Fikes, community college to consider transportation curriculum
JIM HONEA (Courtesy Fikes Truck Lines)
The Trucker News Services
1/4/2008
HOPE, Ark. — Fikes Truck Line has joined with the University of Arkansas Community College of Hope (UACCH) to explore the development of a transportation curriculum for the college.
Jim Honea, vice president of operations at Fikes Truck Line, will begin teaching Introduction to the Transportation Industry during the 2008 spring semester. The syllabus includes an overview of the commercial transportation industry and how it relates to the logistic sections of today’s business including discussions on regulations, economics, characteristics, employment opportunities, and development in major transportation modes.
“We initially approached UACCH about a transportation program because we were experiencing a shortage of qualified professionals,” Honea said, “but as our conversation has evolved, this partnership has become an opportunity to interest local students in a viable career in Southwest Arkansas.”
“Opportunities for our graduates are plentiful in the transportation industry. Introduction to the Transportation Industry is an investigative step that could lead to a Transportation and Logistics degree program,” Jennifer Methvin, chancellor for academics at UACCH, said.
According to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), there are over 6,000 trucking companies located in Arkansas, most of them small, locally owned businesses.
“Transportation is a vital industry that touches ever faucet of business,” Honea said. “Since Arkansas has an established transportation economy, a transportation program in this region has huge potential. Collaborating with the local university will give Fikes and other transportation companies the opportunity to assist in defining the industry’s future.”