The Trucker News Staff

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – For the fifth year, the Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) plans to award scholarships of up to $7,500 to students interested in pursuing careers as medium and heavy-duty truck technicians. Scholarship applications are being accepted now through April 1 and are available at //arkansastrucking.com/tech-scholarship. “We are proud to have awarded $52,500 in scholarships to seven students since establishing the Carl Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund, and we look forward to providing career paths for even more of these much-needed truck technicians in the years to come,” ATA President Shannon Newton said. “This scholarship serves to provide our industry with more talented technicians – technicians who are responsible for ensuring the complex equipment that carries freight on our highways arrives safely to its destination.” ATA established the Carl Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund in 2017 to encourage growth in the state’s technician workforce and to help assure that the safest, most knowledgeable and skilled technicians are working on the trucks and trailers on the nation’s roads. Applicants must be graduating seniors from accredited high schools. Scholarships of up to $7,500 will be awarded for students attending a minimum two-semester medium- and heavy-duty truck technician program at an Arkansas institution. In 2017, ATA’s Technician Curriculum Advisory Committee, which partners with educational institutions around the state to help shape skilled labor programs, founded the Carl Tapp Memorial Scholarship Fund to encourage young Arkansans to pursue career paths as technicians in the trucking industry. The scholarship is named for the late Carl Tapp, the Council’s first chairman, who was known for recognizing and empowering talent in the next generation of technicians. “Carl was a dynamic leader in our industry and helped shape many careers,” Tapp’s former colleague Kenneth Calhoun, fleet optimization manager at Altec, said. “Through this scholarship, we honor his legacy by recruiting and supporting the next generation of technicians as we work toward a stronger, more sustainable workforce for years to come.” Applications will be accepted through April 1 for students beginning coursework in August 2022 or January 2023, based on individual program requirements. ATA plans to name 2022 recipients by May 13. Contact Sarah Newman ([email protected]) for more information about the Scholarship Fund, and find the application at www.arkansastrucking.com/tech-scholarship.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Work on the Interstate 30 widening project in Little Rock and North Little Rock involves weekly lane closures. Double-lane closures on interstate lanes will generally be limited to 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Traffic will be controlled by construction barrels and signage, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation. Daytime closures (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) I-30 frontage roads (single-lane closures) between 4th and 10th Streets in Little Rock President Clinton Avenue (flagging operations) west of Mahlon Martin Street in Little Rock Overnight closures (8 p.m. to 5 a.m.) I-30 (single- and double-lane closures) between Roosevelt Road in Little Rock and Bishop Lindsey Avenue in North Little Rock I-30/I-40 ramps or lanes (single-lane closures) at the north terminal in North Little Rock I-630 eastbound ramp to I-30 eastbound (full closure) in Little Rock; ramp detour signed to exit to northbound frontage road I-30 frontage roads (single-lane closures) between 7th and 10th Streets in Little Rock Work on the first phase of the project — estimated to cost $632 million — began in September 2020. It includes replacing the I-30 bridge over the Arkansas River. The eastbound portion of the bridge is expected to be completed this year. Following is drone footage of the construction project. A 20-second 30 Crossing update 🎥#30Crossing pic.twitter.com/pcCSbmwhrZ — Arkansas Department of Transportation (@myARDOT) February 15, 2022

ATLANTA — Work crews for the Georgia Department of Transportation will conduct preventative bridge maintenance on the Interstate 75 Northwest Corridor (NWC) Express lanes from Akers Mill Road to Hickory Grove Road and along Interstate 575 from I-75 to Sixes Road this weekend. Weather and on-site conditions permitting, the NWC will be closed to the traveling public beginning at 11 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18, until 4 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 21.

MADISON, Wis. — Weather permitting, Wisconsin State Patrol troopers will begin aerial traffic enforcement on Friday, Feb. 18, along Interstate 43 in Walworth County. The department says the goal is “for all motorists to comply with traffic safety laws every time they travel.”

LAGRANGE COUNTY, Ind. —  The Indiana State Police Toll Road Post is conducting a death investigation after an Angola man was struck and killed by an 18-wheeler while walking on the Interstates 80/90 toll road Monday in LaGrange County. The Indiana State Police Toll Road Post received a 911 call at approximately 11:45 p.m. regarding a person walking on the I-80/90 toll road near the 121-mile marker in LaGrange County, according to a news release from the agency. While troopers were in route, a second and third 911 call was received stating that a semi-tractor trailer had struck an object in the roadway in this same area, possibly a person. Troopers from both the toll road post and the Fort Wayne Post responded. The first arriving trooper was on scene at approximately 12:04 a.m. and found an adult male, later identified as Nathanael W. Stewart, 43, of Angola, Indiana, lying unresponsive in the roadway. CPR was started immediately. Other responding troopers arrived on scene within approximately five minutes and assisted in the life saving measures.  The troopers’ efforts continued until being relieved by LaGrange Parkview EMS paramedics, however all life saving measures were unsuccessful. Stewart was pronounced dead at the scene by the LaGrange County Coroner. The driver of the tractor-trailer that struck Stewart was identified as Davinder Singh, 29, of Tracy, California. Singh cooperated fully with the investigating troopers. Although drugs and alcohol were not suspected as contributing causal factors, as part of the standard investigative process required by law, Singh voluntarily submitted to chemical testing. Singh’s semi-trailer was towed from the scene and impounded pending investigative inspection by the ISP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division personnel. Although troopers have not yet determined why Stewart was walking on the interstate, they were able to track footprints in the snow, which suggested he had climbed over from the north side of the interstate fence, coming from the direction of a residence where he had been staying in Sturgis, Michigan. He walked through a side ditch and then onto the interstate. Family notifications have been made.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Love’s Travel Stops’ annual Share the Love event grew this year with the combined donation of $100,000 to 10 nonprofits across the country on behalf of its over 35,000 employees. Additionally, beginning on Valentine’s Day, corporate employees are volunteering at organizations in Oklahoma City, where its corporate offices are located. “We’re excited to be back in person this year, safely volunteering at some of our favorite organizations across Oklahoma City,” Jenny Love Meyer, chief culture officer and executive vice president of Love’s, said. “It’s one of our favorite events each year, and getting to add the store team member component is a great way to make sure all our employees can participate and give back the communities we live and work in.” Since 2013, Love’s corporate employees have spent Valentine’s Day volunteering at Oklahoma City nonprofits for Share the Love. For this year’s event, Love’s teams across the country were able to vote on a nonprofit in their division to donate too. The organization in each division that obtained the most votes received $10,000. Below are the organizations that received a donation: Big Five Community Services in Durant, Oklahoma. Mississippi Children’s Museum in Jackson, Mississippi. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. Ronald McDonald House of Charities Central Indiana in Indianapolis, Indiana. Circle the City in Phoenix, Arizona. Harmony Home Children’s Advocacy Center in Odessa, Texas. Feed More in Richmond, Virginia. Watson Children’s Shelter in Missoula, Montana. The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee in Nashville, Tennessee. Junior Achievement of Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas. For more information on Love’s giving history, visit Loves.com/news.  

PORTLAND, Ore.—DAT Freight & Analytics, a supporter of the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, Kentucky., is the exclusive sponsor of the Friday Night Concert at Freedom Hall, headlined country music star Clay Walker this year. DAT will also have a major presence at the trucking show with live product demos and business workshops. DAT will distribute 12,000 free tickets during show hours on Thursday, March 24, and Friday, March 25, at the company’s booth, No. 65216, in the West Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center. Attendees will have the chance to win a Clay Walker-signed Taylor acoustic guitar, which will be on display at the DAT booth and presented to the winner on stage at the concert. “With Clay, we’re going to celebrate the trucking community and the return of the industry’s premier truck show,” Claude Pumilia, DAT President and CEO, said. “DAT invites all show attendees to sign up for free tickets at our booth and join us at Freedom Hall for a party with one of the music industry’s greatest Country artists.” Clay Walker released his self-titled debut album in 1993 and its first single, “What’s It to You,” reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Since then, he’s had 11 number-one hits, two certified gold albums, four certified platinum albums and more than 1 billion career streams. Celebrating its 50th year in 2022, MATS is the world’s largest and longest-running annual event for the trucking industry. More than 900 exhibitors and 70,000 attendees experience MATS each year, making it the education and innovation epicenter of trucking. For information, visit truckingshow.com.

U.S. CANADIAN BORDER — The Alberta Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has arrested 11 alleged militants after seizing various guns and a large quantity of ammunition from 18-wheelers near the Alberta-Montana border. The RCMP said they became aware of the small, organized group within the larger protest at Coutts, Alberta, Canada. “Information was received that this group had access to a cache of firearms with a large quantity of ammunition,” the RCMP said in a statement. “The group was said to have a willingness to use force against the police if any attempts were made to disrupt the blockade. This resulted in an immediate and complex investigation to determine the extent of the threat and criminal organization.” The Alberta RCMP executed a search warrant on three semi trailers during the early hours of Feb. 14. This resulted in the arrest and detainment of 11 individuals. As result of these search warrants, the following was seized: 13 long guns handguns multiple sets of body armor a machete a large quantity of ammunition high-capacity magazines An example of the militant mindset of a small segment of the protest, earlier in the evening, at approximately 8 p.m., a large farm tractor and a semi-truck, both involved in the blockade, attempted to ram a police vehicle. The police officer was able to reposition and avoid the collision. RCMP officers followed the suspects to a location where the protesters were gathered. “The driver of the tractor was identified, and we are actively working to locate him so he can be taken into custody,” said in its statement. “The Alberta RCMP have seized the farm tractor and semi-truck involved in this incident.” The Alberta RCMP will resume efforts to end the blockade which has prevented access to the Coutts border. “We encourage all participants who are involved in this illegal action to leave immediately or relocate to the designated site for the legal protest,” the RCMP said.