Tucker Door & Trim will invest $10 million to create its first logistics facility in Virginia. The company’s brand new manufacturing and assembly operation for fiberboard and fiberglass doors and windows will open THEIR doors in Henrico County by April 1, 2024: “The expansion, which will create 50 new jobs, will increase capacity and provide the company the ability to serve the northeastern market.” Read more…
Supermarket Morrisons is planning to restructure its supply chain and logistics operations, with warehouse manager roles at all seven distribution sites set to be truncated with a five-over-seven working week reinstated from last April. Documents seen by The Grocer show how Morrisons plans “to consolidate the number of warehouse manager roles at each site to a single operations manager role. It will also remove team manager roles in its ambient supply chain, reduce roles in its chilled chamber and reduce the number of managers and coordinators working within canteen teams.” Read more…
Dramatist David Proctor’s new one-person play, “Grabbing the Hammer Lane: a Trucker narrative,” is Proctor’s newest stage drama about a truck driver’s life on the road. The Orlando Performer, a website devoted to theater in Central Florida, exults: “Patrons of this show should be prepared to feel a wide range of emotions. In the beginning, there is gentle humor and subtle light jokes scattered throughout. [Later], emotions soar between anger and sadness. It is genuinely moving. This show deals with addiction, forgiveness and loss and has a moral of ‘Tell the ones you are close to, that you love them.’” Read more…
A third-party logistics firm headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee announced they are planning to shutter its facility on the west side of Indianapolis. In a WARN notice recently filed with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, “Kenco Logistic Services LLC said the closure will result in the layoffs of 110 employees.” The company gave no reason for the closure, but “the affected workers have been notified of the move, and the layoffs are scheduled to occur on March 19.” Read more…
After a half-a-billion-dollar loss quarter for Ford, the company is questioning whether transitioning to electric vehicles was the right move, and whether drastic measures such as offshoring will need to be taken in regard to truck jobs in the future. Ford CEO Jim Farley recently made “what some might consider threatening comments about the future of his company’s U.S.-based, United Auto Workers-represented manufacturing workforce.” Read more…
The day-to-day operation of trades workers was on full display for those interested in potentially entering that workforce by Truckucation, as the organization hosted its monthly “Trucking and Trades” event to help promote jobs in the trucking industry and various other trades. These kinds of events have become a must with the trucking industry’s recent decline in the number of truck drivers entering the field. Read more…
Forward Air completed its acquisition of Omni Logistics recently after the expedited surface transportation provider and global freight forwarder reached a newly agreed upon merger agreement. Plans for the merger were announced last August, but were put on a hold by a series of fights between activist investors, shareholders and the companies themselves. The deal will now allow the two companies to integrate their international and North American operations, adding more high-value freight into Forward’s less-than-truckload (LTL) network. Read more…
Universal Logistics is expanding in the greater Roanoke area with a new industrial building located on Lee Highway in Botetourt County, creating 45 new jobs. Universal’s CEO Tim Phillip states: “our expansion in the Roanoke region represents an exciting phase for Universal’s heavy truck division as we fortify our commitment to delivering top-tier services within the logistics and transportation sectors… our investment not only signifies our dedication to growth, but also underscores our pledge to contribute meaningfully to the local economy while creating employment opportunities for the community.”Read more…
There is a major truck driver shortage happening at the moment, and it’s predicted to reach a record high next year, which in turn will have a massive impact on supply chain costs. With that being said, it’s now more important than ever for trucking companies to incentivize the job and to obtain more than one million new drivers over the next decade to replace those planning to leave the industry. Read more…
As 2023 nears its end, looking back may require sifting through many negatives of the past 12 months in logistics such as “strikes, bankruptcies, security incidents, weather events,” and more, but there are also many positives that stand out as well. It’s clear that the logistics industry “is an incredibly connected network of companies and individuals who are extremely passionate” and “will work countless hours to move this industry forward.” Read more…
