When originally approached by Weyerhaeuser in its effort to assist the Haiti relief effort by hauling loads of lumber at a reduced rate, Hope, AR-based Fikes Truck Line waived their fee and donated the transportation services. Fikes owner-operators Harold Horn (Mobile, MS) and Jimmy King (Perry, GA) kicked-off the effort hauling two loads of lumber from Bruce, MS to the port in Jacksonville, FL. The company said its action “set in motion additional carriers to donate loads including TMC, Swift, Cypress, Jordan and Prime.”
“We are quite humbled that Weyerhaeuser approached Fikes to haul their lumber donation to Haiti,” said Rick McCain, Fikes vp of sales. “So often when disasters occur, you want to help out and do the right thing but don’t know where to start. When we heard about the Weyerhaeuser opportunity, we were immediately onboard to haul loads in support of the international relief effort."
Weyerhaeuser employees worked with Habitat for Humanity to finalize the design of 500 temporary housing structures and determine the type and quantity of lumber needed. They then translated the material list into orders for Southern Pine lumber from its mills in Silver Creek, Bruce and Philadelphia, MIi. The challenge was finding a way to minimize the shipping costs so they could maximize the $100,000 product donation.
"At first, it looked like we would only be able to donate six loads, given the $1,500 per load carrier charges," said Gary Everett, Weyerhaeuser sales center leader in Hot Springs, AR. "But we were able to increase our donation to eight loads, for a total of 20,000 pieces that will be used to build 500 structures, thanks to the generosity of our transportation customers.
"Because of the generosity of these transportation carriers, we're able to provide additional wood to build more temporary living structures in Haiti," he added. "It's been a great way to work together to show our support for the Haitian people."
Fikes Truck Line and its sister company FTL Logistics offer coast-to-coast transportation services specializing in flatbed, heavy haul and van freight.
