by Jack Roberts Finding new ways to do things better. That is the essence of innovation, and the qualities HDT looks for in its annual Truck Fleet Innovators every year – fleet executives who are trying to find new solutions, both simple and cutting-edge, to challenges faced by trucking fleets. The 2019 HDT Truck Fleet Innovators […]
Tag Archives | Smokey Point Distributing
Heavy Duty Trucking: 2019 Fleet Innovators: Trucking’s Best and Brightest Leaders
by David Cullen Heavy Duty Trucking has been honoring forward-thinking fleet executives for almost 15 years now with our annual Truck Fleet Innovator Awards. This year’s winners are forward-thinkers, all of whom are helping by example to lead trucking by overcoming challenges and leveraging opportunities. Each year, HDT’s editors sift through nominations received from members of the […]
JOC: New truck driver pay model aimed at capacity retention
Read this article on JOC.com. William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor Feb 20, 2019 5:19PM EST Truck driver pay needs to rise higher to attract new talent to trucking, but driver pay also needs to be more consistent from paycheck to paycheck if trucking companies, especially over-the-road truckload carriers, want to keep the drivers they do hire. […]
CCJ Innovator: Smokey Point’s driver salary program helps eliminate paycheck fluctuations
by: Jeff Crissey CCJ Innovators profiles carriers and fleets that have found innovative ways to overcome trucking’s challenges. If you know a carrier that has displayed innovation, contact CCJ Editor Jeff Crissey at jcrissey@ccjmagazine.com or 800-633-5953. Dan Wirkkala’s career at Smokey Point Distributing began as a driver recruiter when he was just 19 years old. A few months later, […]
Smokey Point Distributing Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Daseke
Revenues More than Triple in the Past Ten Years Some anniversaries really are worth celebrating. For Don Daseke, hitting the 10-year mark in Daseke Inc.’s partnership with Smokey Point Distributing (SPD)— the first outfit to join the Daseke family of flatbed and specialized trucking companies — more than fits the bill. This occasion affords Daseke […]
Daseke Family of Companies’ Commitment to Safety Pays Off in Thirteen Awards
The Daseke family of open-deck specialized carriers has built a reputation for handling the biggest, bulkiest and heaviest of cargos efficiently and safely. Lately, they’ve been hauling away items you won’t ever see on their diversified fleet of trailers, but for what they represent to drivers, customers and others on the highway, they might be […]
Smokey Point Distributing’s New Terminal Turns Heads
Move-in is complete for Smokey Point Distributing’s (SPD) new home terminal in Arlington, Washington, just north of Everett, Washington. Company President Dan Wirkkala says it’s something to behold. “Our new home is spacious, with beautiful décor. It’s a wonderful workspace and home-away-from-home for our drivers,” said Wirkkala. “It’s really something — jaw-dropping — and we’re […]
Smokey Point Distributing Receives Top Safety Honor from Washington State
Named Safety Fleet of the Year in the Large Fleet Category Good work gets you noticed. Great work gets you awards. And, when you’re Smokey Point Distributing, part of the Daseke family of companies, the hardware keeps on coming, most recently from the Washington Trucking Association. Smokey Point Distributing received the WTA’s Safety Fleet of the […]
Daseke Family of Open Deck Carriers Has More Honors Come Its Way
Recognition Lead by Central Oregon Truck Co. and Smokey Point Distributing It never gets old. Recognition of our people that is. And for Don Daseke, president and CEO of Daseke Inc., the latest recognition from the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and CarriersEdge may be the most meaningful. “We’ve built a world-class organization of flatbed, specialized […]
Smokey Point Story: After Promise Made To Dying Friend, 19-Year-Old Agrees To Run This Specialized Carrier
*Written by Dorothy Cox and approved for reprint by www.thetrucker.com As a 19-year-old Dan Wirkkala sat by his dying friend’s bedside, he could see how much pain the man was in. The year was 1985 and the friend, 38- year-old Matt Berry, had been welding a fuel tank in the shop of the open […]