Press Release

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EMAIL: info@teana.org
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PRESS RELEASE – November 2011

November 11, 2011 -- Giving thought to "What's in a Name?," the leading group in the expedite industry, fueled by increasing membership growth, is rebranding itself and begins with a name change.

TEANA, originally formed in 2003 as The Expedite Alliance of North America, has seen its membership rise to more than 92 companies over eight years. As the scope of the organization has broadened, TEANA's board of directors decided at its 2011 Annual Meeting that the organization would best benefit from formally branding itself as an Association. The TEANA acronym stays the same, but now stands for The Expedite Association of North America.

TEANA is the only organization representing providers of expedited trucking in the North American market. Defining itself now as an association, TEANA leaders vow to continue the efforts started as an alliance, which had a strong focus on collaborative competition. TEANA also continues to include other core goals like providing a voice for expeditors within government and regulatory organizations, expanding member benefits and upholding best in class industry standards.

"We are extremely excited with this name change. It better suits the mission of the organization and it helps define our goals going forward," said TEANA President, John Elliott, and President of Load One Transportation and Logistics.

TEANA members commit to quality standards and a strict code of ethics. The association is comprised of expediters varying in size and geographic service areas across North America. Members work together in the spirit of cooperative competition, improving standards and quality of service of expedited transportation within the general transportation market segment.

"TEANA's commitment to develop and drive our members to exhibit best in class performance is the next level of the maturation for our association," said TEANA Vice President Steve Norman, VP of Universal Traffic Service. "Now more than ever, customers should place the highest confidence in selecting a TEANA member as their expedite provider for a best in class experience."

Members share resources and experiences to enhance service performance and capacity to shippers and 3PL's. The association's annual meeting, to be held in New Orleans in July 2012, is one example of a TEANA event where attendees experience excellence, leadership and the benefits of membership.

About TEANA

TEANA, The Expedite Association of North America, is the only association dedicated solely to the ground expedite transportation segment. TEANA's mission is to maintain a forum for its member companies to exchange information and services allowing for the enhancement, improvement and expansion of their services. The organization also focuses on providing members a voice in the legislative environment and access to vendor services, providing additional value to its membership.

For more details, view the press release in PDF format.

PRESS RELEASE – July 2011

TEANA Members Tackle Regulatory Concerns, Industry Economic Cycles at Annual Meeting Nashville, TN - Leaders of top expedited transportation services companies convened in Nashville in a show of force to learn and act on the latest regulatory concerns and economic conditions impacting the industry.

Members of The Expedite Alliance of North America (TEANA) held a town hall session with Representative John J. Duncan, Jr. (R - TN), Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. Representative Duncan expressed his concern for small and medium businesses in the current business climate and the current debate in Washington D.C. over raising the debt ceiling. "The problem is we've spent too much," Duncan said, referring to the nation's $14.3-trillion debt. Duncan told the expedited carriers he had just heard from House Speaker John Boehner (R - OH) who called recent discussions on raising the debt ceiling "incredibly tense meetings" with both sides still far apart from any agreement. Duncan said Boehner described the current negotiations as between "people from two different planets talking" in attempts to resolve the issue.

Expedited carriers attending TEANA's annual conference seized the opportunity to raise key business concerns to Rep. Duncan over federal regulatory transportation measures. On his position in Congress, Rep. Duncan responded, "I am one member who does not want reregulation of anything," citing studies showing businesses currently spend more than one trillion dollars complying with government regulations. "In any industry that becomes highly regulated, it ends up in the hands of a few big giants," Duncan told the crowd representing many small- and medium-size motor carriers.

"The influence you can have is amazing," Duncan told the premier expediters organization. "There is greater power in this room than ever because more and more people are behind their TV screens and computer screens. There's less human contact with each passing year." Duncan encouraged TEANA members to inform their congressional representatives of their concerns about pending federal transportation regulations and to spread their success stories of growth in free enterprise. "Go to classrooms and tell your story of growing a small business and its importance to the country," he advised.

Duncan expects to produce a highway bill later this year, though he indicated because of the debt ceiling negotiations, this is a "more uncertain time I've seen since I've been in Congress" for 23 years.

After joining with two other industry groups to mediate how the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) publishes motor carrier safety ratings known as CSA 2010 regulations, TEANA members reviewed continued legislative efforts and flaws in the system needing immediate attention. "One of the concerns I have about CSA is the continual push to get this out to the public sector," remarked Jeff Davis, Vice President of Safety and Human Resources with Jet Express, noting the federal agency's push to publish safety ratings last December. Among the shortcomings in the agency's data, Davis noted 100,000 motor carriers are monitored of the 758,000 currently operating. "80 percent of carriers have less than two inspections in the past 24 months," Davis said, indicating the need for 3 to 5 inspections to trigger accurate performance metrics. Citing insufficient data for 95 percent of carriers, TEANA proposes a separate small carrier algorithm to more accurately process data for small carrier safety ratings. Another solution proposed for the top violation of not current logbooks is to implement technology with electronic logs.

"Know your ISS number, not available on the CSA site," Davis advised TEANA members in attendance, "get it from Compass" (the FMCSA's site at www.safersys.org). Davis described how this number controls future inspections for motor carriers. Despite TEANA's legislative efforts resulting in the current disclaimer in the CSA ratings system, the FMCSA continues with its program, releasing safety fitness ratings this fall. "If we're going to live with this program,we're going to have to tweak it. And we're going to have to teach the agency how to tweak it," Davis counseled, advising TEANA members to send comments to the FMCSA which reviews them in its decision-making process. Describing the magnitude of CSA 2010's impact, Davis said, "We have to change the way we do business." Davis used an analogy to the motor carrier audience: "This is going to be our vote on the debt ceiling."

Hank Seaton, TEANA's legal counsel, sought input to prioritize the group's advocacy platform. Seaton was instrumental in reaching the settlement with the FMCSA which implemented disclaimer items in the published CSA ratings. Seaton raised the concern that "safety will become a question of competition" with the current ratings approach. "There is no correlation between the system and safety," he said. In the coming weeks, TEANA members will receive a survey to list legal priorities, including mandatory EOBR's, hours of service, and SMS.

Economist Noel Perry of Transportation Research Associates honed in on four business factors for TEANA members to note, picking up after his presentation to the group at its last annual meeting in Chicago. In short, Perry emphasized members must deal with the economy as we enjoy positive upturns, because downward cycles will follow. Perry noted members must be ready to adapt to economic cycles which he foresees will have shorter upturns and downward cycles. Perry advised TEANA members to excel at driver hiring to combat the trucker shortage. Finally, Perry underscored the need for top motor carriers to become price leaders, given the growing significance of aggressive pricing.

More members than ever attended TEANA's annual meeting. "We are very excited about the growing presence of TEANA, our continued growth and our largest conference ever. Our Executive team and Board of Directors is focused on the continued success of the organization as it represents best-in-class of the expedite industry," said TEANA President John Elliott.

The meeting concluded with the announcement of TEANA Carriers of the Year:

1st Place: Barrett Directline Delivery Services Inc.

2nd Place: C&M Transport, Inc

3rd Place: Load One Transportation and Logistics

TEANA's Board of Directors announced the next annual member meeting will be in New Orleans in July 2012.

About TEANA:

The Expedite Alliance of North America is the only association dedicated solely to the ground expedite transportation segment. TEANA's mission is to maintain a forum for its member companies to exchange information and services allowing for the enhancement, improvement and expansion of their services. The organization also focuses on providing members a voice in the legislative environment and access to vendor services, providing additional value to its membership.

For additional information, contact: Kate Marlys, TEANA Associate Director, at info@teana.org.

For more details, view the press release in PDF format.

PRESS RELEASE – March 9, 2011

FMCSA and Three Trade Associations Agree to Settlement on CSA

click here for the complete press release in pdf format

TEANA HOSTS ITS MOST SUCCESSFUL MEMBER MEETING IN ITS HISTORY

Philadelphia, PA — TEANA (The Expedite Alliance of North America) convened its annual member meeting at the Palmer House in Chicago IL July 16-18th. Top industry executives attended meetings and participated in networking events.

“The Power of TEANA: Strength and Stability” kicked off a new era in for this premier expedite carrier organization. “Our Board of Directors is committed to making a difference for our Membership, explains Mark McLochlin TEANA President. Our relevant speakers, newly formed committees and rapid growth in membership will bring our organization to a new level.”

Featured speakers included Noel Perry (Principal, Transport Fundamentals LLC), Ken Rideout (President, Fleet Management Strategies), Hank Seaton, Esq. (Partner, Seaton & Husk, LP), Stu Sutton (President, Sylectus) and Anthony Maietta (EPA). “TEANA Members were impressed not only with the valuable information that was provided, but also the relevancy to current issues facing the expedited marketplace,” Jennifer Mead, Board Member, comments.

In addition to the industry-specific educational tracks, Members participated in a Round Table session which highlighted the efforts and goals of existing committees. Committees outlined their vision for increasing membership with quality and geographically diverse expediters, heightening visibility through creating a TEANA brand, retention of core ethics values, and adding value through new services and vendors. As a result of the Round Table, several new Committees were immediately formed including a Legislative Committee which will help represent the voice of expedited carriers in Washington and a Benefits Committee focusing on tackling healthcare and other employee benefit issues for owner operators and small businesses.

The attendees attended social and networking events including a Cubs game outing and several receptions. A silent auction was held to benefit the TEANA Scholarship Fund and two scholarships were awarded to worthy applicants. TEANA Company of the Year was awarded to C&M Transport, with Load One Transportation and Logistics and Clearwater Logistics being recognized as receiving the 2nd and 3rd place votes.
Finally, the Board of Directors announced the location of next year’s Annual Member Meeting which will be held in The Music City, Nashville, TN next July. The Board promises to top this year’s event and has already begun planning the meeting.

TEANA, The Expedite Alliance of North America, is the only association dedicated solely to the ground expedite transportation segment. TEANA’s mission is to maintain a forum for its member companies to exchange information and services allowing for the enhancement, improvement and expansion of their services. The organization also focuses on providing member a voice in the legislative environment and access to vendor services that will provide additional value to its membership.

For additional information or a sample copy, contact Kate Marlys, TEANA Associate Director, at info@teana.org.

For more details and pictures click here for the press release in pdf format.

PREMIER EXPEDITED TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION PLANS FOR EXTENSIVE GROWTH

TEANA is growing its membership through new geographic markets and enhancing membership value.

Philadelphia, PA (PRSOURCE.CA) October 29, 2009 – TEANA, The Expedite Alliance of North America is seeking to aggressively grow its membership in 2010.

While membership in TEANA requires expedited transportation companies to meet specific qualifications, TEANA sees membership growth as a means to enhance the value of the alliance not only for its members, but also for its members’ client base.

“We won’t sacrifice quality of membership for quantity, says TEANA President Mark McLochlin. Our value lies in the calibre of our member companies and maintaining a ‘best in class’ mandate.” Even with the mandate, McLochlin believes there are many quality and time-definite ground transportation providers throughout North America who could benefit in joining the group and enhance TEANA’s overall value.

Currently, most TEANA members are east of the Mississippi with the majority in the mid-west and central states. Over the past few years there has been a widening of geographic scope, but the group seeks to broaden it further. “We’d like to see more quality providers from the west coast, north and southwest and the Atlantic coast, explains Jennifer Mead a TEANA member. By increasing the number of members in these areas, member companies would dramatically improve capacity, reduce deadhead miles from non-core areas and tap into markets difficult to manage for the traditional expediter.”

An increase in geographic scope and capacity will aid in the sustainability of current member companies, open up new lanes for expedited companies throughout the country and improve service to expedited customers. TEANA membership growth will help member companies continue unprecedented growth during tough economic times.

TEANA will be marketing its value to prospective members in its upcoming membership drive. In addition to the drive, TEANA is implementing a number of enhancements to attract more quality expediters to the association. Enhancements include increased branding of the TEANA name, implementation of a new Facebook page, improved communication through an updated website (www.teana.org) and additional member-focused committees. To view the TEANA Membership Application click here.

TEANA invites prospective and current members to its upcoming annual meeting in July of 2010 to be held in Chicago. At the annual meeting, the Board will provide highlights of its success in 2009 and early 2010, describe new initiatives, offer exciting educational tracks and host numerous networking events.

About TEANA: TEANA, The Expedite Alliance of North America, is the only professional association comprised solely of expedited transportation providers. TEANA is the voice of expediters within government and regulatory organizations. Membership in TEANA symbolizes a commitment to quality and a strict code of ethics. TEANA is managed by Fernley & Fernley, a fourth-generation firm in the association management business, representing over 20 non-profit trade associations and professional societies.

For More Information Contact:
Kate Marlys
Associate Director of TEANA
Phone: 215-564-3484 x2208
Email: teana@fernley.com

TEANA Members Set the Pace for the Expedited Industry

TEANA plans July meeting in Indianapolis for members to network and discuss plans to maintain growth in tough economic times

Philadelphia, PA-June 15, 2009—TEANA, The Expedite Alliance of North America, makes final preparations for its annual meeting to be held July 19th -July 21st 2009. “Indianapolis, home to the famed motor speedway, is a great venue to host a TEANA event, says Mark McLochlin, TEANA President. It’s the perfect place for a fast-paced industry that leads in quality and service to meet!” At its annual meeting, key management from expedited carriers throughout the US meet to network and discuss ways to improve capacity utilization and insure best practices are being followed.

This year’s focus is on helping members maintain capacity and profitability during the economic slowdown. “The fact that TEANA members are able to sustain during these tough times is a testament to the TEANA model, explains Jennifer Mead, TEANA member. When expedited business is volatile and volumes change daily, cooperative competition helps our members to share capacity and customers, so fleets are maintained, volumes remain more consistent and customer needs are met.”

In addition to members participating in strategic discussions, the annual meeting is an opportunity to fortify the alliance. Through golf and other social events, TEANA members build the trust necessary to develop long-term partnerships with their competition. Each annual meeting builds and strengthens the foundation that already exists.

Founded in 2003, TEANA is the only organization representing providers of expedited trucking in the North American market. TEANA is the voice of expediters within government and regulatory organizations. Membership in TEANA also symbolizes a commitment to quality and to a code of ethics. TEANA members share resources and experiences to develop Best Service Practices, enhancing service performance and capacity to shippers and 3PLs. Customers who select a TEANA member as their expedited carrier can be certain they will receive a Best in Class provider.

For more information about TEANA, contact Kate Marlys, by phone 215-564-3484, 2208 or by email.