We hope you and yours had a safe and happy holiday season and that the New Year brings you and yours good cheer and prosperity. Happy New Year!
The 2008 Trucker Buddy calendar, sponsored by Kenworth Truck Company, is now available. An annual favorite, it features drawings submitted by children in the Trucker Buddy program and Kenworth’s new truck models.
Each year, hundreds of students submit drawings of safety messages their Trucker Buddies have taught them, and 12 entries are selected from the heart-warming submissions. This annual calendar began in 2004, when Kenworth collaborated with Trucker Buddy in producing a calendar by sponsoring a coloring contest for students in the Trucker Buddy program.
“Kenworth Truck Company has a long and valued relationship with Trucker Buddy and strongly supports the program’s educational efforts with children. We’re proud to again sponsor the annual Trucker Buddy calendar, which features student artwork containing positive trucking themes,” said Gary Moore, Kenworth assistant general manager for marketing and sales. “Thanks to all the Trucker Buddy members in helping to provide excellent educational experiences for students participating in the program.”
The Trucker Buddy program has achieved its success thanks to sponsors like Kenworth Truck Company, which has supported Trucker Buddy since the very beginning. Kenworth became a major contributor to Trucker Buddy in 1993, and continues to be a strong supporter of Trucker Buddy and its educational efforts with children.
Calendars will be given to companies and individuals who make a donation to Trucker Buddy while supplies last; they also can be purchased for $5 per calendar including shipping. Inquiries about quantity orders are welcome. Call 800-MY-BUDDY (800-693-8339) to order by credit card, or mail a check or money order to Trucker Buddy, P.O. Box 888, Jefferson, GA 30549 USA.
Proceeds from the calendar are used to further the goals and mission of Trucker Buddy, enabling it to reach more classrooms around the world.
ACS MultiMedia
Trucker Buddy of the Month
Andrew Pomicter
After counting down the days to their Trucker Buddy’s visit, the second-grade students in Christina Demonbreun’s class were so excited you would have thought Santa Claus was coming!
"The kids couldn’t wait. He was such an awesome Trucker Buddy to them,” Demonbreun said of her 2006-07 school year experience with her Trucker Buddy Andrew Pomicter, who was paired with her class at Sunrise Elementary School in Ocala, Fla. “He wrote lengthy letters, sent postcards and also sent photographs. He also wrote information on the face of the photos to explain what was going on, such as where the straps are, tight straps, loose straps, etc. I have to say that this experience was so beneficial for my students.”
At the beginning of the year, the students colored in their own United States maps and each made a “Trucker Buddy” folder to keep it in. Every week when Pomicter’s postcard arrived – or pictures or letters – the students would put a sticker on the state from which his correspondence came.
“I did not assist in this. It was up to them to find the states themselves,” Demonbreun explained. “This was an awesome way for them to learn where the states are. It was so much fun for them! They never dreaded it.”
The class also had a Trucker Buddy bulletin board with a full-size map on it, where the teacher put the photos, letters and postcards so the children could read everything over and over.
“They were able to write to Andy (or Drew, as he known on the job site), when they were in the writing centers. Again, they never complained,” Demonbreun said. “They really learned the proper letter-writing skills, since they had to do it so often. Letter writing is a second-grade skill, and believe me, they mastered it by the end of the year.”
Pomicter made his visit educational as well. He cut up two pieces of molding for each of the 20 students, and provided a chart for each one so that he could teach them how to read a molding diagram. During the tour of his truck, Pomicter was able to explain in person the information he provided through his correspondence: the engine, where the cargo was, how the trailer gets loaded and how to strap down a load, including the significance of tight and loose straps.
The students were even delighted to learn about snakes by meeting Striker, Pomicter’s traveling companion. “I like his pet snake,” wrote Anare, Karla said in her letter “I liked the snake too,” and Landen, who really liked his Trucker Buddy’s truck, also noted, “Striker his snake is cool too.” Student Jenny noted that “He is not alone. He has a pet snake.” Breyanna had a simple message: “He is the nicest Trucker Buddy ever.”
“I can’t say enough good things about Drew. He is a terrific representative for your business,” the teacher added. “In a nutshell, my kids learned to write letters effectively and correctly, all about the United States and where the states are and about being a trucker – from driving a truck to the parts of the truck. They learned all this through the Trucker Buddy program, in such a meaningful, real-life way. This is a much more effective way for young children to learn, than by lectures and books.”
Pomicter, an independent owner operator who runs two trucks with his company Dragon & Feline Trucking, Weirsdale, Fla., joined the program in 2006. He and his teacher are
again matched together for the current school year.
Each Trucker Buddy Driver of the Month receives a personalized jacket, along with a check for $300 to spend on the class and $200 in Trucker Buddy merchandise, compliments of program sponsor ACS MultiMedia Advertising ( www.tmi-multimedia.com), the advertising agency of choice for the trucking industry. They also receive an IdleAire window adaptor and a free Gold Membership ( www.IdleAire.com), a Koolatron cooler and a complete set of Airtabs for their tractor or trailer ( www.airtab.com). Five owner operators have received a set of steer tires from Continental Tire. The class will receive a CrossCountry USA game from Ingenuity Works ( www.ingenuityworks.com), which will help them learn more about how trucks move freight across the continent.
Pomicter is among some 3,500 other professional drivers who share their time with elementary classes throughout the world. The only criteria to be a Trucker Buddy is to be a professional truck driver with a CDL who is willing to send a postcard each week to a class in grades two through eight. Drivers and teachers can find out more about the program by visiting www.truckerbuddy.org or calling 1-800-MY-BUDDY.
Trucker Buddy is dependent on corporate sponsors such as ACS MultiMedia Advertising and TruckDriver.com to fund the program.
Mail Call
Editor: The mail keeps on coming...and we keep on sharing it with you.
From: JV
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 12:26 PM
To: jobs@truckdriver.com
Subject: Response to Dec. 15 letter
In the December 15th e-report, and person called "JE" wrote this:
"What a shame that diesel prices are exceeding gasoline prices. People forget that diesel is a waste product (byproduct) of gasoline after gasoline is refined. Manufacturers of gasoline, years ago, didn't know what to do with, or how to dispose of this waste (Diesel), so they burned it in lamps and such. Then Henry Ford got the idea of a diesel engine, and it has never been the same since."
First of all, I agree with him/her as it is a shame that diesel is priced higher than gasoline, but I'm also a firm believer that you get your facts straight before trying to educate people. Diesel is not a "waste" product of gasoline refinement. At
refineries, crude oil is separated into different fuels including gasoline, jet fuel/kerosene, lubricating oil, heating oil, and diesel. Diesel isn't a waste byproduct; it just takes a little less refining.
And "then Henry Ford got the idea of a diesel engine"... No, he didn't.
A German engineer by the name of Rudolf Diesel is credited with the invention of the compression ignition engine. His patent was filed in 1893. Using coal dust first, then experimented with vegetable oil (bio-diesel) before the petroleum industry came out with the product now known as diesel fuel. But, if more research is to be done, you would find that another man by the name of Herbert Akroyd Stuart built the first compression-ignition oil engine in Bletchley, England, in 1891.
I'm not here trying to be mean, I just want the facts to be facts. I'm an OTR Driver just like the majority of the people reading this and I, too, am fed up with the price of fuel, whether it is gasoline or diesel. My point is before you go making statements you say are the facts, do some research. What if someone looks into it further? The only reason I caught this at all is because I went to college for diesel mechanics and got to read all about the beginning of the diesel.
Y'all take it easy and keep the shiny side up!
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From: hb
Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 6:58 PM
To: jobs@truckdriver.com
Subject: Re: December 15, 2007 eReport
Rudolf Diesel had the idea for the DIESEL engine!!! Not Henry Ford, big mistake!!!
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From: Racethis43
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 8:25 AM
To: jobs@truckdriver.com
Subject: Truckers Strike for lower fuel prices
Back in the early seventies when we had the gas wars or so called shortage and price went crazy, we parked our big trucks, and that straightened it out real quick. I think it only lasted about two weeks, but it was like bringing the whole world to a halt! It worked & I think we can make it work again, LETS DO IT!
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From: RK
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 12:14 PM
To: jobs@truckdriver.com
Subject: employment 2008
Dear sir/madam,
Hopefully next year transport companies offering available jobs for drivers will wake up and realize that sitting idle waiting to load/unload at customers locations are hours of my time that I am not being paid for. The 2 hour grace allowance doesn't cut it for me.
I am on duty and in charge of my employer’s vehicle.
For example the last company I worked for expected me to sit and wait for loads up to 5 hours (not being paid for) and then expected me to fudge my log book as if this wait time never existed and to proceed up the highway with 5 hours of bonus time on my log!!
Well after 36 years of accident free driving and over 2 million miles I can honestly say that I really don't feel sorry for the trucking industry crying over the shortage of professional drivers.
My time and consideration of my employers load and vehicle should be compensated for.
This on-going dog and pony show must stop. I honestly would never suggest any
new person to enter the profession of truck driving due to the way we are expected to
do our job and not be compensated for it!
Thank-you for your time.
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From: MD
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 4:50 PM
To: jobs@truckdriver.com
Subject: fuel prices
Correction -fuel price in Europe is charged by the liter which equals $7.00 per gallon.
Watch what you wish for.
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From: aa
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 8:56 PM
To: jobs@truckdriver.com
Subject: RE: December 15, 2007 eReport
Hi,
Best wishes to you all and a magical New Year. I really find your emails vary helpful. The information is reliable and always interesting. Your eReport is something I always look forward to coming home and reading. It's like a something new, something old, and never forget, something used. Keep on trucking...
Editor: We saved the best for last - Thanks aa, let's all keep on truckin'!
Well, we were a little surprised by the outcome of the TruckDriver.com 2008 Fate Survey .
Over seventy percent of you who responded, 72% to be exact, said you would be changing jobs in 2008. And, another 16% of you said you didn’t know if you would change jobs or not, leaving only 12% of you staying with your current employers.
72% seems like a lot, but since we don’t have any historical information to compare it to, we don’t know that for certain. We do know that historically, January is a high activity time for most driver recruiting departments and a time when a lot of drivers do change companies.
What we would like to know now is, how will you go about making the change, how will you go about landing that new job? Take the TruckDriver.com Job Search Survey and let us know.
Until next time, keep on truckin' and please drive safely.
Your Comments Are Always Welcome
We do like to hear from you and invite you to let us know how we can improve the e-Report. Please send your ideas and suggestions to: jobs@truckdriver.com
~ P. J. O’Rourke ~
