SIDNEY — Continental Express Inc., headquartered in Sidney, Ohio, is a privately held logistics company specializing in the truckload transport of temperature-sensitive food product. 2018 marked Continental Express’s 34th year in business.
The year 2018 was a positive one for the organization, despite a difficult labor market. Continental increased its revenue by 16 percent over 2017, and increased its geographic footprint. More specifically, Continental purchased property in Columbus, Ohio, and is making plans to build a terminal location on the property, which is right off of Interstate 270. Continental also acquired a terminal location in Indianapolis and is already hiring drivers and working out of that facility. The additional terminal locations allow Continental to better serve its customers while accessing a larger pool of truck drivers.
Continental made significant investments in its workforce in 2018 by increasing driver wages and offering multiple pay packages, including a guaranteed pay package of $1,250 per week for over-the-road drivers. Continental’s top driver earned over $101,000 in 2018, while our average driver pay was $72,000!
“The men and women who are out on the road driving for Continental are extremely important, work very hard, and dedicate much of their lives to this industry. People often forget that without truck drivers, we wouldn’t have food on our tables or the shirts on our backs. For this reason, Continental strives to be an industry leader in pay,” said Russell Gottemoeller, president of Continental Express.
His report continues:
Beyond pay, Continental also instituted a number of policies in 2018 that really focus on work-life balance and trying to ensure that its drivers and all employees can achieve not only a great salary, but also a healthy home life.
Continental also made significant investments in technology in 2018. Continental purchased video cameras for all of its trucks. The cameras are really “computer vision” that can record collisions, report risky behavior and analyze real world objects.
We’ve received a lot of positive feed-back from our drivers regarding the cameras. Not only do they help drivers become a better and safer version of themselves, but they have also saved us and our drivers a lot of grief when they are wrongly accused in an accident situation. Safety is Continental’s No. 1 priority, and obtaining the newest technology has allowed Continental to become a safer organization overall.
Continental Express purchased 52 new 2019 Freightliner Cascadia semi-tractors in 2018. These trucks are all very “smart” and are equipped with the newest state-of-the-art Detroit Assurance Suite of Safety Systems, which includes adaptive cruise, lane departure and auto brake technology. The newest Freightliners really are at the cutting edge of becoming fully autonomous vehicles.
The company also unveiled a new truck that has a military wrap and is dedicated to those who are currently serving or have served in the military at its annual driver picnic, which occurred in September of 2018. One of Continental’s drivers who has been with the company for 18 years and served in the military is proudly driving the truck.
Continental Express’s corporate headquarters are located west of Sidney on state Route 47. The Sidney headquarters are home to the majority of the company’s management and administrative personnel and the fleet’s largest pool of truck drivers. Continental Express has approximately 575 employees and terminals located in Gaffney, South Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas; Danville, Virginia; Louisville, Kentucky; Indianapolis, Indiana, and a dedicated operation in Portland, Oregon.
If interested in employment opportunities, rates or other general information, please visit Continental Express’s corporate headquarters located at 10450 State Route 47 W., Sidney, Ohio or Continental Express’s website at: www.ceioh.com
