Ina Daly - First Woman to Take National Driving Championship Title

Con-way Freight, a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier and subsidiary of Con-way, Inc., recognized Ina Daly, a veteran driver sales representative from the company’s Phoenix service center, as the first woman in history to capture first place in a competition class at the trucking industry’s safety and skills competition, the American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driving Championships (NTDC).

The company honored Daly for her championship performance in the tank truck class with a special ceremony at its Phoenix service center. During the ceremony, she was presented with a personalized Con-way Freight tractor and a special monetary award in recognition of her milestone achievement.

“Ina accomplished what no woman has in three-quarters of a century,” said Greg Lehmkuhl, president of Con-way Freight. “Her commitment to safety and professional excellence serves as the gold standard for which every driver across the country can aspire.”

Daly’s driving prowess is matched by her thorough knowledge of her profession. She was only one of five competitors, across all divisions, who earned a perfect score on the written exam portion of the championship competition. She accomplished the same feat during the 2010 championships.

Daly is a 10-time Arizona state driving champion and also has served as a captain on America’s Road Team, the public outreach program sponsored by American Trucking Associations. Road Team captains are the industry’s most accomplished professionals and serve as ambassadors for safety, spreading the word about safety on the highway and sharing the road with trucks. She is also a Con-way Freight Distinguished Driver, a special designation earned by the company’s safest drivers for reaching 1, 2 or 3 million miles without an accident.

At the National Truck-Driving Championships, competitors in their respective classes are tested on their expertise in the driving skills they use daily. The competition challenged their knowledge of safety, rules and regulations, equipment, and the industry. The skills course tested drivers’ ability to judge distances, maneuver in tight spaces, reverse, park and position their vehicle exactly over scales, before barriers or around curves.

ATA Applauds House Committee Passage of Sleep Apnea Bill

The American Trucking Associations applauded the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for its swift approval of a bill that would prevent the Obama administration from using informal guidance to address sleep apnea.

“ATA believes that testing alone for obstructive sleep apnea of truck drivers could cost the industry nearly $1 billion,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “If our industry is to be burdened with such a cost, then the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration owes it to trucking to conduct a full and thorough rulemaking, including collection of scientific data and a cost-benefit analysis.”

The bill, which was introduced by Reps. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) and Dan Lipinski (D – Ill.), just last Thursday, has broad bipartisan support, already garnering nearly 50 cosponsors.  The bill is being credited for the sudden receptiveness by FMCSA to a rulemaking.  Nevertheless, members at this morning’s markup agreed that there is still a need for the legislation.

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Women in Trucking
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Women In Trucking Association Offers Women-Owned Business List to Members

Women In Trucking Association (WIT) is teaming up with a premier B2B social network company, TraDove, to offer its members access to women-owned businesses for networking opportunities. TraDove allows corporate buyers and sellers of trucking and/or logistic services the ability to find, connect, and conduct global trade with each other.

WIT’s President and CEO, Ellen Voie, is excited to offer members an opportunity to network among women-owned businesses. “We are often contacted by companies looking for business opportunities with women-owned entities to fulfill diversity requirements. Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) tend to be very supportive of one another, always looking to partner and network with each other. The TraDove network gives our members a platform to directly connect and conduct business,” said Voie.

Jane Klare, Director of Supplier Diversity at MegaCorp Logistics agrees that this is a much needed resource for businesses right now. Working with women-owned businesses is becoming a preferred option due to stellar performance, services, communication, and delivery they provide. “As I travel around the country, I keep hearing the value that women-owned businesses are bringing to the supply chain of many Fortune 500 companies, and the elevated performance and opportunities that are being extended to certified WBE’s,” said Klare.

The network of over 1,200 women-owned companies is available to all WIT members through October. The objective is to connect these businesses, not only to meet diversity initiatives, but also to promote women within the trucking industry.

“The time has never been better to network, find the support, and engage in opportunities to partner and approach other minority or WBE companies. WIT’s alliance with TraDove is yet another shining example of ‘thinking outside the box’ to create greater opportunity for women” said Klare.

Based on the results of the TruckDriver.com Wager Survey tough times are coming for the nation’s bookies! 

Will you place a bet on the 2013 World Series?

Yes - 15%
No 85%

Next up, the TruckDriver.com Check’s in the Mail Survey.

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