Loading up on value: Missouri truckload carrier bets that bigger loads will mean better business

摘要

A couple of years ago, O&S Trucking President Jim O'Neal and other executives of the Springfield, Mo.-based truckload carrier recognized several important trends. First, for the foreseeable future, the trucking industry would be limited to current size and weight regulations; even if Congress adopted legislation to authorize 97,000 pounds on interstates, for example, it would take many years to get states to go along. Second, diesel prices would continue to rise. And finally, the high demand for trucks in the middle part of this decade was not a permanent condition. On top of all of this was the increasing interest among shippers in demonstrating a smaller carbon footprint.