TCA Highway Angel to Be Honored
During Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) is pleased to announce that one of its Highway Angels will once again be honored during Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl, a post-season, NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that is scheduled for 2:30 MT on December 30, 2009, at Boise State University’s Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. The event will attract massive publicity for the Highway Angel program since it will be broadcast to millions on ESPN.
To determine the Angel who will be honored, TCA staff will examine all Angel nominations that were awarded in 2009 and cull the entries down to a short list of the four with the most heroic stories. These four Angels will then be judged by the TCA Communications & Image Policy Committee, which oversees the Highway Angel program. Each good deed will be judged based on a scorecard of criteria, including how many other motorists stopped to help, the degree of difficulty for the good deed performed, information provided by highway officials and incident bystanders, etc. The Angel who is selected will be crowned “2009 Highway Angel of the Year” and will receive a trophy in front of the 30,000-person audience and millions of viewers watching from home on ESPN.
During last year’s game, Highway Angel Leonard T. "Lenny" Roach, a professional truck driver for Unisource of Addison, Illinois, was honored. He was selected for braving a wind chill factor of -20º F and plunging into icy water up to his neck to extract a motorist who had lost control on the ice and landed upside down in a water-filled ditch.
The name of the Angel who is selected for 2009 will be announced on or about November 15. “I have no doubt it will be difficult to select the winner,” said Virginia Parker, co-chair of the TCA Communications & Image Policy Committee and director of marketing for Flying J, Inc. “Angel incidents for 2009 have already included some really dramatic stories, including someone who damaged his own truck to push another vehicle (and driver) away from flames, a driver who recognized and led authorities to a missing teenager based on an Amber Alert he had heard, and a man who positioned his truck to block traffic from hitting a suicidal woman.”
TCA’s Highway Angel program was established in 1997 as a positive trucking image campaign targeted at the general public. Over the past 12 years, the program has recognized and publicized the good deeds of hundreds of professional truck drivers to a general audience who might not otherwise be familiar with the trucking industry.
“TCA is grateful to Roady’s Truck Stops for again providing this unprecedented exposure opportunity for our Highway Angel program,” said Kevin Burch, president of Jet Express, Inc., of Dayton, Ohio, and 2009-2010 TCA chairman. “There’s no better way to reach the general public and tell them about all the wonderful unsung heroes we have in our trucking family.”
To learn more about the program or nominate a driver, go to www.truckload.org.For additional information, contact TCA at (703) 838-1950 or angel@truckload.org.
TruckDriver.com
Carrier of the Month
Boyd Bros. Transportation, Inc.
Boyd Bros. Transportation Inc., headquartered in Clayton, Alabama, is America's premier flatbed truckload carrier. They are known and trusted throughout the country as one of the best places to work, as well as one of the most reliable shippers in the industry.
In 1956, Dempsey Boyd and his brothers founded Boyd Bros. Transportation with a vision of making it the best in the business and the promise to do what it takes to make that dream come true.
Now, nearly half a century later, it's clear that they have turned their pledge and plans into reality. Boyd Bros. has grown to become one of the nation's largest trucking companies, leading the flatbed segment, and specializing in time-sensitive transportation of iron and steel products, lumber, roofing, and other valuable building commodities.
Boyd Bros. Transportation Principle Beliefs
• Operate Safely and Legally.
• Value, Respect, and Trust Our People.
• Do What We Say We Will Do.
• Require High Standards.
• Continuously Improve and Train Our People.
• Spend Wisely.
• Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.
• Work Hard, Work Smart, and Enjoy Life.
Learn more about Boyd Bros. Transportation, Inc. by exploring visiting their website: BoydBros.com
Boyd Bros. Transportation, Inc. is known and trusted throughout the country as one of the best places to work, as well as one of the most reliable shippers in the industry.
They are proud of who they are, and you'll be proud to drive for them.
The Old Mail Bag
E-mails continue to fill our inbox regarding new drivers and experience requirements. Here are some of the latest:
From: LM
Sent: Sunday, November 01, 2009 9:41 PM
To: jobs@truckdriver.com
Subject: Re: NIC, WIT, OMB...Abbreviations are in!
Companies are being very picky. I have 20 years of experience and was turned down by one carrier because I was fired 9 years ago. Funny thing was, the company that fired me wanted to hire me back.
Good luck to you inexperienced drivers.
* * *
From: CPD
Sent: Monday, November 02, 2009 3:01 PM
To: jobs@truckdriver.com
Subject:
Just wanted to comment on the messages left about not being able to get hired.
Four years ago I graduated from a truck school in Kentucky. I have always been a good driver but have found it difficult to land a good driving job because I lack experience.
What good is it to go into debt for schooling if nobody hires school graduates due to lack of experience. It is a no win situation made worse by the fact nobody tells you this until you go into thousands of dollars in debt for schooling.
* * *
From: A
Sent: Monday, November 02, 2009 5:59 AM
To: jobs@truckdriver.com
Subject: Driver jobs
As a driver with 17 years experience with no speeding tickets, DUI's, OUI's, accidents, abandonments, and only 1 parking ticket it seems no one will hire me.
In 2007 I was struck while on a motorcycle and came within a half inch of losing my right leg. Now, four surgeries later and a lot of physical therapy, I am ready to re-enter the work force. Problem is because I've been out for 2 1/2 years I cannot show 6 months recent experience.
So my 17 years counts for nothing.
* * *
From: KB
Sent: Sunday, November 01, 2009 4:04 PM
To: jobs@truckdriver.com
Subject: Truck Driver
So, as many newbies want to get into the trucking trade, we can continue to read other’s comments, but that is not doing any good.
What we need is answers on how to get experience in an industry that has a shortage of drivers but nobody wants to give us the time of day.
* * *
Editor: The experience issue is difficult to address – Hiring standards vary from carrier to carrier just like the qualifications and expectations vary for every driver hoping to get hired. There are still companies that hire recent graduates and some carriers that still provide training. The best advice we can give is not to let your expectations get in the way of gaining experience.
* * *
Just so you know, not all the mail we receive is about the experience issue.
From: HE
Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 12:40 PM
To: jobs@truckdrver.com
Subject: TruckDriver.com Contact Us: Feedback/Question
HEY! I just got the current newsletter and it says that NIC Technologies is taking over the pre-employment screening system.
Does that mean that Hire Right/USIS/DAC Services is now obsolete? If so, how will that report from Hire Right affect the NIC report?
Should I still be disputing issues with Hire Right or will the new report from NIC be different from the Hire Right report?
* * *
Editor: At this point, we are not sure how, or if, NIC Technologies will impact other reporting agencies but we do know, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that NIC was awarded the contract for pre-employment screening as a result of the FMCSA initiative known as CSA 2010 - Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010, designed to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce commercial motor vehicle (CMV)-related crashes, injuries and fatalities. You can learn more about CSA 2010 by visiting the links provided below:
csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov
csa2010.com
Interview with Rose McMurray, Chief Safety Office for FMCSA
Now, back to the really important stuff! The results of The TruckDriver.com Trick or Treat Survey
Did you wear a Halloween costume this year?
Yes – 18%
No – 82%
Okay, maybe not that important, or that popular!
Which brings us to The TruckDriver.com Survey Survey. It’s up to you!
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
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
