Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Oct. 7, 2024:
Averitt donates $100K to hurricane relief
As communities across the Southeast continue to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, Averitt (CCJ Top 250, No. 24) has announced a contribution to support relief efforts.
In response to the needs of those affected, Averitt is donating $100,000 to Samaritan’s Purse through Averitt Cares for Kids, made possible through associate-driven contributions and a company match to the program.
“Our associates and customers have been deeply concerned for the communities and families affected by Hurricane Helene,” said Gary Sasser, chairman and chief executive officer at Averitt. “We want to do our part, and this contribution represents our desire to support recovery efforts and provide relief to those in need.”
In addition to the monetary support, Averitt associates are donating bottled water and wet wipes as part of the company’s Team Up Community Challenge, Averitt’s community service initiative. These two necessities were chosen by direct feedback from Averitt’s associates in the impacted areas. All of the donations will be collected throughout Averitt’s nationwide distribution network and distributed to associates and communities in need.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been affected by this storm,” added Sasser. “We are thankful for the resilience shown by our associates and the communities they call home, and we hope this contribution brings some relief during this difficult time.”
Shippers’ conditions mostly flat from June to July
Conditions for shippers in July were mostly flat from June, according to the latest Shippers’ Conditions Index (SCI) report from FTR.
FTR’s SCI for July ticked up ever so slightly to 0.5 from June’s 0.3 reading. Softer capacity utilization and slightly weaker freight rates led to a marginally better overall market for shippers during the month, offsetting less favorable fuel costs.
The outlook for shippers’ conditions over the next couple of years remains soft but not especially negative with index readings forecast to remain close to neutral territory. Fuel costs could determine whether the SCI is either slightly positive or slightly negative in any given month.
“Aside from disruptions caused by labor strife at the ports or by weather, shippers likely will not see much change market conditions during the months ahead,” said Avery Vise, FTR’s vice president of trucking. “We expect an incremental tightening of capacity and, eventually, freight rates, but nothing that resembles the upcycles of 2017 or 2020, for example.”
WEX launches free fuel discount app for owner-ops, small fleets
Fuel card provider WEX announced Friday, on National Truckers Appreciation Day (Oct. 4), that its new app, 10-4 by WEX, offers nationwide diesel discounts to independent truckers, including owner-operators and small trucking fleets.
WEX launched on Friday its 10-4 by WEX app, offering fuel discounts to owner-operators and small fleets.
Discounts are available at a large and growing discount network of U.S.-based truck stops, which includes AMBEST, Road Ranger, Sapp Bros., Love’s Travel Stops, and the 7FLEET Diesel Network (Speedway, Stripes, and 7-Eleven), with additional merchants and related discounts expected in the coming months.
Truckers simply download the 10-4 by WEX app and begin using it for immediate discounts -- the app is free and there are no applications, no credit checks, and no transaction fees. Drivers just enter their basic information, upload their preferred payment method (either debit or credit), and start saving. Savings are tracked through a dashboard in the app, and users get points for every gallon transaction to unlock bonus discounts.
“It’s no coincidence that the launch of 10-4 by WEX comes during National Truckers Appreciation Day. The new app is part and parcel with WEX’s continued commitment to the trucking community and the mobility industry as a whole,” said Timothy Hampton, SVP and General Manager of OTR at WEX. “10-4 by WEX offers diesel discounts at Love’s and other leading truck stops, providing instant savings at the pump to independent owner-operators and other small trucking operations that have, historically, been left out of the mix.”
The app is available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
CVSA transitions to new leadership
As of Oct. 1, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has transitioned to new leadership for 2024-2025.
Capt. John Hahn, of Colorado State Patrol, is the new president of the Alliance. Maj. Erick McGuire, with Florida Highway Patrol, is CVSA’s vice president, and Col. Russ Christoferson, with Montana Department of Transportation, has moved into the past president role.
On Sept. 12, at the CVSA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Big Sky, Montana, CVSA Class I Members and Class II Local Members elected Sgt. William “Bill” Alarcon, with New Jersey State Police, to the position of CVSA secretary.
Alarcon will serve one year as secretary of the Alliance, while concurrently serving as chair of the CVSA Election Committee. Then, he’ll serve one year as vice president of the Alliance and chair of the CVSA Finance Committee. The year after that, he will become CVSA’s president. After one year as president, Alarcon will then serve three years as past president -- making the entire obligation a six-year commitment.
CVSA also made leadership changes in its regional, membership, committee and program divisions. All current CVSA leadership can be seen here.
