Page 12 - ATR 6 2013 digital

News iN brief, Motors as America’s standard bearer in previous month’s gain remained high at
Continued from page 10 the global auto industry,” Akerson said 200,000. Three of the last four monthly
in a message to employees, the company increases have been 200,000 or more,
For smaller carriers, the process is reported. something that hasn’t happened since
more daunting, said Terry Croslow, CFO CEO-to-be Barra, who ranks 35th November 2012 through February 2013.
of Venture Express in La Vergne, Tenn. on Forbes’ list of most powerful women, The Department of Labor attribut-
“I’ve been rewriting our policy to has worked at GM for 33 years and has ed the November gains to increased hir-
take advantage of the de minimis rule ing in transportation and warehousing,
and keeping an eye out for items to health care and manufacturing.
capitalize, but I think there’s a lot of The manufacturing sector added
lost productive time spent to comply,” 27,000 people to their payrolls, the
Croslow said after going through much best single month since March 2012.
of the 73-page rule. For carriers with Construction employment rose 17,000.
$30 million to $50 million in annual The latest data could build antici-
revenue, certified audits are not typical, pation that the Federal Reserve might
said Croslow, a former chairman of the taper its stimulus program.
National Accounting & Finance Council “It’s a significant report for the
of American Trucking Associations. Fed to decide whether to begin wind-
Regularly serviced items such as ing down its bond-buying stimulus
loading dock doors can be expensed program,” Yuki Noguchi said on NPR’s
immediately, Parrish said he has advised Morning Edition. “They’ve been buying
his trucking clients. “These rules give $85 billion a month in mortgage-backed
companies an opportunity to take a experience with positions in manufac- securities, which is basically like a
second look at their policies on these turing, engineering and senior manage- money spigot, putting money back into
issues,” he said. Parrish and KSM’s ment. She began her GM career a co-op the economy. And they’ve been debating
Bradburn agreed that carriers should student in the Pontiac Motor Division when to turn that money spigot off.”
have written policies on deductions and in 1980 and gradually worked her way Economist Hugh Johnson believes
depreciation in place by the beginning up the corporate ladder. In the state- the Fed will keep its target interest rates
of their tax years. Without a written ment announcing her new role as CEO, at rock-bottom levels for the next year,
policy in place a company cannot take GM credited Barra with “revitalizing even as it reins in the stimulus buying
advantage of safe harbor rules offered GM’s product development process,” program. And he reminds us that it’s all
in 9636. saying that her efforts resulted in higher because of good economic news.
Bradburn said his company has product quality ratings and increased “We have four successive months
been advising trucking clients to try customer satisfaction. where we’ve got increases in jobs being
and put new trucks into service before Barra will also join GM’s board, created in the manufacturing sector of
the end of 2013 when the popular though a different executive was chosen the economy,” Johnson said, “and even
bonus depreciation tax break expired. to succeed Akerson as chairman of the more than that of construction employ-
board: that position will go to Theodore ment being on the increase. And that’s
Mary Barra NaMEd gM cEo, (Tim) Solso, who is the former chair- very good news, or prospects, for 2014.”
aUtoMakEr’s first fEMalE man and CEO of Cummins and has
chiEf been a member of the GM Board since for-hirE trUckiNg ENjoys
There’s a woman behind the wheel June 2012. BEst-hiriNg MoNth siNcE
for the first time at General Motors as aPril
Mary Barra was named CEO. Barra, the UNEMPloyMENt droPs to Of the 203,000 jobs added to the
company’s executive vice president of loWEst lEvEl iN fivE yEars economy last month, some 8,400 were
global product development, purchasing In November, the unemployment for positions in for-hire trucking—the
and supply chain, will take over for cur- rate fell to its lowest level in five years, best month since April.
rent CEO Dan Akerson, who has been from 7.3 percent to 7 percent—a result Similarly, good economic news
GM’s chairman and chief executive of solid job creation, rather than people from the Commerce Department
since September 2010. leaving the workforce. reported that GDP increased at an
“I will leave with great satisfaction The Department of Labor reported annual rate of 3.6 percent in the third
in what we have accomplished, great 203,000 jobs (net) were created in quarter.
optimism over what is ahead and great November, beating the consensus
pride that we are restoring General forecast of 183,000. Additionally, the 

12 arkaNsas TruckiNg reporT | issue 6 2013