[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 86 (Thursday, May 19, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2617-S2618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RECOGNIZING CORETRANS

 Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate 
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week, I 
recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the 
American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to 
recognize the small business, CoreTrans of Somerset, KY, as the Senate 
Small Business of the Week.
  As you all know, the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic has burdened the 
global economy with tangled supply chains, drastically prolonged 
shipping schedules, and an insatiable level of consumer demand. Given 
this current climate it gives me great pleasure to honor a Kentucky 
small business operating on the front lines of the supply chain crisis. 
Founded in 2002, CoreTrans was started by Brian Whitaker, a third 
generation Whitaker in the transportation business. Brian and the whole 
team at CoreTrans have played a vital role in the recovery from the 
pandemic and subsequent government lockdowns and they continue to 
support local commerce within the community.
  Brian Whitaker is the youngest of three generations of truckers. 
Perhaps it is that collective expertise between him and his family that 
has allowed Brian to lead CoreTrans through years of tremendous growth. 
Getting his

[[Page S2618]]

start in the early years of the new millennium, CoreTrans started out 
with 25 trucks. Now, CoreTrans includes a fleet of over 150 trucks, 300 
53-foot dry van trailers, and a driver fleet of 200 drivers. Their 
trucks and trailers are equipped with state of the art aerodynamics and 
satellite based mobile communication systems, which allows their team 
to track and monitor all vehicles on a 24-hour basis. Though the 
business is outfitted with impressive technology, the CoreTrans staff 
and their years of experience are the most vital part of the operation.
  The leadership and staff at CoreTrans understand that in this fast-
paced world of online deliveries and instant gratification, time is 
money. Therefore, they operate with the knowledge that there is no room 
for error or broken promises. The mission of CoreTrans is to provide 
safe, on-time delivery of customer freight at a competitive rate with 
the most efficient and responsive customer service in the industry. 
Their name tells the whole story--CoreTrans, a name that highlights 
their commitment to efficiency just like their slogan: ``At the CORE of 
Your Supply Chain!'' Just take a look at CoreTrans' track record, and 
you will see that their slogan is more than just words on a sign. The 
team has won a slew of awards throughout the past decade, including the 
2012 National Safety Award, 2012 Carrier of the Year for Wausau Paper, 
a large customer of theirs; 2013 Chamber of Commerce Business of the 
Year, 2015 Great West Award, as well as several awards from Pulaski 
County's March of Dimes.
  Though CoreTrans maintains a reputation for its dependability and 
strong customer service, Brian Whitaker understands that giving back to 
the community is just as important as running an efficient fleet. Even 
before the pandemic struck, there was a shortage of crucial 
transportation workers. In 2019, Bloomberg estimated that the U.S. 
lacked roughly 300,000 truck drivers needed to fill the predicted level 
of consumer demand. Understanding this shortage, Brian decided to take 
action and made a donation to Somerset Community College--SCC--to kick-
start their new truck driver-training program. That year, SCC received 
a 2007 Volvo sleeper truck courtesy of CoreTrans, which allowed the 
students to train in a real work setting while enrolled in the 
college's commercial driver's license or truck driver training program. 
Their donation not only helps the students of SCC, it bolsters the 
local and regional economy by creating a pipeline of truck drivers to 
fulfill Kentucky's needs.
  In 2021, Brian demonstrated that his charitable spirit expands beyond 
the students at SCC, as Western Kentucky dealt with the aftermath of 
devastating December tornados. Seeing how so many of their Western 
neighbors lost everything right before the Christmas season, CoreTrans 
teamed up with Ricky Thomas, owner of Wildcat Used Cars, to collect 
supplies for the donation to Mayfield residents. Mr. Thomas knew the 
desire to help out the tornado-torn areas was strong within his 
community, but the logistics of hundreds of people driving several 
hours individually to donate goods was not practical. Instead, Mr. 
Thomas utilized his car lot as a drop-off site, and CoreTrans donated 
one of their tractor trailers for the job of transporting the supplies 
to Mayfield. Together, these two small businesses answered Kentuckians' 
call during their time of need; and in true CoreTrans spirit, they did 
it in the most efficient way possible.
  When Brian Whitaker opened up shop in 2002, he intended to create 
more than just a trucking company. His purpose was to start a business 
on which Kentucky could depend, on the road and in the warehouse. In 
executing this mission, CoreTrans became a business that supports local 
and regional commerce, fosters job creation, strengthens the supply 
chain, and carries out a vital part of our Nation's economy by 
providing everyday citizens with the goods they need. Congratulations 
to Brian Whitaker and the entire team at CoreTrans. I wish them the 
best of luck and look forward to seeing their continued growth and 
success in Kentucky.

                          ____________________