Introduction
Trucking is an essential part of any economy. Most goods obtained from outside must be transported using trucks to their various destinations. In the United States of America, it is estimated that close to 70 %of freight is done through trucking; this statistic reinforces the importance of truck drivers and the whole trucking industry to the economy of the nation and its neighbors. Trucks deliver a wide range of goods that are of great importance to the various communities and cities in the country; trucks are used in providing food and foodstuff, and they are also used in delivering medicine and other essential materials in remote areas.
Trucking and its importance
The impact of trucking and truck drivers is often ignored or taken lightly. Still, the industry is integral to any growth that an economy or an urban area may experience. In simple terms, Trucks connect most businesses despite their size. Truck drivers play a huge part in ensuring that companies are active because one essential part of an effective business is a constant and reliable supply chain. The supply is done by trucks, truck drivers, and trucking companies. Trucks hold an advantage over other transportation options because they provide reliable and efficient spacing for fitting loads of goods. Trucks also offer durability because they can traverse various terrains on the road. Trucks are also able to handle heavy loads without any significant implications comfortably.
Despite how effective and reliable trucks are, they are still susceptible to other occurrences that may hinder their effectiveness; some of these issues are avoidable, while others are natural occurrences that are often out of control. Individuals need to consider the trucking companies they are dealing with before assigning them the task of moving their freight.
Heartland Express, History and background
Trucking companies have different records of accountability, trust issues, the safety of customer goods, time taken with goods in transit, and effective communication. Picking the appropriate trucking company is essential for safely delivering an individual or company’s interests, as stated. Heartland Express is a truing company that can be referenced for how it operates, the type of trucks that it owns, the drivers that are employed under the brand, the subsidiaries or other branches of the company, the mode of recruitment, and even the routes that it’s trucks frequently use in transporting or moving goods for its clients. Heartland Express is an American company with its headquarters in Iowa, North Liberty. The company was founded in 1978. The company is rated to be worth over $1.2 billion as of 2022, and its records show that it employs over 4,100 employees in various capacities and roles in the nation.
Heartland Express is known as one of the largest and most vibrant, if not the largest, transport and logistics companies in America. The company has built its track record over time and years of operational experience. Heartland Express has a broad scope of clients who rely highly on them to deliver their goods. The number of clients and their loyalty to the company indicates the level of commitment and professionalism that the company employs in conducting its business. In the process of expanding its status and operational features, the company has acquired majority stakes in other trucking or moving companies, namely; Transportation Resources, Inc., and Parent of contract freighters, Inc. these acquisitions have a long-term impact on the company’s income and market status. The acquisitions are also significant because they mean that the company has expanded its operations further (D. Schulz, 2022).
Management During COVID 19
The COVID-19 pandemic brought most economies to a standstill in the whole world. Most of the borders were closed for entry or exit, especially for truck drivers. The outcome of the pandemic was very detrimental to most transport or moving companies because the revenue and operation costs were not favoring the businesses. Heartland Express, just like many other American companies, also felt the pinch of the economic strain caused by the pandemic, there were cases of unrest among its drivers and other essential members of its task force, and for that, the company took action to sort the issue. The company increased the salary of their drivers; the salary rate increase was not just a result of the pandemic but also a show of commitment to their role as a moving company.
The Heartland Express, a transport, and logistics company, has enhanced driver rates. Currently, it has drivers earning up to 12.2%, this rate factors into various issues that the driver has to encounter (Maiden, 2020). The company also increased the rates for recruiting drivers. Fact that the company positions most of its operations on its drivers and markets itself as a company that is very considerate of its employees, the move to improve the rates is very positive.
Organizational structure
Heartland Express employs an interesting organizational structure in most of its activities. This structure is the basis of how the company is set up, the roles and capacities of the staff at the company, the policies that are employed at the company, and the various protocols that have to be employed when seeing any service at the company, either as a client or stuff. Some of the policies and charters that the company employs include audit and risk committees. This committee checks and analyzes the taken by the company and their impacts on the operation.
The code of ethics dictates the mannerism and defines the boundaries for the staff and clients. Another exciting policy is its environmental and sustainability mission policy; the company enforces this policy to impact the environment as much as possible positively. Given that the majority of the trucks used currently are not electric, there must be other ways to try and impact the environment and reduce the level of carbon emission that is done by heavy-duty trucks.
Recruitment protocol
Heartland Express takes its recruitment process seriously. The drivers are subjected to various procedures before being accepted into the organization. In most cases, individuals must also have long-term experience with Heartland express. The company performs drug tests, ability to drive under very demanding conditions is also tested, coupled with various other trials that give them the perception of who a driver is and what they are like under pressure and when working. The tests and examinations continue after employment because most company drivers are frequently subjected to the tests on numerous occasions while working there.
Company Terminals
The company is spread all across America, as stated earlier. There is numerous terminal for Heartland express that play a part in the frequent services and activities of the company. These terminals include; Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, California, Idaho, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, Colorado, Oregon, Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Each of the mentioned states has a terminal that coordinates the operation of trucks for Heartland Express moving company. The formalities involved with moving to require the moving companies to meet the regulatory standards of the states that they operate, for Heartland Express they have to ensure that each of the terminals adheres to the regulations of the states where they are located. All of the terminals operate as part of a franchise rather than solely; this is also one factor that stands out with the company and makes it reliable for its clients.
Compared to its competitors or rivals, like FedEx and DHL, Heartland is smaller in terms of operational cost and geographical availability. The size factor plays to Heartland’s advantage because it can manage its collection or fleet of trucks and drivers, even though the market is considerably smaller compared to the larger and mobile competitors. The company’s tenacity has earned it respect from its peers and competitors. The company deals in the movement and transportation of a wide variety of goods, making it more reliable and appropriate for various moving options. The goods moved by the Heartland express shipping and logistics company include electronics, kitchenware, foodstuff, as already mentioned, car parts, and many more. The company is not tied down to a single field, and that plays out to its advantage perfectly. Given the number of businesses that are expanding and opening branches, flexibility in transportation will be an essential factor; the need for reliable institutions like Heartland Express is very high.
Conclusion
With the ever-expanding global market, transportation and logistics have become a more critical business aspect. With that, Companies like Heartland Express expand and grow into more prominent institutions in the market. The reports and infographics released by the Heartland Express company recorded considerable returns indicating that the company is on the right track in terms of operations and management. The recent acquisition of three more transport entities indicates that the company is just getting started with expansion and growth.
References:
D.Schulz, J. (2022, August 23). In truckload blockbuster acquisition, Heartland buys CFI for $525 million. Retrieved from logisticsmgmt.com: https://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/in_truckload_blockbuster_acquisition_heartland_buys_cfi_for_525_million
Maiden, T. (2020, November 4). Heartland Express raises driver pay as much as 12%. Retrieved from freightwaves.com: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/heartland-express-raises-driver-pay-as-much-as-12
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