ToolBank USA, American Logistics Aid Network, TIA, HaulFox and LINKEX Collaborate to Haul Hope to the People of Port Arthur

A year ago, Hurricane Harvey pounded southeast Texas causing almost $130 billion in damage in Port Arthur, Texas. Today, the area continues the painstaking rebuilding process. The people of Port Arthur have spent the last 12 months living in FEMA trailers, staying with relatives or making due by living in severely damaged, moldy, or flood-rotted homes in desperate need of critical repairs.

In response to the devastating hurricane events in Texas and the surrounding area, the ToolBank Network has responded by working around-the-clock to provide support to the people of Texas. The Houston ToolBank chapter has loaned hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of tools to volunteers in the Houston area. Their ToolBank Disaster Services mobile unit is on the ground providing tools to help their partner organizations with the clean-up and recovery efforts. Last week, ToolBank USA needed to deploy one of their trailers with the tools desperately needed to help with rebuilding efforts in Port Arthur.

ToolBank USA reached out to the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), an industry-wide organization that exists to provide supply chain assistance to disaster relief organizations. ALAN, equipped with their logistics knowledge and connections, got to work right away to quickly find a transportation solution to help ToolBank USA and the survivors of Hurricane Harvey.

Trey Bearden, CPO, ToolBank USA, said, "Through the great work of ALAN, we were connected with Carissa Frederick of Haulfox, who generously coordinated moving one of our trailers to Port Arthur. It was the epitome of various groups leveraging their strengths to make a profound impact on a community in need. We thank you for what you did and continue to do in helping our neighbors in time of need."

ALAN sent out an "SOS" to their partner, the Alexandria, VA based Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), who, in turn, issued a call for help to their more than 1,700 transportation industry members detailing ToolBank USA's urgent and specialized logistical need.

"We are proud to support ToolBank in their work enabling rebuilding and recovery along the Gulf Coast. The logistics industry has always been generous in supporting these types of needs when called upon, and we are grateful to HaulFox for providing a solution so quickly," said Kathy Fulton, Executive Director, American Logistics Aid Network

"TIA members, like HaulFox, are amazingly generous within their communities and beyond. In fact, TIA recognizes a single company each year with the TIA Samaritan Award. We know that single company is a representative of the thousands and thousands acts of kindness that are performed by TIA members," said Robert Voltmann, President and CEO, TIA.

Within minutes of the TIA's urgent call for help, HaulFox, a cloud based digital freight matching and logistics analytics software company located in Dallas, Texas, answered. HaulFox pledged their commitment to support the people that tragically lost their homes in Port Arthur by assisting ToolBank USA in their efforts. HaulFox reached out to their trusted clients, integration partners and other transportation contacts to facilitate the unique logistic solution needed to get the ToolBank Disaster Services mobile unit moved, safely and without delay.

"The HaulFox team is honored to help catalyze the solutions that were within our collaborative grasp," said Carissa Frederick, CEO, HaulFox "Innovative ideas being applied in our approach to complex issues, including social issues, is what will ultimately facilitate significant progress and change."

LINKEX, INC, a Dallas based logistics and transportation management company, joined in on the Port Arthur efforts by immediately locating the best Carrier with the right type of equipment within their Carrier network to transport the ToolBank Disaster Services mobile unit quickly and smoothly.

"We were very pleased to assist in facilitating this move for HaulFox and ToolBank USA," said LinkEx Vice President and General Manager David Miller. "Hurricane Harvey's impact on Texas was devastating, so much so, that many communities today continue to be affected by the storm's destruction. We were more than happy to offer any help we could to support those still working to rebuild."

Daily, HaulFox coordinates multi-source data feeds to identify strategic freight matching solutions to their clients. When presented with the challenge of coordinating a solution for a community continuing to live in devastation, the answer was routine. Third-party logistics companies (3PLs) powered by innovative logistics centric technologies have a vast resource network that allows them to execute logistics in an uber-efficient and cost-effective way. It is the continued collaborative efforts from socially aware organizations such as these that provides hope and the means to the resilient people of Port Arthur to finally rebuild their homes and restore their lives. Imagine the incredible impact the transportation industry has the potential to make, when selfless collaborations such as these take place.