William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Jan 05, 2012 2:37PM EST
Trucking and logistics operator LinkAmerica is upgrading its fleet of tractors and trailers and enhancing its efforts to recruit and retain drivers, the company said.
The regional truckload and dedicated carrier will buy 575 pieces of equipment, including Peterbilt and Freightliner tractors and Stoughton 53-foot trailers. The upgrade will replace about 20 percent of LinkAmerica’s equipment fleet, said John Simone, president and CEO of the Tulsa, Okla.-based company.
LinkAmerica, which focuses on the Western and Southern U.S., began replacing equipment last year after Tenex Capital Management purchased the carrier. LinkAmerica itself sprang from the integration of four trucking firms — Lane Freight, Washita Freight Systems, Interstate Express and Dannie Gilder — in 1996.
Refreshing the fleet and doing more to attract drivers were key goals set by Simone when he joined the company, about a month after the Tenex acquisition. The new equipment is expected to improve service and also help attract drivers.
Difficulty recruiting truck drivers “is one of the challenges that keeps me awake at night,” Simone said in an interview last August.
Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter at @wbcassidy_joc
