���ϳԹ���

December 29, 1999 9:55 AM, EST

The chairman of Gainey Transportation Services said it is time for truckload carriers to “stop talking cents, and start talking percent.”

Following his own advice, Harvey N. Gainey has notified customers that the carrier will implement a 5% across-the-board rate increase effective Feb. 1. He said the higher rates will apply to all shippers, regardless of when their contracts expire.

Gainey’s actions are part of a broad-based effort by truckload carriers to recover higher costs from business expenses, such as truck equipment, driver wages, fuel, insurance premiums and licensing fees (12-20, p. 1).

“In just three categories — truck equipment, driver wages and insurance — our costs have increased 16.1% since 1994, but rates are about the same as they were five years ago,” said Gainey, whose company is based in Grand Rapids, Mich.

For the full story, see the Dec. 27 print edition of Transport Topics. .