Tyson, Wal-Mart Fleets Blanket U.S. Highways

(Click here for a list of the region’s private trucking fleets and here for a list of the region’s largest trucking firms.)

Springdale’s Tyson Foods became the world’s largest protein company with its September purchase of Dakota Dunes, S.D.-based IBP Inc. A by-product of the merger has also made Tyson Foods a fair-sized trucking company.

PBX Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of IBP, handles the refrigerated truckload business in all 48 states for IBP beef and pork products. PBX, headquartered in Dakota City, Neb., is one of the largest carriers of beef and pork products in the United States. It also has live cattle, dedicated and container fleet services.

A spokesman for PBX said there was about 500 tractors in the fleet servicing IBP. Tyson Foods already has 2,392 tractors and 4,591 trailers in its fleet.

PBX’s fleet is 100 percent owner operated. And the spokesman predicts PBX will soon be doing even more business.

“There has not been a major change, yet,” he said. “So far, we’re doing business as usual. But I foresee there being a lot of change in the future. I see both Tyson and IBP now having the benefit of more loads keeping equipment moving. I expect Tyson to be a big part our big business just like Tyson is expecting IBP to be a big part of their trucking business.”

PBX has 90 percent revenue on all loads, something the company’s Web site claims is the highest in the industry.

Tyson Foods’ spokesman Ed Nicholson said about 25 percent of all Tyson loads are currently done with the company’s own fleet, while 75 percent are outsourced.

Sam’s Trucks

But anyone who thinks Tyson’s transportation department has its hands full should take a look at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville.

The retailer has more than 6,000 truck drivers who traveled 780 million miles in 2001, not including 306 million miles rolled up by its refrigerated operators according to Arkansas Trucking Report.

Wal-Mart’s fleet includes about 5,000 tractors and 23,000 trailers.

Wal-Mart has more than 400 trucking firms contracted to deliver its items to its 2,760 discount stores and more than 500 Sam’s Clubs in the United States. It also has about 1,200 stores internationally, including 144 in Canada and 561 in Mexico.

Wal-Mart had 3.3 million trucking shipments in 2001. Dave Reiff, the company’s fleet director, oversaw his department coordinate 1.5 million outbound truckload shipments from 62 distribution centers, plus another 1.8 million in-bound shipments from manufacturers and wholesalers to its distribution centers. Railroads accounted for fewer than 100,000 loads of Wal-Mart shipments.

Wal-Mart is the largest consumer of freight in the United States.

Truckers for Tim

U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., received much more in campaign contributions from the trucking/transportation industry in his bid to keep his seat against Attorney General Mark Pryor, a democrat.

According to the Federal Election Commission’s March 5 figures, Hutchinson had received $89,274 in contributions for the Arkansas U.S. Senate campaign, while Pryor had received only $11,500. Hutchinson had larger margins from the agriculture, construction, defense contractors and health/pharmaceuticals industries. Pryor largest leads in contributions came from lawyers, lobbyists and the state’s labor force.

Trucking Security

Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government cracked down on airport security. But many lawmakers fear the trucking industry needs similar security adjustments.

A truck filled with a trailer of gas or any number of hazardous materials could be just as much a weapon of mass destruction as an airplane.

FBI agents investigating the terrorist attacks found that several Middle Eastern men had obtained fraudulent licenses to transport hazardous material.

An Iraqi immigrant pleaded guilty in a Pittsburgh, Pa., court to a fraud charge for trying to obtain a hazardous materials license.

“As we increase security for aviation, we have to make sure that the other forms of transportation get the attention they need,” said Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., who is chairman of the House highways and transit subcommittee.

William Canary, president of the American Trucking Association, said the truck drivers will play a major role in preventing terrorist attacks.

“We have more men and women driving trucks than we have in military uniform,” Canary said. “These are trained people to know when someone asks the wrong questions at a truck stop, if something doesn’t look right.”