Trucking news and briefs for Monday, April 5, 2021:
Driver Pay Increase Announced at D.M. Bowman
D.M. Bowman (CCJ Top 250, No. 212) recently announced the largest pay raise in the company's history.
On top of its new pay increase, Williamsport, Maryland-based D.M. Bowman plans to overhaul its bonus pay system. Drivers will be able to earn six additional cents per mile every week for being successful in the areas of safety, customer service and fuel efficiency. It is the company's goal that the new bonus system will be simpler to track for new drivers, and easier for experienced drivers to predict if they will achieve the earned bonus each week.
Firestone tires getting price bump next month
In response to continued escalating raw material costs, Bridgestone said it will increase prices by 8% on Firestone brand truck and bus radial tires sold in the U.S. and Canada effective May 1. All Firestone truck and bus tires shipped on or after May 1 will reflect this increase.
Members of the Bridgestone Commercial sales teams will contact customers to provide more detailed information about the changes. This announcement corresponds with a statement released last month of a price increase up to 8% on Bridgestone brand truck and bus radial tires and Bandag retreads that went into effect today.
Nominations open for TCA's Safety Professional of the Year – Clare C. Casey Award
The Truckload Carriers Association is currently accepting nominations for its Safety Professional of the Year – Clare C. Casey Award.
Nominations are open to any TCA member "who goes above and beyond in the name of safety," the group said. There are several new changes for the 2021 competition, most notably that the nomination period now consists of two rounds. Round 1 will be open from April 1-14. The Round 1 entry form includes questions regarding nominator and nominee information, the recent safety performance of the nominee’s company, and the nominee’s industry involvement. After the panel of judges has determined which applicants will move on to Round 2, nominators will be notified and will have until May 5 to submit the second entry form. Round 2 questions ask about nominee employment history, achievements, and community involvement.
The winner will be announced at the 2021 Safety & Security Meeting, June 6-8 in St. Louis.
Foodservice fleet takes delivery of Volvo VNR Electric
National foodservice fleet Quality Custom Distribution recently took delivery of a Volvo VNR Electric – the first zero-emissions, battery-electric truck to be deployed in the fleet of more than 700 trucks.
The VNR Electric will be used for last-mile delivery routes to restaurants and coffee stores throughout Southern California from the company’s warehouse in Fontana, California.
The Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 truck being leased to QCD is part of the Volvo LIGHTS project, a collaboration between Volvo Trucks North America, the South Coast Air Quality Management District and 13 other organizations, to develop a blueprint to successfully introduce battery-electric trucks and equipment into the market at scale.
Volvo Trucks North America began taking customer orders for its VNR Electric model on Dec. 3, 2020. Production of the Volvo VNR Electric is slated to begin in early 2021 at the company’s New River Valley manufacturing plant in Dublin, Virginia.
