percentage of gross revenue. Net interest expense for the current quarter decreased modestly compared to the third quarter of 2022 due primarily to the interest component of a discrete income tax benefit recognized in the current quarter, partially offset by a higher average debt balance and higher interest rates. The effective income tax rate in the current quarter was 18.2% versus 22.7% in the third quarter of 2022. The decrease was due to the recording of a discrete benefit recognized in the current quarter. We expect our 2023 annual tax rate to be between 22.0% and 23.0%. At Sept. 30, the company had a total of $1.4 billion outstanding on various debt instruments compared to total debt of $1.2 billion at Sept. 30 and $1.3 billion at Dec. 31, 2022, the news release noted. The company’s net capital expenditures for the nine months ended Sept. 30 approximated $1.3 billion compared to $1.0 billion for the same period in 2022. On Sept. 30, the company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $75 million. In the third quarter of 2023, the company purchased approximately 267,000 shares of our common stock for approximately $51 million. On Sept. 30, the company had approximately $416 million remaining under its share repurchase authorization. Actual shares outstanding on Sept. 30 approximated 103.1 million.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) has announced a newly-appointed vice chair, Sarah Smith of Penske Transportation Solutions. In addition to this volunteer role, Smith is also the senior vice president of human resources for Penske, where she leads teams that are responsible for corporate and field human resources and diversity and inclusion, according to a news release. “We are extremely pleased to have Sarah in this leadership role as she brings a depth of experience that will be invaluable to the association,” said Jennifer Hedrick, president and CEO of WIT. In her new role, Smith will join forces with WIT’s officers, board of directors and staff to further the association’s mission of encouraging women to join the transportation industry, minimizing the obstacles they will face and showcasing their accomplishments in the industry.  “It’s an honor to hold a leadership position on the Women In Trucking Board of Directors,” Smith said. “Women In Trucking is the leading organization supporting women in transportation and encouraging more to join our strong industry. To contribute to that mission is professionally and personally rewarding to me. I believe that there is a tremendous opportunity for women in trucking and that my association with WIT demonstrates Penske’s commitment to diversity and inclusion for our association. I look forward to the impactful work that lies ahead.” Throughout her career, Smith has held several roles within Penske, including the director of labor relations position. Smith has also held a position as an attorney at a private practice.

ATLANTA — FleetDrive 360 has named a new CEO of the company, Michael Nalepka. With nearly 20 years of experience, Nalepka has held roles in leadership and executive for transportation technology companies and is also a shareholder of 11 patents, of which nine are related to fleet driver safety, transportation management software, telematics and video-telematics, according to a news release.  “I recognized FleetDrive 360 as a smart, innovative solution as soon as they came on the market,” Nalepka said. “The team is terrific. It is with great excitement for the future that I am taking on the CEO position. The team has built a tremendous safety solution, and I see my background and experience as a perfect fit with what is in place to accelerate advancement and growth at an even faster pace.” Before taking on his current role, Nalepka was the founder and CEO of VideoProtects, a trucking video safety solution, the founder and general manager of Trimble’s Video Intelligence, vice president of sales at TMW-Trimble and senior program director at Procon Analytics for IOT, connected car and video solutions. “Michael stood out among an excellent slate of candidates,” said Kevin Thompson, founder and acting CEO of FleetDrive 360. “As a founder of FleetDrive 360, I feel fortunate to have someone of Mike’s caliber to step in as CEO.” With his passion, visionary approach, and experience in leveraging cutting-edge technology solutions, Michael is the ideal CEO to lead FleetDrive 360 as we continue our growth by offering fleets the innovative, all-encompassing solution for DOT and FMCSA compliance solutions.”

NEW YORK — Cover Whale Insurance Solutions, which caters to the trucking industry, has unveiled its new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. Dubbed B.O.B., the bot “is an embodiment of expert knowledge and agility,” a news release stated. “B.O.B. streamlines communication with agents and policyholders, crucially improving response times and supporting Cover Whale’s rapid growth. B.O.B., which is an acronym for “bundle of bots,” represents a collective of A.I. models trained to leverage Cover Whale’s extensive knowledge base.” Cover Whale officials say B.O.B. is programmed to handle a spectrum of queries that originated from Cover Whale’s expanding base of commercial trucking insurance constituents, which also includes insurance agents and their independent-trucker and fleet-owner clients. Distinguished by accuracy and dynamism, B.O.B. handles inquiries, including claims processing, quoting and binding status, loss runs and underwriting guidelines, along with other inbound questions and the conversations that follow. “B.O.B. is built to outpace the industry-standard wait time with an impressive two-minute response threshold, all the while maintaining the voice of Cover Whale’s brand,” according to the news release. “B.O.B. is also enabled with optical character recognition to read inbound communications with embedded images.” B.O.B. is designed to expand its knowledge and proficiency as it processes and gains insights from thousands of agent and policyholder interactions over time. “Our commitment to superior customer experience has been foundational since Cover Whale’s inception,” stated Saira Taneja, chief experience officer at Cover Whale. “B.O.B.’s launch marks an important milestone on the continual journey of improving service quality and responsiveness.” In alignment with its AI-focused agenda, Cover Whale recently appointed Darien Acosta as the industry’s inaugural chief AI officer, helming the company’s AI advancement and integration. “Embracing our AI-first ethos, B.O.B. represents a leap forward in our goal to transform the landscape of commercial trucking insurtech,”Acosta said.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Love’s Travel Stops has opened a new travel stop in Nogales, Arizona, located just off Interstate 19. The location adds 75 jobs and 113 truck parking spaces to Santa Cruz County, according to a news release. “We’re pleased to announce that Love’s will now be providing another clean place and friendly faces at a 16th location in Arizona,” said Shane Wharton, president of Love’s. “The opening will provide customers in the southwestern part of the US another place to stop for convenient amenities, fresh food options, and clean restrooms, along with parking and truck care for professional drivers.”   The travel stop is open 24/7 and will offer bean-to-cup gourmet coffee, brand-name snacks, and the company’s Mobile to Go Zone with the latest technologies. Also included in the location is: More than 14,000 square feet. McDonald’s and Subway. 113 truck parking spaces.  65 car parking spaces.  Speedco (opening in December). Eight diesel bays. Eight showers. Laundry facilities. CAT scale.    In honor of the grand opening of its new location, Love’s is donating $1,000 to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and $1,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Cruz County Inc.

SALT LAKE CITY — Soar Transportation Group is merging its asset-based trucking company with Tennessee-based Network Transport, a non-asset logistics company, according to a news release. The network features operating divisions across multiple transportation industry service verticals, including intermodal drayage, flatbed and bulk. Marc Kramer, who has overseen Soar Transportation Group’s executive management team since 2014, will serve as chairman of the combined company. The CEO managing the day-to-day operations of the merged company will be Jon Isaacson, a transportation industry veteran with more than 25 years of executive leadership experience in the trucking industry. “The merger of the two companies will allow the combined operation to leverage its highly efficient asset base while cross-selling commercial solutions across both the asset and logistics divisions,” Kramer said. “Before launching the merger, we took a step back to assess how best to serve our customers, strengthen our overall operation, improve our profitability, and foster accelerated growth both now and into the future. We listened to feedback from our customers and employees and believe the timing is right to merge the two companies in our efforts to position the company for continued success.” Kramer said that his company’s employees who are selling the non-asset services available through Network noted the value of also offering asset-based solutions. “The key point for our Network Team is how having asset-based solutions can accelerate revenue growth by serving our current customers and converting new customers with additional offerings,” Kramer added. “With our fleet on the trucking side, we have been in situations where we use third-party brokers to move our tractors. Being able to consistently leverage Network’s services on that front will drive greater utility and efficiency within our asset-based fleet.” Isaacson began his career 35 years ago working at the terminal management level within Swift, including holding the responsibility of overseeing the 19 terminals that comprised Swift’s Eastern Network at that time. In 2000, Isaacson was tapped by Swift founder Jerry Moyes as CEO of Central Refrigerated, where he guided a turnaround, enabling Central to grow from 1,200 to 2,200 tractors during his tenure. “Jon is a seasoned executive who is known for his ability to build strong teams and forge long-standing relationships with customers,” Kramer said. “He has an approach to business that is highlighted by a sense of integrity and recognition, and that is the type of culture we want to build and refine. “We’re in good hands with Jon as our CEO. He has been involved with successfully leading both small trucking businesses and much larger operations while continuing to develop a great reputation in the industry.” According to the news release, Isaacson “has benefited from the experience he gained while working on multiple acquisitions and integrating new carriers into the overall operation at Swift. In 2014, Isaacson displayed his entrepreneurial skills and used his extensive knowledge of the industry while launching KoldTrans Refrigerated, Inc., in partnership with Kevin Knight. KoldTrans went from a trucking start-up to become a strong-performing operation which was acquired by Knight-Swift as part of its merger in 2018.” Isaacson became part of the management team at Knight-Swift following the merger of two of the largest companies in the trucking industry. As vice president of dedicated operations, Isaacson had oversight for Knight-Swift’s dedicated refrigerated operation nationwide as well as the company’s western region dry-van dedicated business. “Looking back at my career, I feel both honored and grateful to have worked with two of the true icons in this industry in, Jerry Moyes and Kevin Knight,” Isaacson said. “The opportunities and experiences, along with what I have learned over my 35 years in the industry, will no doubt serve me well in my new position with the Soar Transportation Group. I am thrilled to have been chosen to serve as CEO of the combined company. As I look at where things stand today with the opportunities we have in the current market and on the horizon, I see our combined company well positioned with lots of open runway. I believe we will be able to effectively leverage our asset base and drive accelerated growth for both the trucking and logistics divisions.” Isaacson further stated, “We have incredible service offerings across our merged company that will benefit both our current and future customers. We already know in this market there are shippers that, if you don’t have an asset base, they won’t even let you play ball. Our combined company has a strong asset base that we will continue to grow, and we have a logistics network that is well-established across a number of industry verticals. At the end of the day, it still comes down to providing value and consistently delivering a high level of service for our customers. We are committed to making that happen each and every day, and we will be working hard to draw upon our collective experience and expertise resident in both companies to provide creative solutions for our customers as we seek to differentiate our company. I’m energized and excited for the franchise that I am confident we will build through this merger.”

NEENAH, Wis. — A carrier’s drug and alcohol testing program involves one of the most complex regulatory areas with some of the greatest potential for serious risks. The person on the front line of these risks — and required to be on staff by the Department of Transportation — is the Designated Employer Representative (DER).To help carriers ensure their DER is running an effective, compliant drug and alcohol testing program, J. J. Keller & Associates Inc. has introduced the DOT Drug and Alcohol Training Service for DERs, a news release stated.This hands-on, consultant-led program trains a carrier’s company-appointed DER to be qualified to perform their duties as required by the DOT federal regulations found in 49 CFR Part 40 for drug and alcohol testing.“Carriers frequently, and usually unknowingly, put their business at risk by not meeting all of the drug and alcohol testing requirements,” said Sean Nebert, director of Transport Consulting Services at J. J. Keller. “This is often the result of a DER being improperly trained to fully understand the regulatory requirements and their role in complying with them.”J. J. Keller’s new training service covers: Drug and alcohol regulations. Testing applicability. DER responsibilities. Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse tasks. Testing procedures. Reasonable suspicion training. FMCSA test types. Drug and alcohol program elements. Recordkeeping. Example DER scenarios. “Unlike typical online training programs, this in-person training is customized based on a carrier’s driver population, current drug and alcohol program, past violations, and other criteria,” added Nebert. “Plus, our consultants can answer specific questions throughout the training pertaining to the carrier’s needs and make sure that all of the training is understood.” According to Nebert, the ultimate goal of this service is to help protect carriers and their DERs from litigation risks and audit exposure while making roadways safer.

DALLAS — All My Sons Moving and Storage (AMS) on Oct. 18 announced the appointment of Katharine Mobley as chief marketing officer (CMO), effective immediately. With more than 25 years of experience in strategic marketing and global leadership roles, Mobley will be accountable for driving customer acquisition, revenue growth and brand expansion. “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Katharine to AMS and have her join our leadership team as CMO,” said Robert Peterson, chief executive officer of All My Sons. “As a passionate leader with a proven track record of exponential growth in marketing, strategy, and brand transformations, Katharine is sure to take our brand to new heights. Her wealth of experience as a visionary leader makes her a valuable addition to the All My Sons team.” Previously, Mobley led global marketing at First Advantage. Prior to her role at First Advantage, she served as CMO at several hyper-growth companies and managed a range of household brands at agencies such as Millard Brown, Allison Worldwide (formerly Allison+Partners) and BBDO. Mobley’s expertise includes digital marketing, customer relationship management, market research and omnichannel marketing. As CMO for All My Son, Mobley will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s marketing strategies, brand positioning, user acquisition, and customer engagement initiatives. According to a company statement, she will play a pivotal role in shaping the brand’s direction and growth strategy as AMS positions itself for future growth. She expressed her enthusiasm for joining the company, saying, “I’m thrilled to join All My Sons at this pivotal moment of growth and expansion, and I look forward to leveraging my experience to create meaningful connections with our employees, partners, and customers.” Mobley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.