www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=26164

Clarence Werner, chairman of Werner Enterprises and founder of the carrier, will step down in May, the company said.

Werner will remain on the company's board of directors as chairman emeritus once he steps down after the company's annual meeting May 10, Lincoln Journal Star, Lincoln, Neb., reported Friday.

Succeeding Werner as chairman will be his son Gary Werner, currently vice chairman. Gregory Werner, also a son of Clarence Werner, will become vice chairman and retain his position as CEO.

Derek Leathers will become the carrier’s president, the Journal Star said.

Clarence Werner started Werner Enterprises in 1956 with one truck. He owns more than 30% of its stock, the Associated Press said.

Werner Enterprises is ranked No. 13 on the Transport Topics 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.

www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=26164

http://www.glgroup.com/News/Best-News-for-the-Trucking-Industry-Has-Nothing-to-Do-With-Trucking-52264.html
Analysis by: John Schulz
Analysis of: U.S. Factories Buck Decline
Published at: online.wsj.com

Summary

American manufacturing, long written off as a economic loser, is making a comeback. For the first time since 1997, the number of manufacturing jobs grew last year by 1.2 percent, of 136,000 new jobs. And it's not a one-shot deal. Economists are predicting a 2.5 percent gain, or 330,000 new manufacturing jobs, this year.

Analysis

This may be the best thing to happen to the trucking industry since economic deregulation in 1980. The number of net U.S. manufacturing jobs increased last year for the first time since 1997. Manufacturing jobs grew by 1.2 percent, of 136,000 jobs, and that growth is expected to more than double this year. As one who has never bought into the Great Globalization Theory, I welcome this news. And so should everyone connected with the trucking industry.

These are jobs that will directly affect freight volume, and thus rates and profitability, in the industry. As the offshoring craze begins to show cracks -- anybody else had an offshore call center experience worthy of "Saturday Night Live?" -- U.S. manufacturers are beginning to see value in keeping plants here.

Economists for Moody's Analytics and IHS Global Insight insist this is not a one-shot deal. They expect this trend to continue at least for the beginning of this decade.

Ford, Caterpillar,  and Whirlpool are some of the names taking advantage of tax breaks, excess capacity and infrastructure and other built-in advantages of employing a U.S.-based work force.

As trucking volume is roughly divided 50-50 by retail and industrial, any increase in industrial utilization in this country is good news for the big industrial truckload carriers such as Werner Enterprises, Schneider National, J.B. Hunt and many others. LTL firms such as beleaguered YRC Worldwide, Con-Way and FedEx Freight also figure to gain from this growth.

Of course, it will take more than a year or two of manufacturing increases to get the U.S. economy out of its doldrums. More than 144,000 factories -- that's factories, not jobs -- were lost during the George W. Bush administration. Manufacturing now accounts for merely 11 percent of U.S. total economic output, compared with 27 percent in 1950.

Entire domestic industries -- furniture and footwear come immediately to mind -- have been wiped out because of cheap labor and non-existent environmental regulations in places such as China.

With Chinese president  Hu Jintao in the Nation's Capital for talks with President Barack Obama, I would like to submit a question to his excellency: there will be no U.S. middle class to buy your cheap Chinese-made goods if you continue your mutually destructive economic path. There, I said it.

http://www.glgroup.com/News/Best-News-for-the-Trucking-Industry-Has-Nothing-to-Do-With-Trucking-52264.html

http://www.ccjdigital.com/u-s-xpress-places-order-for-1000-peterbilt-model-587-tractors/
By CCJ Staff
Published January, 18 2011

Peterbilt Motors Co. announced it has received an order for 1,000 Model 587 SmartWay-certified trucks from truckload carrier U.S. Xpress Enterprises. Peterbilt says the new Model 587 features a number of aerodynamic enhancements, technological and safety innovations and serviceability improvements for maximum performance.

Headquartered in Chattanooga, Tenn., U.S. Xpress Enterprises provides a wide variety of transportation solutions throughout North America and is committed to minimizing its environmental impact by being a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency SmartWay Transport Partner. The company says it also is dedicated to being at the forefront of safety compliance, using comprehensive training for its staff and drivers and ensuring its trucks feature the latest safety innovations.

The new Model 587 has earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay certification... Continue to read more.

10/30/2010

Up to 100 jobs to be created between maintenance and office personnel.

CHATTANOOGA, TN. – October 28, 2010 – U.S. Xpress Enterprises, a leading provider of transportation services throughout North America, has opened its newest full-service terminal facility at 1069 Seibert Avenue in Shippensburg, PA.

The property is situated on over 50 acres and spans nearly 70,000 square feet. Features of the full-service facility include: drivers’ lounge with shower facilities and Internet access, convenience store, fuel islands, maintenance shop, ample parking for trailers and driver vehicles, administrative office space, orientation/training rooms, and 37,600 sq. ft. of warehouse space.

“Expanding into the Northeast with a major hub is a strategic move that we have been looking forward to taking for some time now as our customer base and volumes have grown in the region,” states Max Fuller, Co-Chairman and CEO. “Having a greater presence in this region enables us to continue to enhance our commitment to providing superior customer service.”

The new location for U.S. Xpress brings several jobs to the area, including 50 immediate full-time employees and up to 50 additional positions in the near future for maintenance and office personnel.

“We think Shippensburg is a great area, and the terminal location is perfectly positioned to fit our growth strategies within this region,” states Patrick Quinn, Co-Chairman and President. “One benefit of growth is creating employment opportunities within communities where we have a local presence. Participating in our local communities is a core value to U.S. Xpress, and we are looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with everyone in the Shippensburg area.”

U.S. Xpress purchased the facility, which is located conveniently off Interstate 81, from Cressler Trucking, Inc. A complete energy-efficient lighting upgrade has been made throughout the facility, with plans for more sustainable initiatives, like materials recycling, in the near future.

U.S. Xpress recently launched a new website to better serve its customers, drivers and employees. For those looking for employment with U.S. Xpress, they may visit the site to sign up for job alerts. Please visit www.usxpress.com for more details. Current job listings can be found within the Careers section of the company’s new corporate website.

About U.S. Xpress Enterprises:

Founded in 1985, U.S. Xpress Enterprises is the nation’s third largest privately-owned truckload carrier, providing a wide variety of transportation solutions throughout North America. We are committed to being at the forefront of safety compliance, using comprehensive training for our staff and drivers and ensuring our trucks feature the latest safety innovations. With a dedication to minimizing our impact on the environment, U.S. Xpress is a SmartWay Transport Partner and was honored with a 2009 SmartWay Environmental Excellence Award. U.S. Xpress Enterprises’ affiliates include Arnold Transportation Services, Smith Transport, Total Transportation of Mississippi, and Xpress Internacional. For more information, please visit www.usxpress.com.

Team Driving is the Fastest Way to Excellent Earnings For Recent Truck Driving School Graduates.

Ask your truck driving students if they’d like to double their income potential, and you can guess the answer.  But, if you asked them how to do it, they probably wouldn’t realize how easy it can be.

A quick look at industry-wide salaries indicates that simply teaming up with another driver could fill their wallets about twice as fast!  On average, new solo drivers make $30,000 - $35,000 per year.  But, that figure jumps to up to $58,000 for HAZMAT endorsed team drivers at U.S. Xpress. Plus, U.S. Xpress is also currently offering HME team drivers a $2,500 bonus each, which brings that total over $60,000 each!  When you add in benefits, such as U.S. Xpress’ low-cost insurance plus a 401k program, entry level drivers quickly begin to realize just how much team driving pays off.

Industry experts point out that one of the best places to find a teammate is in driving school.

Russ Moore, Vice-President of Recruiting at U.S. Xpress says, “We encourage students to team up while in school , because it positions them to earn more almost immediately after they graduate.  Plus, it lets them choose a partner that they’ve already spent time with, so they know they’ll enjoy traveling together.”

If a new driver feels more comfortable sharing a cab with a more experienced teammate, U.S. Xpress will make the process easy by providing a unique driver matching program.

Mr. Moore says, “We ask a lot of questions to get a feel for who they are, what they like, and what they don’t like.  It goes a lot deeper than simply not matching up smokers and non-smokers.  We want to create teams that enjoy driving a lot of miles together and, hopefully, will stay together for a lot of years.”

Another benefit of team driving is the comfort and security of having a driver companion to help with unforeseen situations that you may be confronted with.

Jackie Riddly, a U.S. Xpress team driver agrees.  “At U.S. Xpress, I have a side-tracker camera to cover my blind spot and truck-specific GPS directions, so I already feel confident.  But when you add a partner to help keep an eye on things, I don’t think I could feel more safe.”

Covenant Transport, Inc., Chattanooga, TN is pleased to announce that professional driver Barbara Schultz has been selected as a Captain for the Tennessee Trucking Association's Road Team.

Barbara was one of eight candidates vying for one of six open positions. A Covenant over-the-road driver since 2008, Barbara has driven over 300,000 accident-free miles with the company. Road Team Captains are ambassadors of the trucking industry to the public, and it is an honor to be selected to this elite group of professional men and women. Barbara will serve an 18-month term, representing Covenant Transport and the trucking industry at public engagements around the state of Tennessee.

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2010

Covenant Transport honored its fleet during the American Trucking Associations’ National Driver Appreciation Week by providing lunch and homemade goodies to all the drivers at Covenant terminals nationwide Tuesday, September 21st. The theme of the celebration at Covenant was Snow White and the Seven Basics of CSA2010.

“Professional truck drivers deliver our nation’s essential freight safely everyday,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “As a result of this commitment, our nation’s highways are the safest they have ever been and our grocery shelves are stocked. We as a nation owe a great deal to the truck drivers out on our nation’s roads everyday.”

Photo caption: Front row (left to right): Michael Smith (Safety Dir.), Robert Graham, Kim Perry (Admin.), Marilyn Smith (Compliance), Jack Beeman and Michael Miskell. Back row: Tony Viney, Tim Clark (Operations Dir.), Doug Cook (VP Safety) and Jim Lyon (VP Operations).

Covenant Transportation Group, Inc. is the holding company for several transportation providers that offer premium transportation services for customers throughout the United States. The consolidated group includes operations from Covenant Transport and Covenant Transport Solutions of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Southern Refrigerated Transport of Texarkana, Arkansas; and Star Transportation of Nashville, Tennessee. The group operates one of the ten largest fleets in North America as measured by revenue. The Company's Class A common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "CVTI".

For further information, please contact:
Michael W. Smith
Director of Safety
Covenant Transport
Phone: 800-721-5202 x3501
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2010

Pictured above, Michael Smith Safety Director on the left and Doug Cook VP of Safety on the right.

After a student has successfully completed his or her finishing program and would like to run team the following will apply effective immediately:

Student Teams without a Haz-Mat endorsement will earn .44/mile (split between the drivers).

Student Teams that both acquire a Haz-Mat endorsement will earn .48/mile on every load whether it is a Haz-Mat load or not. (split between the drivers)

Please remind your students to keep their receipts because USX will reimburse them up $100 for obtaining their Haz-Mat endorsement.

If you have any questions please call 800-879-7737.

REMEMBER:

WE DELIVER FOR STUDENTS, TOO.

HP