Archive for the ‘Company News’ Category

Flight 93 Truck to Help Deliver Totes to Hurricane Sandy Victims

Friday, May 10th, 2013
hurricane sandy

Mantoloking, NJ Before and after Hurricane Sandy

The damaging winds and rain of Hurricane Sandy last October claimed the lives of over 100 individuals.  Among the most devastated areas were the Barrier Islands of NJ, with many of these people completely losing their homes.

The HALO Foundation of Akron, OH, whose mission is to “offer HOPE to the afflicted through the generosity of Service & Charity, involving intergenerational support from seniors to children,” conducted a drive last month to help aid those afflicted by Hurricane Sandy, collecting over 280 18-gallon totes of donations which included pet supplies, hygiene products, office supplies, clothing, and food, along with letters of encouragement written by local students and senior citizens.  Since, the Foundation has gathered 500 of these totes along with office furniture and several thousand dollars worth the food.

Volunteers ranged from all ages, from local senior facilities that knitted and crocheted blankets and other materials as well as made cards for the drive, to students, including a young girl whose overwhelming generosity asked that for her 10th birthday party people bring items for the drive rather than presents.

Working with JW Didado, Jersey Central Power and Light, and Rubber City Radio (where last month’s drive took place), the HALO Foundation was able to sort and pack the items which will be distributed to the Barrier Islands in NJ on May 16th in Road Scholar Transport’s Flight 93 awareness truck.

The truck, which memorials the heroes of Flight 93, portraying the names of the 40 lives lost that day, will be greeted by families of Flight 93 victims, the chief of police, Mayor, and local businesses and schools, along with students being present to help unload the truck.

To learn more about the HALO Foundation visit http://www.halofoundation.com and check out http://www.roadscholarawareness.org for more information on Road Scholar’s awareness campaign and to view our trucks.

flight 93

Fundraiser Offers Chance to Win Guitar, Apple Ipad

Friday, April 26th, 2013

Sunday, May 5th marks the 3rd annual Rock on Judi H. fundraiser benefitting the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute.

The event is held in memory of Judi Perry Hartridge of Dunmore, PA, who passed away from breast cancer in 2007, and will be held at the Scranton Cultural Center from 5pm to 10 pm.

The event, which Christine Zavaskas, Community Relations Coordinator at the NE Regional Cancer Institute referred to as a “dance party” in an interview with radio host Frankie Warren from Magic 93, will feature refreshments, a cash bar, and a raffle for one of three great prizes:  a ‘Pink Lady 3’ guitar, Apple iPad, and one-year membership to Planet Fitness.

Admission into the event costs $20 which includes entry into the raffle, in which Judi’s son will be drawing the winners.  All proceeds will support the NE Regional Cancer Institute with the Weinberg Foundation (one of the United States’ largest private foundations financially assisting individuals and families) matching a portion of the funds.

But we did say that this was a dance party after all.  Judi’s uncle, Paul LaBelle, will be performing with his group (Paul LaBelle and the Exact Change Band), along with NEPA’s band Old Friends.

When asked by Frankie ifjudi h trailer they were “going to have a big giant pink truck there again,” Paul responded, “Without question.  My good friend Jim Barrett from Road Scholar, who, he kind of started this whole thing with me in 2009, and his big beautiful pink truck is on the road and it goes coast to coast and keeps our message of cancer awareness alive and keeps our message with Judi H 3 Rock On coast to coast, so we’re thanking Jimmy once again and the truck will be parked out front.  And this year you can come down and sign the truck and do a best wish to Judi which is really cool.”

The Rock on Judi H. pink awareness truck is part of Road Scholar Transport’s campaign to bring hope and spread awareness to people less fortunate, joining two dozen different awareness units.  View Road Scholar’s awareness trucks at www.roadscholarawareness.org.

To listen to a video of Christine and Paul’s interview with Frankie, click the video below and check out http://www.judihrockon.com/ for more information on the event and how to purchase tickets.

judi h video

‘Walk Now for Autism’ this Saturday

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

autism speaksRoad Scholar Transport’s Autism Speaks awareness truck is making a special stop this Saturday in Allentown, PA for the annual Walk Now for Autism Speaks in the Lehigh Valley.

On April 20th, our awareness unit will be pulling into Dorney Park where participants will gather to walk the 1.5 mile course to help raise money for the developmental brain disorder that’s affecting 1 in 88 children and tens of millions people across the world.

According to walknowforautismspeaks.org, the event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with registration as well as the resource fair and activities opening at 8:30 a.m. and the walk beginning at 10 a.m.

Registration is open to the general public and there are no fees.  Register for the walk online here.

Although rides will be closed the day of the walk, some of Dorney Park’s games will be open to raise money for autism.  There will also be music, characters, face painting, tattoos, a resource fair, and food tent.

As autismspeaks.org states, autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average.  This event has raised $236,000 so far.  Those individuals that raise $150 or more will receive a 2013 Walk Now for Autism Speaks t-shirt, while those that raise $1,000 and over will receive VIP treatment the day of the walk, according to the Walk Now for Autism Speaks site.

Click here to Make a Donation

Although there is currently no cure autism, with efforts such as the above, we can help spread awareness and raise funds for autism research and one day, find a cure.

About Road Scholar’s Awareness Campaign

It started with a single pink tractor trailer to help raise breast cancer awareness and grew to a campaign featuring two dozen different charities/organizations and growing.  Below is a list of Road Scholar Transport’s awareness trucks that are traveling the roads each day delivering freight and moving one step closer towards a cure.
-Alex’s Lemonade

-Autism Speaks

-American Breast Cancer Foundation

-Children’s Tumor Foundation

-Prostate Cancer Awareness

-International Rett Syndrome Foundation

-St. Joseph’s Center

-American Foundation for the Blind

-Cystic Fibrosis Foundationawareness pics

-Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PANCAN)

-The Flight 93 National Memorial

-The American Red Cross

-Clayton’s Hope (benefiting epilepsy)

-Children’s Craniofacial Foundation

-Make-a-Wish Foundation

-Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation
-Northeast Regional Cancer Institute (Rock on Judi H)
-Stop Bullying

-Parkinson’s Disease

-Marley’s Mission

-9/11 Rolling Memorial

-Miracle for Ava…a Cure for Brain Tumors

-Lyla’s Hope-Spina Bfida

-Lupus

Visit www.roadscholarawareness.org to learn more about our campaign and to view our trucks.  Don’t forget to keep the freight moving so we can spread awareness.  Click here to get a truckload or LTL rate today.

Contact us for your FREE Awareness Calendar featuring our trucks at http://www.roadscholar.com/contact.php.

Online Masters Challenge

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

golfThe 77th annual Masters Tournament hits the green in Augusta, GA this Thursday in the first of the four major golf championships.

The Masters Tournament runs from April 11-14th and is followed by the US Open (June 13–16), The Open Championship (July 18−21), and The PGA Championship (August 8–11).

Once again, Road Scholar Transport is giving you the chance to win great prizes during the tournaments by simply picking who you believe will finish in the top ten.  Participants will receive fantasy money for the place in which their golfers finish and bonus points if they pick them to finish in the correct spot.

Registration is easy.  Simply go to http://roadscholar.golf.upickem.net/golf/registration/login.asp and create an account or login using Facebook Connect.

You can access the game anytime through the following ways:

*Visit the site directly by clicking here.

*Visit www.roadscholar.com.  Click “Contests and Games” under the “Fun Stuff” tab.

*Visit our Facebook Fan Page at https://www.facebook.com/roadscholartransport1988.  Click on the “Games and Contests” icon.

*Play on your Smartphone by registering here.

The deadline to submit picks for each event is the start of the third round.  You only need to submit picks for one event to be eligible to win a prize.

Still have questions?  Visit the FAQ page at http://roadscholar.golf.upickem.net/golf/misc/faq.asp.

Swing your way over to Road Scholar’s Masters Challenge today and get ready as golfing favorites Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, and Phil Mickelson tee off in this year’s tournaments.

Who do you believe will win each tournament this year?

March Madness Tournament

Monday, March 18th, 2013

March Madness

It’s time to tip off with Road Scholar Transport’s annual NCAA March Madness Tournament for a chance at winning great prizes!

There are three easy ways to fill out a bracket:

1.  Visit www.roadscholar.com.  Click “Contests and Games” under the “Fun Stuff” tab.  Click on the NCAA Challenge icon

2.  Visit our Facebook Fan Page at https://www.facebook.com/roadscholartransport1988.  Click on the “Games and Contests” icon.  Click the March Madness icon

3.  Simply click the following link: Road Scholar’s NCAA Tournament Challenge

If you played last year, you can login using your existing username and password.  If not, you can create a new one.  Registration is fast and simple and you will be joined into the RoadScholar.com pool.

Next, fill out the online bracket by simply clicking which team you believe will win each round.  You have until Thursday, March 21st at 9:15 AM EST time to make your picks.

The person with the most points at the end of the tournament will win a prize (See Pool Rules for further details).  Scoring is as follows:

-Round of 64:  1 point per correct team
-Round of 32:  2 points per correct team

-Sweet 16:  4 points per correct team

-Elite 8:  8 points per correct team

-Final 4:  16 points per correct team

-Finals:  32 points

In the event of multiple individuals having the highest score, the tiebreaker will be used.

Road Scholar’s NCAA pool allows you to easily keep track of each day’s games as well as your picks, provides an analysis of the matchups and top 25 teams, and gives you the option of printing out your bracket.

If you’re in the mood for more fun, be sure to check out Road Scholar’s other games at http://www.roadscholar.com/contestgames.php including our NASCAR Challenge.

March Madness comes once a year.  So what are you waiting for?  Grab your mouse and hit the courts today!

NASCAR Challenge

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

Jim and Debra Barrett on Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal

Friday, February 8th, 2013

On January 23rd, Jim and Debra Barrett (founders of Road Scholar Transport) had the honor of appearing on Season 5 of Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal, a WVIA program that seeks out “remarkable business men and women here in Northeast and North Central Pennsylvania,” that have “stories of hard work, sacrifice and success…who started or built successful companies that improve our communities, employ our neighbors and are living examples for future generations.” 1

According to its host, Bill Kelly, the NEPA Business Journal “Seeks out people who have great stories” and Jim and Debra have just that.

“You are a bootstrap operations.  Started with nothing.  Had to put up your home to do it,” Kelly explains.

first truck

Work ethic is nothing shy of the Barretts.  Jim had started driving trucks at age 14 and was the sole driver of a leased 30-year-old truck when the company began in 1988 as Debra dispatched, did accounting, etc. from the Barrett’s home.

Since then, the company has grown to include operations in six terminals with the same principle in mind, “If we give our word, it’s going to get done.  This company has never been cited for a piece of defective equipment involved in an accident.  We have an impeccable record,” says Jim.

Besides the services and strong emphasis on security that Road Scholar Transport provides, the company also stands out in its awareness campaign, whose goal is to “Bring help and awareness to people less fortunate,” growing to accommodate over two dozen different awareness trucks with about 30 trucks being part of this campaign.

“You not only own and run a trucking company,” Kelly explains, “you not only care about your customers enormously, you not only make sure that the promise you make that the freight will perform, that it will deliver the way that you want it to, but you create this idea between the two of you [the awareness campaign].  You know the causes, you know what’s behind them, the bottom story of it all.”

By clicking on NEPA Business Journal’s interview with Jim and Debra below, you will learn:

-How Road Scholar got its name

-How the company began

-Were they convinced they would make it

-How they went from one leased truck working out of their home to over 100 trucks and 300 trailers

-How the awareness program began

-Learn where the ideas came from behind the Breast Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Autism Speaks, Alex’s Lemonade, Marley’s Mission, RETT Syndrome, Children’s Craniofacial Foundation and Children’s Tumor Foundation trucks

-The technology and aluminum floor trailers utilizes to accommodate customers

nepa business journal

We would love to hear your feedback on Jim and Deb’s interview.  List your comments below!

1 http://www.wvia.org/television/local-programs/business

Road Scholar is Proud to Announce our New Awareness Truck!

Friday, January 11th, 2013

Earlier this week, Road Scholar Transport had the pleasure of rolling out our newest awareness truck, spreading the word to LIVE BEYOND LUPUS.

The truck was created in memory of Tanitha Kulsiri, the daughter of Nuj Fungladda who is employed at one of Road Scholar’s valued customers, Veltek.

Tanitha passed away from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), a chronic, autoimmune disease that can affect any part of the body, in 2003 at the age of 22.

“Tanitha was diagnosed with SLE at 13 (shortly after her 13th birthday),” explained Ms. Fungladda.  “Sadly, she was one of those whose Lupus affected her severely. It affected her kidneys right from the beginning and spread to her heart later. Her Lupus never went into remission as such she had been in the hospitals on a regular basis throughout her life. I remembered teasing her when she was still in high school that they should create an award for her for missing so many days of school and still maintain excellent grades and apparently had graduated in National Honor Society as well. She was always a very active kid both academically and with extracurricular activities. She was in marching band, winter guard, drama (as stage manager and stuff), and school broadcast member. She was involved in local drama theaters as well.

While attending Temple University, she was an editor and a writer at Temple News, and a bartender on the side and still managed to maintain her grades (dean’s list and was receiving a scholarship). Unfortunately, she had to take sabbatical her last 1+ year because of the severity of her Lupus. She passed without finishing her degrees (Journalism and American Study with minors in English and Photography). The sad thing was she could have finished her school a year and a half earlier, but she wanted so badly to attend Temple University Campus in Rome for a semester, so she was holding a couple of courses back while trying to concentrate on her health.

She was an amazing young lady who could have done anything she wanted. She was so talented and the immense thirst for life and learning never cease to amaze me…and we can’t forget her attitude.  One sad thing was she never let anyone know of her illness. Very few knew about her illness. She hated for people, even close friends, to look and treat her differently. She just wanted to be normal. That’s maybe one of the reasons I want to offer support groups for friends, especially younger kids. I want to have resources for them to deal with friends who have to live with chronic illnesses.”

Ms. Fungladda is referring to the Tanitha Kulsiri Memorial Foundation (TKMF), established in loving memory of Tanitha to make sure that others like her will have support and the life that she didn’t have.

“As a mom, I could not accept the fact that I’ve lost her for no good reason. There has to be a reason for this to happen and something good needs to come out of this terrible loss.”

TKMF’s mission is to promote the network of support groups and counseling for affected individuals, their families and friends, enhance the quality of life for those affected by Lupus through complementary therapies, promote a greater public awareness about Lupus, honor Tanitha’s passion for life and learning through Scholarships, and promote research in order to find more effective treatment and the cure for SLE.

For more information on TKMF please visit www.tanitha.org.

“You know, one thing that has always amazed me with Tanitha (besides her talents and just being an amazing kid) is the ability to keep going regardless of what she had to endure. She never let Lupus stop her from doing things. I guess she inspires me to be a better person and do something good.”

So how did we come up with a design for our truck that would reflect the memory of this wonderful and talented young woman?

When Tanitha passed away, Ms. Fungladda honored her by creating a book (Awkward Grace) of Tanitha’s compiled works during her last 10 years.  She sent the book to Bridget Barrett, Road Scholar’s awareness truck designer, for inspiration.

lupus

click image to enlarge

One of the narrative poems she came across contained a drawing (a sketch at the time which Tanitha created in high school) that caught her eye.  Loving the drawing, Bridget decided it would be perfect for our new awareness truck, so she cleaned up the image and added color, giving it brunette hair, the color of the woman’s hair in the poem.

Bridget then added the truck’s purpose to LIVE BEYOND LUPUS and incorporated TKMF’s website and logo (two flying pigs kissing, which was another artwork of Tanitha’s).

“Everyone at the foundation and her friends would like to express our deepest gratitude for all the support that Road Scholar has given us.”

For more information about Road Scholar’s awareness campaign please visit www.roadscholarawareness.org and remember…

“It isn’t money or fame that makes life worthwhile, rather the support of another person who picks us up when we fall, catches us when we stumble, loves us for who we are, who we were and who we will inevitably become.”  -Tanitha Kulsiri (Sept ‘01)

Below is the poem written by Tanitha that inspired the design of Road Scholar’s Live Beyond Lupus Awareness Truck.

poem

Road Scholar’s 12 Days of Christmas Begins Thursday!

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

Road Scholar is giving you one more reason to be jolly this Christmas season with the return of our annual 12 Days of Christmas Contest!

chocolate gift basket

Beginning Thursday, December 6th, Road Scholar is giving you a new gift each weekday via e-mail and our social media sites.  Keep track of what we our giving away each day because the first one to contact Road Scholar on Friday, December 21st reciting all 12 days will win a Wine Country Gift Basket loaded with sweets!

There are Five Easy Ways to Play:

-E-mail:  Join Road Scholar’s e-mail list at http://www.roadscholar.com/mailinglist.php to receive the Days of Christmas right to your e-mail address.

-Facebook: Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Road-Scholar-Transport/141609205912305 for a new posting each day!

-Twitter: Come follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/RoadScholar for the daily Christmas tweet.

-LinkedIn: Get connected with Road Scholar President Jim Barrett on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimbarrettrst.

-Website:  Check out the Road Scholar homepage at www.roadscholar.com for a new posting each day.

So grab a pen and paper and stay tuned to Road Scholar Transport this holiday season as we spread Christmas cheer.

Contest runs weekdays from Thursday, December 6th to Friday, December 21.  E-mail answers to Kristina.brown@roadscholar.com or via our Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Road-Scholar-Transport/141609205912305.

Companies Speak Out on Why You Should Choose Road Scholar Transport as Your Transportation Provider

Wednesday, November 28th, 2012

How important is your company name?  Is it important enough to protect?  Then why risk putting your freight and reputation on the line by choosing an inexperienced carrier to handle your products?  Road Scholar Transport is the carrier you need to avoid that million dollar pharmaceutical theft.  That widespread recall.  That vicarious liability suit.  With the toughest security products in the industry today preventing driver access to your freight and the documentation you need including the live status of your shipment from pickup to delivery, historical temperature alerts, as well door closures and openings, Road Scholar is your one stop (or multi-stop) LTL and TL carrier keeping our customers satisfied and your freight safe.

Road Scholar receives praise from our customers for handling unique emergency type events (such as the recent Hurricane Sandy or the unexpected urgent shipment that needs to be delivered ASAP) and recommendations from customers who we have developed a multi-year partnership with.

But don’t just take our word for it.  Here is what companies throughout the Mid-Atlantic and New England states are saying about Road Scholar Transport, a family-owned and operated business that was first established in 1988.

-Anne Killeen from Van Horn, Metz & Co. (a raw materials distributor headquartered in Conshohocken, PA) speaks out about Road Scholar’s expedited service…

We would like to sincerely thank you for the service and expertise your company provided to us today.  We had an emergency arise this morning at 8:40AM and called your salesman Paul.   Paul called your office and spoke to your Operation Manager -Dick who really made things happen.   Your truck was here by 10AM and was at the customer by noon time. In this competitive market with same products, you have to stand out from your competition and today you allowed us to do that with the service you supplied us.  You really gave us something to be thankful for – Happy Thanksgiving to everyone at Road Scholar.

-Richard Littlewood, President of G.J. Littlewood & Son, Inc. (synthetic and natural fiber dyers and finishers in Philadelphia, PA) acknowledged Road Scholar’s ability to present itself in a disaster relief effort during the recent hurricane that swept the east coast…

I would like to personally thank you and the crew at Road Scholar for your due diligence in response to G.J. Littlewood’s emergency needs in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.  If not for your quick response in sending a trailer to evacuate our lower warehouse, we stood the possibility of losing everything.

We are very fortunate to have good friends in high places!

Mr. Littlewood continued to discuss not only the services Road Scholar provides, but its staff as well…

Road Scholar’s truck drivers are the company’s most valuable aspect.  Jimmy has one of the greatest group of drivers I have seen.  They are ambassadors for the company.  These guys not only pick up stuff but know when a customer has needs and when they have problems and they report back to the company.  This is predicated to family business. It is not like these big corporate companies.  They don’t call to see if I need help.  It’s a relationship you’ll never see in corporate America today.  It’s more personal.  There is no way to put this into words.  When you have small businesses and family businesses, people watch each other’s back. We’ve had this relationship with Road Scholar almost 20 some years now.

When it comes to transportation one thing comes to mind…Road Scholar Transport.  I hope people go there.

-Jeff Churchvara, VP, Facilities, NE region at Veltek Associates (manufacturers of sterile chemical products, located in Malvern, PA) brought up Road Scholar’s outstanding damage claim record…

I would like to thank you and Road Scholar for all the support you have shown us over the years. I recently worked on a proposal that was going to a longtime customer and while thinking of how to list all the new things we had planned, I realized there were many things, “old” things, which we continued to do very well. One of those “old things” was their unique receiving requirements.   So I looked back through the customer history and in 15 years of providing this product to them we never had a damage claim for freight.

To assist with your incoming inspection, Veltek stacks STERI-WATER in an “H” pattern so all the labels face outward and the pallets do not have to be broken down for inspection.  This unique pattern presents a challenge for trucking companies and to solve the problem, Veltek enlists the services of Road Scholar Transportation, who moves STERI-WATER between our Malvern manufacturing facility, Sterigenics in Charlotte, our Exton warehouse and eventually your receiving dock.  The same Road Scholar driver moves this freight between all locations and we attribute his professionalism to the success of your unique stacking requirement.  To put this into perspective, STERI-WATER moves over 1000 miles, through three secure facilities, with the SAME trucking company and the SAME driver.  Since Road Scholar began transporting STERI-WATER in 1997, we have had NO freight claims on any shipments to your facility, which we both know translates into no downtime for your warehouse and ultimately a cost savings for both of us.

-Bill Liddell, traffic manager at Crown Boiler Company (makers of residential and commercial hydroponic heating products and water heaters, headquartered in Philadelphia, PA) also touched on Road Scholar’s expert staff and their ability to do what it takes to get the job done…

Me and Larry here at the warehouse really wish express our deepest appreciation for what your company has done for us down here in Philly. We both feel it necessary to say that without your man Rich in the office we would have been lost the past month. He has worked miracles for our company and has provided heating equipment nonstop to NYC when we thought it would be impossible. He truly is a wonder worker and thank you for investing in doing more business with us. As I told your daughter today you are a one of the most exceptionally people and are a special person and I am glad to call you a friend.

-And if that’s not enough, Peter Wyszynski from Boars Head Provisions (creators of specialty meats, cheeses, and condiments) who has been utilizing Road Scholar’s reefer service for many years, commented on the services Road Scholar provides to keep their brand equity safe…

Jim Barrett and his team at Road Scholar Transport have provided transportation for my company for the last twelve years.  During this time we have not had one dispute.  There have been no cargo claims, no customer complaints, and no adversity.  Road Scholar is a very friendly company.  They provide very efficient and effective transportation service.  Road Scholar’s delivery performance has been 98% or better year after year.  They are a company that believes in and practices continuous improvement.

I cannot stress enough how effective they are at protecting my brand equity.  When I tender a shipment to Road Scholar, I am confident that they will protect and secure my products from any and all potential risk.

If you are wondering why I would take the time and effort to write such a lengthy recommendation for a transportation provider, the answer is simple.  They not only earned it, they deserve it.  Road Scholar has always done everything humanly possible and has gone above and beyond to service me, my company, and my customers.  They never say no.  When they are asked to jump, they ask “how high.”  They are by far one of the most conscientious transportation providers that I have had the privilege to work with.  In today’s business environment the concept of providing superior customer service and satisfaction seems to be a thing of the past.  To Road Scholar, customer service is not a concept, it’s a principle and a strong personality trait embodied in the owner of the company and part of the moral fiber of their company.

I assure you that you will not be disappointed in what they can offer you, your company, and your customer.

Want to be part of the satisfied customers utilizing Road Scholar’s LTL and Truckload van and reefer services?  Then visit www.roadsdcholar.com today to get a rate.  While you are there, check out more of what people had to say about our company at http://www.roadscholar.com/freighthaulingtestimonials.php.

Have you had a good experience with Road Scholar?  Please share your comments below!  On a scale of 1-10 (10 being very) how influential are customer testimonials to you when choosing a carrier?