Briefly: MATS will feature Big Rig Build-Off custom truck contest

December 21, 2023 3 min read

The Mid-American Trucking Show will host a competition between four top custom truck builders.

The Big Rig Build-Off will feature creations by:

Adam Johnson of Johnson Hill Customs
Dustin Dickerson of Dickerson Custom Trucks
Troy Massey of Massey Motor Freight
Brian and Thomas Davis od Davis Brothers Design

The ir creations will be featured as part of the show’s PKY Truck Championship show.

The winner revives $20,000.

The Mid-American Trucking Show is March 21-23 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville

Free online registration is now open.

Schneider Bulk honored for safety efforts

Green Bay, Wisconsin-based carrier Schneider National, Inc., has been awarded Grand Champion, Class 2 in the National Tank Truck Carriers’ 2022 Personnel Safety Contest.

Schneider’s Bulk service offering was selected as the winner for the Class 2 carrier category, defined as carriers that drive 46-93 million miles a year, based on the company’s safety leadership in its Bulk division. The NTTC’s National Safety Contest recognizes all efforts that go into reducing truck related injuries and positively impacting the safety of the nation’s roadways, such as reduced accidents per million miles and lower annual injury rates.

“This would not have been possible without our drivers, driver leaders and safety team who are wholeheartedly focused on safety in every aspect of their jobs, 24/7,” said Schneider Senior Vice President and General Manager Jason Howe. “At Schneider, we all have a very important role to keep our drivers, customers and the motoring public safe, so we hold ourselves to best-in-class procedures and safety audits – it is an honor to be recognized for our hard work.”

According to a statement from the company, in 2022, Schneider’s Bulk team incorporated several innovative safety-based measures including the use of predictive analytics modeling, enhanced driver curriculum and cutting-edge tools like virtual reality training. These efforts have resulted in improved loading and unloading processes, the recommendation of new foot gear for drivers, and adoption of advanced truck and trailer technology such as pulsating brake lights and MirrorEye, a camera monitor rearview vision system from Stone Ridge.

Forward Air sells final mile business

Forward Air Corporation recently announced the sale of its final mile business to Hub Group, Inc. for an estimated total cash consideration of $262 million. For the twelve months ended September 30, 2023, Final Mile generated approximately $289 million in revenue. Final Mile has approximately 45 locations and more than 640 employees that will transfer to Hub Group, Inc.

Tom Schmitt, Chairman, President, and CEO said, “Our final mile business grew revenue over 150% since inception in 2019 and returned significant value to Forward’s employees, customers and shareholders. We are pleased the final mile team has joined a first-class company and team of people. Corporate clarity remains a top priority as we enter the next phase of our Grow Forward strategy.”

Phil Yeager, President and CEO of Hub Group, stated, “We are excited to welcome the Forward final mile team to Hub Group. Through this transaction, we will continue to grow our non-asset logistics segment and deepen our value to our customers through the addition of this excellent team and their best-in-class appliance capabilities.”