This holiday season, Medallion Transport Holdings and companies will be contributing to the Ronald McDonald House Charity near the Kokomo, IN office to help the families of children receiving treatment in central Indiana area medical facilities.

All of Medallion Transport Holdings companies will collect donations for distribution to the Ronald McDonald House through the company’s heavy haul division, NHH Services’ corporate office in Kokomo Indiana.  Medallion Transport Holdings is also the parent company to Medallion Transport & Logistics, Medallion Hospitality and ACE Heavy Haul.

Each location will be be collecting items in the following categories: food and pantry needs, cleaning items, family and house items and special items which fall under  “Christmas Wish List,” and includes board games, puzzles and Legos.

Items collected from all offices will be shipped to the NHH Services’ office by the second week of December. At that time company officials will deliver the goods to the Ronald McDonald House. The company is also allowing a monetary deduction in lieu of donations. The amount raised will also be matched up to $500 by the company, and will be used to purchased supplies and items needed.

Medallion Transport Holdings has been known for giving back to the local communities surrounding its corporate offices.

This month, with the efforts of the company’s COO, Director of Agent Development and staff at the Kokomo, IN office, the company donated boxes of canned and packaged goods to the Kokomo Rescue Mission. The donations will help feed over 900 families this Thanksgiving.

For the past two years, the company has partnered with the Ronald McDonald House during the holidays, including the location in Charlotte, NC.

This year’s involvement with the Ronald McDonald House will mean helping families who have to travel far and for long periods of time while a young family member receives treatment. The expenses families incur to sleep, eat and live day-to-day lives are all out of pocket. With Medallion’s partnership with the Ronald McDonald House, some of the families may have a better holiday season.

More About the Ronald McDonald House

The Ronald McDonald House provides a safe, affordable and caring “home-away-from-home” for as many as 5,000 families of children receiving treatment in medical facilities each year. Families are stronger when they are together, and this is never more important than when a child is sick or injured. By offering families a haven less than one mile from our partner hospitals, we increase their ability to spend more time with their child, interact with their clinical care team and participate in critical medical decisions.

Medallion Transport Holdings is pleased to announce our new fleet partnership with ARI. Starting on November 1st, 2020. ARI will provide fleet management services for our fleet. Through this new partnership, we aim to provide you with seamless services for your vehicles and enhance your company vehicle experience. 

All Medallion Transport & Logistics and NHH Services’ drivers have access to ARI’s Driver Insights mobile app (also available in a desktop version) available for download on Apple and Android devices by searching keywords “ari driver” to find the free app to download.   

Features include vendor locate functionality for maintenance vendors, personal use mileage reporting, new vehicle order status, live chat and much more. 

ARI strives to provide 100% customer satisfaction in accordance with the company’s needs and goals. ARI will provide the following services:

Maintenance & Roadside Assistance

ARI will leverage existing relationships with our preferred vendors and suppliers. Through this partnership, however, we will also have access to more than 90,000 national account and independent repair and maintenance vendors nationwide. ARI – Fleet Maintenance/Service is available 24/7/365.

ARI offers the ability to find out National account pricing on tires 24/7. Just call in and give the technician the product code or article number and they can provide pricing.

When contacting ARI 1-800-CAR-CARE (227-2273) please make sure to have your client code, ARI vehicle number and current odometer reading handy. Any questions can be directed to Medallion.

For Non-Routine Maintenance Repair: 

• Driver should contact 1-800-CAR-CARE (227-2273)
• If vehicle is not already at a vendor, ARI will direct driver to nearest dealer (warranty) or service vendor (non-warranty)
• ARI’s ASE certified technicians will diagnose problem with vendor
•  No payment is due at time of service

For Roadside Assistance: 

• Technicians are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
• ARI will ensure driver safety and arrange a tow for the disabled vehicle to preferred or local vendor
• For replacement transportation, please refer to you fleet manager

If You Have Any Questions

If you have any questions, please contact Medallion Transport & Logistics at 765.650.4164.

Medallion Transport Holdings has appointed Jesse Merrell to Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Merrell has been the company’s Vice President of Heavy Haul for the past five years and will now play a critical role in overseeing operations for all of Medallion’s entities; Medallion Transport & Logistics, NHH Services, ACE Heavy Haul, Medallion International and Medallion Hospitality. He is a diverse company leader with roots in the trucking and logistics industry as an agency owner.

With Merrell at the helm as of October 1, the company’s safety department, business development, marketing & communications, dispatch, agent development and retention, and owner-operator recruitment, will all be managed by his leadership.

“He’s a leader, he’s a great ambassador for the company. He brings the ability to merge what’s made us great and we need to do to be great going forward,” said Medallion Transport Holdings CEO & President Gary Weilheimer.  “He provides great leadership to continue to keep the staff moving.”

Merrell will oversee a national agent network and a fleet of over 400 power units from the company’s newest corporate office located in Kokomo, Indiana. He has hired and brought over team members in various departments, including qualifications, company communications, trailer rentals and fleet maintenance so he can continue to drive growth while improving internal processes and communication.

“With Jesse as our COO and as a leader in our organization, we are positioned to meet the demands of the future of transportation and logistics in all different dynamics that we service. Jesse’s the complete package with knowledge, background and diversity, and brings us the experience and the new way of doing business,” said Weilheimer.   

Merrell has an impressive track record with the company. As the VP of Heavy Haul, he built a successful marketing program which included involvement at major truck shows nationwide. He also built a team of business developers and capacity recruiters, adding over 75 trucks to the company’s capacity in the last year, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Merrell attributed this to the hard work of agents, employees and company capacity.

“The focus of our agents and our internal operations teams was all about being available for everyone, scrapping for freight and working long hours,” said Merrell about his team’s efforts during the pandemic. “Even though it was a hard situation, everyone felt they had a partner that was in it with them and I think that’s a big part of why guys came to us during COVID. Beyond that, it’s due to the big effort of our recruitment team.”

Medallion also opened its first truck yard and driver’s lounge just outside of Houston, TX under Merrell’s direction, and there’s plans to open more yards and lounges, while continuing to develop more initiatives to support company owner-ops.

He has expanded the company’s use of technology, coupling his hands-on, face-to-face approach with advanced software and applications to keep the company thriving.

“It’s about finding ways to better utilize technology to make us more efficient, but without losing our focus on human interaction,” said Merrell.

Refining the Owner-Operator onboarding program is a main factor that put Merrell on the path to becoming COO. Merrell added additional touch points and communication beyond the recruiter and/or agent, giving every owner-op the ability to ask questions to learn more and take advantage of program perks. Since Jesse started with Medallion, NHH went from a single agency to 35, with over 100 trucks.

As much as Merrell and the current management team have big plans to maintain an edge through technology and new programs, Merrell’s main focus is to create a better life for everyone affiliated with the company.

“My goal is to create a company that actually cares, where you’re more than a number,” he said. “We want everyone to have a better life because of how much we care,” he said.

Experience & Values

Merrell began his 20-year career in the trucking and logistics industry during college. At 18 years old, he earned a CDL and drove a truck delivering building materials to pay for tuition and books. In the early 2000’s, just after earning an Agriculture degree from Purdue, he took a position selling semi-trucks throughout the Midwest.

After much success as a salesperson, he was hired as an operations and sales manager for a transportation company in 2003. Shortly after, in 2007, he opened his own agency along with his dad. The pair grew the agency, National Heavy Haul, significantly and became the largest exporter of construction equipment overseas, shipping over 5,000 tractors per year at the time.

After almost eight years of managing trucks and his own agency, he made the decision to join Medallion in 2015.

Weilheimer believes Merrell’s experience makes him the important ambassador he is to Medallion.

“For us, the industry and business are changing. We started 10 years ago, and we are ready to enter the next decade, plus. His knowledge base exceeds your typical executive because he has the experience as an owner of trucks and past agency owner, as well as business development, sales & marketing and an understanding of social media and technology,” said Weilheimer. “His diversity will help make us unique, and he holds true to and executes our core values. The perpetuity of our business is always important, but this move gives us the perpetuity as we continue to build, and his vision is spot on for continuing to evolve.”

Growing Up in the Industry

When Merrell was only 9 years old, he was already helping both his dad and grandfather, both truckers. Merrell’s dad is now an owner-operator for NHH Services, pulling a refeer and previously pulling multi-axle trailers under the NHH Services’ brand.

While other grandparents and dads played with cars or read books to their grandkids and children, Merrell’s mentors were teaching him the values of hard work. Merrell remembers helping his grandpa re-tread truck tires.

His unique upbringing as a truck driver’s kid is what he believes lead him in the right direction.

“Trucking is not a job, it’s a lifestyle,” said Merrell.

Danielle Szerlik has been promoted to General Manager of Operations for Medallion Transport Holdings.

Szerlik joined Medallion in November of 2017 to assist with business development and worked her way up to Director of Agent Development, refining and improving agent communication and onboarding.

In her new role, Szerlik will relocate to the Kokomo, Indiana corporate office and be directly responsible for Marketing & Communications, Truck Recruitment, Freight Agent Onboarding, Qualifications, Truck Dispatch, Trailers & Maintenance and more.

Since 2019, Medallion has been building an operations center based out of Indiana and with that is adding additional roles to the entire organization. Everything she will oversee will be out of that location.  

As Medallion works to accelerate its growth, Szerlik will continue to play an important role in this newly created position. She will be involved in the ongoing improvement of operational processes and will continue to be a liaison and support system for Medallion’s growing network of agents and owner-operators.

Szerlik will work directly with and under Medallion Transport Holding’s Chief Operating Officer, Jesse Merrell.

When asked about the promotion, Szerlik said, “I am excited to take on the additional responsibility; I will go from managing exterior agents to also managing a team/staff while working hand-in-hand with each individual and departments in the Kokomo office.”

Szerlik has been a force at Medallion from the start but showed her ability to lead and organize during the last Agent Conference in 2019.

“As part of Medallion, I have been able to prove my ability to streamline operational processes, and internally improve the overall customer service experience by being a liaison to agents and drivers. It’s been a group effort,” she said. “We’ve stepped up our game in communicating to drivers, and my goal is to continue to improve that.”

Szerlik also said that despite the new territories she will cross in this new position, and her re-location from Medallion’s New Jersey office, she feels confident she’ll have continued success knowing she has the support of company management and ownership.

“It helps having such an amazing boss and company owner to do this with,” said Szerlik.

Szerlik has been in the trucking and logistics industry for 13 years and holds Bachelor’s in business development. 

On June 1, 2020, FMCSA revised the hours of service (HOS) regulations to provide greater flexibility for drivers without adversely affecting safety. The new HOS regulations go into effect on September 29, 2020.

The rule includes four changes designed to offer drivers greater flexibility, while maintaining the highest safety standards on our Nation’s roads, and was developed based on extensive public and industry input. Here’s what is changing:

1. Short-haul Exception
Expands the short-haul exception to 150 air-miles and allows a 14-hour work shift to take place as part of the exception.
2. Adverse Driving Conditions Exception
Expands the driving window during adverse driving conditions by up to an additional 2 hours.
3. 30-Minute Break Requirement
Requires a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving time (instead of on-duty time) and allows an on-duty/not driving period to qualify as the required break.
4. Sleeper Berth Provision
Modifies the sleeper berth exception to allow a driver to meet the 10-hour minimum off-duty requirement by spending at least 7, rather than at least 8 hours of that period in the berth and a minimum off-duty period of at least 2 hours spent inside or outside the berth, provided the two periods total at least 10 hours, and that neither qualify period counts against the 14-hour driving window.

Additional Resources

For additional info, including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the upcoming changes, check out the HOS Fact Sheet and an FMCSA HOS Presentation.

If You Have Any Questions

If you have any questions, please contact a HOS team member hoursofservice@medalliontrans.com

The FMCSA has suspended hours regs for relief haulers along the Gulf Coast, and a portion of Interstate 10 at the Alabama/Florida line is closed since Hurricane Sally made landfall and wreaked havoc.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a regional emergency declaration for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, allowing carriers providing emergency relief in the affected areas to waive the hours of service regulations.

The waiver applies to carriers providing direct assistance supporting emergency relief efforts by transporting supplies, goods, equipment and fuel.

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has shut down Interstate 10 from the Alabama-Florida border to the Escambia Bay Bridge in Florida.

FDOT also announced Garcon Point Bridge in Santa Rosa County will remain closed until further notice to give inspectors the opportunity to assess damage to the structure caused by Hurricane Sally.

The closure is in addition to the Pensacola Bay Bridge, which will remain closed for at least the next 30 to 60 days to repair damage.

Sally was a Category 2 Hurricane when it made landfall and has weakened, but still brought catastrophic flooding to parts of NW Florida and southern Alabama. New flood threats in Georgia and South Carolina are expected.

Wildfire activity has resulted in several highway closures in both Oregon and Washington, as well as delays in permit issuance in Oregon.

The Oregon permit office is located within 30 miles from one of the wildfires, and as a result the office is currently closed with no additional information. Anyone waiting on an OR permit should expect delays.

Various highways are closed in both states.

Oregon

• U.S. Highway 199 (Redwood Highway), two miles north of O’Brien from milemarker 34 to 41
• Oregon Highway 99 is closed between milemarkers 9 and 17
• Oregon Highway 138 is closed one mile west of Glide between milemarkers 16 and 83
• Oregon Highway 213 is closed at the intersection with Oregon Highway 211
• Oregon Highway 224 is closed between milemarkers 18 and 50
• Oregon Highway 242 is closed between 85 and 55
• Oregon Highway 422 at the intersection with Oregon Highway 62 from milemarker 0 to 5

Frequently check TripCheck for additional info.

Washington

• Washington Highway 173 in both directions from milemarker 2.5, just west of Bridgeport, to milepost 11 at Brewster
• Washington Highway 410 in both directions between milemarker 13.37 near 181st Ave East and milemarker 11.46 near 166th Ave East

More info is available on the Washington State Travel Alerts page.

Cargo theft is typically up during holidays like Labor Day when unattended trucks and closed warehouse are more common.

In fact, cargo theft reporting firm, CargoNet has reported on Labor Day theft trends since 2013, and each year there’s a spike in thefts in both the U.S. and Canada.

So with the three-day Labor Day weekend ahead, Medallion Transport & Logistics has some tips to prevent break-ins and cargo theft.

• Never park your tractor-trailer in odd, risky places
• Avoid leaving equipment unattended, especially in metropolitan areas
• Plan to rest in a well-lit area with controlled access and adequate lighting
• Always lock van-trailer doors
• Confirm receivers’ hours of operation during the weekend line up with scheduled delivery times and plan for any holiday oversize travel restrictions
• Don’t drop a trailer at a location other than a secured, approved facility
• Watch for vehicles that may be following you for extended periods of time
• Above all, stay in communication

CargoNet has recorded 114 cargo thefts from the Thursday before Labor Day to the Wednesday after since 2013 through 2018, with theft activity being highest in California, Texas, New Jersey and Florida, based on its analysis of crime reports.

Questions? Contact Medallion Transport & Logistics

Medallion’s Safety Team is ready to assist with driver education and training to ensure the company’s fleet is safe on the road and compliant with the latest laws. For questions about driver safety, give us a call at 704-235-0460, ext 2004 or send us an email to safety@medalliontrans.com.

Medallion Transport Holdings is going the extra mile for owner-operators during this year’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week September 13-19.

Company CEO and two members of the executive team will be ready to get their hands dirty to show their gratitude.

CEO, Gary Weilheimer, along with VP of Heavy Haul, Jesse Merrell and CFO, Sean Bauder will be on-site at the Baytown Operations Center and Driver’s Lounge in Baytown, TX Sept. 15-16 welcoming owner-operators. The three leaders will be greasing the trucks of all owner-ops that stop by.

Additionally, anyone who pays a visit will be offered various giveaways including hats, T-shirts and sanitation supplies for their trucks. Stick around or visit in the afternoon, and dinner will also be on the team.

Any owner-operators in the Medallion/NHH network can plan to visit from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15 or Wednesday, September 16. No RSVP is required.

BOC/Driver Lounge Info

24941 I-10

Wallisville, TX

765.650.4164

Twin tropical storms Marco and Laura will make landfall Monday and Tuesday bringing some storm surge warnings, evacuations and possible travel restrictions.

A storm surge warning remained in effect from Morgan City to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, where 2 to 4 feet of storm surge was possible. A tropical storm warning was still in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Alabama and Mississippi border, an area that includes New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. The mayor of Port Arthur, Texas has announced the city will be issuing a mandatory evacuation of the city, scheduled now for 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Marco is expected to near Louisiana by Monday afternoon, and will then turn northwest and remain along the coast for a time. Once Marco makes landfall, the storm is expected to produce an average of 3 to 5 inches of rain, and in some areas up to 10 inches, for portions of the Gulf Coast through Monday night. Isolated tornadoes were also possible.

Marco was forecast to finally weaken Monday night and dissipate by Tuesday.

As soon as Marco tapers off, Tropical Storm Laura is forecast to be bigger and stronger. When Laura enters the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, the forecast may really get interesting.

Right now landfall is projected to be late Wednesday or early Thursday as a strong 105 mph Category 2 storm, borderline Category 3, near the Texas and Louisiana border. Meteorologists are unsure how strong Laura will get.

From late Wednesday through Friday, Laura is expected to produce rainfall of 5 to 10 inches, locally up to 15 inches, near the Texas and Louisiana border north into portions of the lower Mississippi Valley.

Laura may rapidly intensify, in which case maximum sustained winds would have to increase by 35 mph in 24 hours.

This will be important to watch, as a stronger Laura would head more west toward Houston whereas a weaker storm would be steered more toward the Texas and Louisiana border.

Travel Restrictions 

A couple of states have updates available, while other states are waiting to see how the storms progress.

Currently, there are no other official oversize travel restrictions in place by any state DOTs, but some could be announced soon, including permit changes and delays.

Florida: Any load over 14-6 tall, 10-0 wide, 80-0 long or 80,000 pounds cannot travel until further notice.

Alabama: If a driver can’t see 1,000 ft. in front, no travel is allowed.

Texas: Update 8/25: Due to storms in the Gulf of Mexico, some TXDOT Districts are prohibiting OS/OW movement on all or substantial portions of their roadways until further notice. Permit applications may be denied or delayed. The current affected areas are as follows: Beaumont District – all counties; Houston District -Galveston County. 

Motor carriers transporting a divisible load that is overweight only to and within the areas affected by Tropical Storms Marco and Laura may self-issue a Federal Disaster Relief Permit through the Texas Permitting and Routing Optimization System (TxPROS). https://txpros.txdmv.gov/. The Federal Disaster Relief Permit allows for travel on all state and federal roads, including the interstate highway system. The permit may not be used for overwidth, overlength, or overheight loads. A copy of the President’s declaration must be carried with the permit. The declaration can be found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/news/ or https://www.fema.gov/disasters/disaster-declarations.  

Louisiana: Interstate 10 in southwest Louisiana is completely closed to traffic. I-10 eastbound is closed at the Texas/Louisiana state line, and I-10 westbound is closed west of the Atchafalaya Basin. Updated info is available on the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development website.

Hurricane/Tropical Storm Tips for Truck Drivers

Truck drivers can keep some tips in mind for maintaining safety during these storms.

• Prepare for high winds. Before the storm even hits and the rain starts, the re’s most likely going to be lots of strong winds in the area. Don’t be afraid to pull your truck over if you encounter high winds.
• Pay attention to weather warnings, and stay in the know by hearing the forecast and communicating with your dispatcher.
• Be flexible. Be prepared for schedule, route delays and changes. The TX or LA DOT may issue travel restrictions for oversize loads or for all CMVs.
• Avoid flooded areas and driving through high water.
• Slow down on corners and ramps is always a good practice, especially in a storm.

Questions? Contact Medallion Transport & Logistics

Medallion’s Safety Team is ready to assist with driver education and training to ensure the company’s fleet is safe on the road and compliant with the latest laws. For questions about driver safety, give us a call at 704-235-0460, ext 2004 or send us an email to safety@medalliontrans.com.