Pub2-2021-Issue3

18 Kentucky Trucker How and why did CoreTrans get started in 2002? I had worked for a year in the sales department of a trucking company. The 9/11 terrorist attacks caused a local trucking company to go out of business, and I had an opportunity to buy some of its assets. I used the assets to start CoreTrans. The website says Brian Whitaker is the third generation to be involved in the transportation industry. Please tell us about the first and second generations. My grandfather, Kenneth Whitaker, was in the kind of trucking business that used to be called the hub and spoke LTL. He ran loads from Somerset to Knoxville or Cincinnatti. He died when he was 46 after more than 25 years in the business. My father, Mike Whitaker, worked for my grandfather, and then he started a couple of trucking companies of his own. He started the first company with some high school friends. He got out of trucking for about five years, and then he started another trucking company. He had 50 years of experience in trucking before he stopped a second time. He isn’t in the trucking business now, but he is still heavily involved in the KTA. I’ve been in the trucking business for more than 22 years. How has KTA supported CoreTrans during the pandemic? Probably more than anything, KTA is a good sounding board. We use it when we have questions or want to see what the industry as a whole is doing. KTA is also involved on the political level and helps shape policies. Why is KTA membership important? It’s important because of the services it provides, which I just listed in the previous answer, but it also gives us the chance to network with other trucking companies and vendors who are members. How and why did MB2 Logistics, the company’s sister company, get started? How do the two companies work together? MB2 Logistics started in 2005 to fill in a gap. It finds outside carriers to haul freight if CoreTrans cannot. CoreTrans specializes in supply chain management. What is the continuing impact of the pandemic on supply chains? When do you think the supply chain issues will be solved? COVID-19 has taken out many drivers who would normally be part of the supply chain. For example, we had about 210 drivers before COVID-19. Now we have about 185, which is well below what we need. The worker shortage means CoreTrans and other suppliers GETTING TO KNOW BRIAN WHITAKER OF CORETRANS