Page 15 - ATR 1 2012 web 2

The big losers, other than the ship- milk in a covered wagon to Little Rock
ping companies, could be banks in residents. Eleithet’s son, Fred, kept the
Europe which are world leaders in ship business thriving for nearly 40 years
financing. Unlike U.S. banks, which before passing the mantle to his son,
grappled with home mortgages that W.C. Coleman. In 1948, the business
went under, these European banks passed to a fourth generation of family
stand to lose billions of dollars in loans leadership when H.S. “Boots” Coleman
outstanding. took the helm.
Meanwhile, ship owners are ner- Leadership of the dairy passed
vously monitoring an industry bench- from Boots to younger brother Buddy
mark, the Baltic Dry Index of bulk Coleman and his sons, Bob, Walt and
freighter charter rates, which has lost Cherb.
more than half its value since the start
of the year. The index is now at its low- a rEDUcED rElIaNcE oN
est level since January 2009, during the forEIgN oIl – SoMEHow
depths of the economic downturn after In an annual outlook, the U.S.
the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. Department of Energy says increased
oil, natural gas and renewable energy
BEST frEIgHT IMprovEMENT IN production and energy efficiency
13 yEarS Dairy has the added distinction of being improvements will reduce U.S. reliance
Signs that the U.S. economy is one of the 100 oldest family-run busi- on imported oil and other energy sourc-
trending upward got a big boost when nesses in America. es by 2035. However, the report fails to
the American Trucking Associations Coleman Dairy began in 1862 say how this will occur.
(ATA) reported, according to its freight with one employee, Eleithet Coleman,
index, freight tonnage levels in 2011 who delivered 10-gallon cans of raw 
increased 5.9 percent over 2010, the
largest increase in 13 years. Tonnage in
December was 10.5 percent higher than
the same month in 2010.

IN THIS INDUSTRY,

STANDING STILL IS

Bob Costello, ATA’s chief econo- NOT AN OPTION.
mist, commented that he was “sur-
prised at the magnitude of the gain” in
December. Over the years, our custom lending solutions have helped thousands
of fleets get the cash flow they need, and we can do the same for you.
colEMaN DaIry aT 150 yEarS  AR financing  Asset-based loans
Coleman Diary, a long time corpo-
rate member of the Arkansas Trucking  Equipment financing  24/7 customer service
Association, has reached a corporate
milestone that few, if any, in Arkansas Contact TAB today to find out how:
can lay claim—a 150 year history. 866.822.3362 or tabbank.com
The oldest dairy processing plant
west of the Mississippi River, Coleman


arkansas truCking rePort | issue 1 2012 15