Tonnage is improving, and the manufacturing sector appears to be improving slowly. Signs of an economic recovery are there, but obstacles remain for carriers trying to work their way back from the depths of recession.
As new freight opportunities arise, carriers must ensure that their relationships with these new customers are based on sound contract principles. Trucking operations may need to devote more attention and resources to the driver recruiting challenge. And as always, carriers need to position themselves better to defend against litigation by focusing on driver qualifications and to survive adverse judgments by restructuring their companies.
These issues and more were on the agenda May 20-21, as several hundred managers and executives of trucking operations convened in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the 14th Annual Randall Trucking Symposium, organized by Randall Trucking Media, publisher of Commercial Carrier Journal. The theme for this year’s invitation-only event was Navigating Through the Recovery.
Symposium attendance is exclusive, but in the next several pages you can glean some of the key observations and insights of the expert presenters. In addition, presentation materials are available at www.ccjmagazine.com under “CCJ Special Info.”
The Randall Trucking Symposium is sponsored by Caterpillar, CitiCapital, Comdata, DNV, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, International Truck and Engine Corp., PeopleNet Communications, Roadranger, Shell Lubricants, TMI, TransCore and TravelCenters of America.