We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » CRST, U.S. Xpress move into reefer trucking with team drivers
newsworthy

CRST, U.S. Xpress move into reefer trucking with team drivers

November 14, 2011
Mark B. Solomon
No Comments

Within the past week, two of the country's leading truckload carriers announced they would be expanding into the potentially lucrative but operationally demanding refrigerated trucking business using team drivers.

On Nov. 7, CRST International Inc. said it has launched an expedited trucking service for temperature-controlled shipments utilizing tandem drivers. On Nov. 14, the president of U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc. said that his company plans to more than double its fleet of trucks dedicated to refrigerated service, and that it will also use team drivers.

CRST, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said the new service is a division of CRST Expedited, one of its operating units. In a statement, Dave Rusch, president and CEO of CRST, said the service will run coast-to-coast in two-and-a-half days at rates that are competitive with services using solo drivers. Those hauls generally take twice as long, Rusch said.

U.S. Xpress, based in Chattanooga, plans to expand its reefer fleet to 250 team trucks, up from its current fleet of 100. CEO John White told **italic{DC Velocity} that the expansion will affect just a fraction of the carrier's 5,500-rig fleet. "It helps us expand our scope of services," White said.

A form of what is known as "specialized" trucking, refrigerated transport is a relatively fast growing segment of the industry. It usually commands higher margins than the dry van operations that account for the bulk of truck moves in the United States. It is also one of the few areas where motor carriers are making "net capacity additions," meaning equipment is being brought on as part of a service expansion and not to replace existing tractors and trailers.

Refrigerated transportation requires more specialized skills and knowledge, is more capital- and labor-intensive, and is more time-sensitive than dry van service because of the perishable nature of the commodities being hauled. A late, missed, or mishandled delivery may cause the product to be disposed of as unfit for sale.

Separately, U.S. Xpress said it would be expanding its expedited, or time-sensitive, delivery business by bringing on smaller vehicles to supplement the 53-foot vans traditionally used for the service, according to White. It plans to expand to 200 trucks by late 2012, up from 12 trucks currently.

In addition, the carrier plans to add 100 trucks to its Northeast U.S. operations, which stretches from Maine to Maryland, White said. The additions will bring to 300 the number of rigs dedicated to that region.

Transportation Trucking Truckload
KEYWORDS CRST International US Xpress Enterprises
  • Related Articles

    US Xpress rolls out incentives to attract and retain team drivers

    US Xpress lets loose with 13 percent wage hike for solo drivers; will other truckers follow suit?

Marksolomon
Mark Solomon joined DC VELOCITY as senior editor in August 2008, and was promoted to his current position on January 1, 2015. He has spent more than 30 years in the transportation, logistics and supply chain management fields as a journalist and public relations professional. From 1989 to 1994, he worked in Washington as a reporter for the Journal of Commerce, covering the aviation and trucking industries, the Department of Transportation, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to that, he worked for Traffic World for seven years in a similar role. From 1994 to 2008, Mr. Solomon ran Media-Based Solutions, a public relations firm based in Atlanta. He graduated in 1978 with a B.A. in journalism from The American University in Washington, D.C.

Recent Articles by Mark Solomon

Coming together for road safety: interview with Joshua Girard

Off the rails

Freight rate spikes shaking up the C-suite

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Survey: top supply chain risk of 2023 is semiconductor shortage

  • Big and bulky last-mile delivery segment set for hot growth

  • Ports, maritime operators see tide turning as ocean freight tsunami subsides

  • Outlook 2023: What’s in store for logistics/supply chain?

  • In Person: Steve Beverly of Penske

Now Playing on DCV-TV

1b952214 50bc 4b17 8699 b7fd3de34b0c

The Right Way Versus the Wrong Way Equals BIG $ When Conducting Transportation Sourcing Events

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
What is the "smart" way to source your transportation and why is it so important? Because the carriers are smart and they will provide better rates and service when things are done the right way versus the "wrong" way. In short, from a carrier's perspective sourcing events are a clear indication whether a shipper...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

  • Fulfillment Facility Improved Efficiencies by 4x

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • Reusable Packaging for the New Wave of Supply Chain Automation

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing