2022 Was a Remarkable Year for TCI as We Continue to Evolve, Grow, and Expand Across the Trucking Industry.
It’s always important to reflect on the past year, and as we look back on 2022, we are incredibly grateful for all that we were able to accomplish, both as a company and as individuals.
TCI Transportation experienced tremendous success in every department across the board. We achieved this by hiring in key positions, expanding and updating our services, adding new sites, acquiring a new company that allowed us to grow horizontally, and of course gaining new clients and successfully retaining our existing ones.
What follows are some of 2022’s highlights, but by no means is this an exhaustive list. Congratulations go out to everyone involved in these as well as the many other successes we were not able to include here.
JUMP TO:
1. New Locations
2. Human Resources
3. EV Trucking
4. CDS Acquisition
5. Veterans Program
6. Recruiting
7. Reefer Training
8. Administration
9. Digital Footprint
10. Awards & Recognition
New Locations, Expansions, and More.
With the addition of multiple locations across the country from Chicago to Dallas, our fleet now consists of over 3,000 trucks, tractors, and trailers. On top of that, with a team of more than 1,200 highly trained professionals, not only are we better equipped to serve our customers, but our family grew as well. Here’s more information about our expansions this year…
Chicago IL
TCI Chicago is conveniently located at the intersection of Interstates 80 and 57. The facility sits on a 7-acre lot in Country Club Hills, just southeast of downtown. It’s equipped with 2 bays and 5 offices.
This is a full-service site offering commercial truck rental, leasing, maintenance, logistics, and storage. It serves various industries including Food and Beverage, Retail, Energy, and Manufacturing both in-state as well as in the surrounding areas of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana.
Dallas TX
Just north of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on the Texan Trail in Grapevine is TCI’s Global Logistics, a full-service multimodal brokerage facility. Our team at this location serves industries nationwide, including Healthcare, Food Services, Accommodations, Manufacturing, Retail, Scientific and Technical, with 24/7 support in all 50 States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico.
Shreveport LA
Construction has begun in our newest location in Bossier City, Louisiana. We’ll keep you posted on our progress as we begin recruiting talent and welcoming new members to the TCI family to support this location.
North Las Vegas NV
TCI Las Vegas has been in operation since 2005. However, in 2022, we built a bigger, better shop in order to offer our customers additional services. This represents our continued move forward toward pioneering innovative new offerings and an excellent customer experience at all of our locations. Since its renovation, the location now boasts over 5,000 square feet of space along with 4 large maintenance bays.
New CDS Locations
After acquiring Command Delivery Systems, Inc. (CDS), we now have 2 new locations along the west coast with sites in Oakland CA, and Walnut CA.
The TCI Human Resources and Payroll Team Hit Many Milestones and Expanded.
Milestones
Our Payroll Administrator and lead Lourdes (Lulu) Melendez hit her 15-year milestone with TCI. Lulu has been the rock on our team, helping guide and train both new and familiar faces on payroll.
In April, Jesusita Benitez had her 2-year anniversary, which is when we promoted her to HR Generalist, and Richard Figueroa had his 10-year anniversary. Our two new administrators in HR, Sarai Cardenas and Monica Victoria, hit their 1-year milestones with TCI on November 15th and November 29th of this year. They both have been great additions to the team as well as proving themselves to be valuable assets.
On-Boarding
As a team, we successfully on-boarded 60+ employees with TCI-CDS as part of our recent acquisition in July. This marking the first time our team has been involved in an acquisition of this size. The long days and trips to Walnut, CA paid off as the onboarding was successful.
New HR Addition
We added an HR Associate from our partnership with My Mountain Movers, Bles Heredia. Bles has been a positive team member that initially started with TCI helping us data cleanse and learning new HR and Payroll tasks along the way.
Keeping Our Green Foot Forward, TCI Continues to Lead the Way in EV Trucking.
As part of our move toward a green-powered fleet, TCI received four fully electric class-4 units, which will be utilized at our Fontana and Commerce locations.
TCI purchased the four GreenPower EV Star Cab and Chassis (CCs) in December with the support of California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP). These grants are making it possible for companies like TCI to purchase green vehicles in support of congress’s Zero-Emission Vehicles Act of 2019.
“As TCI transitions to a greener service fleet, the EV Star CC stands out as a reliable, versatile, zero-emission solution to our needs.”
– John Sappington, VP Sales & Marketing, TCI Transportation
The Class-4 EV Star CC units are capable of traveling up to 150 miles before recharging, while transporting 6,000 pounds of cargo. These units first hit the market in 2020 and represent the first commercial class-4 battery vehicle available in the United States. With these promising capabilities, these units are an excellent addition to TCI’s fleet and green initiative goals.
In addition, we’re excited to have purchased 4 all electric Lonestar Yard Tractors. These vehicles will play an important role in helping our customers navigate the WAIRE program and SCAQMD Rule 2305.
CDS Acquisition Launches TCI Into the OEM Auto Parts Distribution Business.
With TCI’s continuous goal of finding ways to better accommodate customers and maintain efficiency, we have merged with Command Delivery Systems, Inc. (CDS), an OEM auto parts distribution company. By joining together both transportation businesses, we can continue providing exceptional service for the Automotive Parts Distribution industry.
The brand of Command Delivery Systems will conduct business as usual, but under the legal name of TCI Environmental Services, Inc.
The acquisition of CDS has been a huge success thus far. The merger became official on June 30th and has been one of our largest and most notable achievements to date. Since the acquisition, we have seen strong growth and we’ve been operating ahead of projections.
The acquisition of CDS was made possible through an incredible team effort, with significant contributions coming from our Finance, HR, Recruiting, and Safety teams. With the exception of a few drivers who have taken a different path, all CDS employees are still with us and we have a 100% customer retention rate.
“CDS brings excellence in auto parts consolidation and distribution. TCI brings world class safety, maintenance, recruiting and back office support – extending our auto parts distribution services to additional shippers while expanding our footprint into more of the regions TCI currently operates in.”
– Ryan Flynn, Co-President, TCI Transportation
Using TCI’s trucking industry experience and nationwide connections, CDS, is able to deliver new car replacement parts from manufacturers to dealers coast-to-coast. To learn more about CDS and how we’ve integrated it into the company structure, visit https://tcitransportation.com/cds/
TCI’s Veterans Program Swings Into Full Gear With Offerings, Support, and Outreach.
We are honored, humbled, and excited to support and recognize our nation’s finest, and have assembled a top-tier Veterans Program that the entire country can be proud of. At TCI, a grateful spirit and deep appreciation for those who serve is woven into our very fabric. It begins from the top, with Co-Presidents Andrew and Ryan Flynn, who make recognizing and honoring each veteran a top priority.
Our commitment to Veterans is displayed through a wide variety of programs including Veteran Appreciation, Military Scholarships, Leadership Program, Care Package Program, PTSD Awareness and Aid, Family Member Support, VA Clinics. Jimmy Howell and the entire TCI team have worked tirelessly to create this level of support and outreach for our veterans, and more is still to come.
“TCI’s Veterans Program has been a top priority for not only our owners, but our fellow veterans within the company. And it has been thoughtfully built to support those who do not wear the uniform everyday anymore, yet who continue to serve this country as an essential part of America’s infrastructure.”
– Jimmy Howell, Director Frontline to Freeway TCI Military Veteran Programs & Services
For more information about TCI’s Veterans Program, visit our Veterans webpage.
Recruiting Was Busier Than Ever.
Whether they were organizing recruiting fairs, family events, award celebrations, or helping to bring many new people into the TCI family, our Recruiting Team was go-go-go all year long. A few highlights:
- We awarded legacy awards across many divisions, including Rafael Coral (25 Years – pictured), Russ Smith (15 Years), Michael Bautista (10 years), and Mauricio Rojas, Scott Wedeking, Christopher Duarte, Eugene Reed (all 5 years).
- Team events were held at multiple locations, including Team Appreciation events at our locations in Puyallup, Washington, and Fontana, California.
- Our TCI Family event in Las Vegas was a huge success! Rosina Burns (our Regional Manager) organized it, and it included games, prizes, and great food from Monti’s Smokehouse BBQ food truck. It brought our team and their families together for a really great time.
- TCI had a great time at the Trunk or Treat event this Halloween. We were the only “big truck” onsite. It was a hit! We heard a lot of happy exclamations about our “Monster Truck.”
- Every year we acknowledge members from our team with our Leadership Summit, including dinner, a great night out, and of course, well-deserved awards. This year’s 2022 Leadership Summit was a wonderful time for everyone, and we’re so proud of our amazing team.
Our 3-Week Reefer Training Program Was a Huge Success.
We strive to provide our team with continuous growth and education, while keeping them up to date with industry specific training, including hands-on experience with advanced industry tools and technology.
During the last quarter of 2022, from October 24th through November 11th, our 3-week reefer maintenance and repair training program took place. We had Universal Technical Institute conduct the training at our Fontana location.
TCI sent managers from Stockton, Mettler, Livermore, San Bernardino, Pomona, and Commerce to participate in the manufacturer-specific training, all of whom spoke highly about the value this training and partnership brings to TCI staff and the business as a whole.
“Partnering with UTI showcases TCI as an industry leader in technical training. Having highly skilled technicians allows TCI to offer expert level service and maintenance to our customers.”
– Mark Sarcen, VP Leasing Operations, TCI Transportation
Founded in 1965 and headquartered in Phoenix, Universal Technical Institute’s mission is to serve their students, partners, and communities by providing quality education and support services for in-demand careers. Approximately 250,000 students have graduated from one of UTI’s 15 campuses located across Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Texas.
A Few of Our Administration Highlights
TCI recognizes the importance of having a smooth running organization and that requires a lot of moving parts. Here are just a few administrative highlights of 2022:
- We launched FleetOps for Data Warehouse and Visualization tools in Q4. Implementation was led by Andy Figueroa, Raj Dalton , and Freddy Deras.
- Corey Henry and the Dedicated Billing Team regularly achieved their “Bill by Friday” objectives for all accounts.
- Larry Siedentop celebrated 20 Years of Service and announced he’ll be retiring in 2023. We’ll miss him and we wish him well in his next adventure.
- New hires on the Finance & Accounting team included Tricia Agnew, VP of Finance; Lynn Linchango, Sr. Accountant; and Roya Amiri, Controller for Leasing.
- The 2022 Frontline to Freeway 4K Scholarship was awarded to Sage Burns. You can read more about her here.
TCI’s Digital Footprint Expands Across Services, Sales, and Careers With 3 New Websites.
The TCI website has been completely redesigned after nearly 2 years of design and development. This includes a brand new comprehensive site that can be found at TCItransportation.com, as well as two new websites dedicated to TCI Truck Sales and TCI Careers to support our ongoing recruiting efforts. The three websites will continue to evolve with ongoing additions such as services, acquisitions, and locations, just to name a few.
Additionally, TCI’s email, social media, and content programs have continued to increase and we have a larger digital footprint today than ever before. But, our journey is just beginning. For 2023 and beyond, we have a number of marketing programs and initiatives planned, and we’re excited to see where they will lead.
2022 Awards and Recognitions
At TCI, each and every day, we strive to make a difference in the lives of our customers, employees, and communities. The awards and acknowledgements we earned last year represent these endeavors.
2022 Top Green Fleets
Each year, Top Green Fleets honorees are selected by Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) editors. The winners represent leadership of the country’s top 20 greenest fleets. The areas evaluated under this program include fleet electrification, alternative and renewable fuels, cleaner-burning engines, fuel and freight efficiency, “green” facilities, and testing new sustainable technologies.
G75 List for Best Green Supply Chain Partners
For the second year in a row, TCI Transportation has been chosen as one of the 75 companies recognized by Inbound Logistics Magazine for their dedication to eco-friendly and sustainable practices in daily operations. You can find the entire article here.
Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award
On November 9, 2022, TCI received the Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award for our support of veterans’ careers. The HIRE Vets Medallion Award is the only federal-level veterans’ employment award that recognizes a company or organization’s commitment to veteran hiring, retention, and professional development.
Kalmar Military Wrapped Yard Spotter
The Kalmar Ottawa’s Military Wrapped Truck contest was open to authorized dealers. The goal of the contest was to recognize and honor service members past and present. It was a wonderful opportunity for TCI to demonstrate their commitment to recruiting and honoring veterans. We enthusiastically participated and were delighted to be named the winner on May 6.
2023 Here We Come!
2022 was a banner year for all of us here at TCI, but we’re looking to raise the bar even higher in 2023. From new acquisitions and entering brand new markets to offering additional services and locations, TCI is only looking in one direction: Up!
Most importantly of all, we know we couldn’t do it without our entire team. Every staff member at TCI is truly a member of our family, and we’re grateful for all the of the people who have supported us this year, including our new hires.
So, here’s a big shout out to everyone who is a part of Team TCI, and a heartfelt thank you for helping make every year an amazing one!
