Spotlight

View additional information about American Fast Freight and AFF staff.

In the News

Read all about it! Visit the Global Food Collaborative to read the latest story about American Fast Freight.

Port of Tacoma Expansion

Visit the Alaska Journal of Commerce to read the latest story the Port of Tacoma's expansion and how it will effect Tacoma and the surrounding areas.

Alaska Trucking Safety Rodeo

Rich Wilson, AFF Anchorage

Did you ever play a part in a school play and when the curtain went up thought the whole world was out there watching only you? No where to hide and nervous beyond belief. Imagine having to perform like that in front of an audience in a 15 ton truck or 40 ton tractor-trailer combination or doubles combination knowing everyone is watching and judging only you. Worse yet, the audience is your competitors from other companies, your peers, federal and state government officials, and some of your family. Is the pressure on? You bet. Could we all do that? Probably not. AFF is fortunate enough to have four drivers that have done this the last two years. I proudly introduce Rick Edwards, Ben Dinardo, and Kris Smith from Anchorage and Roger Roy from Fairbanks.

These four individuals have twice participated in the Alaska Trucking Association Safety Rodeo. Each of them has placed in the divisions they compete in. Not only have they succeeded in their divisions, AFF was one of only two companies that had more than one driver place. There are eight companies with competing drivers.

The competition itself is compiled of four specific categories that represent a specific truck or tractor-trailer combination. Each driver competes in each category in their type of vehicle or combination unit.

The categories consist of a written test, interview board, driver vehicle inspection on a truck that has been sabotaged, and a tight difficult course the driver must maneuver through.

The written test encompasses information published in a 268 page book, covering everything from Federal Motor Carrier Regulations to basic first aid with limited time to study the book.

The driving course is extremely demanding on a tight track and performed in an unfamiliar truck with judges and spectators at every turn. Imagine how difficult it was the first time you drove a vehicle you were unfamiliar first 10 blocks of travel. Then add an audience and 20 to 90 feet in vehicle length behind you. This is the mental struggle these drivers had to endure.

Though our drivers back up on a constant basis, they normally have a dock to line up against. In the competition, there is no dock and everything is done on depth perception. Extra points are given for those that can park their back trailer axle on a dollar bill.

We are fortunate in having professional drivers working for AFF and these 4 gentlemen by placing themselves at the scrutiny of the audience, judges and designed stumbling blocks during competition, exemplify what a professional driver is. We salute them for their courage and willingness to compete and represent this proud organization. Thank you gentlemen.

Opening New Honolulu Office

To help meet the demands for our expanding Hawaii division, Hawaiian Ocean Transport (HOT) is opening an additional office in Honolulu.

The new HOT office will include a wide flat panel screen that will serve has an information kiosk. The big screen television will display news, weather and most importantly, movies! Sorry but you will have to bring your own popcorn.

New Website Features

American Fast Freight recently upgraded and added new features to the AFF web Data Center. Improvements include dispatch pick up requests and Fast Track which allows you to quickly find out the status of your delivery without signing up for a Data Center account.

Phishing

In a recent letter to AFF employees, Jeff LePage, Director of MIS offers advice about online fraud:

“If you are not familiar with the term ‘Phishing’, you may be surprised that it has little to do with seafood.  Phishing is the attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information, such as passwords and credit card information, by pretending to be a trustworthy person or business in an email or instant messaging.

If you receive an email from any bank/financial institution requesting your account details, or asking you to 'click here' to verify information, do not do so.  The email will look very realistic and will likely contain completely valid links to legitimate services from the company they are pretending to be.  This is simply to add additional strength to their ruse.

A bank will NEVER ask for your information in this manner.  Do not be fooled.

As always, be wary of the email you receive, even if it appears to be from a trusted party.”

According to a report released by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), the number of Internet links used in phishing increased in October, 2006 by 757 percent over the previous year.  The number of financial institutions and product brands used in phishing scams also broke a new record topping 176 in October alone. 

With the rising threat to your identity and finances posed by thieves on the Internet, it is always a good idea to remember Jeff’s advice.    

CPR / First Aid

To promote safety in the work place, AFF sponsored a CPR and First Aid training course for employees from the Tacoma, Washington office and warehouse facilities. 

Participants spent at least 6 hours learning Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), operation of automatic external defibrillators and general first aid. After the course, each person received a two year certification from the Tacoma Fire Department for First Aid, CPR, AED and Bloodborne Pathogens.

Special thanks for those who attended:  Cheryl Moorman, Damon Morsett, Dawn Srigley, Jeff LePage, Kathy McNeff, Nicholas Freeman, Rhonda Lopez, Shelly McKittrick, Tim White, Todd Clow, Tony Robinson and Valerie Reed.

North to the Future

October 24th, the 2006 Alaska Conference North to the Future will be held at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.

The Alaska Conference will focus on economic growth in areas such as energy mining, fishing, defense, logistics and more.  With Alaska’s growing economy the state’s dynamic natural resources, conference speakers (nearly all from Alaska) will offer insights and education in economics, research, infrastructure and industry related to Alaska’s marketplace.

The event is a great opportunity for networking and will provide an invaluable resource for discovering new and old opportunities in Alaska’s expanding economic market.

Project: Crane

At AFF Logistics, our experience enables us to not only move big machinery, but also to move it as efficiently as possible. Take the 4600 Manitowoc Ringer Application Crane we were asked to tear down and relocate from Spokane to Tacoma—a distance of more than 300 miles. Read more...