More than 2,000 children each day are reported missing in this country. More than one million children are reported missing in any one-year time period. Since its inception in 1984, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has handled more than 2.4 million service-related phone calls. The center receives an average of 262 calls per day. If you don’t think the issue of missing children affects you, you’re wrong. It affects all of us.

Authorities are left to scramble when reports of a missing child surfaces. The creation of the Amber Alert program certainly helps to quickly locate children. Since 1997, the Amber Alert program has been credited with the recovery of 495 children. There are now 120 Amber Alert programs across the country.

But, despite this, we can do more. And Pacific, WA-based Gordon Trucking is doing more.

In 2006, Gordon teamed up with the Washington State Patrol, Washington Trucking Association, Budget Auto Wrecking and IMAGIC to help locate missing children in its home state of Washington.

“The Washington State Patrol approached us in the spring of 2006 about posting photos of missing children on our trailers,” said Chief Operating Officer Steve Gordon. “As a locally owned and operated company, we were happy to help the state and the communities that Gordon Trucking serves.”

The program, dubbed Homeward Bound, stated with just four trailers, but now Gordon has about 70 trailers in its fleet of more than 1,400 vehicles that are adorned with pictures of missing children. Currently, there are 19 children in the program. A picture of the child, both at the time of disappearance and another that is age-progressed to show what the child may look like today, the name of the child and contact information for NCMEC are included.

In its first year, the Washington State Patrol reported a 37% increase in the number of tips called into its clearinghouse for missing children. One of the original four children featured was located six months after first appearing on a Gordon Trucking trailer and returned to her mother.

“The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports that 1 in 6 children are successfully recovered due to the public viewing a picture,” said Washington State Patrol Missing Persons Unit Manager Luci Stewart. “Because people spend so much of their lives in their vehicles, this was naturally a great way to reach them.”

Washington State has approximately 1,800 missing children cases at any given time.

“Since the program’s beginning, three children that the State Patrol featured on our trailers have been found alive,” said Gordon. “Although the State Patrol cannot directly attribute this success to the posters, Gordon Trucking’s involvement in the program has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my professional career.”

And whether it directly results in more children coming home or not, the program raises awareness of the problem.

“The Homeward Bound Program exemplifies a partnership between government and the private sector that can truly make a difference,” said American Trucking Association President and CEO Bill Graves. “I commend the efforts of Gordon Trucking and the Washington State Patrol, and pray all of these children are found.”

Gordon, which operates in 48 states, also sends Amber Alerts out to its drivers through its Qualcomm onboard satellite communications systems.

If you have any information in regards to the location missing children, please contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

Related links:

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: www.missingkids.com

Washington State Patrol’s web site: www.wsp.wa.gov

Gordon Trucking: www.gordontrucking.com

Amber Alert program: www.amberalert.gov

American Trucking Association: www.truckline.com

Washington Trucking Association: www.wtatrucking.com

Budget Auto Wrecking: www.budgetautowrecking.biz

Symbolic of the times, a young Joseph Cory stepped into his first truck and ventured out into the streets of Brooklyn, NY, determined to deliver that first stove. The first-generation Italian-American did what so many young boys did during the Great Depression; he left school after the eighth grade to join his brother in supporting the Cory family.

That family name lives on today in one of the most successful home delivery companies in the country. From Joseph Cory’s humble beginnings in 1934, to the 1,200 employee company now based in Secaucus, NJ, Cory Home Delivery has remained true to its roots.

”As my grandfather would often say, in our business there are only two things of importance,” says Patrick Cory, who along with Kevin Cory, both Joseph’s grandsons, leads the company today. “One is the customer, and the other is the furniture. If you take care of customers, they come back. If you take care of the furniture, it doesn’t. It’s just that simple — and just that difficult.”

The company recently held its 75th Anniversary party at the Meadowlands Plaza Hotel. Cory delivers furniture, appliances and electronics for some of the top retailers in the country. And with a fleet of 500 customized vehicles, Cory delivers more than $2.1 billion a year in consumer products to more than 1.6 million customers.

“As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, transitioning to third-generation family leadership and innovation are keys to continuing success in serving retailers nationwide,” says Joe Cory, Sr., son of Joseph Cory.

Through the years, Cory has remained diligent in keeping the company competitive. To make its fleet more versatile and speed delivery times, the company employs Demountable Concepts warehouse-on-wheels system and has invested heavily in information technology to improve efficiencies and customer service. State-of-the-art routing programs and smart phones on delivery vehicles to track orders and automatically update customers in real time are just a couple of the technological edges the company employs.

The company also instituted “The Cory Way” to measure delivery services daily and runs a Best of the Industry safety program led by former Virginia State Police Officer Scott Roberts. All while following the founding principles set forth by Joseph Cory some 75 years ago: “quality delivery and warehousing, respect for the men and women who provide these services, and always being there for customers.”

“We look forward to continuing to serve the retail industry and hopefully, being here for the next 75 years,” says Patrick Cory.

In 1934, Joseph Cory built a small, little delivey company with nothing but hard work and a dedication to the people he worked with and for. Today, 75 years later, that small company is now a powerhouse that still believes in its founding father’s ideals. So for 75 good years, and many more to come, here’s to Cory.

A lot of truck drivers would love to customize their vehicles. Many add their own personal touches. Few get the chance to go beyond that. But Wayne Mason, an owner-operator for Fikes Truck Line, did.

Mason was the grand prize winner in Fikes Truck Line Upgrade Recruiting Contest. His award: a $20,000 custom truck upgrade from Bryan Martin, the “Don” at Chrome Shop Mafia, the Joplin, MO-based custom truck experts. You can check out some of Chrome Shop Mafia’s other work here.

“My truck turned out even better than I expected,” Mason says. “It looks great and I’m really proud of it.”

Mason was given the chance to customize his truck by virtue of winning the contest, which ran from Feb. 1, 2009 through July 31, 2009. Owner-operators, who make up 100% of the drivers for Fikes, which specializes in open-deck freight, had the chance to refer a new contractor to the company. For each referral, one entry was entered in the referring driver’s name. Mason’s name was ultimately pulled, even if he didn’t believe it when Max Campbell, director of recruiting & contractor services, told him.

“I was sure Max was pulling my leg,” said Mason. “He had to get Gary Salisbury [executive president & COO] on the phone to tell me it was true before I could believe it.”

Among the upgrades Mason’s rig received: two-tone paint job on the cab, hood and sleeper; stainless ½ fenders; custom bumper; new dual 6 in. stacks; CSM mud flaps, weights and more; nut covers, hub covers and license bracket plate; two custom seats; full chrome package: in-dash toggles, knobs, switch trim and more; and a custom steering wheel installed by Martin.

With the coming of the New Year came the passing of the biodiesel tax credit. What’s the big deal, you say? Well, companies, not to mention farmers and biodiesel producers, are taking a bit hit right now with the expiration of the $1/gallon credit.

According to NAFA Fleet Management Association, the expiration of the credit has resulted in biodiesel costing more than petroleum-based diesel fuel. While that doesn’t sound like a big issue, it is if you’re fleet that runs on biodiesel. Your cost of fuel just rose 20% or more. That kind of price increase will only drive cost-conscious fleets away from the fuel.

“President Obama spoke of the need for America to be the leader in developing new energy sources and applications,” said NAFA’s executive director, Phil Russo, CAE. “This is a chance for Washington to act on the President’s directive and make biodiesel a realistic alternative that will not only help clean our air, but stimulate American businesses. NAFA members need to let their elected officials know we are holding them accountable for delivering on the President’s promise.”

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB), back in December, released a study that concluded that the loss of the credit could result in a “major job loss” and “decreased demand for soybean oil and lower soybean prices leading to a negative impact on farm income” and “lost tax revenue for states and local governments” as biodiesel plants are idled due to decreased demand.

“Since it was enacted in 2004, the biodiesel tax incentive has allowed the nation to reap the economic, energy security and environmental benefits associated with commercial scale production and use of biodiesel,” said Manning Feraci, vp of federal affairs for the NBB in the report. “Allowing the credit to lapse will compound the already daunting challenges facing the industry and will cost the nation another 23,000 jobs in addition to the 29,000 jobs that were shed in 2009.”

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation to extend the credit, but the Senate has yet to act. The House bill is H.R. 4213, the Tax Extenders Act of 2009.

We need the Senate to pass this important legislation lest we lose momentum on the progress we’ve made as a country, and industry, to be greener and less dependent on foreign oil interests.

With so many families in the U.S. affected by the deployment of military personnel around the globe, we sometimes forget the sacrifices these families, not just the members of our military, make on a daily basis to keep us safe and promote the ideals we hold so dear.

Spouses, in particular, are hard hit. They are left behind for months, or even years, as their significant other battle for this country. They may be raising children on their own. In some cases, the spouse may not have been working when their loved one was deployed. Finding a job in this economy is tough enough for someone with experience in a given field; try finding a job if you have no experience.

But a new program approved by the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MvCAA) program will offer up to $6,000 for spouses of active duty military and activated National Guard and Reserve members for training at the National Tractor Trailer School (NTTS) in Liverpool and Buffalo, NY.

“Six grand will cover a portion of [tuition], or all of it in some cases, but if the student is eligible for student aid” that can help as well, Harry Kowalchyk, president of the school, told me. Tuition ranges from $5,395 to $8,295, he said.

The school counts among its clients about 10-15% military or ex-military personnel utilizing educational opportunities afforded them through their service, Kowalchyk said.

“[The program’s] relatively new,” Kowalchyk said. “We do quite a bit of work with Fort Drum, which is located just north of us…We work with those that are transitioning out of the military so that they have a marketable skill when they leave the military and enter into the private sector.”

NTTS trains about 800 students a year and offers a series of courses. The courses are available both on a full-time or part-time basis and include classroom, CDL permit preparation, labs and behind-the-wheel training.

According to the school, “the period of eligibility for spouses of guard and reserve members is from the date of the alert or warning order for military recall or mobilization, through activation and deployment until 180 days following de-mobilization. Spouses of the severely injured, ill, wounded, killed in action (KIA), prisoners of war (POW) or missing in action (MIA) are also eligible.”

In addition to the $6,000, students are still eligible for any number of grant or loan programs as well. The school is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges.

For information courses, schedules and financial aid, contact Kimberly Sather at 315-451-2430 or visit www.ntts.edu.

Millions of Americans watch American Idol each week. I admit, I watch it when I can. Ironically, the train wrecks that are so often the auditions don’t interest me as much as when the show cuts down to the final 12 contestants. At least then, the singing is usually pretty good.

I did watch some of last night’s show and found someone that will likely go quite far and has an interesting story to tell to boot. And he’s tied to the trucking industry. You can watch his audition here.

During the show, which showcased auditions in Orlando, Matt Lawrence came out. As so often happens, the producers put together a brief bio of Lawrence. Turns out he’s a 25-year-old trucking company manager for his father’s business.

He also has spent time in jail. Lawrence, it appears, had one of those “youthful indiscretions.” He robbed a bank when he was 15 and then spent four years in jail for the crime. Americans love underdogs and comeback stories, and Lawrence may just have that quality to attract viewers as he appeared humble and contrite for his past. Those qualities are most important for contestants as they battle each week for Americans’ votes.

As for his audition, which featured Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble,” judge Randy Jackson summed it up best. “You’re so genuine and that’s what it’s all about, you you’ve got vocals,” Jackson said. Similarly, judge Kara Dioguardi loved him as well, telling him he had “such control of your voice” and that he’s “the real deal.”

But with any American Idol performer, America cares most about what controversial Simon Cowell has to say. Cowell called him “brilliant” and when sending him on to Hollywood, said it was “the easiest yes I’ve said today.”

Lawrence said he just wanted to make good with his life. Now he has that chance.

Journalists receive hundreds, if not thousands of press releases each year. Some are very well written; some not so much. Some are quite relevant to the markets we serve, in my case trucking; some not so much.

I have been following the whole Jay Leno-Conan O’Brien NBC debacle. I confess, I am a fan of Leno, although mostly his show becomes background noise as I toil around the house. So it was quite amusing to see a press release show up in my in-box yesterday with the following subject line: “Jay Leno demos his new MaxJax on jaylenosgarage.com.”

Initially, the words Jay Leno jumped out at me. Jay Leno has a product dedicated to the trucking market, I thought. Interesting. Then, the thought quickly went to, what is a MaxJax? So I opened the release to learn more, just what any good pr person would want.

Turns out the MaxJax is a vehicle lifting system from Dannmar and the company was promoting the fact that Leno, who owns hundreds of classic automobiles, uses the product in his own garage. He displayed that fact on his web site, www.jaylenosgarage.com, and even included a video, which you can watch here.

The MaxJax, it turns out, is a mid-rise two post portable and stowable vehicle lift with ceiling clearance of just eight feet. The release goes on to list other famous owners of the product: former NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace, NASCAR driver Austin Dillon, reality TV stars Ryan Friedlinghaus and Duane Mayer, as well as famed fabricator Eddie Paul.

With a lifting capacity of just 6,000 lbs., trucking is not the right fit for the MaxJax. But Jay Leno is. And after all, isn’t one of the functions of a good pr representative’s job to get their product mentioned by the press? Consider it done.

With all the focus lately on distracted driving and the ways the dangers can be mitigated, someone forgot to tell Google and Intel.

Lawmakers are feverishly working to craft legislation to ban cell phone usage in vehicles unless it is hands-free. Many states have banned texting while driving. Now, debate is growing over what the real distraction is: the use of the phone, or the outside distraction of a conversation in general.

Everyone seems to be in agreement over texting, though. But as more and more levels of distraction enter vehicles, be they phones, computers, GPS, etc., it’s obvious something needs to change. Now, here come firms like Google and Intel that hope to take distraction to new levels.

Not on purpose, of course, but rather as a new form of revenue for their enormous financial coffers.

According to an article in the New York Times last week, the two companies are leading the way in creating the Internet dashboard. The article says the dashboards would be interactive, showing everything from 3D maps to web pages and even videos.

Peter Rodger, chief examiner at the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), is quick to point out the dangers of this new technology. “If drivers were tempted to use the internet or watch videos on the move, the results could be deadly,” he says. “If it’s not acceptable to read a novel while driving, how can it be acceptable to read a multimedia display? Just how much information can a car driver absorb and still drive responsibly? There is a fine line between providing useful extra information and causing a dangerous distraction. This system appears to cross that line.”

I couldn’t agree more. According to the Times article, Audi is planning on unveiling a similar system this fall. It includes the following message: “Please only use the online services when traffic conditions allow you to do so safely.”

The point is, it’s probably not safe to cruise the Internet while cruising the highway. The reality is, of course, that most Americans never follow directions. You see people all the time talking on their cell phones while driving, even when it is against the law. Why would this one little sentence produce a different result?

To make this really work, the systems should be equipped to only work when the vehicle’s engine is either idling or off completely. The technology is there to do this. Whether Google or Intel want to take the chance that people will still want to purchase their product if it can only be used when the vehicle is stopped is another thing. Afterall, we already have that technology, it’s called a laptop.

Somewhat lost in this holiday season, buried under the avalanche that has become the Arrow Trucking disaster, is another story with far-reaching consequences that is putting the livelihoods of 30,000-plus people at stake.

YRC Worldwide (YRCW), for the better part of the past year, has been struggling under the weight of enormous debt and low freight. According to numerous reports, the company is in danger of not making a $19 million interest and fees payment due Dec. 31, the consequence of which could be bankruptcy proceedings.

To keep itself viable, YCRW has struck numerous agreements to revise credit accounts, conducted layoffs, received nearly $2 billion in concessions from its union workers, and sold off divisions of the company. Now, it is trying to execute a debt-for-equity swap which would allow it to postpone that payment and also gain access to more than $100 million in a revolving credit account to help keep it liquid.

Terms of the swap, according to Dow Jones Newswires, state that bondholders would gain a 95% stake in YRC in exchange for forgoing debt. There would also be a change in the Board of Directors. But, as of this morning, several holdouts still remain and YRC has extended the deadline for the swap several times already, the latest being midnight tonigh.

Now, to put pressure on the holdouts, the Teamsters plan a protest for this afternoon outside the Manhattan offices of Brigade Capital Management, one of the hedge funds the Union believes is delaying the process.

“All bondholders need to recognize that the livelihoods of 30,000 Teamster members depend on their willingness to take part in the exchange,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. “The workers, the pension funds, the secured lenders, a majority of bondholders and other stakeholders have made sacrifices and contributed to the restructuring. Now it is time for the remaining bondholders to recognize what is at stake and do their part. The company’s customers need to know there is a light at the end of this tunnel.”

The Teamsters identified Brigade Capital Management and JMB Capital Partners, and banks UBS, Barclays and TD Bank as holdouts.

“It is unconscionable that these bondholders are playing chicken with tens of thousands of lives for minimal financial reward, either hoping for a better deal or they have derivative coverage,” said Teamsters Freight Division Director Tyson Johnson. “They need to recognize the sacrifices already made by these workers and the devastating affect a bankruptcy would have on their lives.”

According to Dow Jones, as of Tuesday night, nearly 59% of 2010 notes had been converted and 94% of two other series notes. To meet the terms of the swap, YRC needs 70% of the 2010 notes converted and 85% of the other notes.

It’s not an ideal situation, of course. Banks don’t want to run businesses, especially trucking companies, but let’s hope for once that the bondholders recognize what is the lesser of two evils and secure the tens of thousands of jobs at stake this holiday season.

Update: As of mid-afternoon, the Teamsters had called off their protest of Brigade Capital Management after the hedge fund, along with fellow fund JMB Capital Partners, said they’d tendered all their bonds, according to FIN Alternatives, which covers hedge funds and private equity news.

When Tulsa, OK-based Arrow Trucking suddenly shut down last week, hundreds of truck drivers were left to wonder whether they would see their families at Christmas. Probably, that was the least of their worries as fears about where paychecks would come from, how many bills would pile up and whether the mortgage would get paid quickly crept in.

Now is not the time to be unemployed. Especially if you are a trucker. But that’s what happened. And now others are left to pick up the pieces.

Daimler Truck Financial spokesman James Ryan told me that the company has not received any more requests for help from drivers, ultimately a good sign. That means everyone is likely home and with family. Daimler provided the financing for Arrow’s equipment. The company paid for about 100 Greyhound bus tickets for drivers to get home in time for Christmas. Ryan also said the company is trying to help customers that may have cargo that has been stranded somewhere throughout the U.S. Daimler was not ultimately responsible to do anything for the drivers or customers, yet it did it anyway. Ryan said it was just the right thing to do.

It’s one thing for a deep-pocketed company to offer help, it’s another when total strangers pitch in. That’s what happened on a Facebook group that formed. With nearly 6,000 fans of the page, other drivers posted their routes, offering to pick up stranded Arrow drivers along the way. In some cases, “chains” were created where some drivers provided rides part of the way before another driver took the Arrow employee home.

The page has also served as an unofficial jobs board with companies posting openings they have. Maybe some of the affected drivers will be able to quickly find work. I sure hope so. I encourage everyone to visit the Facebook page, located here, and offer help if you can.

Another angle that is being pursued is a lawsuit by Attorney Charles Ercole of the Philadelphia-based firm Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP. His contention is Arrow violated the Federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The act stipulates that a company with a certain number of employees (I’m not sure off-hand of the actual number, but based on my knowledge, Arrow would certainly qualify) must by law notify employees of any potential shutdown at least 60 days in advance.

Based on all the stories we’ve heard of drivers learning of the company’s fate when they tried to fuel their rigs, that certainly didn’t happen in this case. In fact, Ercole told me “we have information from employees that their last couple of paychecks bounced.” Arrow employed about 1,400.

Ultimately, it will be up to a court to decide whether the law was violated and what punishment, if any, there should be. What was missed, though, was an opportunity to save the jobs of these employees, if in fact Arrow was aware of the coming predicament.

I learned about the WARN act when a national newspaper chain in my state of Connecticut announced it was shutting down two daily newspapers in the state. Despite the angst the employees felt with the announcement, it turned out to be a blessing. An investor stepped forward and struck a deal to save the papers and the jobs. If the company had just shut down those papers without following the law, a hundred people would have been out of work.

Could this have happened for Arrow? Sure. Perhaps someone would have stepped forward, seen the potential for Arrow Trucking, and struck a deal. Given the economy, it’s equally likely that would not have happened. But those employees never had a chance.

Who’s to blame in this whole mess? I have no real idea. But that’s not really important right now, and eventually will be sorted out in a courtroom. What is important is that these 1,400 people don’t have their lives turned upside down anymore.