I-75 South in Pasco closed after trucks crash

Update: Due to the damage to the road, the southbound lanes are expected to remain closed until at least 6 p.m., troopers said. Asphalt must be replaced.

Southbound traffic on Interstate 75 in Pasco County is shut down this morning after a fiery crash involving a semitrailer and dump truck near State Road 56.

Neither driver was injured, troopers said.

Southbound lanes are expected to remain closed until noon, troopers said.

Motorists will be diverted onto State Road 54 (exit 279). Traffic south of that exit and north of the crash will be diverted back to State Road 54 or southbound on the shoulder to State 56 to exit.

Other motorists should avoid roads in the area.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash occurred about 6:30 a.m.

According to investigators, the tractor-trailer was traveling south in the outside lane of I-75 in a construction zone, where it collided with a crash attenuator, troopers said.

The collision caused the truck to partially jackknife and collide with the center median guardrail, troopers said.

The dump truck, traveling behind the tractor-trailer, was unable to stop or avoid a collision, striking the rear of the tractor-trailer, troopers said.

Both drivers were able to exit their vehicles before a fire erupted on the tractor-trailer.

The tractor-trailer, operated by Pat Salmon & Sons of Jacksonville, was transporting mail, troopers said.
 

Reed Leads - Business world Magazine

Reed Transport was recently featured in an article my Business world Magazine. Check out some of the highlights here.

First priority
At Reed Transport Services Inc., their vision is to develop and grow by creating opportunities for employees – who, in turn, drive value to customers and partners. To execute on that mission, the company has made their employees their “first and foremost priority,” says Mike Ryan, COO of ReedTMS. “Our culture here is to take really good care of our employees, and they take care of our customers and our carriers, which helps drive the business.”

Employees are taken care of in many ways, Ryan says. They are provided with compensation at or above market value, benefits, events, atmosphere, and more. The idea is that a happy employee is a productive employee, which in turn creates a happy client.  “We hire a lot of life people. We feel like you spend more time at work than you do with your own family, so you want the employees to enjoy working with one another,” Ryan says. “We hire like-minded individuals.”

Leading technology
To help drive efficiency, Reed Transport Services, Inc. uses two of the industry’s leading technology platforms, as well as their own internally-developed proprietary software. “Between three systems, we’re doing pretty well,” Reed says.  Their systems help the company to push forward their pricing and lane analytics in order to acquire additional strategic lanes and opportunities. “We’ve got all kinds of analytics that we look at through our reporting mechanisms.”

Drivers needed
One of the main challenges for Reed Transport Services, Inc. has been the difficulty they have had in acquiring drivers in certain markets. “It’s very challenging to recruit drivers in the northeastern Wisconsin region, which is where our main terminal is,” says Reed.  Responding to that challenge, the company has begun offering various incentives upon recruiting, including signing bonuses.

Operational expansion
Looking ahead at the longer term, Reed Transport Services, Inc. will expand their operations in and outside of Florida, for example, where they’ve utilized the significantly-sized ports state-wide and along the Gulf Coast. “The East Coast is starting to get some of the bigger container ships coming from overseas. The widening of the Panama Canal will have a positive effect on our domestic truckload opportunities,” Reed says. “Getting into some port services is a possibility with maybe some warehousing and cross-docking. It certainly is a viable option.”

Read the full story here.

Florida drivers can help pick new license plate design

The state of Florida wants to know what you think of the new proposals for a license plate.

Drivers can vote until Dec. 14, and their decision might decide the final design from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Anyone can vote on the state website. 

A 20-member committee of agency personnel, law enforcement, tax collectors and representatives from associations worked on the final license plate designs. The agency's graphics artist created the proposed designs.
The state is looking to change the current plate, which was first made in 2003 that has the orange in the center, MyFlorida.com above and "Sunshine State" motto below. The new versions shrink the orange and move it to the top of the plate while keeping the Sunshine State motto. The 2014 proposals also increase the number of available characters to seven from six.

In 1905, the state began to require that vehicle owners register and display their own tag, which were usually made of wood, leather or metal, according to the Pinellas County Tax Collector.

The state still offers more than 100 specialty license plates. In 2011, the most popular ones were the University of Florida, Florida State University and Helping Sea Turtles Survive.

Story from TBO.com

This story is just nuts!

$300,000 truckload of walnuts stolen between California, Florida

LOS MOLINOS, Calif. — Authorities are investigating the theft of more than 80,000 pounds of walnuts from Northern California valued at about $300,000. The Tehama County Sheriff's Office received a call from a freight brokerage firm on Friday reporting that a truckload of walnuts never arrived in Miami as they were supposed to.

Authorities believe the culprit is the same person who also picked up another load of walnuts days earlier from Los Molinos. Those walnuts were intended for Texas, but also disappeared.

Deputies tell the Record Searchlight of Redding (http://bit.ly/S8mOY9) the man who picked those walnuts up was not the person hired for the job. They have not identified the suspect although they do have a suspect description.

ReedTMS hiring in accounting!

Reed Transport, a division of ReedTMS, is hiring to fill immediate openings in the accounting department. Individual will share responsibility for Payables and Receivables including General Ledger Coding, Inputting invoices to payable system, writing checks and posting to customer accounts. Specific duties include:

• Apply checks to customer accounts
• Process refunds, returned checks and bad debts.
• Must be proficient in processing invoices (incoming & verifying PO's or receiving tickets), posting to vendor accounts and processing cleared checks.
• Perform Journal entries and month-end for AP and AR areas

Check out the listing on their website for more information here.

 

Tropical Storm Debby

After hitting the Tampa Bay area with high winds and rain, Tropical Storm Debby promised to bring more of the same in the coming days as it continued to hover in the Gulf of Mexico early today, in no apparent hurry to make landfall.

A tropical storm warning remained in effect Tuesday morning for about 450 miles of coastline, from Mexico Beach in the Panhandle to Englewood, south of Sarasota. The warning includes the Tampa Bay area.

Many areas across the Bay area are completely flooded and water levels continue to rise. Travelers need to be aware of road closures to reach your destination with ease and without frustration. 

Currently the Sunshine Skyway is still closed due to high winds, Bayshore Blvd in downtown Tampa remains closed due to flooding, the Suncoast Parkway at State Road 50 is closed due to flooding and state Road 54 is blocked at Little Road due to flooding.

Let’s all continue to drive with caution and try to stay dry out there!

Semi driver kidnapped, truck stolen

Police are investigating after a trucker was kidnapped on Highway 301 and driven blindfolded to a location in Baker County. Tuesday around 3:30 a.m. deputies with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office were called to the Baker County Sheriff's Office. When officers arrived they learned the victim, a semi driver, had been at the Pilot truck stop on Highway 301 to get fuel for his semi-truck and snacks from the nearby Chevron station. The victim was scheduled to drop off a load of deli foods to the Publix Supermarket Company.

A gunman pulled the victim by his shirt to over to the semi-truck.  The victim repeatedly asked the men to take his money and leave his truck.  They demanded the keys to his truck and his money.  The suspects then tied the victim's hands and feet and picked him up, placing him in the sleeper cab area of the truck. The men then drove the victim away from the gas station at gunpoint with the Ford Mustang following behind.

Eventually the truck stopped and the men took the victim out of the truck's cab, placing him on the floor of an empty storage building. Once he heard the truck leave, the victim was able to break the ropes tying his feet and rubbed his head on the storage building's floor to remove the shirt still covering his face.

Police are still looking for the three men and the stolen tractor-trailer.  The semi-truck is a black 2000 Freightliner, described as having grey fenders and a sleeper cab.

The woman the victim encountered in the parking lot prior to being kidnapped is described as being a white woman, 19-22 years of age, 100-120 pounds, approximately 5 feet two inches tall, with blonde hair.  She was wearing blue jeans and a white tank top at the time.

The black man who was walking with the female is described as being between the age of 20 and 25, 6' tall, weighed about 160 pounds and was wearing brown pants and a white shirt.

The other two suspects were described as being black males, between the ages of 30 and 35.  One was said to be wearing a grey tank top, was bald or balding and weighed between 140 and 150 pounds.  The other was said to be between 200 and 220 pounds, was approximately 5'10" tall, had short, low hair and was wearing blue jeans, a blue shirt and black Reebok tennis shoes.

If you know anything that may help lead police to the location of the tractor-trailer of the suspects you are asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500.

To remain anonymous you may call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.  You could be eligible to receive a cash reward.

Read more here 

Overturned truck-trailer causes backups on Howard Frankland

Traffic heading into Pinellas County on the Howard Frankland Bridge is backed up due to an overturned truck-trailer partially hanging over the railing.

The westbound right lane (Interstate 275 South) is blocked nearly halfway across the bridge, causing significant backups into Tampa, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eastbound traffic toward Tampa (I-275 North) is also slow. The incident occurred shortly before 8 a.m.

Stay with TBO.com for updates.

ReedTMS is hiring Carrier Sales Assciates!

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Reed Transport is currently seeking self-motivated, dedicated personnel with interest in the transportation industry!

About the position: Purpose is to strengthen operational coverage and to provide an account management training ground for future Senior Logistics Coordinator staff. Essential duties & responsibilities include: negotiating with carrier partners, daily load volume coverage targets, creating regular carrier partners, periodic dispatching, check calls & order entry.

Will have flexible work hours – Afterhours assignment will periodically occur based on opportunity and coverage need. Should have attention to detail with accuracy, a team-oriented attitude, strong problem solving and analytical skills. Candidate must be goal oriented, self-motivated and possess strong negotiation skills. Outgoing personality and competitive attitude is a must. Familiarity with Microsoft and related software is a plus. Bachelor’s degree required.

Visit the website at http://www.reedtms.com/ for more information!

Submit your resume to kpein@reedtransport.net and start your new career today!

Fuel Prices Keep Falling, Greek Economy Affects Oil Prices

Diesel and gasoline prices dropped for the fifth straight week, but oil prices continue to fall due to concerns over Europe, particularly Greece's economy.

Diesel fuel prices dropped by an average of 5.3 cents to $4.004 a gallon, according the the Energy Information Administration's weekly fuel upstate. This is the lowest the average price of diesel has been since late February. Prices are down by an average of 5.7 cents from a year ago.

Gasoline prices dropped by 3.6 cents this week to $3.754 a gallon. That's more than 20 cents lower than gasoline prices a year ago. Prices in the West Coast, the only region to see an increase, went up 12 cents.

Light, sweet crude oil for June delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange settled $1.35 lower, at $94.78 a barrel, a new low for 2012. The decrease is due to mounting concerns about Greece's economy and rising global oil supplies.

Traders said oil prices are heading for a critical juncture around $92.50 a barrel. This could clear the way for prices as low as $85 a barrel, a level not touched since last October.

Story from truckinginfo.com. To see the EIA's complete weekly fuel update, click here.

Georgia vegetable crops could begin early

Georgia grower-shippers plan to begin harvesting traditional Southern vegetables such as bell peppers, cucumbers and squash earlier than normal for the spring season. Shippers say they hope prices strengthen as the deals transition from Florida to south Georgia. Grower-shippers are looking to a stronger-than-normal bell pepper market leading into Georgia. Raleigh, N.C.-based L&M Cos. Inc. plans to begin harvesting in late May, as normal.

“Pepper is short now and the market is strong out of Florida,” Adam Lytch, operations manager, said in mid-April.

“Demand exceeds supply. There’s not enough pepper coming out of Florida anytime soon to hurt the deal before it gets to Georgia.”

Lytch said L&M, which grows and ships from south Florida, plans to begin its north Florida pepper harvest in early May. He said central Florida likely won’t have enough supply to affect prices. In late April, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported 1 1/9-bushel cartons of green jumbo and extra large bell peppers from Florida selling for $20-20.85 and large for $18-18.85, with medium at $16.35-18.35.

That’s higher than last season in late April when the USDA reported $12.85 for jumbos and extra-large and $10.85-$12.85 for large from Florida districts.

South Georgia Produce Inc., Lake Park, Ga., expects to begin its bell pepper harvest mid- to late May toward the first of June, said Shannon Vickers, salesman and quality control manager for Manwell Produce Inc., Valdosta, Ga., which markets for South Georgia Produce. Vickers said early spring prices from south Florida are low.

Read the full story here at thepacker.com

Driver being sought in a hit-and-run in Plant City, Florida

Car accidents are always a tragedy. No matter the circumstance or the people involved, they are always a tragedy. This past Wednesday, May 2^nd a married couple driving on Interstate 4 near Plant City was cut-off by an aggressive driver. I have previously shared my feelings about road rage and this is the main reason I feel so strongly about it. What was so important to the driver of this unidentified car that they needed to cut-off a SUV while driving on the interstate? The answer is nothing. NOTHING is so important that you need to drive aggressively.

The couple swerved into the emergency lane trying to avoid a collision with the car that cut them off, then overcorrected and collided with a semitrailer. Neither of them were wearing their seat belts and they were both ejected from the vehicle and died later at the hospital. The driver of the semitrailer was not injured.

And what did the person do that caused this ghastly crash? Kept right on driving. They had to be aware of the accident they just caused and they didn’t even have the decency to stop. Two people are now dead and this aggressive driver is the cause. My heart goes out to their loved ones and I am sending this out as a friendly reminder that being on the roads can be a dangerous place and running a few minutes late is not the end of the world. If you’re late, then you’re late. Drive carefully and think about the other drivers on the road as well as yourself.

Authorities in Tampa are searching for a dark colored compact car in connection with the crash. Witnesses should call troopers at 813-631-4020.

Read the full story here.

Several crashes in Tampa on Interstate 275

Interstate 275 in Tampa was closed for hours today when several vehicles were involved in two crashes.

At 12:18 p.m., four vehicles crashed on I-275 southbound mile marker 46, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Three of the vehicles were Hyundai Sonatas and the other was a Nissan Maxima.

The drivers were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa with minor injuries and the at-fault driver was cited for careless driving, according to the FHP.

The roadway was re-opened at 2:04 p.m.

Then, at 12:53 p.m., three vehicles crashed also on I-275 southbound near Fowler Avenue.  This crash involved a Nissan, Honda and Toyota. There were no injuries. One driver was cited for careless driving.

The highway reopened at 1:36 p.m.

Story from TBO.com