ATA’s Share the Road Highway Safety Tour Focuses on Motorcycle Safety Month
Program Works with Motorcyclists to Promote Awareness, Safety Tips
American Trucking Associations and ATA’s Share the Road Highway Safety Program are bringing awareness to Motorcycle Safety Month and urging all motorists to be aware of motorcycles while driving down the highway.
“Motorcyclists and truck drivers understand that due to the unique qualities of their vehicles, they must remain vigilantly committed to safety at all times in order to keep our roads safe,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “As part of Motorcycle Awareness Month, ATA’s Share the Road program is working with motorcycle groups to educate all motorists on the importance of safely sharing the road with trucks and motorcycles.”
Last week, Share the Road professional truck drivers spoke with the Williamsport, Pa. chapter of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association about how motorcyclists can stay out of truck blind spots. GWRRA meetings held in Dalton, Ga. and an upcoming meeting in Billings, Mont. aim to bring attention to the need for cooperation and dialogue between professional truck drivers and motorcyclists.
“Like motorcyclists, truck drivers find a certain level of comfort and enjoyment while out on the highway,” said professional truck driver John McKown (UPS Freight). “With that said, we need to take every safety precaution possible and teach each other about our vehicles so that we can continue to take advantage of the nation’s roads.”
ATA’s Share the Road professional truck drivers compiled a list of truck safety tips for motorcyclists looking to stay safe this driving season.
- Space is time, and time saves lives: At 65mph, trucks and motorcycles are traveling almost 100 feet per second. It takes a fully loaded tractor-trailer more than the length of a football field to come to a complete stop. Maintain a safe distance in front of trucks.
- Look for the driver in the mirror before beginning to pass. If the driver can’t see you, then he or she has no way of knowing you are there.
- When passing, never linger alongside a truck. Due to large blindspots on all sides of a truck, it becomes easy for a motorcycle to become invisible to a truck driver.
When riding behind a truck, maintain at least a 4 second following distance. Stay far enough back to see the driver’s mirrors. This gives you enough time to maneuver around debris and react to emergencies.
- When riding as a group in a stagger pattern, it is safest to pass the truck in single file, staying to the far side of the lane.
- When possible, avoid passing on the right side. The right blindspot is the largest blindspot and runs the length of the truck, extending out three lanes. Pass on the left.
- Always wear a helmet. It is estimated that 1,699 motorcyclists’ lives were saved by a helmet in 2012.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that fatalities are 26 times more likely in motorcycle crashes than in car crashes. ATA and ATA’s Share the Road highway safety program are committed to improving safety between trucks and motorcycles.
Share the Road is a highway safety outreach program of the American Trucking Associations that educates all drivers about sharing the roads safely with large trucks. An elite team of professional truck drivers with millions of accident-free miles deliver life-saving messages to millions of motorists annually. The safety program is sponsored by Mack Trucks Inc. and Michelin North America Inc., and supported by TA-Petro, Pre-Pass, Hyundai Translead, OmniTracs, SmartDrive, Mack Leasing and Spireon.
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The Search is on for Trucking’s Top Rookie
A check for $10,000 and a package of prizes will be awarded to one skillful professional truck driver when Trucking’s Top Rookie is named in August.
The award, named in honor of the late Mike O’Connell, recognizes the best professional truck driver who has been on the job for less than a year.
The Trucking’s Top Rookie contest is a partnership between Truckers News, the Truckload Carriers Association, Commercial Vehicle Training Association, Rand McNally, Pilot Flying J, Progressive Commercial Insurance, National Association of Publicly Funded Driving Schools, American Trucking Associations and the Red Eye Radio Network.
Nominations open May 16, 2016 and close at 5 p.m. on June 24, 2016. Nominations must be made online.
“The contest gives great insight on the first impressions we as an industry make on new drivers,” said Debbie Sparks, vice president of development at TCA. “The content that the nominees provide can help carriers in crafting their recruitment practices and messaging.”
A panel of seven judges will review each nominee and select 10 finalists. The winner will be announced Friday, August 26, 2016 at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Texas.
“Recognizing the excellence of new truck drivers has never been more important than it is today,” said David Hollis, editor of Truckers News. “Encouraging new drivers to make a career out of trucking and show them they're appreciated is a great way to stem the driver shortage.”
The winner receives:
$10,000 cash
$1,000 cash and 100,000 Pilot Flying J MyReward points
A custom plaque from Award Company of America
Interview on Red Eye Radio Network with Eric Harley
A feature in Truckers News
$1,000 worth of DAS Products merchandise featuring the RoadPro Getting Started Living On-The-Go Package
American Trucking Associations “Good Stuff Trucks Bring It” package, which includes a polo shirt, baseball cap, model truck and utility knife
A dash camera from COBRA Electronics
A GPS unit and a Motor Carrier Road Atlas from Rand McNally
The nine other finalists receive:
$1,000 cash
50,000 MyRewards points from Pilot Flying J
A custom plaque from Award Company of America
$100 worth of DAS Products Merchandise, featuring the RoadPro MobileSpec Portable Life Package
American Trucking Associations “Good Stuff Trucks Bring It” package which includes a polo shirt, baseball cap, model truck and utility knife
A CB radio from COBRA Electronics
A GPS unit from Rand McNally
Last year’s winner was Frederick Weatherspoon, a 52-year-old veteran of three branches of the military and a driver for Dartco. Other previous winners include:
2014 — Julie Matulle
2013 — Kyle Lee
2012 — Keith Redvay
2011 — Derek Paul
The late Mike O’Connell was formerly the executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, and originated the idea of honoring a top rookie driver to help show new drivers they are important to and appreciated by the trucking industry.
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