Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020:
Black Horse Carriers joins Penske’s EV program
Black Horse Carriers (No. 60 on the CCJ Top 250) has joined Penske Truck Leasing’s electric vehicle program, launching a battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia into the fleet’s regular operations.
The carrier says it uses the Penske-maintained electric truck throughout southern California to deliver to 78 stores for a major grocery store chain. The truck runs six days a week with four delivery points per day.
“We’re excited to add electric vehicles to our fleet,” said Brad Kacsh, fleet manager at Black Horse Carriers. “Whether it’s the latest safety technology, improving the driver experience, or reducing our carbon footprint, building an innovative fleet is part of the Black Horse culture. We’re thrilled to be running this tractor and the feedback from our field has been excellent.”
Food and beverage hauler Core-Mark announced earlier this month it was deploying an eCascadia through Penske as well.
Hirschbach announces new pay incentives for lease operators
Hirschbach Motor Lines (No. 65) announced its new Top Tier Pay Incentive Plan for lease over-the-road operators, which is designed for drivers to earn $80,000 to $100,000 or more per year.
Beginning Aug. 10, new lease operators with the company were eligible for the program, which includes a weekly incentive, a monthly incentive and a soon-to-come long-term retention incentive plan.
The new plan adds 10 cents per mile for all miles driven for driving safely throughout the week. The monthly incentive adds between 10 and 30 cents per mile for all miles over 4,000 if drivers continue to drive safely and deliver their shipments on-time for a full four-week period.
The forthcoming All-In Retention and Rewards Program is a long-term savings plan in which Hirschbach will contribute $1,500 in the account every year the driver is with the company. Drivers can then invest those funds into a variety of mutual funds.
“It is not just about making sure operators are getting more pay every week and every month,” said Jessie Burnette, chief people officer for Hirschbach. “We also want to make sure they have something to support them when they are ready to move to the next stage in life. The money Hirschbach puts in this account is theirs to manage and is a reward from us for excellent service.”
NFI acquires non-asset-based CAI Logistics
NFI (No. 28) announced Monday it has acquired CAI Logistics, the non-asset logistics division of CAI International. NFI says the acquisition expands its suite of supply chain services, specifically enhancing its brokerage, intermodal and global freight forwarding capabilities across North America.
With the acquisition, NFI’s non-asset logistics business units will generate in excess of $500 million in annual revenue, making up 20% of NFI’s total revenue of approximately $2.5 billion.
The addition of CAI Logistics bolsters NFI’s specialized capabilities, including flatbed, over-dimensional, less-than-truckload, expedited and temperature-controlled transportation, the company says.
Hendrickson acquires Stemco brake drum, slack adjuster business segments
Suspension, axle and brake systems and suspension manufacturer Hendrickson announced Monday it has acquired the Motor Wheel Brake Drum and Crewson slack adjuster business segments from Stemco and parent company EnPro Industries.
Hendrickson says the business segments will operate as a division of Hendrickson Truck Commercial Vehicle Systems. The Motor Wheel and Crewson names will be kept and used as a product name going forward.
