The Nation

WASHINGTON —  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has declared South Dakota-licensed truck driver Clayton Virgil Hall to be an imminent hazard to public safety and has ordered him not to operate any commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce.  Hall was served the federal order on March 27, 2019. In January 2017, during a random USDOT controlled substance test, Hall, a commercial driver’s license (CDL) holder, tested positive for amphetamines, a Schedule II controlled substance for which he did not have a valid prescription.  Federal safety regulations prohibit a CMV driver from being on-duty and possessing or being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. To regain his CDL driving privileges following the positive test result, Hall was required to complete a return-to-duty program involving multiple follow-up controlled substances tests performed under the direction of a substance abuse professional.  On multiple occasions, Hall again tested positive for amphetamines, a controlled substance for which he did not have a valid prescription. In May 2018, Hall announced he was no longer operating a CMV.  In July 2018, however, Hall was stopped in his tractor-trailer by police in Nebraska and subsequently charged with one count of criminal attempt to possess cocaine and one count of criminal attempt to possess methamphetamine.  Hall later pleaded no contest and was found guilty of both charges. Despite failing multiple controlled substance follow-up tests and never fulfilling the return-to-duty substance abuse program as required by federal regulation, Hall has continued to drive his tractor-trailer in interstate commerce as recently as March 2019. FMCSA’s imminent hazard out-of-service order to Hall states “Your blatant and egregious violations of [federal safety regulations] and drug and alcohol regulations and ongoing and repeated disregard for the safety of the motoring public demonstrated by these actions substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death to you and the motoring public.” Failure to comply with the provisions of a federal imminent hazard out-of-service order may result in action by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for equitable relief and punitive damages.  Civil penalties of up to $1,848 may be assessed for each day a CMV is operated in violation of the order.  Knowing and/or willful violation of the order may also result in criminal penalties. Hall also may be subject to a civil penalty enforcement proceeding brought by FMCSA for his violation of the agency’s safety regulations.

MIAMI – According to a survey released Wednesday by the National Safety Council and the Emergency Responder Safety Institute, 71 percent of U.S. drivers take photos or videos when they see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road responding to a fire or a crash, or simply making a routine traffic stop. Sixty percent post to social media, and 66 percent send an email about the situation — all while behind the wheel. Those distracting behaviors are markedly less frequent, but still alarming, during normal driving conditions — 24 percent of drivers surveyed said they take photos or video while driving, 29 percent admitted to using social media and 24 percent said they send email. Worse still, 16 percent — more than 1 in 10 — said they either have struck or nearly struck a first responder or emergency vehicle stopped on or near the road. In spite of all this, 89 percent of drivers say they believe distracted motorists are a major source of risk to first responders. NSC is releasing the survey during Distracted Driving Awareness Month, observed every April to raise awareness and educate about the importance of being attentive behind the wheel. Funding for the survey was provided to the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association through the FEMA Fire Prevention and Firefighter Safety Grant Program. “The cruel irony is, we are putting the people who are trying to improve safety in very unsafe situations,” said Nick Smith, interim president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “Our emergency responders deserve the highest levels of protection as they grapple with situations that are not only tactically difficult but also emotionally taxing. Save your communications for off the road; disconnect and just drive.” Thousands die each year in distracted driving crashes, though National Safety Council investigations show these crashes are significantly underreported and undercounted. Emergency responders are particularly vulnerable, because they exit their vehicles and tend to situations on active roadways. In 2013, 37 people died in crashes involving ambulances, fire trucks or police cars, and an additional 17,028 were injured. Since January, 16 emergency responders have been struck and killed by vehicles. Sadly, 49 percent of survey respondents said possibly being struck by a vehicle is “just part of the risk” of being a first responder. “The Emergency Responder Safety Institute was born 21 years ago following the tragedy of two highway incidents that took the lives of first responders who were struck while helping others,” said Greg Yost, President of the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association, parent organization of the Emergency Responder Safety Institute. “Because of distracted driving, we’ve been focusing our efforts on educating drivers who are often not paying careful enough attention when passing emergency scenes. In 2019, already 16 responders have lost their lives and many others have been injured in these types of crashes,” he said. Other important findings from the poll include: 19 percent of drivers admit their own inattentive driving has probably put first responders at unnecessary risk Despite being willing to engage in risky behaviors while driving around emergency vehicles, 62 percent say they are “above average” drivers when passing an emergency vehicle with its lights flashing on the side of the road 24 percent do not realize that there are legal requirements for what drivers must do when they see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road Even though 97 percent say they will see an emergency vehicle if it has its flashing lights on, 74 percent would still like responders to wear reflective clothing 80 percent of drivers say they slow down to get a better look when they see an emergency response vehicle tending to a fire, crash or traffic stop. Doing so backs up traffic and creates other safety hazards. Encouragingly, 67 percent have heard of “Move Over” laws and 73 percent say they move over when they see an emergency vehicle stopped on the side of the road with its lights on – the proper response on nearly all roadways “Those that serve the public are exposed to a number of risks, including risks from those that they serve,” said I. David Daniels, chair of the NSC Government and Public Sector Division, which initiated the NSC-ERSI partnership. “These two organizations’ joint efforts will most certainly help increase safety for public sector workers and reduce communities’ costs incurred from vehicle crashes involving public employees.”  

EL PASO, Texas — President Donald Trump’s threat to shut down the southern border have raised fears of dire economic consequences in the U.S. and an upheaval of daily life in a stretch of the country that relies on the international flow of not just goods and services but also students, families and workers. Politicians, business leaders and economists warned that such a move would block incoming shipments of fruits and vegetables, TVs, medical devices and other products and cut off people who commute to their jobs or school or come across to go shopping. “Let’s hope the threat is nothing but a bad April Fools’ joke,” said economist Dan Griswold at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Virginia. He said Trump’s threat would be the “height of folly,” noting that an average of 15,000 trucks and $1.6 billion in goods cross the border every day. “If trade were interrupted, U.S. producers would suffer crippling disruptions of their supply chains, American families would see prices spike for food and cars, and U.S. exporters would be cut off from their third-largest market,” he said. Trump brought up the possibility of closing ports of entry along the southern border Friday and revisited it in tweets over the weekend because of a surge of Central Americans migrants who are seeking asylum. Trump administration officials have said the influx is straining the immigration system to the breaking point. Elected leaders from border communities stretching from San Diego to cities across Texas warned that havoc would ensue on both sides of the international boundary if the ports were closed. They were joined by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which said such a step would inflict “severe economic harm.” In California’s Imperial Valley, across from Mexicali, Mexico, farmers rely on workers who come across every day from Mexico to harvest fields of lettuce, carrots, onions and other winter vegetables. Shopping mall parking lots in the region are filled with cars with Mexican plates. More than 60 percent of all Mexican winter produce consumed in the U.S. crosses into the country at Nogales, Arizona. The winter produce season is especially heavy right now, with the import of Mexican-grown watermelons, grapes and squash, said Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas. He said 11,000 to 12,000 commercial trucks cross the border at Nogales daily, laden with about 50 million pounds of produce such as eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, cucumbers and berries. He said a closing of the border would lead to immediate layoffs and result in shortages and price increases at grocery stores and restaurants. “If this happens — and I certainly hope it doesn’t — I’d hate to go into a grocery store four or five days later and see what it looks like,” Jungmeyer said. Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz, chairman of the Texas Border Coalition, said a closure would be catastrophic. “Closing the border would cause an immediate depression in border state communities and, depending on the duration, a recession in the rest of the country,” he said. “Our business would end,” said Marta Salas, an employee at an El Paso shop near the border that sells plastic flowers that are used on the Mexican side by families holding quinceañeras, the traditional coming-of-age celebrations. Salas said her whole family, including relatives who attend the University of Texas at El Paso, would be affected if the border were closed. “There are Americans who live there. I have nephews who come to UTEP, to grade school, to high school every day,” Salas said. Meanwhile, the Trump administration said Monday as many as 2,000 U.S. inspectors who screen cargo and vehicles at ports of entry along the Mexican border may be reassigned to help handle the surge of migrants. Currently, about 750 inspectors are being reassigned. That, too, could slow the movement of trucks and people across the border. The effects were evident Monday: Sergio Amaya, a 24-year-old American citizen who lives in Juarez, Mexico, and attends UTEP, said it normally takes him two minutes to cross the bridge. It took an hour this time. “The Border Patrol agent said it’s going to get worse,” Amaya said. Instead of ensuring the flow of goods across the border, the inspectors are being put to work processing migrants, taking their applications for asylum and transporting them to holding centers. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said the reassignments are necessary to help manage the huge influx that is overloading the system. “The crisis at our border is worsening, and DHS will do everything in its power to end it,” Nielsen said. In addition to reassigning inspectors, Nielsen has asked for volunteers from non-immigration agencies within her department and sent a letter to Congress requesting resources and broader authority to deport families faster. The administration is also ramping up efforts to return asylum seekers to Mexico. Apprehensions all along the southern border have soared in recent months, with border agents on track to make 100,000 arrests and denials of entry there in March, more than half of them families with children.  

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Team drivers Kenn and Beth Zelten and solo driver Steen Gronlund have been named Citizen Driver honorees by TravelCenters of America during a luncheon at the Mid-America Trucking Show here Friday. The Citizen Driver honor recognizes professional drivers who help bring respect to the truck driving profession. The Zeltons reside in Menominee, Michigan; Gronlund lives at Longmont, Colorado. TravelCenters, which operates the TA, Petro Stopping Centers and TA Express travel center brands, launched the Citizen Driver program in 2013 in an effort to honor the many great, hardworking professional truck drivers that keep our economy going, according to Barry Richards, president and COO of TravelCenters. Citizen Drivers not only have an exemplary career in trucking, they honor the great profession of truck driving by demonstrating their good citizenship, safety, community involvement, and leadership, he said. Each driver honored in the program has a TA or Petro location named after them. The 2019 Citizen Drivers are listed below. They will also be the recipients of individual banquets and unveiling ceremonies hosted by TA executives at their chosen locations. The Zeltens have chosen the TA location in Zion, Illinois. Gronlund has chosen the Laramie, Wyoming, Petro Signs will be mounted at these locations and dedication ceremonies will take place soon. With this group of honorees, there are now more than 30 TA or Petro Stopping Centers locations across the country dedicated to drivers to honor them and all professional truck drivers. “Every year we get so many worthy nominations for this program,” Richards said. “We are proud of the image that these professionals and all our nominees exemplify on and off the road. Professional truck drivers play a critical role in moving our economy forward and we honor them through this program.” TravelCenters accepted nominations for the 2019 Citizen Drivers from June until October 2018, and received entries from a wide variety of people—fleet owners and executives, other drivers, family members, trucking organization members, and trucking industry suppliers—who wanted to recognize the deserving drivers who have touched their lives. Selected members of the trucking media served as judges. The judges review dossiers for the finalists for Citizen Drivers, and select professional drivers who demonstrate an exemplary, professional career and one balanced by volunteerism, good deeds and giving back. Nomination instructions for the 2020 Citizen Driver Awards will be posted in the near future.          

WASHINGTON — Finding a bipartisan solution to funding surface transportation and other infrastructure needs remains a major challenge in Congress, according to the chair and ranking member of the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. Speaking during the “Transforming Transportation” roundtable sponsored by Axios and Uber, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat and the at-large-representative for the District of Columbia, as well as the chair of the House Highways and Transit subcommittee, said “money is the long and short of it. I would say that while our committee is the most bipartisan in Congress, the big divide is how we pay for transportation.” She added that “we are no further along on the discussion over money than we were four years ago” when Congress passed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation or FAST Act, according to an article in the Journal of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). “The world of transportation has changed and the way we are supposed to pay for it is changing,” Holmes said. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., the subcommittee’s ranking member, agreed with Norton’s view, saying it is “difficult to raise the gas tax,” especially as more fuel-efficient cars and trucks along with wider use of electric vehicles is “decimating” the revenue stream feeding into the Highway Trust Fund. Davis said during the event that he believes transportation funding needs to be viewed like a 401 (k) retirement account. “We need multiple sources of revenues feeding into the Highway Trust Fund, not just the gas tax,” he said. “Relying on just the gas tax is like relying on just one stock to fund your entire 401 (k).” Norton noted, however, that many states are boosting transportation funding on their own – including raising fuel taxes. “That says to me [raising fuel taxes] is not a controversial issue,” she said. “Congress must have guts to do what it has to do or come up with a different system” to fund transportation needs. Norton added that alternative funding methods, such as a vehicle miles traveled or VMT fee, are only being adopted slowly. “Even that [the VMT fee] is controversial, in terms of how we measure it and whether it is an invasion of privacy,” she said. “There are states in the West trying it out – but that’s closest we’ve come to a new vision.” In the end, Norton stressed that to improve transportation, “it is going to cost us one way or another. We either pay for it or be stuck in the Eisenhower era of transportation and infrastructure.”  8      

OMAHA, Neb. — Many states are still tirelessly working to recover after catastrophic flooding affected parts of the Midwest recently. Hundreds of families lost their homes, livestock, family pets, farm animals and some even lost family members. Werner Enterprises is assisting with relief efforts across Nebraska after areas surrounding the company’s global headquarters in Omaha were impacted. Werner has provided a significant cash donation along with providing a driver to help move supplies for the American Red Cross in Lincoln, Nebraska. Additionally, Werner donated two temperature-controlled trailers to hold perishable donations for those affected in Blair and Gretna, Nebraska. A Werner trailer was also provided to the American Legion Post 32 in Papillion and to the Peace Presbyterian Church in Elkhorn, Nebraska, to store the donations they’ve received for those in need. A Werner trailer has also been provided for the Nebraska Humane Society to collect donations for affected pets. Werner and the Dollar General Corp. teamed up to donate 19 pallets of water to the Lincoln National Guard. A Werner professional driver also transported a full truckload of water for the Salvation Army from Omaha to Spencer, Nebraska. A Werner professional driver transported a load of flood relief supplies from Lillington, North Carolina, to Omaha, Nebraska, for the Crossing All Borders Ministry. Additionally, Werner’s volunteer group, the Blue Brigade, is ready to assist with volunteer efforts where needed. The devastation of this historic flooding is hitting close to home for some Werner associates. Information Exchange Specialist Jay Vrana has seen the devastation first hand. She lives at Thomas Lake, near Ashland, Nebraska. Jay and her husband were stranded inside their home for four days, finally able to return to work Wednesday, March 20, after a temporary road was opened. “Saturday night was brutal,” Jay said. “We woke up and our house was an island. They said they evacuated everyone and went door to door, but no one came to our house.” She says her family is lucky though, her neighbors on the other side of the lake can’t leave their homes, except by air boat because of a bridge collapse. Company Store Manager Julie Mogler and her husband know firsthand the impact of recent flooding. They had been stranded inside their Riverside Lakes neighborhood near 228th and Dodge in Waterloo, Nebraska for seven days, finally able to return to work Friday, March 22. The only entrance in and out of their neighborhood was under water. “We are really lucky there wasn’t any water in our basement or sewage issues,” Julie said. She and her neighbors were instructed to put towels in their drains to prevent sewage back up and sandbags were placed throughout the neighborhood to keep the water at bay. Officials instructed residents to avoid using the plumbing system for several days. Julie says the residents in her neighborhood have come together to support one another and are very fortunate for the air boats that have brought in supplies like milk and fresh fruit. The owner of Oscars Pizza & Sports Grille in Omaha personally delivered 35 pizzas by air boat to the neighborhood residents. “I have mixed emotions right now, it’s pretty stressful,” Julie said. “I’m just trying to focus on the positive. It’s all very exhausting but all in all, we’re very grateful.” Werner recently provided a semi-trailer, driven by professional driver Mark Kreger, to be filled with donations for the Nebraska Humane Society at 90th and Fort in Omaha, Nebraska. It has been staffed from 9 a.m. through 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. on weekends for donations. Operations Supervisor Stacy White, her two young boys and two family dogs were forced to leave their home as water levels continued to rise in their small lake community. White lives in Villa Springs, which is right on the Platte River near Springfield, Nebraska. “We’re doing good, we were very lucky,” White said. For two days White and her family slept in their camper on a friend’s property. Her two sons, Conner and Ethan, handled the chaos well, bringing their video games with them to pass the time before they could go back home. Not all the water is gone from White’s neighborhood, so she doesn’t know the extent of the damage to her yard, but she is extremely grateful there wasn’t any damage to her home. As relief efforts continue, Werner has provided a temperature-controlled trailer to the Christian Church of Waterloo to store an overflow of food donations that will help feed flood victims. Communities are starting the long process of recovery following the floods. That includes Director of Equipment Resources Corey Reed. His cabin in Waterloo, Nebraska, which sits near the Elkhorn river, was flooded with more than a foot of water inside. His furniture, wood floors and personal belongings were all ruined. His shed with his snow blower, lawn mower and other equipment was also destroyed. Reed, his wife and stepson evacuated from their small community near 240th and F streets on March 14, staying in a hotel for a week before relocating to stay with a friend. “It’s extremely stressful,” said Reed. “Not knowing all the damage and we still have many weeks until we can move back in and we wonder where we are going to live.” Reed has been going back to his cabin every day, working to clean up the mud and sand. He’s been grabbing clothes they left behind and spending a lot of time washing them since they all smell like river water. Reed and his wife didn’t think they would be gone from their home this long or have this much damage, so they only took a few suitcases with them when they evacuated. Reed and his neighbors are waiting for the county to fix the roads so larger trucks and machines can move in and help fix the damage around their homes. FEMA has contacted Reed and his family and are coming to their property on Thursday, March 28, to inspect the damage. Reed says they’ve spent the last 10 years remodeling their cabin, and it’s sad to see their work flooded. Corey and his family say they are extremely appreciative of the support they have received from friends and family during this difficult time. Werner associates have an employee relief fund that benefits associates who experience circumstances like the flooding and Werner is matching each contribution, dollar for dollar.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Trucking Associations Thursday, along with three motor carriers representing the industry, appealed last week’s decision by the federal district court in Rhode Island to dismiss their challenge to Rhode Island’s RhodeWorks truck-only toll program, on procedural grounds. In its challenge, ATA contends that Rhode Island’s truck-only toll scheme is unconstitutional because it discriminates against interstate trucking companies and impedes the flow of interstate commerce. In its March 19, 2019, decision dismissing the case, the district court did not address the merits of that constitutional claim. Instead, it held only that ATA’s challenge could not proceed in federal court. “Since RhodeWorks was first proposed, the trucking industry has been strong and united in opposition to this extortionate plan. We’ve warned politicians in Rhode Island that these truck-only tolls were unconstitutional and should be rolled back,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “It is unfortunate that Gov. (Gina) Raimondo and her administration did not heed those warnings. While we are disappointed the district court’s decision means further delay in seeing these tolls rolled back, our appeal of the dismissal of our case on a technicality should demonstrate to the state that this fight is by no means over, and we look forward to establishing the unconstitutionality of Rhode Island’s discriminatory tolls on the merits.” In its suit, ATA, along with Cumberland Farms, M&M Transport Services and New England Motor Freight, argues that the RhodeWorks plan violates the Constitution’s Commerce Clause by discriminating against out-of-state trucking companies, and by designing the tolls in a way that does not fairly approximate motorists’ use of the roads. “From the outset of this debate, Rhode Island’s trucking industry and business community stepped forward as viable partners for long-overdue infrastructure investment in our state,” said Chris Maxwell, president of the Rhode Island Trucking Association.  “Instead of considering our perspective, Rhode Island’s leaders, led by Gov. Raimondo, marginalized us, dismissed us and chose the unfortunate path of designing, building and executing an unlawful and unequitable scheme of truck-only tolling.  Meanwhile, Rhode Island continues to invest already scarce infrastructure resources on toll gantries knowing they are likely to have their toll scheme overturned by the courts.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For most people who attended the first day of the 2019 Mid-America Trucking Show, March 28, the show ended at 6 p.m. But for a few dozen, the celebration simply moved from the Kentucky Exposition Center about a half mile away to the Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Hotel for a ceremony that has long been associated with the show. Since its inception in 1983, The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company has honored truck drivers who put themselves in harm’s way to help others with its Highway Hero Award. In keeping with the tradition, the three finalists for this year’s award were brought together so they could all be honored and their stories told. “Our Highway Hero finalists today are true heroes,” Goodyear Marketing Director Gary Medalis said to the audience before introducing the three drivers. Medalis said as he was anticipating this year’s award, he started thinking about what it means to be a hero. The dictionary says it’s a person who is “admired for great or brave acts,” he said. In its 36 years, the drivers who’ve been recognized by Highway Hero Award have proven that heroism can take many forms and assert itself in many situations, he added, and the trio who’d been selected the 2019 nominees certainly add to the definition of heroism. Prior to the ceremony, The Trucker spoke with each of the nominees. The first was Darrell Atkins, a professional truck driver for 27 years, Atkins has been with JB Hunt for the past 19 years and was expecting to reach the 2 million-mile mark sometime in mid-April. The incident for which Atkins was nominated happened one morning while he was driving a load in Arizona. He recalled he’d changed lanes to let a car onto the highway, and how the elderly couple inside waved at him as they passed him and then pulled in front of a bus. About 5 miles down the road, he said, the vehicle reappeared from in front of the bus, careening off into the median, where it landed on its roof. The bus stopped, and so did Atkins. The bus had somehow clipped the vehicle. Atkins went over to the vehicle, but he couldn’t see the people inside because the side airbags had deployed. He knocked on the window and got their attention and got them to unlock their doors. Atkins said he opened the driver side, where the woman was hanging upside down, still strapped to her seat. “I said, ‘Hey, baby, how you doin’?’ and she said, ‘Oh, I just need to get out of here.’” Another motorist came and helped, and they got the woman and her two dogs out. Then Atkins went over to get the man, who was lying on his back on the roof of the inverted vehicle. The man tried to roll out but was in pain. Atkins asked him breathe in and out a few times, and when there was no gurgling sound he knew the man didn’t have a punctured lung and was safe to move. Once he got the couple together a safe distance from the vehicle, they told him there was a third dog in a carrier. He went back, found the carrier and opened it to find their shih tzu, “And when I opened that crate, you know that little Tasmanian Devil come out of there and bit me, like, five times before I could get it back in the crate.” Atkins said after emergency personnel arrived and he told the couple he had to get on his way, the wife said, “Young man, be careful out there, the roads are dangerous.” “I thought, wow, she’s just been in this accident, and she’s worried about me.” The next nominee, Don Frederick, of Kimbolton, Ohio, drives for XPO Logistics.  It was about 11:30 a.m. one morning, Frederick recalled, and he was near the little town of New Athens, Ohio, near the West Virginia state line. He was riding a familiar road, one that he described as “a goat path – real winding.” He was behind a coal truck, common in that area, for a few miles. Frederick said he was giving the coal truck some distance. After passing through New Athens, they got to a hairpin curve. “I didn’t really think he was going that fast, but you could see the coal was in the back of the truck instead of in the center,” Frederick said. “And he got it in that turn and snapped it and over it went.” The coal truck tipped over and was resting on its driver side. Frederick stopped and looked inside the coal truck. Frederick was concerned because the coal truck’s engine was still running and it was smoking. “I could see him fumbling around in the cab,” Frederick said. The man had a severe laceration to the forehead. Frederick was able to remove the seal and pull out the rear window. He was able to reach in and turn the engine off then he managed to get the driver out. The man was bleeding from the neck and arm even more so than he was from the head. “I remember when the paramedics got there, him telling them that he was on blood thinners,” Frederick said. Before the paramedics got there, Frederick laid the coal truck driver down, put his feet up and applied pressure to his wounds. A former Marine, Frederick is also an outdoorsman and hunter, and to him part of that means knowing some first aid. They were in a pretty rural area, Frederick said, but the paramedics got there fairly quickly and took over. He tried to follow up, but he never has been able to find out how that coal truck driver fared. The third finalist, Paul Mathias, a driver for System Transport, was in his hometown of Phoenix, starting his workday one morning, when he stopped at a red light. He watched as a woman in an SUV went to make a left turn as the light was changing. But a dump truck coming in the opposite direction came straight through and T-boned her vehicle. Later, Mathias said, the driver of the dump truck admitted he hadn’t hit his brakes at all before the collision. The SUV went spinning before coming to a stop near Mathias’ truck. Mathias, who had his headset on, dialed 911. When he got to the SUV, the woman who’d been driving had already gotten out and was getting her unconscious son out, despite being injured herself. As they started performing CPR on the boy, she told Mathias her 9-year-old daughter was still inside. Mathias got in the SUV. And found the girl was pinned in place. The 911 dispatcher told Mathias to check for a pulse. When he couldn’t find one, the mother started crying, and the dispatcher told Mathias to go back out and continue CPR on the boy. Mathias said emergency personnel got there within three minutes. It was too late for the little girl, but the boy and his mother survived. This accident was indicative of a problem he sees everywhere, Mathias said. “When that light turns yellow, people just gun it. The yellow light should mean to slow down.” At the hotel ceremony, Medalis announced Mathias had been selected the Goodyear’s Highway Hero for 2019. As he accepted the commemorative ring that was part of his prize package, Mathias said he hoped this award and the stories of himself and his fellow nominees would inspire others to help others when they see someone in need. “That’s what we’re here for, to help each other.”  

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — TMAF released results of a recent national poll and detailed five years of efforts during a news conference Thursday at the Mid-America Trucking Show here in celebration of the initiative’s fifth anniversary. TMAF commissioned the new research last month to determine perceptions of the industry from the motoring public. Key findings include: 67 percent of American drivers have a favorable view of the trucking industry. This was nearly the same as 2015 at 68 percent. 74 percent of American drivers believe the trucking industry plays a very important role in the nation’s economy, up from 71 percent in 2015. 70 percent of motorists are overwhelmingly positive about the trucking industry’s safety record; the same in 2015. 86 percent view trucking as a career versus a temporary job, the same as 2015. A growing percentage of American motorists, 57 percent, believe that trucks move more freight than railroads or airplanes, an increase from 49 percent in 2015. Though a small percentage of motorists have seen, heard or read information about TMAF, of those who have, 83 percent have a more favorable view of the industry. The online survey, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, surveyed 800 American adults with driver’s licenses from February 14-18, 2019, and it compared results from a replicated survey from 2015. A breakdown of the research findings, including verbatim responses, can be found here. “TMAF was founded five years ago to help shift the public’s perception of the trucking industry, which had suffered from an outdated and tarnished reputation,” said Kevin Burch, co-chairman of TMAF and president of Jet Express. “We’re proud of the milestones we’ve accomplished in five years. Our latest poll shows that more Americans recognize that truck drivers are hardworking professionals who work diligently to safely deliver our goods on time. Motorists have a much more positive view of the industry now, describing truck drivers as the ‘backbone of our country.’ Americans also understand the industry plays a very important role in the country’s economy.” Burch said TMAF would extend its message more broadly through outreach and educational efforts in an effort to reach more of the motoring public and continue to shift public perception even further to the positive. During the press conference, a video  highlighted TMAF’s accomplishments over five years since its inception, including: 200 donors 3,410 subscribers 240 trailer wraps on the road, reaching a total of 38.4 billion Americans each year More than 344 million advertising impressions More than 200 earned media placements totaling 162 million impressions 16, 276 Facebook followers; 4,586 Twitter followers; 1,100 Instagram followers 24 blog posts TMAF’s 2018 accomplishments are showcased in its newly released 2018 Annual Report titled “Miles in a Movement: Advancing the image of the trucking industry.” To view the report, click here. An infographic that summarizes the report can be found here. Highlights of TMAF’s accomplishments in 2018 alone include: 35 million billboard impressions and 385K social media impressions during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. 47 earned media stories and placed 11 op-eds, resulting in 35.5 million print impressions. 254 million radio listener impressions. 16,000 Facebook followers; 4,500 Twitter followers 116 percent growth on Instagram; 79 percent growth on LinkedIn. Mascot Safety Sammy traveled across the U.S. and helped TMAF reach more than 130,000 attendees at events.              

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Republican-led Missouri House on Tuesday advanced a $100 million spending plan for roads and bridges that one Democrat said would mean “paving our roads on the backs of higher education.” Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith’s proposal is unusual because it draws from un-earmarked general tax revenue. Road and bridge work has previously been funded primarily through the state’s gas tax, federal funding and fees. During Tuesday’s debate, several Democrats criticized the plan for taking money from the same pot that’s used to pay for services like public education, public defenders and care for people with developmental disabilities. “We’re taking this money and literally paving our roads on the backs of higher education,” Democratic Rep. Greg Razer of Kansas City said. Smith’s plan is one of several competing proposals — including a plan by GOP Gov. Mike Parson to borrow $350 million for bridge repairs — to fund infrastructure after a gas tax hike on the November ballot was defeated. The recommendation to borrow millions hasn’t played well with some of Parson’s fellow Republicans in the Legislature. Smith said by using existing funds instead, the state would save an estimated $100 million in interest on debt payments. “I’m opposed to going further into debt as a state when I see very clearly that we can afford to take a pay-as-you-go approach,” he said. Smith also said he intends to continue pouring $100 million into infrastructure each year for the next several years, but that’s not guaranteed. Razer said that uncertainty would make it difficult for the Missouri Department of Transportation to plan construction projects that sometimes take years to compete and can cost significantly more than $100 million. Other highlights of the draft budget include roughly $61 million more for core K-12 education funding compared to the current fiscal year and flat funding for colleges and universities. The fiscal year ends in June. The budget package also includes a ban on state money from being used to expand who is eligible for Medicaid under former President Barack Obama’s health care law, despite an unsuccessful Democratic attempt to strip out that ban. The bills need another vote of approval in the House to move to the Senate.    

ATLANTA — The North American Commercial Vehicle Show, a biennial B2B trucking industry event focusing on the needs of fleet owners, managers and decision makers, said Wednesday that online registration is open for the 2019 trade show. The NACV Show 2019 will take place at the Georgia World Congress Center from October 28-31. NACV Show 2019 exhibition space is predicted to exceed NACV Show 2017 event space by 60 percent. Fleet industry professionals can register to attend online at https://nacvshow.com/registration/. Accredited media are eligible for complimentary registration. “The NACV Show 2019 will showcase leading truck and trailer manufacturers and commercial vehicle parts and components suppliers and emerging technologies, including electric trucks and new innovations in safety, mileage and fleet maintenance,” said Carmen Diaz, show manager for the NACV Show. “Our team has worked tirelessly in developing content, both for the show floor and classroom, as well as interactive experiences to allow us to more than double our 2017 attendance.” This year’s trade show features many new and enhanced attendee experiences targeting managers of both large and mid-size fleets, Diaz said. New on-floor experiences include a connectivity zone for demonstrating the latest technologies such as telematics, an “Ask the Expert” workshop where industry professionals will share their knowledge and educational programming theater free to all trade show attendees. New fee-based conference programs, featuring industry visionaries, will be held off the trade show floor immediately prior to the opening of NACV Show 2019. The last day of the trade show will feature fleet operational bench-marking workshops, with more details released closer to the event. The event’s organizers will publish the entire trade show floor plan and list of exhibitors online in early April. For more information about exhibiting, contact Bill Fox at [email protected] or Dawn-Marie Copin at [email protected]. For more information about attending, contact Ashley Olian at [email protected].