By Erin Golden
Contact the writer: 402-444-1543
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WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Source: omaha.com/article/20111205/MONEY/712059948

Crete Carrier Corp. wants to know how well its drivers are sleeping.

The Lincoln-based parent company of three trucking operations — Crete Carrier, Shaffer Trucking and Hunt Transportation — is one of the transportation firms doing more to ensure that its drivers are healthy and alert when they hit the highway. That means providing information about wellness, both online and at terminals around the country, along with offering blood pressure and heart rate testing.

But it also means offering drivers an in-depth checkup that can determine if they have sleep apnea, a breathing disorder that can increase the risk of a variety of health problems — and the risk of driving accidents.

The company put sleep study clinics in terminals in Utah, Texas and Pennsylania in mid-2009. Tim Aschoff, Crete's vice president of risk management, said it was an important investment because drivers' lifestyles make it more likely that they'll develop the problem. But at the same time, he said, being on the road means it can be nearly impossible to get the right kind of screening.

When Crete's approximately 5,000 drivers get regular health assessments, they're also screened for sleep apnea risk and referred to the company's sleep clinics.

"Our goal is to have the best driving force out there, and once you obtain those good drivers, you want to maintain them and make sure they're safe and healthy," Aschoff said.

At trucking giant Werner Enterprises, employees who work at — or pass by — the company's Sarpy County headquarters can take laps around an outdoor track, start a pickup game on the basketball or volleyball courts, or work out in the gym. In the company cafeteria, workers can carry a "healthy eating" punch card for leaner meal options. Once they've accumulated 10 punches, they can select a free healthy item off the menu.

Werner hopes to build similar facilities in some of its larger terminals in other cities. But in the meantime, the most direct route to reach many of the company's more than 12,000 employees... Continue reading.

Source: omaha.com/article/20111205/MONEY/712059948

By BeckyOrr
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WyomingNews.com
Source: wyomingnews.com/articles/2011/10/29/news/01top_10-29-11.txt

Becoming a trucker is a good career choice now, given the national shortage and growth potential of the industry.

CHEYENNE -- Cody Sturgis climbed in behind the wheel of the white Freightliner parked at the trucking school's training lot.

He started the rig, shifted gears and drove ahead at about 3 mph.

"It's kind of scary at first," said Sturgis, recalling his initial attempt.

He backed up and pulled forward. "It was a great achievement," he said.

Sturgis, 25, just started classes at Sage Truck Driving Schools on Fox Farm Road in Cheyenne.

He will attend for five weeks to earn his commercial driver's license. He needs the license to drive tractor-trailers.

Sturgis of Cheyenne picked a good time to start his career as a truck driver, given the national shortage of qualified and experienced truck drivers.

Brenda Birkle, director of the Sage school here, said she gets calls every day from companies that need drivers. Inquiries range from mom-and-pop operations to big, over-the-road corporations.

"It's a good time for them to go into this industry," said Noel Perry, managing director at FTR Associates in Nashville, Ind. "People are hiring and are willing to help with training, and some are paying bonuses."

Officials at some trucking companies cannot get the number of drivers they need, he said.

He described the shortage as moderate, estimating that there are about 150,000 too few drivers. He expects the shortage to increase to about 300,000 drivers if a federal regulation moves ahead to limit the hours truckers can drive.

The shortage of experienced and qualified truck drivers has happened because of baby boomers leaving the workforce, federal efforts to crack down on drivers with poor driving records and an economic upturn.

"The government is regulating us more and more, which is going to require more and more drivers to do the same work," said Bob Synowicki, executive vice president of Werner Enterprises Inc. based in Omaha, Neb., one of the largest trucking companies in the world.

Making sure drivers are safe is a great thing, he said, but it creates more need for quality drivers.

The number of truck drivers plummeted in the 2008 recession, along with the number of loads that trucks hauled.

Things are picking up now, inching closer to the tonnage hauled before the recession.

There are an estimated 3.1 million truck drivers now nationwide, compared with a high of 3.5 million drivers in 2006, said Bob Costello, chief economist with the American Trucking Associations.

Transportation is one of the highest growth industries, Birkle said.

But the number of drivers is increasing at less than 1 percent, while the amount of freight grows at an average of 4 percent a year, she said,

"This is a great time for someone to get into a career as a truck driver," Synowicki said.

A first-year driver at Werner Enterprises earns an average of $35,000 to $45,000 a year, he said. The company has 7,300 trucks and 12,500 employees, 10,000 of whom are truck drivers... Continue reading.

Source: wyomingnews.com/articles/2011/10/29/news/01top_10-29-11.txt

By Christopher Burbach
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Contact the writer: 402-444-1057
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Source: omaha.com/article/20111118/NEWS01/711189917

Turkey's not only for Thanksgiving at the Stephen Center in South Omaha.

Gobblers given in November become gifts that keep giving for 52 weeks a year, helping feed the nightly population of about 100 at the center's homeless shelter, and the 64 next door in an addiction treatment program.

Turkey tetrazzini in December. Turkey pot pie in January. Turkey lasagna in February. Turkey caesar salad in July. Turkey-noodle casserole in September. Monthly turkey dinners. Weekly (or more) turkey soup.

"We live on it all year round," said Del Bomberger, who runs the South Omaha shelter. "It's one of our usual food sources, a major source of protein."

Usually by this time of year, donors have delivered 50 turkeys to the Stephen Center, en route to a total of 150 or 200 birds. But by Thursday, a week out from Thanksgiving, only five birds had landed to cool their drumsticks in the center's freezers.

So you can see why Bomberger, who's known in social service circles for not being a "sky-is-falling" kind of guy, has been a little nervous recently walking into the walk-in.

"It would be a real challenge if they did not come in," he said.

Bomberger said high turkey prices and steeper grocery costs in general probably slowed turkey donations this year, along with an economy still tight for many. Earlier this month, whole turkeys sold for $1.20 a pound or more in many Nebraska stores, nearly 30 cents more than in 2010. Last week, the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual Thanksgiving price survey found that a 16-pound turkey would cost Nebraskans about $4 more than in 2010.

But as Thanksgiving approaches, turkey prices, though still higher than in 2010, have declined. In metro Omaha, several supermarkets this week are advertising whole turkeys for 59 to 99 cents a pound, usually with a minimum purchase of $25.

On Friday morning, the Siena-Francis House shelter in Omaha also was low on turkeys for this time of year. They were down to 26, with 20 destined for the shelter's Thanksgiving dinner.

A company's usual, annual donation of about 100 birds had not arrived. But on Friday afternoon, that donation, from Werner Enterprises, rolled up in a semi to the Siena-Francis dock, said Tim Sully, the shelter's development director. On board were 130 turkeys.

Having heard from a reporter of the Stephen Center's concerns, Siena-Francis offered to share.

Leaders at both shelters said they remain appreciative of donors' generosity... Continue reading

Source: omaha.com/article/20111118/NEWS01/711189917

From Mike Hinz @ Schneider

It is with both great appreciation and a little sadness that I announce that Karen Crabb is moving onto another role at Schneider. After 12 years in recruiting, Karen is now a start-up manager in our Dedicated Division. Our new Truck Driving School Manager is Tim Buhrandt.

Tim has a long history with Schneider both in recruiting and in our operations group. Tim’s number phone number is 920.592.6009 and email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . We will send out an introductory email later this week.

Stevens Transports is the only transportation carrier with its own 24/7 full-time radio station. By popular demand Stevens Radio is now on the Worldwide Web as a full-time Internaet Radio Station. You can listen by going to Stevens Transport's brand new website at www.stevenstransport.com and click on the MEDIA tab. This takes you to the Stevens Radio page where you will find a media player. Click on the POP-UP icon in the top right corner of the player and you can listen to Stevens Radio while you browse our website. Stevens Radio is powered by Live365, the #1 Internet Radio Station network in the world.

There are also "FREE" STEVENS RADIO apps for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad available as welll as Android Phones and Tablets. You can now listen to Stevens Radio anytime on your smart phone with the Live365 App.

Get the free Mobile App now direct from your iPhone in the Apple App Store! You can then pre-set Steven Radio as your favorite station and listen anytime you like. Go to the Live365 link below and download FREE app to your smart phone. You can also download a Live365 player to place on your computer desktop for easy listening at anytime.

live365.com/index.live

Talk to people in just about any department at Werner Enterprises, and there's a good chance you'll find a military veteran.

The Sarpy County-based trucking giant has 32 employees who are currently deployed. Plenty of other employees are veterans recently returned from serving in the Middle East. And the company is always looking to hire more.

It's one of only a handful of trucking firms that runs an apprenticeship program that allows participants to get GI Bill funding on the way to a driving certificate — and potential long-term employment with the company. Werner executives say the Operation: Freedom program serves two equally important purposes: It helps get veterans into the workforce and provides a pool of skilled new employees for a company always looking for good help.

"We've got 7,300 trucks going down the road, so there's always an interest in finding enough qualified drivers," said John Frey, Werner's vice president for driver school relations. "And the military provides a very good basis."

It's the kind of effort leaders in Washington, D.C., are hoping will become common at more workplaces.

In his Veterans Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, President Obama made note of efforts he's backing to get more veterans to work. He's directed federal agencies to hire more veterans, and they've hired more than 120,000. He's called for businesses to hire 100,000 veterans who have served in the years since Sept. 11, 2001, along with their spouses, over the next few years.

In addition, the administration supports a Returning Heroes Tax Credit for companies that hire unemployed veterans, and a separate tax credit that would boost help for firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities. The measure cleared the U.S. Senate this week.

Unemployment levels among veterans — particularly those who have served in recent conflicts — are higher than those for the civilian population. In October, when the overall unemployment rate was 9 percent, the rate for veterans ages 18 to 24 was 30 percent and the rate for non-veterans in that age group was 15 percent.

The Werner program got its start in 2006, after the company began talking to the U.S. Department of Labor... Continue reading...

Source: Omaha.com/article/20111112/MONEY/711129929

Allen Parker, driver for Werner Enterprises, had to stop one delivery 15 miles short of the customer due to trucker work rules. Photo: Werner Enterprises

“If we are continuously improving our accident rate as an industry, which we are, and fatalities are continuing to decrease, which they are, taking away this flexibility just doesn’t intuitively sound like a smart idea,” said Derek Leathers, president and CEO of Werner Enterprises. Photo: Werner Enterprises

To read the full article, click here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2011
Contact: Spring Dixon
(501) 955-1255
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Maverick Transportation, LLC, recently announced that they will begin a tuition reimbursement program for qualified student drivers. The objective of the new program is to ease the financial burden for new commercial driver’s license graduates employed by Maverick. It also ensures that Maverick maintains strong relationships with valued training facilities throughout the country.

“This rounds out Maverick’s student program and is the final step in assembling the most competitive student training compensation program in the transportation industry,” said Director of Recruiting Brad Vaughn.

Maverick currently has opportunities for new CDL graduates and drivers with experience. There are a variety of over the road and dedicated positions available.

Based in Little Rock, Arkansas and operating over 1,200 units, Maverick provides OTR and dedicated service to the flatbed, glass, dry van, and temperature controlled transportation markets throughout North America. To learn more visit their website at www.maverickusa.com.