Friday, August 22, 2008
2 big haulers sign on to L.A. port's clean-truck plan

The Arizona firms are both members of an industry group that has sued to block the new rules.
By Ronald D. White and Louis Sahagun
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers


August 22, 2008

The Port of Los Angeles' clean-truck replacement effort received a significant boost Thursday when two Arizona-based freight haulers signed letters of intent to participate in the program.

Both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach have provoked opposition from the American Trucking Assn. over their plans to replace the aging fleet of about 16,800 mostly dilapidated rigs that produce a large portion of the diesel pollution at the nation's busiest cargo container complex.

The association, which represents 37,000 trucking companies, has filed suit in federal court to block the plans, arguing that they would impose "intrusive regulatory systems" that would "result in far fewer trucking companies being able to service the ports."

The Port of Los Angeles plan would require the formation of concessions, companies that would employ some of the thousands of drivers who now operate as independent owner-operators. That is part of what prompted the ATA lawsuit, which seeks an injunction against the concession requirement.

But the potential participation of the two Phoenix-based companies -- Swift Transportation Co., with 37 major terminals in 26 states and Mexico, and the publicly traded Knight Transportation Inc., with nearly half of its fleet consisting of 2008 model trucks -- was seen as a significant development. Both are members of the ATA.

"It's a big deal, a major breakthrough," said John Husing, an Inland Empire-based economist and a logistics and supply chain expert who was called on to evaluate the port's truck replacement plan.

Paul Bingham, managing director of trade and transportation markets for economic research firm Global Insight, said, "These are both well-known, national trucking companies. They are very serious players."

ATA leaders had no immediate comment on the development. But some California trucking companies were irate over the idea that two ATA members, both based outside California, were signing on to the program -- and potentially putting them out of business.

"I'm taken aback. Now, they are going to out-of-state companies rather than dealing with California trucking businesses that have been hauling cargo in and out of the ports for the past 25 to 30 years," said Michael Lightman, owner of Long Beach-based Great Freight Inc., which does 99% of its business moving goods to and from the ports.

Others, though, were pleased by the development.

"It shows that the Los Angeles plan is attractive and trucking companies are biting," said Adrian Martinez, projects manager with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental justice group that supports the program.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement, "These commitments are proof that environmental, labor and business leaders agree that our plan will deliver the cleanest trucks for the long haul."

The two Arizona companies said that the letters of intent made sense because both already had customers who moved goods through the ports and had expressed concerns about their ability to get their products delivered promptly.

"We have 1,400 trucks equipped with the newest diesel technology. The ports have a need for clean trucks and we have customers that need that service," said Kevin Knight, chief executive of Knight Transportation. "I think it's a good fit."

ron.white@latimes.com

louis.sahagun@latimes.com

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Swift receives three coveted customer awards, which makes it a total of nine such awards in recent months

PHOENIX, AZ, Jun 04, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Swift Transportation Co., Inc., a leader in transportation services and the Nation's largest truckload provider, recently received three coveted customer awards, which makes it a total of nine such awards in recent months. These awards reflect Swift's deep and diverse customer base, strong relationships, and commitment of becoming the clear "Carrier of the Industry."

Swift was presented with a "Tier 1 Core Truckload Carrier Award" by Alcoa (#80 of Fortune 500), the world leader in the production and management of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina combined. Alcoa's award program recognizes carriers for their outstanding commitment and service during 2007. Selection criteria for carrier performance metrics included volume growth, tender acceptance rate, cost competitiveness, rate publication timeliness, and service performance.

PepsiCo (#59 of Fortune 500), one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, awarded Swift as the 2007 QTG (Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade) "Truckload Carrier of the Year." This award is in addition to PepsiCo QTG recently naming Swift as their 2007 "Dedicated Carrier of the Year."

Total Transportation Services (TTS) of Plano, TX, a third-party provider of transportation and logistics management services, selected Swift as their "OTR Carrier of the Year" for 2007. Swift became TTS's first ever carrier of the year award winner for OTR performance, and was selected from a list of the top 15 suppliers in this category. The criteria were based on such items as on-time performance, ease of use, technological capabilities, and revenue for the year from TTS.

"Over the past several months, Swift has received nine carrier awards from major customer partners. We are honored by these awards, as it is a reflection of the value that we strive to deliver to each of our valued customers," said Jerry Moyes, President and CEO Swift Transportation. "Big or small, we treat all of our customers with the same respect and care. We seek lasting win-win relationships, and these awards indicate that the aligned effort of each Swift employee continues to pay off."

"We have partnered with our customers to develop metrics driven internal and external scorecards. Our mission is to be unanimously recognized as the 'Carrier of the Industry,' so everything that we do is aligned around that clear objective," said Richard Stocking, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "We are focused on unleashing the talent of our people, which has yielded a high performance culture and a unique and empowered regional terminal network. We consider these strengths to be a major competitive advantage, as they enable Swift to form deep and trusting local and national relationships that focus on delivering mutual success."

Friday, May 23, 2008
Swift Transportation Receives Three "Carrier of the Year" Awards

Kellogg’s and Dollar Tree recognize Swift as transportation supplier of year

Phoenix, AZ - Swift Transportation Co., Inc., a leader in transportation services and the Nation’s largest truckload provider, was recently recognized as "Carrier of the Year" by two key customers. Swift was awarded Kellogg's "National Carrier of the Year" for 2007. Dollar Tree named Swift as "Inbound Carrier of the Year" and "Outbound Carrier of the Year" for 2007, the second straight year that Swift has received these honors from Dollar Tree.

Swift was honored for its commitment to superior performance, focus on continuous improvement and innovation, and customer satisfaction. Out of the hundreds of potential award winners, Swift earned top honors for its role in contributing to the success of these two market leaders. "It is certainly a unique privilege and honor for all of us at Swift Transportation to be named as Carrier of the Year by these world class organizations," said Jerry Moyes, President and CEO Swift Transportation. "The commitment, hard work and dedication of all our associates is reflected in these prestigious awards."

"Each of these amazing awards represent a great deal of dedication and focus by Swift employees," said Richard Stocking, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "We’re proud of the relationships that we have built throughout the years, and of the trust in which our customers extend to Swift with every load that we handle. These three Carrier of the Year awards exemplify our commitment to our mission of being the "Carrier of the Industry". We understand the clear purpose of our services and focus on providing the basics, but we also strive to deliver unique value to each of our customers. The result has been the formation of relationships that extend collaboration and the pursuit of mutual success."

Friday, May 23, 2008
Swift Transportation’s “Dedication” Rewarded by Two Supply Chain Leaders

PepsiCo QTG and Dollar Tree each name Swift as their dedicated transportation provider of the year

Phoenix, AZ – Swift Transportation Co., Inc., a leader in dedicated transportation solutions and the Nation’s largest truckload provider, has recently received major performance based awards from two key dedicated customers. PepsiCo’s QTG (Quaker, Tropicana, and Gatorade) business unit named Swift as its “Dedicated Carrier of the Year” for 2007 - 2008. Dollar Tree, who recently named Swift as “Inbound” and “Outbound” Carrier of the Year, added to the recognition by naming Swift as their 2007 “Dedicated Carrier of the Year.” QTG’s Director of Transportation, Drew Stimple, stated that, “Swift’s consistent and exceptional performance, willingness to go the extra mile, and desire to deliver continued value sets them apart. PepsiCo recognizes Swift as a true strategic and long-term supply chain partner. At PepsiCo, we set highest standards for our products and services, and the complete trust that Swift has earned through its dedicated performance enables us to focus on our core business.”

Dean Jones, Vice President of Transportation for Dollar Tree, stated that, “We are very pleased to recognize Swift for its superior performance. This award further reflects our belief that Swift is an industry leader and a valued partner. Swift has Dollar Tree’s best interests in mind and continues to raise the performance bar.” "Being honored by two treasured customers and industry leaders such as PepsiCo and Dollar Tree is a tremendous accomplishment and a proud moment in Swift’s 42 year history,” said Jerry Moyes, President and CEO of Swift Transportation. "Swift is passionate about our mission of being recognized as the ‘Carrier of the Industry,’ and these awards reflect that our efforts have resulted in trust, customer value, and collaborative and growing relationships.”

Swift has contracted with its customers to operate over 150 dedicated fleets, with individual fleet size ranging from 1 to over 200 trucks. This growing service solution encompasses approximately 25% of Swift’s 18,000 tractors. Swift’s offers its customers the flexibility of augmentation of an existing fleet, private fleet conversion, or new fleet creation. Each dedicated fleet is engineered to provide a customized solution to meet the customer’s specific equipment, reporting, financial, and service needs. The proven advantages of Swift’s dedicated offerings include consistent capacity, ability to handle demand surges, world-class service, and optimized transportation costs. All while eliminating capital requirements associated with a private fleet.

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PHOENIX (AP) -- The founder of Swift Transportation Co., one of the nation's largest trucking companies, on Thursday said he has completed the purchase of his former company for $2.6 billion.