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| Type | Public (NYSE: USAK |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 |
| Headquarters | Van Buren, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Area served | U.S., Canada |
| Key people | Clif Beckham (President & CEO) Mike Weindel, Jr. (VP, Recruiting/Training) Darron Ming (VP, Finance) |
| Industry | Transportation |
| Services | General commodities transport |
| Website | USATruck.com |
USA Truck
Contents |
Origin
Founded in 1989, It could be called an orphan corporation that was left in the wake of a hostile takeover. As it was common in the 1980's, its parent firm Arkansas Best Corporation was forced to abandon its recently formed new subdivision. Its new partner and White Knight Kelso & Co, and investment firm came together to respond to the Green Mailing firm from New York Razorback Acquisitions(the name a humorous play on the carrier's home states favorite College team was needless to say lost on the target of the takeover).
Arkansas Best,newly privatized,with the help of Kelso divested itself of USA Truck to help pay down LBO. Thus in early 1989, USA Truck Inc. of Van Buren found itself, along with a sister company, Trans-States Lines Inc out on their own. Three years later USA-Truck went public.
Market and Business Segments
USA-Truck is referred to an irregular route or an over-the-road OTR trucking company. It is based out of Van Buren, Arkansas. In addition to its company headquarters in Van Buren, USA Truck also operates maintenance facilities in West Memphis, Arkansas; Shreveport, Louisiana; Butler Township, Ohio; Bethel, Pennsylvania which has recently stopped performing maintenance and is now a full time warehouse for the company; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Laredo, Texas; and Roanoke, Virginia. [1]
Most of USA Truck’s business is considered time sensitive medium-haul, with freight shipments covering between 700 to 1,000 miles. USA Truck's freight consists of general commodities merchandise, such as auto parts, tires, and retail store items, and its clientele includes several Fortune 500 companies [2].It also has agreements to services other trucking companies who may have entered into dedicated contracts but for some reason cannot provide service.
It also has begun to interface more heavily with the several rail carriers.
Awards
USA Truck has also achieved IS 9001:2000 certification [3].
USA Truck’s logo uses the former symbol of the United States Air Force, and drivers are affectionately nicknamed the company's “Top Guns”.
USA's Trucking Fleet
USA Truck's fleet consists of over 2,000 tractors and 4,000 dry-van trailers. The trucks are late-model manual Navistar International and Kenworth tractors with an average age of 18 months. All of the company’s trucks are equipped with state-of-the-art industry features, including power steering, air-ride suspensions, and Qualcomm satellite communication with in-cab email. [4]
All of USA’s trailers are 53 foot dry-vans; the company does not operate any flatbed, refrigerated, or tanker trailer fleets. Also, USA Truck is one of the few trucking companies that offer assigned equipment – its drivers drive the same truck at all times and are allowed to bring their tractors home with them on their days off.
Company-Sponsored CDL Training
Since 1999, USA Truck has worked with Indianapolis-based Driver Solutions to provide entry-level truck drivers access to CDL training. Through this program, USA Truck sponsors the upfront tuition training costs for a student and provides an entry-level driving job once the student successfully graduates his training program. USA Truck is one of several trucking companies, including P.A.M. Transport, to offer a company-sponsored training program for entry-level truck drivers that need help earning a CDL.
