Because I’ve spent this week traveling to meet with customers, I was inspired to share a few of my favorite travel-inspired quotes. Enjoy! ~Bob “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” ~Susan Heller “If God had really intended men to fly, he’d make it easier to get to the airport.” ~George Winters “The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.” ~ Henry Boye
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“Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.” ~Edward Sandford Martin “Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” ~W.T. Purkiser The team at Matchmaker wishes you a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!
Read more →Where were you on 11.11.11? Mary Nicholas was at the NASTC Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. This year’s slogan was “It’s All About the Driver.” And, for the first time in NASTC history, a female driver was selected as Driver of the Year. This honor was awarded to Sarah Barnes of Williams Express, Inc. in Hickory Flats, MS. And, since Williams Express is one of our trusted carriers, we couldn’t be more proud! This photo features (left to right) Driver of the Year Sarah Barnes, Billy Barnes, Darlene Otts, and Bobby Otts. Darlene and
Read more →While most of us good folks will be relaxing with family and friends during the upcoming holiday weekend, thieves are the ones who will be laboring. Closed warehouses are key targets during long weekends. Here are some tips to keep your facility safe on any holiday weekend… Check security alarm and surveillance systems to ensure proper working order. Ensure batteries are fresh in exit doors and back-up cellular phones (used to maintain alarm reporting, if phone lines are compromised). Perform perimeter checks and look at fencing or other types of barriers to ensure they
Read more →If you missed the quarterfinal soccer match in the 2011 Women’s World Cup Sunday night, you missed history in the making! The USA played against Brazil. It was an epic battle, physically and emotionally draining for both teams. There were several controversial calls and emotions ran high. Brazil took a 2-1 lead in the extra 30 minutes of the game. On the verge of their earliest World Cup exit ever, the U.S. women’s national team needed a miracle to fight off elimination. Down to their final minute (minute 122), Abby Wambach tied the score
Read more →In the trucking industry, you don’t have to be a fortune teller to predict the future. As Matchmaker anticipated (and forewarned in previous newsletters), capacity has tightened and rates are climbing. Transcore Freight Solutions reported that spot market T/L rates were up 4.5% in May. The supply of drivers continues to dwindle due to demographics, health and economics. Flatbed equipment has been particularly tight, a result of a fallout from the building industry and a resurgence of the manufacturing sector, the latter enjoying a 23-month growth curve. From 2001 through 2007, the auto industry
Read more →At Matchmaker Logistics, we have always viewed the carriers we work with as customers. Our founder, Jim Skane Sr., always emphasized that without the carriers we had no business. We believe that by building relationships with quality carriers and earning their confidence, we become better able to service our shipping customers. We strive to go beyond “The Golden Rule” and continually search for ways to make our service more valuable to the carriers that rely on us to load their trucks. That Was Easy! For example, at Matchmaker, we use the Aljex software system which
Read more →After thirty years in business, we’re seeing double! When it comes to finding ways to improve our carrier relations, carrier capacity, database management and efficiency of communication, we’re relentless. That’s why Matchmaker committed additional resources to augmenting and improving our database in order to better target customer-specific needs. In less than one year, we have doubled the number of carriers we can reach with the push of a button. Load offers go to specific carriers whose capacity matches our customer’s needs. Robbie Johnson joined the Matchmaker team in September 2010 as a Carrier Development
Read more →Matchmaker applauds the shipping community for its success in modifying the verbiage of the now titled “Compliance Safety Act”. Our job at Matchmaker Logistics, is to provide critically needed capacity while maintaining safe transportation. The government’s rating and monitoring system is an integral part of our due diligence. Continuity and clear guidelines are important for brokers and the shipping public alike. Because the CSA made so many broad changes to our current system, it had created ambiguity and confusion in the industry. Transportation brokers were fearful of selecting a carrier who had satisfactory ratings,
Read more →If there have been any benefits of the great recession, it has been the ease with which one can find a truck and the resulting downward pressure on trucking rates for the shipping public. As we say ‘goodbye’ to the recession, we say ‘hello again’ to some challenges we have met in the past. All sources agree that this year will usher in a climate of tightening capacity and upward rate pressure. The general economy, projected to grow at a rate of 4% this year and up to 5% in 2012, will be
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