Natural disasters, driver shortage, a growing economy, higher input costs, increasing pay for qualified drivers…all factors contributing to the highest spot quotes the industry has seen in over two years with van rates on the truckload spot quote market reaching a national average of $1.94 per mile and reefer rates increasing from $2.19 to $2.22 per mile week-over-week, according to DAT Trendlines.

It’s a dreaded word that no food manufacturer wants to hear…RECALL.  The cause of over 48 million illnesses annually, nearly 25-30 food contamination incidents occur globally each week. 1  According to a study conducted by Ohio State University’s Robert Scharff, food recalls cost an estimated $55.5 billion a year when factoring in medical expenses, productivity loss and mortality. 2But how does this translate from a company standpoint?

Whereas Road Scholar Transport takes several measures to ensure that your temperature sensitive cargo does not lose its integrity during the transportation process, one trucking company duo did everything in their power to assure that it did.

Drivers are said to be one of (if not the most) important asset for trucking companies.  Not only are they responsible for the successful and safe transportation of products, but overall act as brand ambassadors for their company, often spending more time with customers than traditional salesmen.  The impression they leave behind plays a large role in customer retention as a negative experience can lead to lost future sales while a pleasant and memorable experience can cause a shipper/consignee to want to increase their business together.  Knowing this, it comes to question as to why many carriers would hire less than qualified drivers to represent their company.  Perhaps to fill capacity restraints?  Or maybe because they do not have to pay them as much as they would an experienced/skilled driver?  Whatever the case, industry experts agree that the quality of drivers is decreasing.

Terror monitoring agencies uncovered postings Tuesday on known ISIS message forums calling for its followers to inject poison, including cyanide, into food at Western supermarkets. 1