Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Oct. 14, 2024:
Bay and Bay names new trucking president
Bay and Bay Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 134) recently named Justin Johnson its President of Trucking.
Justin Johnson
“Justin is the ideal leader for this role. His experience and impact as President of Logistics, combined with his deep knowledge of both trucking and customer service, makes him uniquely qualified for this position,” said Sam Anderson, Bay and Bay CEO. “With years of experience in sales and operations, he understands the complexities of the industry and how to meet our customers’ needs.”
The Refrigerated Trucking and the Multi-Modal Logistics segments at Bay and Bay have grown on average more than 25% annually in the past three years, the company said.
“Our plan will be to continue growing the non-asset side of our business at a minimum of 25% each year,” Johnson said. “The asset side will be focused on growth but more focused on profitability in the near term.”
Trucks barred from U.S. 441 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The National Park Service (NPS) is reminding truck drivers that, despite closures of major interstates in Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina as a result of Hurricane Helene, commercial trucks are not allowed on U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
NPS said it has seen an influx of trucks attempting to travel the road since the storm. As of Oct. 8, the park had turned away 173 trucks over the previous five days.
“While the National Park Service recognizes that major routes outside the park are currently closed, Newfound Gap Road is not safe for large, commercial vehicles,” NPS said. “Newfound Gap Road is a two-lane road with steep, continuous grades and tight curves. There are no truck lanes, runaway truck ramps or places for a large commercial vehicle to slow down and pull over.”
Up until Oct. 8, the road was completely closed overnight due to staffing issues. The park was turning away trucks during the day but was unable to staff checkpoints at night.
The park lifted the overnight road closure with the help of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Government and Sevier County (the cities of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville and the Sevier County government) partners, who are assisting the park in turning around commercial vehicles at checkpoints on both sides of U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road overnight.
Commercial vehicles are always prohibited on U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road and in all of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (with the exception of the Spur). Commercial vehicles will be stopped, turned around at checkpoints and may be subject to a federal misdemeanor violation notice and fine.
Roadrunner speeds up transit times, opens new lanes
Roadrunner (CCJ Top 250, No. 106) is speeding up transit times across 200-plus lanes, opening 40-plus new lanes, and tripling its Smart Guarantee service. The expanded Smart Guarantee ensures LTL shipments arrive on time, or they are free.
The company's direct metro-to-metro connectivity and Teams driver strategy continue to drive its leadership in long-haul, less-than-truckload (LTL) transit, the company said.
Roadrunner's Weekend+ Advantage now offers 50 additional long-haul lanes for a total of 300 with improved transit times by one to three days for shipments dispatched on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.
