Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, June 11, 2020:
TIA chief Bob Voltmann stepping down later this year
Bob Voltmann, longtime president and CEO of the broker group Transportation Intermediaries Association, is leaving the association at the end of September, TIA announced Wednesday. Voltmann has been with TIA since June 1997. He called the decision to step down “difficult,” but that “it is time to continue to change and grow myself by taking on a new challenge.”
“I have accomplished everything I was hired to accomplish,” said Voltmann. “Together, we took TIA from a fledgling organization with weak finances and turned it into an association worthy of the dynamic third-party logistics industry.”
Voltmann had become somewhat of a prominent figure of late in the issues surrounding broker transparency and accusations against brokers of reverse price gouging when the market tilted under the coronavirus pandemic. He defended brokers at large, arguing the market dictates freight pricing.
“I have loved every minute of working with TIA Members and will miss the many friends I have made over the years. There is never a good time, [but] sometimes we have to just take the plunge,” Voltmann said.
ATA seeks America’s Road Team nominations
The American Trucking Associations has opened nominations for the 2021-2022 America’s Road Team.
ATA members are encouraged to nominate truck drivers who exhibit strong interpersonal skills, have impressive safety records and demonstrate a positive attitude toward the industry and their careers as professional truck drivers. Nominations for the 2021-2022 class of America’s Road Team are due August 17.
To nominate a driver, make sure the driver meets eligibility requirements and fill out the nomination form.
Every two years, a new group of captains is selected to join the ranks of America’s Road Team and serve as trucking industry ambassadors. America’s Road Team Captains attend key events alongside elected officials, appear on national media broadcasts and champion the industry at schools and community events in every state.
The drivers, all of whom have millions of accident-free miles, take a few days away from their companies each month to meet with the motoring public, students, transportation officials and public policymakers to educate and teach about safe driving practices by performing demonstrations and explaining the sustainable role that trucking plays in the nation’s economy.
Loadsmart partners with Opendock to streamline appointment booking
Digital freight brokerage Loadsmart has partnered with Opendock, a dock scheduling system for shippers and carriers, which the companies say will improve the delivery appointment process.
The collaboration looks to automate appointment scheduling for more than 1,800 warehouses that use the Opendock system.
Loadsmart says the integration allows its Smart Scheduling technology to instantly select and book the best appointment by using artificial intelligence to analyze travel time and other factors. If a driver’s ETA changes while en route, Loadsmart can automatically reschedule the appointment.
