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17
Jun
Truck drivers are heroes; we need more of them
by Katie George Hooser
Published: The Daily Memphian, June 17, 2020
COVID-19 illuminated what some already knew to be true: Truck drivers are critical to keep America moving
Regardless of the situations they encounter daily, truck drivers continue to get goods from ports to suppliers so that Americans can have the essentials that keep them going in good times, in natural disasters and even in pandemics. If you’ve been around the trucking industry, you may have heard the phrase, “When trucks stop, America stops.” It’s true.
According to the American Trucking Association in just one day without truck drivers, hospitals would begin running out of basic supplies such as syringes and catheters; service stations would begin to run out of fuel; food shortages would develop; and just-in-time assembly lines would cease.
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15
Jun
Shipping Logistics Leader IMC Deploys Check Point SandBlast Agent to Safeguard Supply Chain Data
Securing Critical Data Across the Supply Chain IMC Companies’ expansive network of trucking transport and support centers gives its customers the advantage of local market knowledge combined with coast-to-coast coverage. Its modern truck fleet, secure container terminals, and proprietary real-time […]
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11
Jun
What the New Normal for Trucking Will Be Remains a Question
Trucking companies continue to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, but what the new normal will remain a mystery. Gulf Intermodal Services saw a decline in sales at the beginning of the pandemic, but that stabilized in May. Though the company is […]
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01
Jun
IMC Companies Offers Innovative Storage Solutions to help Customers During COVID-19 Pandemic
Between the Chinese New Year 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the real-life effects of the supply and demand paradox as scores of containers move across the globe. The timing of the events is causing havoc within the […]
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11
May
Campaign to tame coronavirus in Memphis idles 80,000. When will all the jobs return? No one’s sure.
Refreshed after a cruise to Puerto Rico and Saint Lucia, Darin McDonald stepped off the passenger liner Norwegian Jewel fully expecting his family’s business in Memphis would perform in the spring as it had in the winter — near record sales.
Within two weeks of the February cruise, orders for sports banners, restaurant signs and highway billboards sagged for McDonald Outdoor Advertising and have never recovered, said McDonald, vice president of the firm, which manages about 70 Tunica casino district billboards. Nearly two-thirds of the dozen employees were idled, and the firm cast for new sales making acrylic sneeze guards.
“I’m not against buying a lawn mower if I have to find something else to do with my life,” McDonald laughed. “I just don’t know how long it’s going to take to come out of this.”
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05
May
IMC Companies provides flexibility for a community hero
“I wanted to be someone. I wanted to go somewhere. I wanted to break the curse.” – Jerimiah Washington, OIS Owner Operator During the COVID-19 pandemic, truck drivers are more than an essential worker. They are our nation’s heroes – […]
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30
Apr
Maines Paper idles 129 as coronavirus lockdown takes toll, pushing Memphis jobless rate over 11%
Greater Memphis’ jobs engine could pick up speed in the next few months, but for now, the coronavirus lockdown continues to batter the economy and push the region’s unemployment rate up to recession levels. Layoffs have now idled at least […]
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07
Apr
Supporting drivers on the front line
“Our goal is to encourage drivers. In a global pandemic, they are our nation’s heroes.” – Mark H. George, Chairman IMC Companies.
Drivers are keeping America running during the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand you are working on the front lines. We have your back.
At a time when many restaurants and fuel stations are closed to drivers, IMC Companies Chairman Mark H. George and his wife Melinda are working to ensure drivers in Memphis have access to meals. During the past several weeks, they, and IMCG President Joel Henry, personally passed out 150 boxed lunches every Tuesday and Thursday to all drivers entering the Memphis terminal’s interchange lanes in an IMCC initiative called “Sandwiches for Semis”. (more…)
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27
Mar
No shortage of food, but grocers limited by rationing of paper products, bread
Just when Memphis-area grocers thought they’d hit a lull, a buying frenzy exploded again Monday afternoon after shelter-in-place orders from local governments.
“Once the announcement was made, we got crushed,” Richard James, owner of three Memphis-area Cash Saver stores, said on Wednesday, March 25.
Early Monday, “we even had a conversation among store managers and myself, ‘Well, it looks like things are going to calm down a little bit,’ ” said James.
Then, “In a condensed period of time it was probably the busiest day of the last 14 days. We took a deep breath and went, ‘That didn’t last long,’ ” James said.
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25
Mar
Local truckload carrier preps for import surge from China
A locally based truckload carrier is trying to surge ahead in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
Donna Lemm, EVP of national sales for IMC Cos., said all U.S. ports and inland rails remain open, which means the company’s drivers continue to deliver freight.
Lemm acknowledged that before the coronavirus, the industry looked promising and intermodal volumes were strong. The Chinese New Year brought a typical seasonal lull for the transportation industry. But, Lemm said things changed when the virus hit Wuhan, China and import volumes from Chinese manufacturers dropped. Ocean carriers were also forced to cancel sailings out of China.
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