Truckload Authority - Winter 2014/15

Trucking Moves America Forward | Wreaths Across America Gala In Review | tca Health Fairs
OOF F IF CI IC AI L A L P UP BU LB I LC IA CT AI OT IN O oN f ot f h e t hT e r UT rC ku Lc Ok Al d o aC d a rC ra ire r s i e Ar s sAO sC sI Ao TcI Oi aN
t i o n
Winter 2014-15
In this issue:
No Trust, No Funds
New Congress, same roads? 6
Top ten
Our list of the top trucking
stories of 2014. 10
Filling the Seats
Optimize your recruiting
media strategy.
26
Dallas
and the
Dog Days
of Winter
18

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Winter Edition | TCA 2014-15
President’s Purview
Trucking Traditions
At this time of the year, we celebrate great American traditions that make the holidays
so special, and the Truckload Carriers Association currently is involved in two big events that
positively spotlight our industry.
On the day I wrote this column, the U.S Capitol Christmas Tree was lit during a ceremony
televised by C-SPAN. This year’s tree made a 2,000-mile journey from northern Minnesota
and was delivered by a volunteer professional driver.
I was fortunate enough to be in the Chippewa National Forest when the tree was harvested,
and in the cab of the custom Kenworth truck when the tree pulled up to the U.S. Capitol.
Along the way, the general public had the opportunity to view the tree and the lengthy tractor-trailer
at whistle stops, including one hosted by TCA prior to a Cleveland Browns football
game.
Now I am preparing to ride in another convoy from Maine to Washington that will give
the public a glimpse of the professionalism and patriotism that our industry often displays.
This trip is in conjunction with Wreaths Across America, whose mission of Remember, Honor,
Teach is carried out in part by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies on the headstones of
fallen soldiers.
TCA is honored to participate in this week-long “Veteran’s Parade” with several stops
along the way to spread Wreaths Across America’s message about the importance of remembering
our fallen heroes, honoring those who serve, and teaching our children about the ultimate
sacrifices paid to preserve our freedoms.
Brad Bentley
President
Truckload Carriers Association
bbentley@truckload.org
This convoy is only a small part of TCA’s commitment to Wreaths Across America. In
addition to raising funds to cover the cost of placing wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery,
we manage logistics for the entire program, which includes deliveries to hundreds of locations
nationwide.
For the third year in a row, TCA Highway Angel spokesperson and country singer Lindsay
Lawler is set to perform at the opening ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. Lindsay is
a great ambassador for the trucking industry, and we are proud of our association with her.
As your new TCA President, I hope to continue the great trucking traditions started by my
predecessors and the many members who already support the numerous programs that help
tell trucking’s story.
Brad Bentley
PRESIDENT’S PICKS
Top 10
Our list of trucking’s biggest
stories of the year.
Page 10
Dallas and the Dog Days of Winter
Go inside the world of two-time
Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey.
Page 18
WAA Gala in Review
See what made the 2nd annual
WAA Gala such a special evening.
Page 44
TCA 2014-15 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority

The
Road
Map
rOUtinG & nAViGAtiOn
PrOViDeD BY
Winter 2014-15
President’s Purview
3 | Trucking Traditions by Brad Bentley
LegisLative Look-in
6 | No Trust, No Funds
10 | Top 10 of 2014
12 | From Where We Sit
14 | Capitol Recap
18 | nationaL news maker sponsored by J. J. Keller & AssociAtes, inc.
Dallas and the Dog Days of Winter with Dallas Seavey
tracking the trends sponsored by sKybitz
26 | Filling the Seats
30 | Mobile Revolution
member maiLroom
33 | Truckload Academy
555 E. Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA 22314
www.Truckload.org
chairman of the board
Shepard Dunn
President & CEO, Bestway Express
President
Brad Bentley
bbentley@truckload.org
vice President – deveLoPment
Debbie Sparks
dsparks@truckload.org
director of education
Ron Goode
rgoode@truckload.org
second vice chair
Russell Stubbs
President & CEO
FFE Transportation Services Inc.
secretary
Daniel Doran
President
Ace Doran Hauling & Rigging
executive vice President
William Giroux
wgiroux@truckload.org
director, safety & PoLicy
Dave Heller
dheller@truckload.org
first vice chair
Keith Tuttle
President, Motor Carrier Service Inc.
treasurer
Rob Penner
Executive Vice President & COO
Bison Transport
immediate Past chair
Tom B. Kretsinger, Jr.
President & CEO
American Central Transport
The viewpoints and opinions of those quoted in articles in this
publication are not necessarily those of TCA.
In exclusive partnership with America’s Trucking Newspaper:
a chat with the chairman sponsored by Mcleod softwAre
34 | Make the Season Bright with Shepard Dunn
taLking tca
40 | Small Talk
43 | Health Fairs
44 | Wreaths Across America Gala in Review
46 | Mark Your Calendar
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© 2014-2015 Trucker Publications Inc., all rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission
prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. All advertisements
and editorial materials are accepted and published by Truckload Authority and its exclusive
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Cover Photo by Michael DeYoung
AP Images: p. 14, 20, 21, 22
Bartholomew Photography: p. 34,
35, 36, 38, 39
Dallas Seavey p. 3, 21
FotoSearch: p. 6, 7, 8, 10,11, 13, 26,
27, 30, 46
Additional magazine
photography courtesy of:
J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc: p. 18, 19, 21
Jason Dixson Photography: p. 3, 44, 45
TCA: p. 3, 43,
Maxim Magazine: p. 11
The Trucker News Organization:
p. 3, 6, 7, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 30, 33
4
Truckload
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2014-15
2014-15

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Winter Edition | TCA 2014-15
Legislative Look-In
By Lyndon Finney
Gather a group of politicians and consultants together, and if you
were outdoors outside the Capitol on a cold December day you’d
probably have trouble getting a consensus on the weather, even if everyone
was standing by a thermometer that read 32 degrees.
Those from the North would call it a heat wave.
Those from the South would call it bone-chilling cold.
(Those from the left coast would probably have to consult with the California
Air Resources Board before rendering an opinion).
But there’s no difference of opinion about the biggest — and most critical
— issue facing the trucking industry in the wake of the 2014 mid-term
elections, and the party affiliation of the new Senate and House members
has little bearing on the most-watched challenge the 114th Congress faces
when it convenes January 3, 2015.
“Legislation to reauthorize the federal surface transportation programs
and address the nation’s highways and bridges will be one of the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s top priorities,” Rep. Bill
Shuster, the committee chairman, told Truckload Authority. Shuster is probably
the most influential transportation voice on Capitol Hill. He has been
beating the bandwagon for a new transportation bill for months, but was
unsuccessful in getting a replacement for MAP-21, which expired earlier
this year, only to be extended by an embattled Congress.
He promises bipartisanship as the panel pushes ahead next year.
“Over the last two years, our committee has worked well with the
Senate committees to move transportation legislation forward, and that
includes both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate,” Shuster said.
“With Republicans gaining control of the Senate in this election, House and
Senate committee leaders’ philosophies may now be more in line with one
another, but in the House we will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion
as we move forward and work with anyone interested in improving our
infrastructure and keeping America competitive.”
Three transportation analysts agree with Shuster’s push, but caution financing
the Highway Trust Fund will be no easy trick, regardless of the political
make-up of Congress.
“We need a highway bill. The problem is everyone agrees we need a new
bill, but no one has figured out how to fund it,” said George Reagle, former
associate administrator of the Office of Motor Carriers at the Federal Highway
Administration (forerunner of today’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
and now a consultant in Washington noted for his broad knowledge of
trucking, particularly in areas of carrier safety technologies. “Except for this
last time (MAP-21), we’ve generally had six-year bills. I really worry whether
it’s Republicans or Democrats [in control], that we’ll ever see another six-year
highway bill. And that obviously affects the hell out of the trucking industry because
if we don’t have good highways, we’re in deep trouble. Unless they can
figure out how to fund it, my guess is we end up with a one- or two-year bill.”
And a short-term bill, Reagle said, puts states in a dilemma because they
can only do short-term planning.
“States really can’t lay out a five-year plan and no matter where you drive,
you see that our roads are in terrible shape,” he said, noting that the United
States transportation system, which used to be rated the best in the world,
now ranks only 21st. “We need a long-term funding program not only to maintain
what we have, but to make it better. We have to see the Republicans get
together and come up with a highway bill.”
Laura O’Neill is a Washington attorney and a former lobbyist for the Owner-Operator
Independent Drivers Association who is now a principal at Twenty
First Century Group.
“Traditionally, transportation has been an area where the two parties have
gotten along, although there have been recent hurdles,” she told Truckload
Authority. “I think you have a desire on both sides to work together and set
aside partisan differences. I don’t think there was [a past] reluctance from the
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee under Democratic
leadership to work with the House T and I Committee under Republican leadership.
So I don’t think there will be changes for better or worse. I think the
desire to work together is genuine and remains.”
O’Neill believes that a highway bill can be moved through Shuster’s committee
with the help of new T and I ranking member Peter DeFazio of Oregon,
but wonders how it will fare with House GOP leadership. He is replacing Rep.
Nick Rahall, D-W. Va., who lost a re-election bid for a 20th term.
“I am optimistic that it can,” she said. “Finding consensus in the Senate in
order to avoid procedural opposition will also be a hurdle, but I believe surface
transportation is an issue where common ground can be achieved. One difficulty,
as with any new Congress, is that you have a large group of people
who are new to the process so there is a learning curve which will slow down
movement. It’s understandable and not insurmountable. You have two very
capable transportation veterans running the committee and I believe there is
a willingness for a new framework.”
Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

But like Reagle, O’Neill brings up the issue of money.
“I don’t believe we will see one funding mechanism that will be the primary
source for a highway bill,” she said. “I think we will likely see an amalgamation
of sources that help disperse the impact on any one demographic. Truckers
will likely see an increase in the diesel tax because large segments of the
industry have been receptive to that idea, but it won’t be the sole source.”
Heather Caygle, who reports on transportation issues for Politico Pro-
Transportation, said finding the money will be a tough sell.
“A broad range of infrastructure advocates are hopeful that lawmakers will
take a bold step by approving both a long-term policy bill and the roughly $100
billion needed to fund it,” Caygle wrote in a post-election report. “But that’s a
tough sell, and time is limited. Members have until the end of May to approve
either an ambitious plan or to ‘plus-up’ the trust fund and pass another policy
extension. A number of lawmakers and transportation watchers say tax reform
is the best bet on the funding side of the equation, but there are several big
political hurdles in the way, and even if tax reform happens, you can bet that
transportation won’t be the only area clamoring for a slice of the money pie.”
Reagle said tax reform as a source of money for the Highway Trust Fund
would be a by-product of a Republican-led Congress, but that lawmakers
would be reluctant to increase the federal tax on diesel and gasoline, the option
most trucking industry stakeholders believe is the best way to come up
with that $100 billion.
“Republicans are opposed to tax increases, so you would have to present
it as something other than a gas tax increase and I don’t know if that’s possible,”
Reagle said. “One of the things I’ve heard from experts is that the highway
bill may be tied to tax reform. I think there will be a growing desire to do
tax reform. That issue is important to anybody in business and in particularly
the trucking industry. If you compare our tax rate for business to the rest of the
world, we pay much higher business taxes than anybody else.”
Americans seem to agree with Republicans.
A recent survey commissioned by the American Trucking Associations
showed that only 29 percent of Americans favor raising federal taxes on gas
and diesel by 5 cents a year every other year for the next eight years.
There’s one other ambitious, and probably controversial, solution to solving
the trust fund shortfall.
It’s called devolution.
“There is a small group of GOP senators who want to devolve the program
and say the purpose of the highway bill was to build the infrastructure and
now it’s time to turn it back to the states,” Reagle said. “That discussion has
been there forever, but I’m hearing it a little more loudly than in the past, so
we have to mix that issue into the equation as well. It’s a very small group but
it’s very vocal.”
Regardless of the funding bill’s final language, Shuster promised accountability
to the American public.
“Congress has not yet reached agreement on how to fund the Highway
Trust Fund and our surface transportation infrastructure into the future,” he
said. “While any such proposals in the House would originate in the Ways
and Means Committee, I will work with incoming Chairman Paul Ryan, House
leadership, and others to try to identify the most fiscally responsible and effective
solutions to addressing our needs.”
The makeup of Shuster’s committee for the 114th Congress had not been
finalized by early December, but it will be quite different than the 113th T and
I Committee.
Several current members were defeated for re-election, some retired, a
few left to run for other offices and there will be more Republican members
because the GOP gained more seats in the House.
The biggest change is at the leadership level, where DeFazio takes over
the ranking member position following the defeat of current ranking member
Rahall of West Virginia, who lost his bid for a 20th term.
Gaygle and Adam Snider, also who reports for Politico Pro-Transportation,
said DeFazio, known for his fiery temperament (he was the most vocal opponent
of the trucking cross-border demonstration project and led the fight to
kill the first pilot project in 2009), will play a significant role in negotiations for a
new highway bill, trying to ensure that at least some Democratic priorities are
included in any long-term bill.
“Unlike Rahall, DeFazio represents a district that is safely Democratic and
his priorities as ranking member could reflect that,” Caygle and Snider wrote.
“He’s also been known to vocally clash with Republicans and won’t be shy if
there are things he doesn’t like in a GOP-led transportation bill.”
On the need for a long-term highway bill, DeFazio has taken a strong
stance.
“For far too long, Congress has taken the easy way out when it comes to
investing in our nation’s transportation infrastructure, relying on short-term
patches for long-standing problems,” he said shortly after being chosen as
ranking member. “But we can’t afford to merely kick the can down the road
yet again. We are approaching a critical juncture concerning transportation
issues in our country.
“Millions of American jobs are directly tied to infrastructure and it’s not acceptable
to keep shortchanging future generations by allowing the American
TCA 2014-15 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority

infrastructure to deteriorate to third world status,” he
said, quickly noting that there are “nearly 150,000
structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges
on our roads today; trucks are being rerouted because
of weight restrictions and people are wasting time and
gasoline in traffic.”
“The U.S. must do better,” he proclaimed. “As ranking
member, I will be a tireless advocate for the kind
of infrastructure investment that results in job creation,
increased efficiency and strategic growth. Two key vehicles
for this investment include the Federal Aviation
Administration and surface transportation authorization
bills, both of which I plan to tackle immediately in a bipartisan
fashion with Chairman Shuster. Together, we
can lay the groundwork for infrastructure investment
that delivers for generations to come.”
Over in the Senate, South Dakota’s John Thune
will take over the chairmanship of the Commerce, Science
and Transportation Committee.
Not much is known about the direction in which
Thune will lead the committee and he did not respond
to repeated requests to answer questions for this article,
but Reagle offered an opinion.
“I would think No. 1 he would
want a reauthorization bill,” Reagle
said.
While a new highway bill is
top of mind for the new Congress,
trucking industry executives also
are concerned about how the new
Congress will view the matter of
regulatory affairs.
Shuster said he’s aware of the
importance of the trucking industry
to the American economy.
“The trucking industry is a vital
cog in our nation’s economy,” he
told Truckload Authority. “About
50 percent of U.S. freight tonnage
travels less than 100 miles from
origin to destination, with trucks
carrying almost 85 percent of that
freight. The industry — from large trucking companies
to independent operators — must be safe, but it must
also be efficient and effective. We cannot burden our
truck drivers with unnecessary, duplicative or crippling
regulations. We must ensure a balanced regulatory
structure that maintains a high level of safety and allows
our truckers to thrive.”
The most controversial of those regulations continues
to be the 34-hour restart provision of the 2013
Hours of Service rule.
Earlier this year, the Senate Appropriations Committee
passed an amendment to a transportation and
housing funding bill that would have suspended the 34-
hour restart provision for a year while a field study is
undertaken.
The amendment made it to the Senate floor, but a
procedural issue derailed the funding bill.
Reagle said the issue is likely to be on the Senate
radar during the next session. Indeed, Sen. Susan Collins,
R-Maine, who introduced the amendment in the
first place, said early in December she would re-introduce
the amendment.
“Since the new Senate is not in place, it would be
hard to tell what its priorities would be,” Reagle said.
“But I would think for a good many people in the industry
that is still a big issue and they would continue
to push it. I’m not sure how the Senate would view it,
but I think from the industry perspective it seems to be
an issue that is brewing out there.”
It’s also a good bet that the new Congress will
keep a close tab on other regulatory issues that were
mandated in MAP-21, but whether the Republicans
will seek to temper the direction of those mandates
is yet to be seen.
Among those mandates:
• The Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol
Clearinghouse, which is in the final stages of
rulemaking, but could be delayed by requests for further
changes before implementation.
• Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service
Supporting Documents. Included in the omnibus
transportation appropriations legislation is language
that few in trucking have even talked about, and that is
a requirement that the Department of Transportation
“I really worry whether it’s Republicans or Democrats
[in control] that we’ll ever see another six-year
highway bill. And that obviously affects the hell out
of the trucking industry because if we don’t have
good highways, we’re in deep trouble.”
-George Reagle
release its ELD final rule no later than January 30,
2015, and conduct a study with these newly-compliant
ELDs on the Hours of Service rule. The FMCSA
staff recently indicated it wouldn’t release this rule
until September 2015, which critics believes puts the
proposed rule at risk.
• Prohibition of Coercion, which is part of the ELD
rulemaking and would ensure that an operator of a
commercial motor vehicle is not coerced by a motor
carrier, shipper, receiver or transportation intermediary
to operate a commercial vehicle in violation of a
federal regulation. The lack of anti-coercion language
derailed earlier efforts at an ELD rule.
Finally, there are issues outside trucking that will
impact the industry, and those have created a waitand-see
mentality among most within the industry.
They include President Barack Obama’s executive
order on immigration and Obamacare.
Even before Obama revealed details of his executive
action to protect 4-5 million immigrants illegally
living in the U.S., Republicans were vowing to thwart
it and Democrats were defending it.
“If President Obama acts in defiance of the people
and imposes his will on the country, Congress
will act,” vowed Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mc-
Connell, R-Ky., who will become majority leader in
January.
Thune chimed in by saying that Obama’s decision
demonstrated a willful disregard of the American
people. “The president’s policies and go-it-alone approach
were soundly rejected on election night, but
he doesn’t appear to be interested in listening to the
American people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Democrats said the president is within
his legal authority to take action to overhaul the
nation’s dysfunctional immigration system and must
do so since House Republicans have failed to pass
a bill.
“If we don’t act, the dire situation of undocumented
immigrants will only get worse, families will continue
to be torn apart, people will continue to live in the
shadows,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. “I say to
the president ... you will have my strong support and
you will have the support of so many people across
the country. You will keep families
together, you will strengthen
our economy, you will make our
country stronger.”
Some in the trucking industry
are concerned that immigrants,
anxious to earn a legal living in
America, will accept lower pay
from trucking companies, driving
down wages overall and diluting
the earning power of existing
drivers.
Congressional action might
be a moot point, however. On
December 3, 17 states, all with
Republican governors, filed suit
in federal court in Texas asking
that Obama’s action be declared
illegal and be overturned.
As for Obamacare, the president
has vowed to protect core elements of the plan
from an almost assured GOP assault.
“Repeal of the law I won’t sign. Efforts that would
take away health care from the 10 million people
who now have it and the millions more who are now
eligible to get it, we’re not going to support,” he said
shortly after the election.
“But,” he said, “if, in fact, one of the items on
Mitch McConnell’s and [Speaker of the House] John
Boehner’s agenda is to make responsible changes
to the Affordable Care Act to make it work better, I’m
going to be very open and receptive to hearing those
ideas. But what I will remind them is that, despite all
the contention, we now know that the law works.”
This article began by saying that gaining consensus
on most any issue, including the weather,
would be difficult to achieve.
On second thought, we’d like to amend that
statement.
Everyone can agree that Washington politics is
going to make for interesting reading for the next
24 months.
Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

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10 Chill out
“The Thrill is Gone” was a big hit for
B.B. King. And some in trucking are
singing the same tune as the interest
in natural gas appears to be waning.
Volvo recently stepped back a little from
their NG pursuit, taking a wait-and-see
approach before building more NG models while keeping an
eye on the NG infrastructure build-out and customer interest. And
though lower diesel prices are music to truckers’ ears, they have put a
damper on NG’s allure.
The NG romance has cooled some,
but will it still be chillin’ over the
long haul?
10
Top
Things we learned
about trucking in
2014
“I don’t know
how to put
this, but I’m
kind of a big
deal.”
-Will Ferrell in
“Anchor Man”
7
Truckers are nothing but fat, sloppy, road-raged filled …
WAIT JUST A MINUTE! That’s NOT the case. And a public opinion
poll conducted by the reputable national political and public affairs
research firm Public Opinion Strategies revealed that the public has a
65 percent favorable view of the trucking industry, with only 9 percent
unfavorable. That 65 percent beat out other modes of travel including rail
and airlines. Furthermore, when it comes to which drivers are safest out
on the highways, 80 percent answered that it was either “probably” or
“definitely” truckers. In terms of who is more likely to be responsible for
an accident, the poll showed 91 percent said the average vehicle driver,
with only 7 percent pointing the blame at the trucker.
9 Driver-less
The days are coming when truckers might not have to do the
most standard part of their job — driving. Damiler unveiled an
“autonomous” — or some call driverless — truck in Germany this
summer, demonstrating a driver in the truck cab, but not actually steering.
His truck was “connected” to active sensors along the highway, leaving
him free to manage loads, routes and do all those other important things
… *cough* check Facebook *cough*. It was only a test, but according
to Raj Rajkumar, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who directs
CMU’s U.S. Department of Transportation-funded transportation research
center, driverless technology would be “a big revelation for fleets and
18-wheelers.”
“The question is not if, it’s when,” Rajkumar said.
8
“Houston we have a ...
solution?”
Failure was not an option on the Apollo 13 mission and it’s certainly
not in trucking. Therefore, the industry has summoned a new era:
Tech Takeover. Technology has been traveling at the speed of light this
year and is continually being embraced by young buck drivers. From
Electronic Logging Devices tracking driving hours to safety systems
that can help avoid collisions, the trucking industry is changing. And
the shining star of this new chapter is video data, whether it be in-cab
cameras watching a driver or cameras pointed at the road and used to
prove a driver’s guilt or innocence in a variety of driving scenarios.
With all these new advancements, it’s easy to envision Tom Hanks saying,
“Gentlemen, it’s been a privilege flying … er … driving with you.”
Stay classy out there.
6
Fa la la la la ...
Faster than a snow storm, rules and regs are piling up, with more
on the way … and of course Congress is slower than Christmas …
so sing along if you know “Deck the Halls.”
Deck the halls with ELDs, fa la la la la, la la la la
Liability costs may increase, fa la la la la, la la la la
Congress made it DOA, fa la la, la la la, la la la
Rule is likely on the way, fa la la la la, la la la la
Now’s the time to get hair tested, fa la la la la, la la la la
EPA should be arrested, fa la la la la, la la la la
No one will address bad bridges, fa la la, la la la, la la la
All our roads have holes and ridges, fa la la la la, la la la la
5
Fill ‘er up
Lately when the pump dings at the fuel island, it’s not as big a ding
to the wallet. Crude prices are hovering around four-year lows in the
wake of OPEC’s decision to keep production steady and oil prices are in a
slump, which is trickling down to diesel prices. Traders anticipate supply
levels at their current rates at least for a few months more.
So enjoy the ride as long as it lasts.
10 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

4
Say no
to cracks
So … a politician walks into a bar … and nothing happens.
Trucking hasn’t been amused by this punch line — especially when
it comes to infrastructure funding. Will Congressman Big Pants have
to lose his Mercedes in a pothole before somebody does something?
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said at a recent infrastructure
summit: “Looking ahead, if we want to continue to lead the world, we
are going to need modern highways and railroads, first-rate tunnels
and bridges, and efficient power networks and water systems.”
3
Paying for it
Ouch! That hurts! Everyone is feeling the pinch of the capacity
crunch. And it’s only getting worse. There are fewer trucks, fewer
drivers and fewer companies, and industry insiders predict that
paying higher trucking rates going forward won’t be as much of a
problem as not finding a truck to move the freight. Carriers have
jumped on the bandwagon to eek out driver pay raises but are still
struggling to find the best and brightest.
The definition of
insanity is doing the
same thing over and
over and expecting
different results.
We’ll drink to that.
2 It’s not so bad to be us
“In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream …” – Bruce Springsteen. Trucking has sweated it out and now we’re
running with our dream of rising profits. According to economists, the amount of freight being hauled is at its highest level since 2008. A 3.6 percent
improvement in manufacturing output was predicted for the year and in October, the Truck Tonnage Index was charted at 132.1, the second-highest level
since the index started. The economy is improving and people are out shopping more, which means there’s more freight to haul.
All of this is simply to say to trucking: “Baby we were born to run.”
1Oh no they didn’t!
Truckers are not serial killers. Duh. The Villarreal &
Begum Law Firm, out of San Antonio, Texas, learned that
the hard way when it created an ad in Maxim Magazine depicting
truckers as such. The backlash was swift and successful —
truckers filled both the law firm’s and Maxim’s inboxes, jammed the
phone lines, proclaimed the truth of the matter on social media and
voila! The magazine was pulled from most truck stop shelves; the
ad would never run again. In its place, a Trucking Moves America
Forward ad would grace the next edition. When truckers band
together, amazing things happen, from delivering donated goods
to tornado-stricken residents in Moore, Oklahoma, to making sure
every veteran’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery has a wreath
in honor of Wreaths Across America Day.
Great things happen when truckers unite.
TCA 2014-15 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 11

From Where We Sit
What’s your New Year’s resolution for 2015?
safety
“My resolution is to have the safest fleet in the industry.”
peace
3 f’s
positivity
honest pay
Dale Corum, Operations Manager
Mercer Transportation, Louisville, Kentucky
“I am very thankful for all the blessings my family and J.J. Keller & Associates Inc. have. I wish for more world peace
and that the United States can be a better steward and set the proper world standards. The human spirit is very powerful
and needs to be developed in order to bring out the best in everyone.
2015 should be the best year yet!”
Jim Keller, Vice Chairman and Treasurer
J.J. Keller & Associates, Neenah, Wisconsin
“I intend to work diligently at deepening the relationships with the 3 F’s (faith, family and friends), and I also plan to
cultivate a servant leadership environment at our business that will allow our associates to be successful as we strive
to meet our customers’ expectations.”
Roy Cox, Vice President
Best Cartage, Kernersville, North Carolina
“My professional resolution is to continue to find new ways to put a positive spotlight on the professional truck
driver and to generate the respect they deserve. They are our customers and we work together in a great industry.
My personal resolution is (as usual) to eat more fruit and grains.
Tom Liutkus, Vice President, Marketing & Public Relations
TravelCenters of America, Westlake, Ohio
listen
“I resolve to listen closer and respond quicker to the messages received from my family at home and at work.”
Larry Ahlers, CEO
DTL Transportation, Sanford, Florida
listen and expand
“We resolve to listen to drivers and fleets, keep overhead low, and strive to deliver the best value in
fuel savings while helping keep drivers happy, comfortable and well-rested. We resolve to expand
our dedicated facilities across the Sun Belt, adding Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston,
Atlanta and Florida.”
Ethan Garber, CEO
IdleAir, Knoxville, Tennessee
“As an industry I think our global resolution should be to push for pricing in this
industry that will allow us to pay drivers and contractors what they deserve for
the work they do and entice more hardworking Americans to join our industry
as drivers. The answer to capacity is not all money, but until the dollars grow
for drivers I cannot imagine any meaningful growth in overall industry
capacity.”
Terry A. Wallace, President
Transco Lines Inc., Russellville, Arkansas
12 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

“We continue to invest in Truckload Authority
because it is a publication that has proven it reaches
a very important target audience for us. The TCA
members are some of the best run companies in
our industry, and certainly represent the types of
companies we want to do business with.”
Mark Cubine, Vice President, Marketing,
McLeod Software
“We partner with Truckload Authority because
we see it as a great way for us to deliver
messages of value directly to our customers
within the context of highly relevant editorial
content specifically for trucking executives,
and especially TCA member fleets.”
Tom Liutkus, Vice President, Marketing & Public
Relations, TravelCenters of America
Innovate.
Now is the time to partner
your brand with America’s
fastest growing and most
innovative executive trucking
publication.
Just ask our partners.
Expanding to 6 issues in 2015.
Become a partner in the excitement today.
“Partnering with Truckload Authority is
outstanding. We know we are reaching decision
makers and the trucking executive who is
depending on unequivocal accuracy of load
weights for a myriad of reasons in their operation.
Truckload Authority really delivers for us.”
Heather DeBaillie, Marketing Manager,
CAT Scale Company / Iowa 80 Group, Inc.
To inquire about partnership and space
availability, call (800) 666-2770 or
email publisher@thetrucker.com.
“Truckload Authority magazine has
established a great readership base
because the content is always pertinent.
The publisher delivers value and that’s what
the market is looking for and needs. Tough
subjects need expertise and they deliver!
James J. Keller, Vice Chairman and Treasurer,
J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

CapItol recap
A review of important legislative and regulatory news coming out of our nation’s capital.
Sea of red
A s many pundits have opined, Republicans’
sweep in the mid-term elections proved to be more
about dissatisfaction with President Barack Obama
than disgust with Democratic incumbents.
One could practically hear the balance of power
swing from one side to the other.
Indeed, after the elections the U.S. Senate went
from being Democrat-led to 46 Democrats and 53
Republicans, with one runoff to decide the other seat.
The House now has 244 Republicans compared
with 188 Democrats.
In gubernatorial races, Republicans took 24 wins,
the Democrats only 10.
Political party maps turned into a sea of red.
And there were some history-making political
about-faces.
In Arkansas, for example, the election outcome
marked the first time since Reconstruction that two
Republicans have represented the Natural State.
West Virginia, which historically has been Democratic,
also embraced the GOP, while in Kentucky,
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell handily won re-election.
In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker defeated Mary
Murke and in Michigan Rick Snyder garnered a
decisive win.
In Illinois, venture capitalist Bruce Rauner defeated
Pat Quinn with an anti-labor campaign while
Louisiana’s Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu clawed
tooth and nail to hold onto her seat, but as of press
time she didn’t have nearly enough votes to win in the
runoff against her opponent, GOP Rep. Bill Cassidy. In
fact, a last-ditch vote on the Keystone Pipeline in the
Senate November 18 tallied 59-41, one vote short of
the 60 it needed to pass. Landrieu had championed
the Keystone issue in hopes of riding to victory on
its coattails, but it didn’t happen. The administration
is reported to have quietly signaled that President
Obama would likely veto the measure if it is adopted in
the new congress next year.
Executive
Immigration
Plan
Not long after the elections, President Obama
November 20 in a televised speech announced his
plan to pardon some 5 million illegal immigrants from
deportation, marking what The Associated Press called
“the most sweeping changes to the nation’s fractured
immigration laws in nearly three decades … .”
Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican from California and
chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, immediately brought up a recent Justice Department
report he said shows Obama didn’t have the
legal authority to take such unilateral executive action.
Less than a month later Texas led a 17-state
coalition that filed suit December 3 over Obama’s
immigration plan, arguing that the move “tramples” key
portions of the U.S. Constitution.
Many top Republicans had roundly denounced
Obama’s order, but Texas Gov.-elect and current Attorney
General Greg Abbott took it a step further, filing a
formal legal challenge in federal court in the Southern
District of Texas.
The suit doesn’t seek monetary damages, but
instead want the courts to block Obama’s action.
The coalition of states are Alabama, Georgia,
Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Maine,
Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, North Carolina,
South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and
Wisconsin. All but Nebraska and West Virginia have
Republican governors and Republican-controlled
legislatures.
Republican Govs. Phil Bryant (Mississippi), Paul
LePage (Maine), Patrick McCrory (North Carolina)
and Butch Otter (Idaho) signed on to the challenge
individually, which was filed in a Texas federal court
district.
The lawsuit raises two major objections: that
Obama violated the “Take Care Clause” of the U.S.
Constitution — which Abbott said limits the scope of
presidential power — and that the order will “exacerbate
the humanitarian crisis along the southern
border, which will affect increased state investment in
law enforcement, health care and education.”
Abbott said it’s up to the president to “execute the
law, not de facto make law.”
White House spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine
repeated the administration’s response that the president
is not out of legal bounds. “The Supreme Court
and Congress have made clear that federal officials
can set priorities in enforcing our immigration laws,”
she said.
The main beneficiaries of the president’s immigration
plan are immigrants who have been in the U.S. illegally
for more than five years but whose children are citizens
or lawful permanent residents. After passing background
checks and paying fees, they will be granted relief from
deportation for three years and get work permits. The
administration expects 4-5 million people to qualify.
Obama also broadened his 2012 directive that
deferred deportation for some young immigrants who
entered the country illegally. He will expand eligibility to
people who arrived in the U.S. as minors before 2010
instead of the current cutoff of 2007.
Business groups were less than enthused about the
plan, saying it doesn’t do enough to improve the position
of U.S. businesses on a global scale.
The American Trucking Associations said those
covered by the plan would be welcomed “with open
arms” if they met training, licensing, qualification and
safety standards.
Obama’s plan makes illegal immigrants eligible
for programs such as Medicare and Social Security if
they work and submit payroll taxes that flow to those
programs, according to The Washington Post.
Obamacare still
problematic
Obamacare is still struggling to make it out of
the woods.
Daniel Levinson, the head watchdog of the
Department of Health and Human Services, said
December 2 that his office still has some 40 investigations
related to Obamacare, but more importantly the
Supreme Court has agreed to hear next spring arguments
that challenge the legality of subsidies offered
to help millions of low- and middle-income people buy
health insurance.
A federal appeals court upheld Internal Revenue
Service regulations that allow health-insurance tax
credits under Obamacare for consumers in all 50
states.
But opponents of the subsidies say the Supreme
Court should resolve the issue now because it involves
billions of dollars in public money.
“The plain language of the law makes it clear that
subsidies are only to be provided for the purchase
of health exchanges set up by the states,” Rep. Tom
Price, R-Ga., said recently. “Nevertheless, the Obama
administration and others are asking the courts to
disregard the letter of the law and instead rule based
on bureaucratic rewrites and revisions.”
Meanwhile, the administration has just until
February 15 to bring millions of new customers into
the system and encourage existing enrollees to come
back and shop again.
The three-month window — about half as long
as last year — is proceeding while the back-end of
HealthCare.gov remains partly unfinished. Health
insurers have been exasperated by the delays, as
health officials continue to verify some account and
application details by hand, The Hill reported.
Enrollment for small businesses under Obamacare
is falling short of the government’s expectations, according
to a federal audit announced this fall.
About 76,000 people have enrolled in the state-run
exchanges, a dismal total that nearly guarantees that
the Obama administration will miss its target for small
businesses, according to a report by the nonpartisan
General Accountability Office (GAO).
Keystone DOA for Now
The U.S. House of Representatives last month
passed legislation to authorize construction of the
Keystone XL pipeline, setting the stage for a show-
14 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

down in the Senate.
The House legislation was approved 252-161, with 31 Democrats joining
Republicans in backing a construction permit for the controversial project, which
would bring oil sands from Canada to refineries in the United States.
Passage of the bill was hailed by its chief House sponsor, Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-
La., who was in a runoff against Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., on December 6 after
neither won a majority in the general election.
Both Cassidy and Landrieu tried to display their clout on energy issues in oilrich
Louisiana ahead of the runoff, but the Landrieu-sponsored Senate Keystone
vote failed by one vote (see Sea of Red above).
The road to
protecting
your fleet
ELD Final Inning?
The longest baseball game in the world was on May 1, 1920, when the
Brooklyn Dodgers went toe to toe with the Boston Braves for 26 innings. Like that
game, the ELD mandate has been way too long in coming, but many stakeholders
say they’d rather the rule be done right than end up being called.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Supplemental Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (SNPRM) basically has four segments: the ELD mandate itself;
protections against driver harassment; hardware spec’s; and the Hours of Service
supporting documents required.
Although the proposed rule mentions harassment more than 100 times, this
prickly issue could potentially tie up the final rule when it comes down the pike,
adding more innings to the already long game.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) filed suit
against FMCSA’s first ELD final rule, maintaining that it failed to address the issue
of driver harassment and the ways in which ELDs might be used to harass drivers.
The U.S. Court of Appeals agreed, vacating that rule on Aug. 26, 2011.
“At this point, we’re not sure what we will do,” said OOIDA Executive Vice
President Todd Spencer about the possibility of another legal challenge. “We’ll look
at what the final rule says … .”
“Only time will tell whether or not it’s sufficient,” said the Truckload Carriers
Association’s David Heller as to how the proposed rule deals with harassment. “It’s
handled much better this time around … obviously they’re trying to define what it
means and make it unlawful,” added Heller, who is director of safety and policy at
TCA.
Some stakeholders believe FMCSA may have tried to preemptively deflect
further legal challenges with its recent survey, which the agency said showed that
whether paper logs or ELDs are used, “few” drivers reported harassment by their
carriers.
Rob Abbott, vice president of safety policy for the American Trucking Associations,
said it “appears clear FMCSA conducted the survey to collect claims that
ELDs are used to harass [drivers]” with the thought that the “claims would be used
to challenge the rule, so it’s important to have the research done.”
Another major concern is whether law enforcement will be ready — and can
afford the changes. Many law enforcement jurisdictions are already facing painful
budget cuts without adding new ELD training and equipment.
“That’s a big concern, which we communicated in [response to] the [proposed]
rule,” said Steve Keppler, executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
or CVSA.
“Already the states are having difficult economic situations. We suggested they
have to account for that in the rule and in the cost-benefit analysis, and make sure
the finding is there” for the training and equipment.
“We’re very supportive of the technology,” said Keppler. “At the end of the day
it’s a big benefit to safety and in streamlining the safety process but if the transition
is not handled properly it could present challenges.”
Tom Cuthbertson, vice president of regulatory compliance at XRS, now part of
Omnitracs, said “FMCSA did a fair job in defining the technical specifications.”
“This is still a self-certification process,” he added, “but there could be documentation,
a testing process, product description, illustration and the supplier
would receive a registration number that has to be visible on the device in some
form.”
As the rulemaking inches closer to becoming reality, FMCSA has issued a
notice of intent to develop a registry of ELD manufacturers and Cuthbertson noted
www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 15
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Transportation Insurance Specialists
Since 1970
888-313-3226 Offices in PA, MD, SC
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that the agency is requesting approval of a form that could be used in a future
ELD vendor registration system through the paperwork reduction act process.
“That will be defined in the final regulation,” he said.
As to the question of whether proactive carriers which have already been
employing ELDs will be able to have their technology “grandfathered in” to the
regulations, Cuthbertson said there’s already a clause in the SNPRM that “indicated
a carrier may install an older AOBRD-compliant device up to the compliant
date, which is two years after the effective date of the regulation, and then may
use this an additional two years, at which time they need to install an ELD-compliant
device.”
There were minimum wage bills up for vote in Alaska, Arkansas, South
Dakota and Nebraska and all passed overwhelmingly, sending a message to
Congress that people are struggling and that the federal minimum wage of $7.25
per hour simply isn’t cutting it any more.
What’s more, voters in San Francisco passed a $15 minimum wage bill, tying
it with Seattle for the nation’s highest.
Jason’s Law
Passing the pot
In several states, a city, the territory of Guam and in Washington D.C. voters
passed measures to legalize marijuana. In Washington it sailed through with
69.4 percent of the vote.
Oregon passed the Control, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana and
Industrial Hemp Act by 56 percent. In Alaska, voters passed a measure to legalize
recreational pot use by 52.15 percent while Guam, a U.S. territory, voted to
legalize medical marijuana. California voted to reduce the penalties for simple
drug possession arrests to misdemeanors and the city of Saginaw, Michigan,
voted to decriminalize pot. Trucking will have to deal with this issue sooner rather
than later.
Pay Raise Popularity
While the Democrats may have been licking their wounds after the
midterm elections, workers in four states who are now paid the minimum wage
will have more money in their pocketbooks in the future.
There are two moves under way in Congress to help protect professional
truck drivers while on the job.
The most-well known effort is the inclusion of Jason’s Law in MAP-21, the
surface transportation bill passed in 2012, named for Jason Rivenburg, a Schoharie
County, New York, truck driver who was killed in South Carolina in 2009,
while resting at an abandoned gas station after being unable to find a parking
place at a safe haven.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced the legislation, which requires the
Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to conduct
a national truck parking adequacy study. The study is now under way with a
report to Congress scheduled sometime in 2015.
The newer of the two is Mike’s Law, named after 30-year-old trucker Mike
Boeglin who on June 26 was found shot several times in the cab of his truck
while parked on an abandoned lot in Detroit waiting for a morning delivery, and
whose death intensified the outcry among professional truck drivers who felt as
though they should be allow to carry guns to protect themselves.
Mike’s Law will be introduced in the 114th Congress by Sen. Marco Rubio,
R-Fla., and would require the U.S. Attorney General, through normal public
notice and comment rulemaking by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives, develop and implement a Federal Business Concealed Carry
Firearms Permit Program for United States citizens over the age of 18 engaged
in interstate commerce, which would include professional truck drivers.
WE VALUE THE SAFETY OF YOUR
COMPANY AND YOUR DRIVERS
We give you tools to reduce crashes and save lives. Our safety
professionals are there to consult with you on your company’s safety
program which includes assisting you with your regularly scheduled
educational seminars, keeping you informed on the latest safety and risk
management techniques and regulatory changes in the trucking industry.
We understand your business. Since trucking is all we do, we know
the importance of keeping your trucks moving safely. Our Value-
Driven® Company program, which includes modules on safe driving,
health, leadership, and operations, is designed to easily help you
create and maintain a safety culture within your organization.
We help keep you moving. We provide your drivers with techniques
to improve the overall driving experience with tips on staying
alert, eating right, proper lifting, and getting enough exercise.
SAFETY IS
OUR PASSION
Great West Casualty Company — No matter where the
road takes you, we’re with you for the long haul.
GREAT WEST CASUALTY COMPANY
The Difference is Service
Not available in all states. All policy terms, conditions,
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Authority
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| www.Truckload.org
2/25/2014
TCA
2:09:38
2014-15
PM

TM
“Our drivers that are on E-Logs
don’t have log violations anymore.”
“They’re getting better fuel mileage, and not being hassled when they get
DOT inspections. Installation with the J. J. Keller system was pretty quick. It
was pretty clean. J. J. Keller is more than a vendor — they are a partner.”
— Len Dunman
Safety Director
Mercer Transportation Co.
Louisville, KY
Mercer Transportation chose J. J. Keller as
their E-Log compliance partner in order to stay
ahead of the E-Log mandate and enhance the
competitive edge of their contractors.
About Mercer Transportation
• Top 50 National Carrier • 100% Contractor Fleet
• Established in 1977 • 2,000+ Contractors
with E-Logs
Hear Mercer’s story at
JJKeller.com/Mercer
PC109045

WITH

Brought to you by
Dallas
and the
Dog Days
of Winter
By Micah Jackson and Lyndon Finney
It’s 4 a.m. on March 11, 2014, in the quaint village town of Nome, Alaska.
Dallas Seavey, just seven days past his 27th birthday and who in 2012 became
the youngest musher to ever win the Iditarod, is approaching the finish line of this
year’s race. The Iditarod, the world’s premier dog sled race, is believed by many
sports experts to be the “greatest race on earth,” presenting a plethora of mental
and physical challenges unmatched by any other event in the world.
For Dallas and this year’s field of mushers, it’s been a brutal eight days. Not only
was the course 1,049 miles long, the trail had been marked by exceptionally poor
conditions because of a lack of snow after a warm winter (by Alaskan standards,
of course).
A number of mushers were injured and scratched at the beginning of the race
when their sleds bumped and tumbled through gravel near Dalzell Gorge and Tin
Creek, where one musher had to be rescued by helicopter after breaking an ankle
and suffering a concussion. What’s more, snowless conditions again greeted mushers
as they reached the western coast of Alaska farther into the race.
Nearly 80 miles from the finish near White Mountain, driving one of the “most
beautiful” dog teams he’d ever run, Dallas Seavey is in third place.
That really didn’t matter to him because to Seavey, “It’s not about victory or
defeat, it is about going out there and pushing myself to the very last step.”
In this case, the last steps are near at hand, and Seavey is at peace he’d
pushed himself to the very limit, but the astonishing events to unfold over the next
12 grueling hours would change the sport and the impossible for all time.
Somewhere up ahead are two talented and accomplished mushers — and
friends.
Jeff King, 58, who’s won the race four times, is in first place, and 45-year-old
Aliy Zirkle, who had completed the grueling race 14 times, is in second.
Sure, it would be nice to win again, Seavey is thinking as he takes the mandatory
eight-hour rest break, but winning isn’t everything and winning wouldn’t necessarily
cement his standing among the best in the history of the sport. There are
those who believe at his young age, Seavey could finish his career someday as one
of the best Iditarod racers ever. After all, King and other four-time winners Lance
Mackey and Martin Buser didn’t win their first race until they were in their 30s.
“If I do everything within my power, if I truly and honestly can answer to myself
that I’ve done the best I was physically capable of doing, that’s going to be the best

Sponsored by J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
jjkeller.com | 877.564.2333
chance to be remembered as the greatest dog racer
of all times,” he says in looking back on the 2014 race.
“And that may or may not happen. But for me the goal
is to do the best I can do.”
So exactly who is this 27-year-old who’s holed up
all alone on White Mountain with a team of Alaskan
huskies and who is so confident of himself that he’s not
worried about a pending third-place finish?
For Dallas Seavey, mushing is a three-generation
family affair, although that almost didn’t occur. His father,
Mitch, has won the Iditarod twice, and his grandfather
was a musher, too.
Dallas Seavey’s heart was set on becoming a wrestler,
but an injury ended that aspiration early on. “When
my wrestling career kind of came to a premature end,
I knew I had to find something else competitive and
mushing was the logical choice,” Seavey said. And a
quite lucrative one at that.
Seavey now appears on National Geographic’s TV
show, “Ultimate Survival Alaska,” which pits some of the
toughest, most extreme survivalists going head to head
to take the ultimate test of survival in the arctic conditions
of Alaska.
He is an enthusiastic, charismatic speaker with extensive
international experience as a keynote and motivational
speaker as he shares his unique experiences
as an Iditarod champion and adventurer.
His enthusiasm begins with his love for mushing
and the competition that being a musher affords him,
and it reveals a personal philosophy that could well be
applied to any venture, including trucking.
“My competitors are my friends. I have a lot of respect
for them. You have to. Only a few people on the
planet know what we do and truly appreciate what it
takes to create a team capable of winning the Iditarod,”
he said. “I do think we’re capable of reaching the highest
levels. We’ve done that and we’re going to keep
pushing further and further. So I don’t want to make it
a tangible goal and say I’m going for five wins (which
would be an Iditarod record). I don’t think that’s the goal
I want to have. The goal I want to have is to do the race
for the right reasons because I love the sport, and continue
looking back at every single race and honestly be
able to ask myself did I do the best I could?”
Seavey said being a champion musher, much like
being a successful trucking company executive, requires
certain traits, among them confidence, passion
and patience.
You have to have confidence in your team and in
yourself in everything you do, he said, adding that it
takes thousands and thousands and thousands of
miles on the trail “to know your team and your body
well enough to know exactly how you will respond to
every situation.”
What’s more, there is no way one can be successful
in the Iditarod if they are not passionate about what
they are doing.
“You have to be determined to be able to accomplish
what you are doing,” Seavey said. “You have to
set goals. For me, it’s not that I am going to win the
Iditarod because that’s focusing on the wrong thing.
I focus on doing the things that are going to create
success and focus on doing them determinedly and
adamantly throughout the race and throughout the
year. Finally, I think one of the best traits of an endurance
race is patience. It takes patience and the
confidence to be patient. Every single win I’ve had in
a race has been a come-from-behind win. It’s about
maximizing every step of the trail. It’s not the person
who’s led the longest, it’s about the person who’s
ahead at the finish line. You have to have faith in your
dog team. You keep them rested, you keep them well
fed, you keep them well trained and they’ll give it
back to you in the final days of the race. “
A good relationship between a musher and his
team can be a parallel between the relationship a fleet
owner has to have with his drivers if the company is to
be successful.
”That is why I love this sport because nowhere else
have I seen a relationship that the mushers have with
their dogs,” Seavey said. “It’s so much closer than the
relationship you have with a house pet. I have a dog,
but she’s a house pet. She will never go out there in
the wilderness with me and my coworkers. I’ll probably
never have my life depend on her doing what we’d
trained together to do with my sled dogs. We’re literally
training every day to save each other’s lives. The dogs
have the utmost faith in the musher that will take care
of them day after day and will make good decisions for
them and the musher constantly has faith in the dog
team that when we travel 100 miles out from anywhere
that they’ll get us back again. There’s a mutual trust and
respect that’s built on hundreds of hours of training and
trials. I haven’t seen that relationship anywhere else.”
Seavey recalled an incident during the Yukon
Quest, a 1,000-mile race run each February between
Whitehorse, Yukon, and Fairbanks, Alaska, when that
training paid off.
It was 57 degrees below zero that day and somehow,
Seavey wound up in the Yukon River with five
hours to go before the next checkpoint.
Soaking wet, he emerged from the river.
“We made the decision that gave us our only real
chance of survival, which was to try and make it to the
next checkpoint rather than stop and dry out, which is
not practical at those temperatures,” he remembered.
“That was a spot where it was up to the dogs whether I
would die or survive. And it came down to where I had
done whatever I could do and I laid my cards on the
table and now it was up to the dogs to play it out for
me. In that particular situation, I think my life was more
in their hands rather than vice versa. I think they had
a little more time on their clock, a better chance that
someone might come along and help them. I had very
little time left and they definitely pulled me through in
that situation.”
Then there was the time while training for the 2012
race that it was Seavey’s turn to save his dogs when he
was attacked by an angry moose.
“Dogs are essentially defenseless against a moose
when they are all tied together. It was a very ornery
moose who was kicking and stomping at the dogs and
I had to kill that moose with my handgun I always carry
with me before it killed any of the dogs,” he recalled.
“One dog did end up paralyzed, but with rehab he’s now
able to run around with three functional legs.
“That’s the sort of commitment we make with these
dogs. If they are going to be out there and go to battle
with us, if they are going to run down this trail, if they
are going to front me, then I’m going to take care of
them. We can come together and accomplish some
incredible things by working together, but it takes the
utmost trust on both sides. I have to trust the dogs for
us to be able to reach our highest potential.”
Like business leaders, including trucking executives,
Seavey often finds it necessary to make decisions
and adjustments on the fly.
“The sport of mushing, if you want to take the
broader view, is about making decisions under pressure.
In the Iditarod we are functioning on very little
sleep, very little food. We’ve built all year for this one
shot, this one race. There’s a high, high pressure
situation as well. We’re going to have the next 357
days, give or take, to look back to the decisions we
made in the Iditarod and kick yourself over any bad
ones, or if things go well, reap the rewards and be
excited about those decisions.”
Despite pressure, decisions are easier to make if
goals are in place.
“For me it all starts with knowing my sport inside
out, knowing all the decisions I might have to make and
contemplating the result or effects of those,” Seavey
said. “Knowing your business is key. You must know
your business well enough to know how the decision
you make today is going to affect you six or eight
months from now or as in our business, 600 or 800
miles from now.”
Having a team that trusts you is huge, Seavey believes.
“Sometimes when I make a decision, my team
doesn’t understand why I made that decision. They
don’t understand the implications of that decision, what
they do understand is in the past: Do I have a track
record of making good decisions? That’s one of the
things we have to build on a team. And even in simple
or routine situations, when I make a decision it is a
good decision. That’s what builds that trust. And more
importantly letting the team know you made that decision
for the right reason.”
The best one can do is to make decisions with the
best information available at the time.
“You can’t get frozen in a situation where you hesitate
making a decision for fear of it being the wrong
one. Indecision is the worst enemy. You have to let go
of a situation. Once you make that decision with the
best information you have, sometimes that turns out to
not be the right decision, but it was the best decision at
the time. That gives you forgiveness when that decision
goes wrong.”
An important part of Seavey’s team is his sponsorship
by Jim and Rosanne Keller in partnership with J.
J. Keller & Associates, Inc. J. J. Keller & Associates are
members of the Truckload Carriers Association.
Their relationship began when in 2006 Jim and
Rosanne Keller booked an Alaskan cruise in celebration
of their 30th wedding anniversary. They had always
wanted to visit an Iditarod team and experience
a dog sled ride. Dallas, just 19 years old at the time,
was working for his family’s sled dog ride company and
led Jim and Rosanne’s tour. The Kellers immediately
befriended Dallas and were impressed with his maturity
and passion. Jim saw the inextricable links between
trucking and sled dog racing and crafted a sponsorship
plan to begin incorporating into J. J.Keller & Associates’
corporate branding strategy. This relationship has proven
immensely important in expediting Seavey’s career
successes. “To be able to compete at the top level of
mushing is very, very expensive,” Seavey said.
“We have Keller [Associates] and Jim and Rosanne
Keller in particular, who is just a huge, huge, huge
boost for a high-level team. And it takes a real partnership.
Just like the musher for the team, you take that
same partnership from the musher to the sponsors and
they all work together to accomplish a common goal.
So when I started with the Kellers in 2007, we began
hatching a plan and hatching a goal then, and with Jim
being a more than exceptional sponsor and us pulling
up our end of the deal with the dog team, we accomplished
so much more than we’d ever even set out to.
“The first goal was kind of a pipe dream but it was,
‘What if we can become the youngest person ever to
win the Iditarod?’ What if? So we opened that door for
ourselves and we put a track down that could lead us
20 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

Dallas after winning the Yukon Quest, 2011
Leaving the Unalakleet checkpoint
during the 2012 Iditarod
Dallas and Beatle
“Selfreezie!”
Jim Keller, Dallas, Rosanne Keller
Dallas and his wife Jen
Dallas with lead dogs, Beatle and Diesel
there, but it meant a lot of things had to go right. And
we’re very fortunate that we achieved that goal.
“This year, we’ve had the best team we’ve ever had
and next year will be even better than this. And as more
and more young dogs that have gone through our programs
join the racing team, our team becomes stronger
and stronger every year. Having that sponsorship first of
all is what allowed me to get into mushing as a career,
and without the Kellers, I probably still wouldn’t be at
this point; I’d still be trying to figure out a business plan
that would allow me to start racing when I was 30 or 35,
which is more common. There’s no replacement for having
a sponsor like the Kellers and
it’s just a phenomenal place where
you have to do things and have to
change things that’s not best for the
team for want of money but we’ve
been able to bridge that gap every
time with the Kellers.”
Seavey’s relationship with the
Kellers led to the autobiography,
“Born to Mush.” The book is
available through amazon.com or
by going to Iditarod.jjkeller.com.
With the stage now set, let’s return to the
fateful March day in the year of our Lord 2014,
and conclude the tale that will live in Iditarod
lore forever. This wise, confident, passionate,
patient and freezing young Iditarod racer
decides it’s time to leave White Mountain and trek the
final 76 miles and claim his third-place trophy.
After all, he knows King has reached White Mountain
first and a vast majority of the time the musher who
gets to White Mountain first wins the race.
At the time, King was about one hour ahead of
Zirkle, who was two hours ahead of Seavey.
“I felt we had accomplished our goal of traveling this
trail as fast as my team was capable of,” Seavey recalls.
“And they were all happy and strong. We were going to
push to the finish line whether we caught either of the
other two teams. We race on principle, so it doesn’t matter
if Aliy is two hours ahead of us we’re still going to run our
race and get to the finish line as quickly as possible.”
So off they went, the young musher and his team.But
they quickly found themselves in danger. Within about 30
miles of leaving White Mountain, going over the hills before
they reached the coast near Nome, the wind started
picking up very strongly, blowing them off the trail. Seavey
adjusted the instruments on his sled and focused on getting
the team to the finish line. He knew this terrain well,
and knew the mountains there formed a tunnel through
which the wind whipped almost ceaselessly.
“Our goal now, realizing this run was going to be
harder than we anticipated, was to ration our energy
to make sure we could reach the finish line in one shot
without stopping, taking a break or stopping to refuel,”
Seavey said.
By the time they got about 40 miles into the final
push, the wind became an “absolute hurricane.”
“We’re trying to get to the finish line, but more importantly,
we’re just trying to survive,” Seavey recalled
recently as though it had happened only yesterday. “On
the left side, we have about a quarter mile of glare from
sea ice and then open black water into the Bering Sea.
On the right side we have a little icy view, a little driftwood
and the wind coming from a couple of mountains, gusting
up to 60 miles an hour coming from the north, which
is on our right trying to blow us out into that open water.”
His dogs have no traction; there is the glare and
the driftwood. The conditions are only worsening by the
second.
“Every time the wind gusted, the dogs would pretty

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much just hit the deck; the choice is either squat down or get blown over. My sled
would flip over and I would do a header into the ice, the whole lot of us would slide
10 feet, sometimes 100 feet across the ice before we’d hit a patch of packed windblown
snow that would give us traction. When the gust would stop, the dogs would
get up and walk back into the wind to try and move us away from the open water a
little bit more, and continue down the trail.”
If they were blown into the Bering Sea, Seavey and his team of champion
athletes would face certain death. They were now fighting for their lives in the most
unforgiving of winter conditions.
Seavey found himself having to weigh his options carefully, but quickly, because
time was not on his side. Stop, seek shelter and safety under his sled with
his dogs huddled around him to keep each other warm? Turn back? Or press on in
hopes they could withstand the treacherous elements and survive?
Seavey made his decision. He believed there was indeed light at the end of
this tunnel.
“Ten miles later you pop out the other side of this tunnel and it’s a nice, sunny
day,” he said. They finally made it through the storm.
So the focus now turned to reaching Safety, the final checkpoint 22 miles from
the finish line.
Once there, Seavey inquired about King and Zirkle.
“The checkers there seemed more than a little flustered. They told me they had
no power, they didn’t know where any of the other teams were so it seemed they
were just trying to make it out on their own there, too. So all the information they
had was on the clipboard, which I didn’t really take time to look at. If something had
gone really strange and somebody didn’t make it that’d be the first thing they’d tell
you. But the fact that they hadn’t said anything of importance told me that nothing
had gone too wrong, which means Jeff and Aliy must have made it through and
everybody was OK.”
About that time the youngest dog on his team, Reef, who had been leading
them through part of that storm, started barking and yapping to go, which “made
it pretty clear for me to tell my team we were going to keep going, that we weren’t
going to stop here and it wasn’t going to be a big deal because they were all going
to be willing to do it.”
So Seavey gave the dogs the command to mush. “A’ight!” he yelled, and they
took off quickly.
“I was very, very pleased as my team rolled out of Safety. They were all happy
to be back on the trail despite the incredibly rough storm we had just been through.
They were comfortable and they were confident because presumably I was doing
my job and they still trusted me and that was a big morale boost for me.”
But there was still more treachery ahead between Safety and Nome.
It was snowing and the wind was blowing, creating a whiteout.
“Now the wind has something to pick up and throw around. It’s like a dust
storm; you just can’t see more than 20-30 feet at times in any direction. There
were several places in this storm where I had to stop the team and start walking
in spirals away from the team to try to find any sight of the trail marker or any
sight of the trail because we’re just mushing through a snow globe where it’s
white in every direction you look. I kept finding scratches in the snow and ice
or finding a marker and turning the team back into the trail and continuing on.
But again, I really wanted to keep this calm, it was already stressful enough for
the dogs, so we kept it low pressure, we kept just acting calm like this was no
big deal. They’d been on their feet running now for 9, 10 hours; that’s enough
stressors right there.”
They kept moving through the storm and near Cape Nome, the last big hill
before the finish line, the snow abated.
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They crested over Cape Nome and started dropping
down.
“I think maybe at this point we had seven miles to
go to the finish line.”
There was also this light behind him that Seavey
decided was another musher, perhaps his father, who’d
been behind him in fourth place at White Mountain. After
all, Mitch Seavey had won the 2013 race.
“I thought certainly it can’t be my dad. He was more
than two hours behind me leaving White Mountain and
he’s more beat up than I am and I was more concerned
with him just making it through the storm. Certainly he
hadn’t made up more than two hours on me.
“But the last thing I was going to let happen was
my dad passing me the last couple miles. I know I’ll be
hearing about this for the next year,” Seavey said with a
competitive chuckle.
Dallas decided to push his speed. So he gave the
command, and off they went, except now Reef, the little
dog who’d been so anxious to go at Safety, was running
out of gas, Dallas explained. “So I whistled up the team
and again they surprised me majorly for the second time
that night. Instead of me whistling at them and looking at
me like, ‘Are you kidding me? You want us to go faster?,’
they pretty much all broke into a lope and took off like
they hadn’t done anything yet. Everybody with the exception
of little Reef. He was willing to go; he just physically
didn’t have the speed that the older dogs were doing. So I
stopped right away picked him up and set him in my sled,
which he was not happy about. It was the best thing for
him, so I set him in there. Now with only six dogs on the
ground, we were flying. This team is absolutely cruising,
they had confidence. Their boss said to go faster, they
were happy to go faster. If I said they could go through a
storm, they believed they could go through a storm. That
was really fun for me to see this team kick it into fifth gear
on this final stretch and have no problems with that despite
everything they had been through.”
He was intent on finishing third ahead of his father,
not fourth.
He looked behind him again. “That light behind me
I saw bobbing up and down faster and faster as they
were trying to catch us. And so the last four to five miles
I think we stayed pretty much even, where the light at
times seemed a little closer, and maybe at other times
even a little farther back. But never at most being more
than a half a mile behind us, even less than that.”
About two miles from the finish line, Seavey found it
odd that the locals and the media still lined the streets
hours after the winner had arrived.
He figured King had made it a couple or three hours
earlier with Zirkle close behind, so he rationalized maybe
the media was following him, too, perhaps because
he was a previous race winner or maybe with the race
long over, they had time to fill.
Or maybe, they wanted to watch the final chapter of
the father-son finish.
“I knew when I actually got onto Front Street with
about a half a mile to go that I would actually stay in
front of the team behind me and my dad wasn’t going
to be able to catch me; we were going to hang onto our
third-place finish.”
Wow, that was close, he thought.
He was completely sweat drenched because he
hadn’t taken time to take off layers or anything because
he was so exhausted when he hit the finish line eight
days, 13 hours, 19 minutes and four seconds after leaving
the starting line in Anchorage, bruised and battered
from the Alaskan tundra, but content because he felt
he’d done his best.
The television cameras swarmed and the flashes
from the scores of photographers on hand lit up the bitterly
cold Alaskan night. After collapsing onto his sled
his wife Jen, also a musher and former Iditarod competitor,
was quick to give him a hug. After their shared
embrace his thoughts quickly turned to his team. As he
made his way to his dogs, eager to thank them one by
one for their fight and resolve during their 1,000-mile
journey together, he was not prepared for the question
he was about to receive from a local reporter.
“I pretty much just crumpled on my sled trying to
catch my breath for a minute; my whole body is hurting
at this point. And after a few moments I walked up to give
my dogs a pat on the head (I was awfully proud of them)
when one of them media who’d followed me on the whole
race asked me, ‘Did you think you could do it?’”
Seavey thought the reporter was referring to a
running joke of sorts they’d had the whole way, where
Seavey dropped six hours behind the leaders to running
eight hours behind, then 10 hours behind, despite
the reporter knowing that Seavey’s style is a comefrom-behind
win.
All along the way, the reporter had taunted Seavey
with “Do you still think you can win this race? Do you
still think you can win this race?”
“The reporter was taunting as we got farther and farther
away from the lead,” Seavey said. “So when he asked, ‘Did
you think you could do it,’ that’s the first time I wondered,
‘Wait a second, did I totally miss something here?’”
Now it became Seavey’s time to turn the tables.
“I asked him, ‘Did I think I could do what?’ That’s
when he said, ‘You just won the Iditarod.’
“And then the pieces started falling into place. No
wonder there had been more fans than I’d ever seen at
the finish line because this did turn into a photo finish
for first place where things had gone very differently
than expected with the storm. Aliy had to stop in the
storm and give her dogs a rest to have enough energy
in them to complete the last 20 miles; my dad was
still safely not two hours but now closer to three hours
behind me; and everything started to fall into place as
they explained what happened. Right at that time two
minutes, 22 seconds after I crossed the finish line, Aliy
pulled in.”
Shortly thereafter, Seavey learned that the wind
had blown four-time Iditarod champion King off the
course six miles from the Safety checkpoint and he had
to scratch from the race.
“It was a pretty amazing way for a race to finish,”
Seavey says now in retrospect. “But it really brought
light to how we had run the whole race and made the
right decisions for our team, not trying to figure out how
to outsmart or outmaneuver the other teams; how to do
what was right for our team and to just trust that if we
did that the whole way, good things would happen.”
Dallas Seavey had completed an unprecedented
night of dog sled racing and emerged victorious in the
most thrilling and improbable of ways. He had demonstrated
championship qualities far beyond his years to
claim his second Iditarod title in three years with his
father claiming the other.
He and his team are currently into their heavy training
period in preparation for the 2015 race beginning
Saturday, March 7.
Though young Seavey would not make any predictions
about the upcoming race he did reveal his team
is “running at a higher level than I’ve ever had a team
run at this point. We’re about a month ahead training
wise which means I get to spend half this winter really
pushing their limits. The athletes on this team are phenomenal.”
The next chapter of the Dallas Seavey legacy
will be written soon. We will be anxiously watching as
will millions more around the world. A’ight!

Winter Edition |TCA 2014-15
Tracking The Trends
Filling the Seats
By Cliff Abbott
Like any professional sports team, the performance on the field doesn’t
much matter if the stadium is half empty. Successful franchises know that
filling seats is more important to the team’s financial well-being than a winning
record. It may be true that a winning record helps sell tickets, but there
are plenty of examples of pro teams that win on the field while hurting at the
ticket office.
Your trucking industry “team” isn’t filling a stadium, but it does have a fleet
of tractors to fill. Unless your team has reached the trucking nirvana of 100
percent retention, you’ll need to hire some drivers in the coming months. Like
a sports franchise with a waiting list for season tickets, each driver you retain
reduces the workload and expense of making another recruiting “sale.”
If your retention results are around the industry average, you’ll need a
new driver for each tractor in your fleet every 12 months.
Your chances of success start with your recruiting plan, and your recruiting
plan starts with an honest estimate of the number of drivers you’ll need
in the coming year. Begin with your turnover rate to determine how many
drivers are needed for the fleet to remain the same size. Add the number of
drivers needed to fill any tractors that are currently empty and the number of
drivers needed for any expansion plans.
Once you’ve determined that number, you’ll need to consider budget,
staffing, an advertising plan and other factors. But before you start spending
those advertising dollars, there are a few items to keep in mind.
Make sure your message is congruent with your reputation:
In a previous article that addressed retention, it was stated that your company’s
brand is what the audience PERCEIVES it to be, rather than what
upper management WANTS it to be. It’s hard to sell tickets for a losing team,
no matter how it’s presented in the advertising. In a trucking-world example,
all management claims of safety being a priority or a value go in the gutter
the first time a fleet manager asks a driver to violate Hours of Service
requirements. It is important that every person in your organization who supervises
others understands and is on board with your company’s values so
that those values are applied consistently.
According to Micah Jackson, successful media strategist and general
manager of The Trucker News Organization, “The right brand message for
your organization is imperative. Certain messages will resonate well with
America’s most professional drivers while other messages will be met with
cynicism and skepticism. Crafting effective brand messaging around your
company’s distinct core competencies is often not given the attention and
consideration it warrants. How do you create brand differentiation in a sea
of brands permeating recruiting media? It must begin with making sure your
message is congruent with your company culture.”
Just as the communication options in the trucking operation have
changed, so have methods of driver-to-driver communication. For better or
worse, the days of two guys in flannel shirts and baseball caps talking over
a cup of coffee at a truck stop lunch counter are pretty much gone. Drivers
have more avenues available to check out an employer than ever before.
That’s something to take advantage of, according to Jackson. “Good
messaging and advertising placement strategy will spur driver conversation
about your company,” he said. “This is where the rubber meets the road. A
diligent driver will ask your drivers about you in one or various mediums
available to him, be it in a truck stop parking lot or perhaps on social media.
What your current or former drivers say can and will make a big difference
in your success.”
Smartphones provide instant sharing with friends, family and other drivers
as well as Internet access. Have you done an Internet search on your
own company? Many of the drivers who see your advertising will. Most aren’t
looking for your website or for financial or other public information. They’re
looking to find out what their peers are saying about your company, and there
are a number of websites that are happy to help.
Some offer forums where disgruntled ex-drivers can sign up with a fictitious
username and post even more fictitious information. Some encourage
visitors to “review” your company, much like some retailers encourage product
reviews. The reviewer remains anonymous and no system exists to verify
the validity of what gets posted. A part of your advertising budget may, in fact,
26 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

Sponsored by
be going to “recruiting” sites that host forums or encourage reviews.
Another form of “review” is hosted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration through the sharing of your company’s CSA scores online.
Prospective drivers are checking, too, and using the information in their employment
decisions. A carrier with a high score in the “Vehicle Maintenance”
BASIC, for example, can be perceived as running poor, unmaintained equipment.
Drivers keep up with turnover statistics, too. Many will question why, if
your company is so great to work for, your turnover percentage is only average
or even worse than average.
Reach them where they are:
No matter how good your message, it has to get out if it’s to be effective.
Jackson advises some diversification. “The most successful recruitment
advertising strategies,” he said, “are diversified in their approach. All print
and all digital media is not created equal, so place your message in front of
the largest and most qualified audiences possible for the money and do it
consistently.”
It’s no secret that the age of the average commercial driver continues to
creep upward, creating a host of carrier issues including health issues associated
with an aging work force. Everyone agrees that there is a need to bring
younger drivers into the industry, but many are attempting to do so using the
same methods they’ve always used.
An April 2014 study published by Edison Research showed that 61 percent
of Americans own and use smartphones.
According to the study, four out of five people ages 18-24 have smartphones,
and the number only decreases by 1 percent (from 80 to 79 percent)
for ages 25-34. After that, smartphone ownership declined with each age
grouping, reaching its low of 25 percent among those 65 and older. More
school kids, ages 12-17, carry smartphones than people 45 and older.
A 2012 Pew Research study found that up to 67 percent of smartphone
owners routinely check for calls and messages, even if the phone hasn’t
rung. The study also claims that 44 percent of owners sleep with their smartphones
nearby in case someone calls or messages.
We’ve reached a stage where even websites can be obsolete. Sales of
desktop computers and laptops are declining, replaced by tablets and smartphones.
Sites that don’t display well on smaller screens that can’t be negotiated
with just a couple of fingers (or thumbs) are useless to many.
How technology is used has changed, too. It’s no longer good enough to
maintain a website or to simply place an ad “on the Internet.” Today’s user
is social: They need more than a driving job advertisement that appears in
the margin of the screen. The modern applicant wants to see what others
have posted on your Facebook page and if drivers are proud enough of your
equipment to post photos on Pinterest. They’ll check out YouTube to see if
there are videos posted, and if those videos are posted by your company,
disgruntled ex-drivers, or others. They’ll look for forums and enter your company
name to see if others have posted information — positive or negative.
Communicating can present challenges, too. Many prefer texting to calling
or e-mailing.
Reaching this group of potential drivers means getting in front of them
repeatedly and making it easy for them to contact you when they’re ready.
Target your applicants:
Shooting your message out to as many as possible, the “shotgun” approach,
may work if you’re selling soft drinks, but probably isn’t best for recruiting
drivers. It’s best to know who you want to reach, and concentrate
your efforts and advertising dollars toward reaching that group.
Different forms of advertising can produce results that vary in both quantity
and quality. Some methods generate prodigious quantities of low-quality
“leads” and applications, while others result in smaller numbers of higherquality
applications. An applicant who specifically wants to work for your
company rather than sending the same application to dozens of carriers
is much more valuable. Recruiters processing quality leads work more efficiently,
and the hires from such leads are much more likely to stay, helping
reduce turnover.
The trucking industry, on average, must recruit, train
and employ 96,178 new drivers each year over
the next 10 years to avoid a shortfall.
TCA 2014-15 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 27

Sponsored by SKYBITz
SKYBITz.com | 888.698.1733
If you choose print advertising, find out if the
publication has an online edition, too. The type of
publication is also important. Some “digest” style
trucking publications are aimed at drivers who
are searching for a new employer; recruiting advertisements
make up the bulk of their content.
Other publications, such as The Trucker newspaper,
work to build a loyal readership reaching
a higher caliber driver, some targeting drivers,
owner-operators and even industry management.
These publications may not produce as many immediate
responses, because readers are there
for education and entertainment rather than only
to find a new carrier, but don’t make the mistake
of thinking this group of drivers aren’t constantly
looking to better their careers and improve their
quality of life. If you present them with an effective
message and a legitimate opportunity to find better
success, they’ll remember and respond to your
ad once they seek additional information. Applications
from these drivers may be more desirable,
because they have taken the time to learn about
the industry and your company.
Radio and television advertising is generally
expensive but supporting programming that targets
the audience you want to reach can be effective.
Don’t fall prey to the stereotype, however,
that says all truck drivers like country music and
car racing.
The Internet offers a
large variety of modern
advertising options, but
restraint is prudent, according
to Jackson. “Too
often media buyers become
enamored with the
newest offerings on the
market,” he said. “They
begin drastically shifting
their media investments
in hopes they have discovered
the silver bullet
only to soon be faced
with the reality they overzealously
estimated the
benefits. The key is understanding that advertising
all works together. The objective is to generate
enough interest over time that potential applicants
will take direct action toward your company. There
is no magic medium. A congruent message,
sound placement and buying strategies, consistent
investment, hard work and a willingness to
exercise patience in your long-term approach will
yield winning results.”
Websites designed specifically for recruiting
truck drivers are a popular choice that some
carriers have found to be successful. There are,
however, a few things to consider when making a
decision on who to sign. Some, for example, offer
to send the user’s application to a large number
of carriers. Leads and applications of this type
are typically lower in quality, since the applicant
has no interest in working for you specifically but
is instead fishing for the best offer. Many carriers
avoid these applications and the host of “perpetually
dissatisfied” drivers who send them.
On the Internet, you can find a wide variety
of advertising options. Search-Engine Marketing
(SEM) is an efficient way to get your ad in front
of people who are most likely to want to see it.
Google, Yahoo! and Bing are among the largest
search engines and can put together a program
that does this. Google’s Adword program, for example,
brings your listing to the top when a user
searches for a topic containing a word or term you
specify. You can also purchase “sponsored” links
that appear in a manner you choose.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a tool
that Web developers use to get websites to show
up higher on the search results list by including
words and phrases that are more likely to get
picked up by search engines. Using SEO techniques
can help searchers find your website more
easily, but there’s another benefit. Websites that
want your advertising dollars should also be optimized
for search engines. If your company doesn’t
appear on the first page of search results, that
may not be a wise advertising spend.
Another Internet advertising option involves
tracking a user’s Web usage and selling ad space
accordingly. For example, if a job hunter has recently
visited the websites of several trucking
companies, the ad software would cause your ad
to come up on that person’s screen.
Geo-targeting is another option that some advertisers
offer. A carrier looking for drivers near a
terminal or in a particular geographic region can
purchase advertising that is directed at users in
those areas.
Retargeting or remarketing can help keep your
message in front of users until they’re ready to
make a decision.
When advertising on the Internet, information
is available on how many people clicked on your
“Certain messages will resonate well with America’s most
professional drivers while other messages will be met with cynicism
and skepticism. How do you create brand differentiation in a sea of
brands permeating recruiting media? It must begin with making sure your
message is congruent with your company culture.”
-Micah Jackson, Publisher & General Manager of The Trucker News Organization
ad, where they went and how long they stayed.
Google Analytics is one service that provides information
of this type.
The Internet offers many advertising options,
but don’t expect huge results from any one source.
“New technologies are changing driver recruitment
strategies,” Jackson explained. “Implementing
a number of them is wise, but be sober minded
in your expectations.”
New advertising avenues don’t change the basics,
either, Jackson said. “No matter the medium,
your message, reputation, company offerings and
skill of your recruiters to make a lasting connection
with that applicant will make the real difference.”
Encourage action:
Sales can’t be made until someone agrees
to buy. But, what’s a “sale” in driver recruiting? A
hire? An application? A phone call? Depending on
the structure of your recruiting department, any of
these can work and all can be useful. Ultimately,
of course, you’re after a hire, but that can’t happen
if you don’t get calls and applications.
When it comes to advertising, your goal is
one-on-one contact with the applicant. Whether
it’s a phone call, application, text, chat or other
method, your recruiters can’t close the deal without
communication. Your advertising must prompt
that communication. You can mention many good
things about your company, but if you don’t list a
phone number or website, you won’t get many responses.
If your ad contains a link to your website, there
should be some direction to go with it. “Learn more
here” or “Contact us at this link” could be a part of
the wording of the ad. It should NEVER take more
than one click to get to your application, so a link to
the app needs to be on every page of your website.
Studies have shown that the more clicks it takes to
get to your application, the more likely the visitor
will leave before getting there.
Your recruiting team should be equipped and
qualified to respond in a manner that’s comfortable
to the driver. If your team can’t receive or send a
text, for example, you’ll have to hope the driver who
responds decides to make a phone call.
If you ask the applicant to call, answer the
phone. Nothing says “your call isn’t important to us”
like a recorded message stating “your call is important
to us.” Half of your callers won’t stay on the line
for you to talk to.
Thirty years ago, faxing an application to a truck
stop for the driver to complete and fax back to you
was a fine idea. That technology has become outdated.
Everyone has access to the Internet, even if
it’s a truck stop kiosk, and free e-mail accounts are
widely available. An applicant who doesn’t have the
ability or initiative to complete an online application
isn’t worth your time.
Your website should
feature a “chat” button that
instantly connects the applicant
with a recruiter. A
request to chat should be
viewed with the same priority
as a phone call.
No matter which
method of communication
your team is equipped to
handle, tell the applicant
what you want them to do
in your advertising.
Skip the gimmicks:
Sign-on bonuses can
be an effective way of generating traffic to your
website or call center. There are, however, a couple
of drawbacks. Sign-on bonuses are rarely what
the name implies. Carriers often incur a credibility
problem when drivers learn that a “sign-on” bonus
is really a “sign-on and make it through orientation
and don’t have any accidents and don’t leave us,
voluntarily or otherwise for six months” bonus.
Then there’s the question of a carrier contributing
to its own turnover problem. After all, if you’re
targeting drivers who come to you for a bonus,
won’t they leave when someone else offers a better
bonus?
“We treat you like family” is a common advertising
refrain. Applicants know that at most familyowned
carriers, any family members are working
in office positions, not out on the road in trucks.
They also know that carriers who claim that they
won’t be “just a number” sometimes have a sixdigit
number on the fender of each tractor and that
“what’s your truck number?” will be the first question
asked by their driver manager.
Applicants respond best to straightforward
advertising that presents an honest portrayal of
what they’ll find at your carrier. Be upfront, find
the applicants you want, reach them where they
are, communicate in the way most comfortable
for them, encourage contact and your recruiting
team will have more success fighting the driver
shortage. After all, every team likes playing in a
full stadium.
28 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

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Mobile
Revolution
By Aprille Hanson
“Everyone here has the sense that right now is one of
those moments when we are influencing the future.”
— Steve Jobs
On October 13, 1983, a man named Bob Barnet, a
former president of Ameritech Mobile Communications,
placed the first commercial cell phone call to the
grandson of Alexander Graham Bell. At 10 inches long
and weighing about 28 ounces it was hardly the definition
of mobile by today’s standards, but it was a fitting
example of how far we’ve come. Little did we know it
was only the beginning.
Today, a phone call is almost the least important
function of a phone.
Smart technologies, from phones to tablets, have
become not only staples in everyday life, but in
business. It is more than technological advancement
— it’s a mobile revolution and it will change the
trucking industry.
YOU CAN KEEP THE DIME
One could say the mobile revolution has been
stirring ever since Barnet made that first call. Jon Van
Winkle, vice president for product management at XRS
Corporation, recently acquired by Omnitracs, said it’s
been “brewing for five to six years” in terms of fleet
management solutions.
“You’re talking about tablets and devices that do
work out of the cab, communicate to the driver over
the road,” said Van Winkle, adding that XRS, which
provides fleet management solutions and compliance
software that run on smartphones, tablets and rugged
handhelds, has been “at the forefront of the so-called
revolution or moving in that direction. It’s taken awhile
to get traction, for data rates to come down.”
According to a Business Insider report released
this year, U.S. consumers are now spending one-fifth
of their media consumption on a mobile device, five
times more than in 2009. In terms of how it’s changing
business, people spend just as much time on a mobile
device online than with a laptop or desktop.
“I see in our own business people showing up to
meetings with a tablet; I see that increasingly rather
than people toting around a laptop,” Van Winkle
said. “I think if you look at fleet managers who are
also part of our customer base, they’re looking to do
things moving around their warehouse, rather than
toting around a laptop. If you look at the driver’s
side, guys in-cab would rather have a smartphone or
tablet.”
From a business standpoint, XRS said its applications,
fed directly into a smart device with little to no
start-up costs, are going to generate more savings
for businesses.
“It’s a little more modern cloud-based solution …
In our case we use a very small gray box, with a single
cable on top of the dashboard,” Van Winkle said, adding
that hardware costs are included in a subscription.
“Fleets do have to buy a smartphone or tablet.”
But this is the direction it’s heading. Smart devices
“open up a whole new world,” he said.
DIALING IN
Andrew Pearson, president of Qualex Asia Limited,
is a technology expert, noted columnist and author of
several books including 2010’s “The Mobile Revolution.”
His latest book, “Going Mobile: Going Social,”
details how businesses of all kinds can benefit from
mobile and social media technology.
And according to Pearson, the mobile revolution is
here to stay.
“It’s going to simplify and automate trucking executives’
lives in a way they can’t quite fathom just yet. By
harnessing the power of the mobile platform, mobile
users can make phone calls, send a tweet or fire off a
text,” Pearson said. “Using mobile technology allows
businesses to really understand how their marketing
budget is being spent and how effective it really is. Mobile
makes it easy to send out marketing offers as well
as keep the communication channels open for drivers,
administrative personnel, clients and potential clients.”
He developed a Matrix of Mobile Solutions, a
graph that breaks down various professions according
to their mobility strengths. For transportation, its
strengths include such things as Augmented Reality.
Trucking can use this to create virtual manuals to help
a mechanic or driver understand a problem with a
vehicle.
“This gives the trucker or mechanic a hands-on
view and, if the mobile device is connected to a Wi-Fi
and/or a mobile network, the trucker could be getting
real-time assistance from a mechanic who, through the
use of the mobile device’s camera, could be seeing the
actual problem first-hand rather than hearing about it
through another; objectivity rather than subjectivity,”
Pearson explained.
Other advantages include blogging, micro-blogging
and apps that keep drivers and companies up-to-date
on everything from road conditions to stopping locations
and simple concepts such as a QR code.
“These can be used to track items along the trucker’s
route. They are standardized. They are also good for
marketing so trucking companies that are looking to
advertise in one way or another, say for new truckers
or a pair of truckers, a quick QR Code scan can link an
interested party to a website that has downloadable
information,” Pearson said.
One that’s lesser known in the trucking industry is
an OTT (over-the-top) application that provides a product
over the Internet, bypassing traditional distribution,
Pearson explained.
For example, he said after a recent meeting in China
instead of the traditional call or hail of a cab, an app
called WeChat was used.
“My Chinese host asked if I wanted him to order me
a cab. When I confirmed that I did, he pulled out his
phone, opened the WeChat application, fired up the
‘Taxi’ service and within 30 seconds over 30 taxis had
been notified of the request. He showed off the pretipping
service the app had that allowed one to offer
any taxi drivers a tip of between 5, 10 or 15 Reminbi
to motivate them to accept the fare,” Pearson said.
“There’s no reason why something similar couldn’t be
done for truckers. Perhaps there’s a case in which a
sick trucker’s shift needs to be covered. A database of
all of the companies or freelance truckers in the neighborhood
could send out a blanket notification about
the shift that needs to be covered. Incentives could be
added, if need be. This would alleviate the need for HR
to call around, trying to get the shift covered.”
One way that smart devices are changing trucking is
with geofencing capabilities, a software program that
can define geographical boundaries.
“Basically, geofencing programs allow an administrator
to set up triggers — usually SMS push notifications
or e-mail alerts — so when a device crosses a ‘geofence’
and enters (or exits) a set boundary, a user is notified,”
Pearson said. The most basic example for the trucking
industry is that when a trucker changes his route, his dispatcher
would receive an alert, Pearson explained.
“Mobile sensors and mobile geolocation tracking
can do everything from tracking drivers, vehicles and
product shipments down to 20 feet,” Pearson said.
“Mobile devices will create highly detailed roadmaps
that can be used to analyze the best routes to take in a
multitude of conditions.”
This brings into perspective the possibility of
an electronic logging device (ELD) one day being
controlled with a smart device rather than an additional
piece of hardware.
“That would make sense. And apps are actually very
cheap to build. Because it’s so cheap to become an
app developer, there are literally millions of developers
worldwide who could develop something like this,”
Pearson said. “The beauty of the mobile ecosystem is
even though there are, literally, tens of thousands of
different iterations of mobile devices, they all work on
a backbone of solid infrastructure that simplifies the
development and implementation process.”
PHONE A FRIEND
Mercer Transportation, out of Louisville, Kentucky,
is 100 percent owner-operator and delivers 250,000
loads annually.
And their drivers are almost entirely mobile, setting
the industry standard for the future, according to
Operations Manager Dale Corum.
30 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

“Out of our 2,400 drivers, we have I would say about 2,200 of them right now who
have smartphones. We have a smartphone app where they can do some of their own
work for themselves. Only about 600 are actually using it right now,” Corum said,
adding he expects that number to grow. The app helps with administrative functions,
but puts the drivers more in control. “The ones that choose to do it right now can make
check calls, loaded calls, empty calls; they can do a lot of things for themselves.”
Corum said Mercer’s drivers can also check load availability online and “choose
loads for themselves on that phone or tablet.”
While Mercer drivers vary in age, it’s the younger drivers who continue to embrace
smart technology.
“Some of our older guys are still using the old flip phones and they didn’t want to
use them when they came out,” Corum said. “But the newer drivers they embrace it.
It’s not just something, ‘Well, I’ll try.’ They embrace it and look for those ways to use
that tool for them.”
Currently, Mercer is developing its own scanning system program for drivers to
have an in-house option, rather than going through private technology companies
that offer scanning services. The goal is to have drivers using their smart devices to
scan paperwork and any other messages “directly to us and bypass everybody else
and it would be at no fee versus a few cents a page at a truck stop,” Corum said.
Though the company is owner-operator based and subscribing to those private
systems is the driver’s choice, Corum said Mercer has seen what other companies
need to recognize — that making life easier on the driver through technology can
lead to better retention.
“We know we have to find ways, and right now it’s not hurting us, the drivers are
picking up that cost. Even though it’s maybe $20 a month, we have to find ways to
help make that guy more successful,” Corum said. “We have to find ways to help
them put more money in their pocket. We have to find ways to help them feel more
connected to us and do something for them that maybe someone else wouldn’t do.”
CALLING AHEAD
Studies have shown that by 2020, trucks will include sensors, giving them constant
connectivity to mobile devices or a Wi-Fi network, keeping companies informed
on when an oil change is needed, when the tires are wearing down and when a driver
is tired. Anything and everything is on the table.
For Pearson, the mobile revolution and the concept of real-time analytics go
hand-in-hand. He pointed to the company ConAgra, the $18 billion-a-year packaged
goods giant, which uses a real-time system within their business that gives feedback
regarding material forecasting, planning and pricing.
“If trucking companies had access to this kind of information — or produced this
kind of demand forecasting information themselves — they could actually use it to
coordinate positioning of their trucks and drivers,” Pearson said. “If ConAgra recognizes
that a shipment of one of these 4,000 raw materials can be delivered sooner
via one trucking company, that too should go into the forecasting and because this
information is being handled by powerful real-time in-memory systems, millions of
different scenarios could be modeled and real-time analytics could be used to calculate
the cost of a truck taking a toll road versus taking a road that either normally
experiences heavy traffic loads or is scheduled for maintenance or road closures.
Understanding the real-time prices of rail shipping rates could also add options to
have a shipment go by rail and be picked up closer to the destination.”
Kirill Storch, CEO of Electric Web, which is a leader in mobile app and Web development,
said recently that “understanding the power of intra-company smartphone
apps as a mission-critical Mobile Process Improvement (MPI) asset that can actually
drive productivity, enhance competitiveness and maximize revenue,” has just now
gained traction.
According to Global Industry Analysts (GIA), a publisher of off-the-shelf market
research, MPI markets like cloud services and demand for constant connection are
forecast to reach $4 billion by 2017, but only 10 percent of U.S. firms have currently
bought into the idea entirely. Companies and organizations like Amazon, UPS and
the U.S. Army are heavily investing in MPI, Storch noted.
He pointed to five basic areas where smartphones can drive business profit,
including field employee management (tracking employees, lessening time theft),
eliminating inefficiencies (such as faxing documents and time spent doing tasks
done over an Internet-based system), inventory management and becoming “leaner,”
which can mean eliminating certain administrative jobs.
MPI-based apps have already saved businesses time and money and Storch said
there is potential in every field.
“That same revenue potential exists for nearly every kind of business. Whether
that be updating outdated processes or utilizing mobile technology to enhance modern
systems, a custom-designed smartphone app could very well provide a simple
solution that has an enormous impact on the business — and possibly the industry
at large,” Storch said. “With MPI, ‘building a better mousetrap’ is only limited by
imagination and inclination.”
HOLD THE LINE PLEASE
The bottom line of the mobile revolution is in fact the bottom line. Trucking
executives have two ways to view the revolution: the next chapter or a war. Those
that turn the page will win; the ones with their shields up and swords drawn will take
their last breath as they hear the ringing of a cell phone in the distance.
“Because the investment in mobile will pay off, the sooner the investment is
made, the sooner will be the return,” Pearson said. “This is one of those technological
moments in which the first movers will have such a huge advantage on the
second and third — or non-movers — that they should have a big competitive
advantage. Although truckers are not known as big embracers of technology, the
individual drivers would probably see a marked improvement in the way that they
do their job that this could be an important differentiator when trying to attract
and keep top talent.”
Micah Jackson contributed to this article.
J. J. KELLER’S ELD INSIGHTS
ELDs: Getting Beyond the Myths
It may come as no surprise that the one behavior you will likely encounter
when introducing the switch from paper logs to electronic logging devices
(ELDs) is resistance. But knowing the common myths, and being prepared
to deal with them, can help you overcome that resistance.
MYTH: Using ELDs will cause my drivers to quit.
The fear among many carriers is that a switch to ELDs will lead to a large
number of drivers leaving the company — drivers they can ill afford to
lose under the current shortage.
REALITY: Carriers that have successfully implemented an ELD program
have seen few to no driver losses.
The truth is that if the implementation is handled correctly, drivers typically
become avid users of ELDs. One reason is that they quickly find ELDs to be
less time-consuming than filling out cumbersome paper logs. The key is to
fully train the drivers and allow them to get accustomed to using ELDs.
Start by having your drivers involved in selecting the system and in
building policies around it. Then begin to step up your log training,
auditing, and counseling to prepare drivers for the accuracy of ELDs
and to minimize the volume of violations.
During implementation, allot enough time to train drivers on the ELD
system. A driver who doesn’t understand how the system works will
quickly become frustrated with it. And frustrated drivers tend to start
looking for jobs elsewhere. To avoid this, follow the training method of
“tell me, show me, and have me do it.” Teach the driver about the system,
show the driver what he/she will need to do, and then run simulations
using the system in real-world situations.
Following these steps will help ensure your implementation of ELDs is a
successful one for your drivers — and your company.
More Myths To Get Beyond
Other common myths related to ELDs include:
• We’ll lose driving time and money if we implement ELDs
• These systems are expensive and there’s no way we can afford them
• ELDs will make us compliant overnight.
Each of these myths can be overcome by understanding the
realities of successfully implementing ELDs. Discover the realities behind
these myths for yourself by downloading our complete “ELDs —
Getting Beyond the Myths” whitepaper, free at
JJKeller.com/ELDmyths.
To learn about the J. J. Keller Encompass® E-Log system,
see the ad in this publication or visit JJKellerELogs.com.
with E-Logs
TCA 2014-15 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 31

Truckload trends crucial to you and your business @ DAT.com
T
he latest news on the economic
front shows 3.9% GDP growth
in the 3rd quarter, the second
consecutive quarter of the strongest
economic growth since the recent
recession. The economy is also
recovering from last year’s disastrous
winter, when truck shortages led to
market rate increases of more than
10%. Contract rates also rose after a
long period of stability.
Far-Reaching Regulatory Changes
in 2013 – New EPA regulations and
ultra-low sulfur diesel hurt fuel economy
and engine manufacturing expenses
rose, while costs soared for tires and
other supplies. Hours of Service (HOS)
changes in mid-2013 also hampered
driver productivity, leading to wage
increases that may or may not stabilize
the outflow of experienced drivers from
the industry.
Impact of Pre-Existing Regulations
- Driver recruitment and retention
were also affected by CSA safety
scoring. CSA considerations helped to
boost driver turnover levels back above
100%, as companies seek to shed
drivers with poor scores and recruit
drivers with above-average scores.
Environmental regulations from the
California Air Resources Board (CARB)
increased operating costs on trips to/
from and within California, home to the
country’s two largest ports, its largest
agricultural centers and many important
freight markets. As the economy
improved, drivers and prospective
drivers sought work in the higherpaying
sectors of construction and
energy exploration. Driver shortages
plague fleets of all sizes, making it
difficult to expand when currently
owned equipment lacks drivers.
Freight Rates Become
Unpredictable - Most transportation
and logistics professionals pride
themselves on their ability to set
pricing and anticipate costs. Recent
events, including changes in the
regulatory and economic environment,
as well as weather, have confounded
the most sophisticated pricing models,
however, as they depend on extended
trends in historic data. DAT has been
In partnership with
Growing Economy Reshapes Freight and Rates
By Mark Montague
better able to track conditions through
load board metrics and rates that are
updated daily based on shorter time
periods.
Market Rates Rise 10% vs. 2013 -
Market rates are up more than 10%
in 2014, year-over-year, as a national
average, and that’s led to rising
contract rates. Shippers have reported
jumps of 5% or more, as carriers rebid
the same lanes at a higher rate.
DAT RateView Supports Long- and
Short-Term Pricing Strategies - Even
the most experienced transportation
pricing analysts are challenged by the
current environment. They would like to
rely on their own companies’ historical
pricing data, but recent rate behavior
has made it difficult. DAT RateView
tracks rates daily on tens of thousands
of lanes, for van, reefer and flatbed
freight movements. The carriers can
compare their internal pricing histories
with the prevailing rates in each lane
to assess what the market will bear for
a single move or to construct bids on
long-term contracts with shippers.

Winter Edition | TCA 2014-15
Member Mailroom
One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is,
“What type of content and
educational services does TCA
provide through Truckload Academy?”
In an effort to better answer this question for new members, or perhaps
long-time members not reaping the rewards that come with utilizing
Truckload Academy in your business, let’s take a closer look.
It will be a year of continuation and creativity for Truckload Academy 2015.
Still on the agenda will be the popular Fleet Managers Certification program and the Truckload Academy webinars.
New will be two additional professional development certification programs — one for recruiting managers,
the other for risk management executives.
Certification is important in today’s competitive trucking industry. It is a way to both thank employees by
offering them professional development opportunities, and make carriers more attractive to customers who
appreciate a well-prepared staff.
Also new in 2015 will be driver training programs covering such areas as safety, Hours of Service, electronic
logging devices, CSA, cargo securement, drug and alcohol awareness and health and wellness. The driver
training programs will be available at a discount for Truckload Carriers Association members.
As always, the Truckload Academy on-demand webinars will cover the latest topics as recommend by the
TCA staff and TCA’s Recruitment & Retention Human Resources and Education committees. Members of
the committees have their fingers on the pulse of the front lines of the trucking industry and know the types of
information that carriers, their drivers and employees need most.
And, of course, we can always add a topic as warranted by new regulatory issues or government programs
that impact trucking.
Stay in touch with the Truckload Academy through future issues of Truckload Authority and the TCA website,
truckload.org.
TCA 2014-15 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 33

Winter Edition | TCA 2014-15
A Chat With The Chairman

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Foreword and Interview by Micah Jackson
Amid the myriad of holiday parties, family gatherings
and seemingly endless errands to run this time of year,
it’s easy to get swallowed up by our own commitments
and to-do lists. For Chairman and Mrs. Dunn though,
this time of year is an opportunity to make the season
bright for others and honor the reason for the season,
the birth of Christ. In our final “Chat” of 2014 with
Shepard, he shares his favorite holiday memories and
family traditions. He also encourages each one of us
to help make the season a little brighter for those we
work with, especially America’s professional drivers, by
getting them home with their families for Christmas.
Grab a few scrumptious shortbread holiday cookies and
a tall glass of lightly cinnamon-dusted eggnog and let’s
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Chairman Dunn shares
a holiday greeting with
his three-legged “best
friend,” Dylan.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for joining us yet again for another edition of Chat with the Chairman.
First of all, Merry Christmas to you! Please
tell Truckload Authority readers what this
time of year means to you.
Well, Micah, thank you very much, Merry
Christmas as well. You know it’s a fabulous time
of year, and it’s all about family this time of year.
The things that really brighten my day are watching
the little ones running around that are just
beaming with Santa Claus and all the great things
that are happening this time of year. Not having
grandkids of my own, I don’t experience that on a
daily basis, but I do see it through others. It’s all
about family and tradition and praising the birth
of Christ.
How will you and your family be spending
the holidays this year?
We should be home this year. Sometimes in
the past I’ve traveled, myself — not the family
— and I go to my brother’s and we go to a high
school basketball tournament, believe it or not.
We used to do it with my dad for a number of
years between Christmas and New Year’s, and
that’s the way we spent the holidays. It would be
a great time for us to be together. My assumption
is I’ll be home this year. The mornings are not
quite as early as they used to be when my kids
were much younger and they were up before the
sun came up and you could get coffee brewing,
but hopefully it will be chilly, we’ll have a nice
fire going, some good coffee on. We’ll spend the
day together cooking and laughing. I’m looking
forward to that for sure.
What are some of your favorite holiday
memories as a child?
It’s really just family. Just getting together,
not just immediate family, but extended family.
That was a fun time. We’d wake up early in
the mornings and play Santa Claus. And then it
was run back upstairs, get cleaned up, put your
good clothes on and we’d pile in the car and go to
grandma’s house, which was a good 45 minutes
to an hour away. Extended family was there and
we spent the entire day there. I certainly wish we
could bring some of those days back, but unfortunately
I’m getting older like many of us do and
you just move on.
Do you and your family have any special
holiday traditions that you carry out
each year?
My mother always stuffed my brother’s and
my stockings with chocolate-covered cherries.
I’m not sure why, but they stuck. My wife still to
this day stuffs, at least my stocking, with chocolate-covered
cherries to bring back fond memories.
Not that I eat them, but that’s just a great
tradition that comes to mind. The other thing we
do as a family, we do early morning Christmas
unwrappings and go straight into late breakfasts
or brunches and then have a late afternoon big
meal. It’s really just gathering as a family and a
celebration of each other. Our family has grown
this year. We have a new daughter-in-law who
joined the family November 29. So we have a
new stocking we’ll be hanging above the fireplace
this year. So that’s exciting.
Now many drivers do not get the
opportunity to be home for Christmas.
How can companies help drivers get home
more at Christmastime?
Certainly at our company, and I would encourage
all companies where it’s feasible to do so, is
to make a commitment to get them home. Our
modeling operation is that they’re home. They
need the time off. We run pretty busy most of
the year and certainly run the factories right until
they shut down at Christmas, so they’re tired and
need to be home and ought to be home with their
families. So I certainly encourage all companies
to bear that in mind when it comes to that time
of year. We all need breaks, we all need rest and
that’s a great time of year to do so.
36 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

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You have been faced with some quite unexpected challenges this year and as hard as it is
to believe, your term is actually about to hit the home stretch.
Congratulations to you and the search committee for completing your search and
eventually naming Brad Bentley as the new TCA president. Tell Truckload Authority
readers more about Brad and what you envision for TCA under his leadership.
I speak to Brad almost on a daily basis. He’s kind of drinking out of a fire hose right now, but we’re
convinced that we’ve definitely got the right guy. I get a weekly e-mail from him on the previous week
as to the wins and losses and what he’s worked on and we’re thrilled with that. Coming down the home
stretch here and it really hasn’t hit home yet, but it will pretty soon, I feel so blessed to frankly have
found Brad and know we’ve got a good man in the seat and that he’s going to take us forward a lot of
years to come and grow TCA in a way we’ve probably never seen. There’s a lot of excitement in the air
out there and we’re thrilled. I’m thrilled frankly to introduce him to all our TCA members at the annual
convention in March down in Orlando.
Give us a report on the success of the second annual Wreaths Across America Benefit
Gala.
Boy that was a fun night, as you know. You were there with your lovely bride and the successes there
were just outstanding. I want to say we raised somewhere in the neighborhood of about $260,000. A
single check from that was $150,000 from Walmart to the Wreaths Across America Gala. I had one of
our members put a little bug in my ear that evening. I have to give him credit. It wasn’t about me, it
was about him. He’s the guy who gave me the idea. Michael Eggleton of Raider Express of Fort Worth,
Texas, told me, “You know, let’s just see how much money we can raise tonight.” It was a fabulous
idea so I kind of took control over the microphone for 10 or 15 minutes and we raised I believe close
to $100,000 just impromptu. It just shows you that truckers and membership are more than willing to
stand up and help, open their wallets and checkbooks when the time comes. All you have to do is ask
and I’m so proud of that. It was a fabulous evening and I look forward to next year for sure.
38 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

Also, catch us up on the growth of TCA’s
health and wellness clinics which took
place back in September.
It was definitely a success and the partnerships
we had through those clinics were just fabulous. I
know we actually had some here in Indiana. I was
hoping to make it up to one of those truck
stops, but ended up being out of town and
not able to do so. But it’s a program that
has grown every year and we look forward
to continuing that tradition. It’s needed
and certainly welcomed by the truck drivers
across this country and we’re going to
continue to do that because it’s the right
thing to do.
What will you be focused on in the
final few months of your term?
Well, there are still a couple of programs
that I’m hoping we can get finished.
One of those is the benchmarking that I
began work on midway or early on in Tom
Kretsinger’s term and we’re hoping to have
that rolled out the middle of this month.
And the other thing, one of the things I
came out with, was trying to again focus
on health and wellness. We still have some
work to do there; my goal is to have that
queued up for Keith Tuttle coming up behind
me in March. We’re coming down the
home stretch here and there’ll be more to
come on that soon, so my hope is that we’ll
be able to announce something on that in
the very near future.
Before we wrap up this chat, let’s hit
a couple of industry issues.
Recently a reputable nationwide survey
showed the public’s perception of the
trucking industry was more favorable,
with a total favorability rating of 65
percent, than many realized. Were you
surprised by these numbers?
Honestly, I was surprised at those numbers,
but yet not surprised. You know if you watch TV
today, the railroad is doing a fabulous job of doing
some advertising, and frankly, I don’t think we
give our industry enough credit for the things we
do right and we need to do more of that. It’s definitely
working, the general public sees that, and
they see that in this latest survey so I’m thrilled.
All that tells me is that we need to do more of it.
Do you see opportunity to improve upon
these numbers in the future and how do we
continue to drive these numbers upward in
our favor?
I definitely see opportunities to improve on
that. You know the new initiative with Trucking
Moves America Forward will certainly help with
that; it’s gaining a lot of traction; it’s gathering a
lot of funds to be able to put ourselves out in front
of the general public, which will do nothing but
hopefully make that 65 percent increase more.
The other thing is that the image program with
Wreaths Across America is gaining a lot of traction.
You’ll see some national attention for that
again this year. As you’re aware, Brad Bentley
was up in Minnesota for the cutting of the national
Capitol Christmas tree, which is gaining more
momentum. So I would definitely expect to see
those numbers increase in the years to come.
In what many are calling a wave election,
the Republicans have extended their
majority in the House and gained the
majority in the Senate. How do you think
this bodes for the trucking industry in the
next couple of years?
Well, certainly I think that our industry was
probably a little bit surprised by the turnout that
the Republicans got; it was more than we hoped
for. I was thrilled. One thing I will say is that in the
little southwest area of Indiana where we are it’s
almost predominantly a Democratic area and the
Republicans swept everything here. So there’s obviously
a move that’s happening. As far as trucking
and transportation specifically are concerned,
we can only hope that it’s going to help us. We
did lose some folks that are good for transportation
historically on both sides of the aisle. But in
general I think it’s going to help us get done some
of the things that have been slowed down. So my
hope is now with the House and Senate majorities
we can roll our sleeves back up and go back to
work doing what’s best for the country.
There’s growing concern among
trucking industry stakeholders that
trucking groups might support even a
modest increase in the liability minimum
requirements. Do you share this concern
and how do you think trucking should
proceed on this issue?
Well, the concern from my area is that
there are a lot of small businesses, small
trucking companies out there that frankly
any increases could very well put out of
business. Certainly significant increases,
doubling the $750,000 minimums to say
$1.5 or $2 million, would put hundreds, I
would think, out of business. And I don’t
think that’s good. You know, we certainly
need help with tort reform. I don’t know
what the magic number is, it just seems
to keep growing, but I know the majority
of claims that are filed are well below
the current minimum levels, certainly well
below the million-dollar levels. We’re really
only talking about a very small percentage
of the claims that are out there. I’m
not necessarily in favor of it. I know that
the tendency is to be in favor of it but I’m
not supportive of it. I would also say that
TCA’s members are typically medium to
smaller carriers and I would think there’d
be some push-back there. It could be a divisive
issue in our industry and I would say
it’s probably divisive today, more so than
what you hear in the media.
As we approach a new year, what
do you predict will be the biggest
issue facing trucking that we will
look back on and say it defined
trucking in 2015?
I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the
driver situation and we’re all feeling it now, we’re
hurting from it now, but I really think it’s the tip
of the iceberg. There’s nothing better I’d love to
do than sit back this time next year and say we
licked that one. But I’m really afraid we’re going
to be licking more wounds. I really think it’s just
going to get worse. As an industry we’re going to
have to find more opportunities and ways to bring
other folks into this wonderful industry that we’re
in and find ways to hang on to those that are
here and keep them as long as possible until we
do find other ways to replant the seeds and reap
those benefits at some point.
Do you have a New Year’s resolution for
this year and if so, what is it?
Even though I’m going out as TCA chairman I
really feel a lot of positive vibes from both internal
staff and the membership as to what’s going
to happen in TCA in the very near future. That’s
not necessarily a goal or a resolution but I do feel
great things are coming for TCA. And until you sit
in this chair as chairman you can’t see that quite
as clearly, but I do feel we’re right on the cusp of
breaking open in so many areas. It’s exciting to
be a part of and I’m going to be thrilled to sit on
the sidelines and watch it all happen.
TCA 2014-15 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 39

TALK
A QUICK LOOK AT IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
Winter Edition | TCA 2014-15
Talking TCA
SMALL
TALK
Brad Bentley Named President
A QUICK LOOK AT
IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
Trucking industry veteran Brad Bentley
is the new president of the Truckload
Carriers Association.
He was named to the position in
September following an exhaustive search
by a special TCA task force — led by
current TCA Chairman Shepard Dunn
— consisting of six TCA officers, two past
chairmen and one member truckload carrier.
“Brad has been around trucking
most of his professional career and
has relationships with industry folks all
over the country,” Dunn said. “His vast
knowledge of the issues that we face
as an industry will come in handy as he
learns to manage a membership-driven
association. His desire to provide value
to all relationships is why he gets up in
the morning before everyone else does.
Brad is very focused on what his goals
are both personally and professionally
and those goals aligned very well with
TCA and its membership.”
A University of Alabama graduate with
a degree in broadcast journalism, Bentley
has worked in the trucking industry
since 1988. He spent six years in driver
recruitment advertising sales, followed by
15 years as a trucking publisher, before
becoming the editorial director for Randall-
Reilly recruiting in 2008.
“Despite the number of people in our
industry, I’ve always viewed trucking
as a close-knit community. I’ve found
the other trucking associations in the
Washington area to be very welcoming,
and I am beginning to form alliances
and partnerships,” Bentley said. “I plan
to focus on creating more value for our
members and establishing a culture to
attract more people to TCA. After working
for 25 years in our industry, I am excited
to be in a position where I can make a big
impact, and I am ready to move forward.”
Bentley has been active in TCA, most
recently serving as co-chair of the Image
and Communication Policy Committee. He
is also a member of the Board of Directors
as well as the Recruitment & Retention
Human Resources Committee. He has
played a role in the behind-the-scenes
development of several of TCA’s signature
activities, including helping to formalize
TCA’s partnership with Wreaths Across
America, introducing TCA to organizers of
the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree project,
and promoting the Highway Angel program
on a regular basis throughout the years.
Bentley is also active on the
Commercial Vehicle Training Association’s
Marketing Committee and the American
Trucking Associations’ Communications
and Image Policy Committee. While at
Randall-Reilly, he developed the Mike
O’Connell Memorial Trucking’s Top
Rookie Program.
TCA Supports Image Campaign
The Truckload Carriers Association
will be supporting the Trucking Moves
America Forward (TMAF) image campaign
with a $25,000 cash donation each year
for the next five years.
In addition, the commitment includes an
in-kind TCA co-branding effort in its work
with Wreaths Across America and the U.S.
Capitol Christmas Tree.
TCA and TMAF logos appeared on
boxes of wreaths that were laid on
the graves at participating veterans’
40 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

vice chair and president of Jet Express.
“It is as important as ever for all industry
partners to join the movement and tell our
stories. Programs like Wreaths Across
America and the U.S. Capitol Christmas
Tree project show how the trucking
industry is giving back to our communities
and our country.”
The co-branding efforts of TCA and
TMAF are also being featured during the
2014 and 2015 U.S. Capitol Christmas
Tree campaigns.
This year, the TCA and TMAF logos
appeared on promotional materials at the
tree lighting and reception in Washington.
In 2015, the co-branded TCA and TMAF
logos will appear on the official U.S.
Capitol Christmas Tree signage and
all materials featured during the tree’s
whistle-stop tour from Alaska to the
nation’s capital.
The annual delivery of “The People’s
Tree” to Washington is made possible
through the efforts of the U.S. Forestry
Service.
TMAF, launched at the Mid-America
Trucking Show in 2014, is an industrywide
image and internal education
initiative. Its aim is to inform policymakers,
motorists and the public about the benefits
of the trucking industry with the goal of
helping to build a groundswell of political
and grassroots support necessary to
strengthen and grow the industry.
TCA is the primary dispatching and
logistical partner of Wreaths Across
America and the U.S. Capitol Christmas
Tree. TCA is also a founding member of
the TMAF movement.
Recruitment Conference
cemeteries across the country and at
Arlington National Cemetery. TCA’s
“Truckload of Respect” trucks delivered
the wreaths.
The wreath-laying at Arlington National
Cemetery marked the final event in the
150th anniversary of Arlington National
Cemetery and it’s estimated that 30,000
volunteers laid wreaths on the hundreds
of thousands of headstones at Arlington
during the Dec. 13 Wreaths Across
America Day event.
“We’d like to thank TCA for such
generous financial and in-kind
commitments,” said Kevin Burch, TMAF
The 12th annual Recruiting and
Retention Conference is shaping up to be
the best ever.
The 2015 conference will be held
February 4-6 at the Gaylord Opryland
Resort and Convention Center in
Nashville, Tennessee.
Two agenda items are of special note.
First, we are expanding the popular
networking workshops we introduced at
the 2014 conference.
As you may recall, workshop attendees
participated in one 30-minute roundtable
discussion before moving on to another
roundtable for a discussion on a different
topic.
However, the roundtable was scheduled at
the same time as three other workshops, so
not everyone was able to participate.
We received so many positive
comments about the roundtable
discussions and what participants learned
during those discussions that we have
decided to schedule a general session
roundtable networking workshop.
Watch for topics on the TCA website.
The second agenda item of note will
be a general session featuring Rebecca
Brewster, president of the American
Transportation Research Institute, who
will share research and data ATRI has
collected showing current trends in the
trucking industry and how those trends
TCA 2014-15 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 41

impact driver engagement.
Recruiting, and especially retention,
are really big issues today. TCA members
are all trying to recruit from the same
small pool of drivers, so the big concern is
retaining drivers already employed.
To register for the conference or to see
additional agency items, visit the events
link on the TCA website at truckload.org.
New Face of TCA
The board of directors of the Truckload
Carriers Association has adopted a revised
logo to represent the organization.
The new design is the result of a twomonth
effort by TCA’s Communications and
Image Policy Committee, led by co-chairs
Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, president and
CEO of Garner Transportation Group of
Findlay, Ohio, and Wendy Hamilton, senior
manager of sales marketing and training for
Pilot Flying J of Knoxville, Tennessee.
Although the new TCA logo maintains
the same general shield design and colors
as before, the new look is more modern,
print-friendly, and easier to read, especially
when reduced to small sizes.
The outline of the United States — which
had carried over from previous logos used in
the 1980s — has been eliminated to better
reflect TCA’s mix of both U.S. and Canadian
members.
A road now circles around the logo, moving
in an upward direction, which represents
new horizons, higher education and more
efficient ways of doing things. It also points
the way to new members, new relationships
and networking opportunities between those
members, and more prosperity for those
members who take advantage of all the
resources that TCA provides to them.
The logo update is the first major change
since TCA’s new president, Brad Bentley,
began leading the organization about a
month ago.
“Our new leader is a direct reflection
of where we’re going in the future and the
connections we are forging with both our
current and potential members. Our hope is
that our new logo reflects that,” said Shepard
Dunn, president and CEO of Bestway
Express Inc., of Vincennes, Indiana, and the
chairman of TCA. “The logo is fresh, it’s new,
it connects with a new generation, and it
captures who we are.”
For further information on TCA and its
activities, visit truckload.org and follow the
organization on Facebook — truckload.
org/Facebook — and Twitter — truckload.
org/Twitter.
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42 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

Health Fairs
TCA hosted health fairs filled with fun and
health-related activities again this year at 15
TravelCenters of America/Petro Stopping Centers
throughout the country on September 16. Part of
TCA’s overall health and wellness initiative, the
fairs promote driver health and wellness during
National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.
This year, it included various health activities
— from games like basketball and ring toss
to exercises like those displayed on an activity
wheel — a new addition this year. The wheel
included everything from doing jumping jacks,
shooting hoops and even running a half mile;
the tougher the task, the better the prize. Nurses
were also on hand providing blood pressure and
glucose screenings.
The following truck stops hosted the health
fairs: Tonopah, Arizona (TA); North Little Rock,
Arkansas (Petro); Ontario, California, Petro
(Shawn Hubbard Ontario Stopping Center);
Wildwood, Florida (TA); Cartersville, Georgia
(TA); Boise, Idaho (TA); Clayton, Indiana (TA);
Clearwater, Minnesota (Petro); Binghamton, New
York (TA); Waterloo, New York (Petro); Lodi,
Ohio (TA); Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (TA); West
Greenwich, Rhode Island (TA); Antioch, Tennessee
(TA); and New Braunfels, Texas (TA).
TCA 2014-15 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 43

Gala
2nd Annual
Wreaths Across America
in review
Karen Worcester
Anne LeZotte & Wendy Hamilton
Dana Perino & Jim Klepper
Russell Stubbs & Max Fuller
The second annual Wreaths Across America Gala
hosted by the Truckload Carriers Association raised
$265,000 to help place a wreath this Christmas season
on every grave in Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) in
honor of the cemetery’s 150th anniversary.
Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit that educates the
public under the mission, “Remember, Honor, Teach” about
the sacrifices made by those in the U.S. military, delivered
wreaths throughout the country to veterans’ cemeteries. A
week-long truck convoy carried the wreaths to Arlington on
Wreaths Across America Day, December 13.
The Gala was attended by more than 200 people,
including military personnel, politicians, trucking executives,
veterans and ANC representatives. For the second
year in a row, the Walmart Foundation of Bentonville,
Arkansas, which recently became a member of TCA,
donated $150,000.
TCA President Shepard Dunn encouraged guests to
continue to donate during the Gala, raising more than
$100,000 in under 15 minutes.
What did you think of the WAA Gala this year? Do you
plan on attending next year?
Mr. Michael W. Udermann
Senior Vice President, Kottke Trucking Inc.
Phone: (320) 894-5044
mike_udermann@kottke-trucking.com
“This was my first year attending the Wreaths Across
America Gala. I was most impressed by the size of
the event and the professionalism on how it was put
together. From the silent auction (I donated an item for
auction), to the pre-Gala reception, to the dinner itself
and the keynote speaker (Dana Perino), along with the
musical entertainment, all who put efforts behind the
planning of the event should be congratulated on how
well it came together. I was honored to represent my
company and our industry as a whole and to play a small
role in honoring our veterans for this special occasion.
“I plan on attending again next year. I believe in
honoring our veterans; this event plays an important role
in their service to our country. It shows the families of all
the men and women whose gravesites received a wreath,
that their service and sacrifice played an important role
as to the freedoms we all enjoy on a daily basis. Wreaths
Across America helps spread that message and I’m
happy to be a small part of helping.”
Jim C. Klepper
President, Drivers Legal Plan
Phone: (405) 948-6576
jim@klepperlaw.com
“The Wreaths Across America Gala this year was such
an uplifting and emotional event that not only have I
committed to purchasing wreaths but to also attend the
laying of the wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery this
December 13. Since the Gala, I have spoken with our
44 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

Dana Perino
chairman shepard dunn
Patrick Simmons (WalMart Foundation of benton-
VILLE, arkansas) presenting a donation to WAA.
Michael Undermann
Mike Lombardi
Dee Dee & Roy Cox
state trucking association and have been able to convince
them to sponsor wreaths in Arlington.
“One story stuck in my mind from the Gala: It was
the story of a father standing at his son’s grave last year
as the last wreath was placed just two graves from his
son’s. His question was, ‘What about a wreath for my
son?’ That’s why I am so committed to ensuring that
every fallen hero in Arlington has a wreath this year, the
150th Anniversary of Arlington National Cemetery.
“Of course I will be attending next year. How can you
not attend such a worthy event associated with America’s
fallen heroes and America’s trucking industry?”
Roy Cox
Vice President, Best Cartage Inc.
Phone: (336) 996-1377
rcox@shipwithbest.com
“The WAA Gala was one of the high points of the year and
allowed our industry to pull together and show respect and
appreciation for those that gave so much for this great nation.
“I am looking forward to attending the wreath laying at Arlington
in December and attending the Gala next year as well.”
Mike Lombardi
Executive VP, Sales & Supply, TravelCenters of America & Petro
Phone: (440) 808-3236
mlombardi@ta-petro.com
“I thought the Gala was an excellent event and it
seems to grow in quality and importance each year. I
am a veteran and truly appreciate the opportunity to
sit with some of the disabled/senior vets at our table
and hear their stories of days in the Service and how
much this event means to them. I am always moved and
humbled by the comments from the Gold Star mothers in
attendance. The sacrifices of their loved ones can never
be repaid and they need to be remembered through the
efforts of the Wreaths Across America activities.
“Each year our company, TA/Petro Travel Centers,
sponsors a table for both our senior managers as well as
some of our local employees who are also veterans.”
Don Lefeve
Executive Director, Commercial Vehicle Training Association
Phone: (703) 642-9444
Don.Lefeve@cvta.org
“CVTA has been a proud supporter of Wreaths Across
America and plans to continue our sponsorship for years
to come. The Gala is a great event and we encourage others
to consider sponsoring as well. Speaking personally
as one whose father, grandfather and grandmother are
buried at Arlington, I am proud of the work that Wreaths
does to honor our men and women who have served,
[those buried] in Arlington and other national cemeteries
throughout the nation.”
TCA 2014-15 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 45

Mark Your
Calendar
March 2015
Benchmarking: TC-01 *Invitation Only* - March 6-7 — Gaylord Palms Resort
in Kissimmee, Florida. Find more information at Truckload.org or contact TCA
at (703) 838-1950.
Annual Convention - March 8-11 — Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee,
Florida. Find more information at Truckload.org or contact TCA at (703) 838-
1950. Exhibitor opportunities available.
december 2014
May 2015
Wreaths Across America Driver Appreciation Dinner - Dec. 12 — Westin
Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. Find more information at Truckload.org or
contact Mackenzie Tolliver at (703) 486-1111.
Safety and Security Division Annual Meeting - May 3-5 — Charlotte Westin
in Charlotte, North Carolina. Find more information at Truckload.org or contact
TCA at (703) 838-1950. Exhibitor opportunities available.
February 2015
July 2015
Recruitment and Retention Conference - Feb. 4-6 — Gaylord Opryland Resort &
Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Find more information at Truckload.org
or contact TCA at (703) 838-1950. Exhibitor opportunities available.
Refrigerated Division Annual Meeting - July 8-10 — Stowe Mountain Lodge
in Stowe, Vermont. Find more information at Truckload.org or contact TCA at
(703) 838-1950.
To our loyal readers,
advertising partners and
friends, we humbly and
sincerely “thank you” for
making 2014 so special.
From all of us at
America’s most trusted
trucking news source,
we wish you a happy,
healthy, and prosperous
new year.
We look forward
to sharing it with
each of you.
(800) 666-2770 | TheTrucker.com
46 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2014-15

’Tis the season for hard work.
Whether your hard work is on the road, in the field, or on site, here’s
to celebrating all your hard work this season. Happy Holidays
from our hard working family to yours.

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