Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024:
Former fleet exec sentenced for embezzling $1.5 million from company
Gabriel Ruiz De Chavez, 47, of Fresno, California, was sentenced Nov. 25 to two years and nine months in prison for a multiyear embezzlement scheme and was ordered to pay over $1.5 million in restitution, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
In July 2024, Ruiz De Chavez pleaded guilty to wire fraud. According to court documents, from 2004 to 2020, Ruiz De Chavez worked as an operations manager for an unnamed Fresno-based trucking company.
Between 2012 and 2019, Ruiz De Chavez used his position to generate fake invoices, purportedly created by genuine vendors for goods and services. He presented these fake invoices and corresponding checks made out to the real vendors with his employer’s signature. He would then deposit the checks into his own personal bank account.
Once in his personal bank account, Ruiz De Chavez used the funds to pay for personal expenses including credit card payments, cash withdrawals, mortgage payments, vacations, and car loans. He was able to continue the scheme without notice because of the trusted position he held at the company.
Ruiz De Chavez created more than 600 fake invoices and checks, causing $1,561,000 to be transferred into his account from his employer.
[Related: Two charged for embezzling money from fleet]
DB Schenker rebrands Canadian LTL services
DB Schenker has rebranded its Canada Made Easy service to Canada Consolidated LTL Solutions, the company announced Wednesday.
An all-encompassing logistics service, Canada Consolidated LTL Solutions' integrated approach simplifies cargo movement to Canada by synchronizing supply chains and maintaining control of the entire shipment flow from origin to destination.
"We strategically placed origin terminals in the U.S. where, based on our customers' needs, we pick up freight from multiple companies, consolidate it, and send one consolidated line haul across the U.S.-Canadian border," said Rob Segsworth, Vice President/Head of Land, Canada at DB Schenker.
This consolidation and zone-skipping model offers businesses direct savings of upwards of 15% on average, compared to traditional LTL shipping. Additionally, it reduces administrative hassle by combining multiple shipments into a single customs entry.
"Instead of shipping 20 small orders to Canada, we consolidate them into one shipment and process it as a single customs entry," added Segsworth.
[Related: USA Truck parent DB Schenker set to be acquired]
FMCSA’s motor carrier safety committee to discuss truck parking, seat belt use
The Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC), which provides the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration with advice and recommendations on motor carrier safety programs and motor carrier safety regulations, will hold a virtual meeting this month, Dec. 17 and 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern each day.
During the two-day meeting, FMCSA will provide a presentation of federal and state efforts to increase truck parking, and task the MCSAC to provide recommendations concerning additional government and private sector actions that should be considered to increase parking.
FMCSA will also present a review of truck crash data and truck occupant fatality/injury data, along with the percentage of these drivers that were not wearing their seat belts. The agency will engage the MCSAC to identify opportunities to promote greater levels of seat belt usage among CMV drivers.
The meeting will be open to the public for its entirety. Advance registration is required and is available online here.
Trucking Cares Foundation names new chairman
The Trucking Cares Foundation announced Tuesday, Dec. 3, changes to its leadership. Greg Owen of Ability Tri-Modal was selected to be the new chairman of the American Trucking Associations’ charitable arm. Owen succeeds Phil Byrd, TCF’s inaugural chairman who served in that capacity since TCF was founded in 2018.
Over the past year, TCF has donated $150,000 to various charitable causes. One of TCF’s top priorities under Owen's leadership in the coming years is to continue raising the profile of the Foundation’s efforts and develop new fundraising initiatives with the ultimate goal of creating an endowed TCF fund.
“I am deeply honored to lead the Trucking Cares Foundation, a very special organization that reflects the character and empathy of members of the trucking industry and enables us to give back to the communities we serve every day,” Owen said. “TCF would not be the strong organization it is today without the dedicated, visionary leadership of Phil Byrd. His contributions were instrumental in getting TCF off the ground, steering it through the challenges caused by the pandemic, and putting it on a firm footing for the future. I look forward to building on Phil’s commendable record. One of my top priorities will be a new, expansive fundraising initiative to establish a TCF endowment fund so that the trucking industry’s generous donations will continue to support communities in perpetuity.”
Owen is “Head Coach” of Ability Tri-Modal, a third-generation, privately held third-party transportation logistics, warehousing, and distribution services company. He has been a longtime member of the ATA and California Trucking Association Board, and he is the past president of CTA.
