Southeastern Freight Lines recently announced it is celebrating 35 years of service at its Pensacola, Florida service center.
The Pensacola service center, which originally opened in 1990 with 47 dock doors and 15 associates, relocated in June 2025 to a new facility at 6650 N. W Street, with 86 dock doors, a team of 60 associates and enhanced amenities. The increased dock capacity helps meet evolving customer needs and improve operational efficiency, while the upgraded amenities are designed to support the wellness, growth and development of Pensacola associates, according to a statement from the company.
The Pensacola service center was the 27th service center opened by Southeastern Freight Lines since its founding in 1950. The company now operates 89 service centers spanning 13 states, Canada and Puerto Rico.
To commemorate this significant milestone, the Pensacola service center is honoring four linehaul drivers who have worked at Pensacola for over three decades: Thomas Aliff, Randy Ballard, David Hawkins and Alfred Witt.
“The recent relocation and expansion of our Pensacola service center will greatly enhance operations and customer service in the years to come. It’s upgrades, including expanded office and dispatch areas, a new fuel bay and propane filling site, a break room four times the size of the original, a bunk house and an appointment warehouse, position us to fuel growth down the line,” said Derrick Battle, service center manager.
Legislation: Weigh stations could enforce language rule
Florida Republican Congressman Byron Donalds introduced legislation that would use truck weigh stations on interstate highways to enforce the regulation requiring all drivers to be proficient in the English language.
H.R. 5177 – "The Weigh station Enforcement to Intercept and Guard Highways (WEIGH) Act" requires that personnel at all weigh stations along interstate highways review the Commercial Driver's Licenses of truckers for irregularities and verify the English language proficiency of truckers.
The bill also says that states that fail to comply with weigh station enforcement protocols risk revocation of their CDL program authority and federal highway funds.
“The failure of states to enforce basic and commonsense requirements for truckers is putting every American motorist at risk," said Donalds. "Safety must be the standard, not the exception, and on Capitol Hill I’m fighting to ensure that the American people are put first every step of the way. The elimination of these threats to the American people is non-negotiable.”
Donalds' proposed legislation comes in the wake of the Aug. 12 high-profile accident on the Florida Turnpike that killed three people. The driver of the tractor-trailer involved in the crash entered the country illegally, and received CDLs from Washington and California. There are conflicting reports if the driver was. proficient in English.
Since that accident, Florida is using its agricultural inspection stations to enforce the English proficiency requirement
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