Refrigerated hauler Earl L. Henderson Trucking Co. announced that it formally opened a new facility in Caseyville, Ill. For more than three decades, Henderson Trucking had operated from Salem, Ill., but the company says that continued growth and changes within the industry were motivating factors in opening an additional facility.
Henderson Trucking’s Salem headquarters will remain open, but the new operating center will house the company’s growing maintenance, sales and logistics operations. Henderson Trucking owner John Kaburick and his son Josh, chief operating officer, conducted extensive research before deciding on a 10.2-acre site with direct highway frontage at the Interstate 64/I-255 interchange in Caseyville. The new Caseyville terminal is located 9 miles from downtown St. Louis and boasts a 25,200-square-foot building with office and state-of-the-art shop space, extensive secured parking and remote-viewing access linked to the Salem dispatch center.
Kaburick, who serves as chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association, believes that moving these operations to the area is a logical fit not only because the proximity to numerous interstates and rail terminals, but the added savings of transportation costs as well as valuable hours behind the wheel for company drivers that will enhance productivity and ensure compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety and Accountability program.
“Several companies that we previously did a lot of business with in southern Illinois are no longer operating plants in the area ,” Kaburick says. “So bringing our equipment back to Salem for maintenance work is expensive, and we investigated other opportunities to move our maintenance operations closer to the St. Louis area for efficiency. We have also expanded our intermodal department and logistics operations so the proximity of our new Caseyville location to several interstates, railroads and waterways will expedite our services for customers.”
The company says it fleet has expanded 78 percent over the past 20 years and now includes more than 420 power units that are primarily newer Freightliners and 550 climate-controlled trailers to service customers in the 48 continental United States, including Anheuser-Busch, Con Agra, Del Monte Foods, Schnucks Markets, Unilever and Pinnacle Foods. Josh Kaburick recently informed company drivers, which consist of solo drivers and teams, that the company has ordered more than 180 new Freightliner Cascadias from Truck Centers Inc., and the first 63 trucks already are being put in service.
“We are excited about the opportunities for growth, particularly for our logistics/intermodal division, that our new location in Caseyville will provide,” says Josh Kaburick. “The timing of the opening of the Caseyville facility coincides with our renewed investment in Utility Trailers and Carrier reefer units as well as the arrival of 2011-2012 Freightliner Cascadias with new, environmentally friendly Detroit Diesel engines. These acquisitions are part of our ongoing commitment to provide driver satisfaction and ensure timely delivery of freight, whether by interstate or rail, that our customers expect.”
