Truckload Authority - April/May 2019

SMALLTALK
A QUICK LOOK AT IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
SMALL
A QUICK LOOK AT
IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
TALK
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s Director of Outreach
Tim Tetz, in middle, presents a token of appreciation to carriers
who transported The Wall That Heals in 2018 during the Sunday,
March 10 Board of Directors meeting in Las Vegas. Others pictured
from left are Load One CEO John Elliott; Diamond Transportation
System President Jon Coca; Wilson Logistics CEO Darrel Wilson;
and TCA Chairman and Searcy Specialized President Dan Doran.
The Wall That Heals exhibit is hauled in a 53-foot trailer and includes a
three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and a mobile
education center. With the help of TCA’s partnership and the companies mentioned
above, the traveling exhibit honors the men and women who served
and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War.
Trucking companies are needed to haul The Wall That Heals in 2019. Interested
companies can complete an online interest form at vvmf.org/haulthe-wall.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the nonprofit organization that
built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1982. VVMF is
dedicated to honoring and preserving the legacy of service in America and
educating all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War and era
through programs, ceremonies and education materials. To learn more about
VVMF, visit www.vvmf.org or call (202) 393-0090.
Lee J. Crittenden Award
The Professional Truck Driver Institute, Inc. (PTDI) has presented its highest
honor, the Lee J. Crittenden Award, to Kevin Burch, president of Jet Express,
Inc., based in Dayton, Ohio.
The award ceremony took place during the Truckload Carriers Association’s
81st Annual Convention in Las Vegas. TCA managed PTDI until 2016.
The award is sponsored by Cengage Learning of Boston.
“Kevin has been a true champion of PTDI’s mission,” said Past TCA
Chairman and Past PTDI Chairman Ray Haight during the awards presentation.
“His support of highly-skilled, safe and professional drivers has
spanned 45 years in our industry including truckload, less-than-truckload,
air freight and consolidation.”
As president of Jet Express, Burch oversees a company that handles
400 truckloads per day throughout the United States, primarily
for the “just-in-time” automotive industry.
While certainly a challenge, the emphasis Burch places on highquality
drivers and service has not been overlooked, earning Jet Express
numerous customer service awards.
Outside of Jet Express, Burch has been a tireless and immensely respected
voice supporting truck drivers and the industry. A past chairman of
TCA and the American Trucking Associations, Burch’s advocacy extends to
the Trucking Moves America Forward initiative, and he also is a trustee of the
Ohio Trucking Association.
Burch has helped rally efforts within the carrier community to recognize
and support PTDI’s standards for driver training and encourage carriers to
hire from PTDI schools. Recognizing a need in the industry, Burch has also
From left, Past TCA Chairman and Past PTDI Chairman Ray
Haight, Lee J. Crittenden Award recipient, and Jet Express, Inc.
President Kevin Burch, and Kim Richardson, owner of PTDIcertified
school, KRTS Transportation Specialists, Inc.
provided a key voice for the development of PTDI’s new Driver Finishing
certification.
“PTDI expresses its gratitude to Kevin for his passion and commitment
to bringing good drivers into the business and keeping them,” Haight said.
The Crittenden Award is named after Lee Crittenden, a staunch supporter
of PTDI until his death in April 1998. Crittenden was passionate about promoting
a positive image of the nation’s professional truck drivers and was
largely responsible for the creation of America’s Road Team. He also initiated
a scholarship program for drivers who participate in the National Truck Driving
Championships. He was one of PTDI’s founders, serving on the board of
directors as finance chairman during PTDI’s infancy.
PTDI is a nonprofit organization established to develop uniform entrylevel
truck driver training and motor carrier driver finishing standards. Widely
known as the gold standard for truck driver training, PTDI helps organizations
fully prepare their drivers for the responsibility of operating a heavy-duty vehicle
on our roadways.
Headquartered in Aurora, Colorado, PTDI certified training courses can be
found at 57 schools in 19 states, Canada, and Germany.
Past Chairmen’s Award
The Truckload Carriers Association has bestowed its prestigious
Past Chairmen’s Award upon Barry Pottle, president of Pottle’s
Transportation, Inc. of Hermon,
Maine. He was recognized during
the general session at the
TCA’s 81st Annual Convention
recently in Las Vegas.
Pottle purchased Pottle’s
Transportation from his father,
founder Clifton Pottle, in 1988
after working for the truckload
motor carrier for five years.
He guided its growth from an
11-truck fleet to its current
size of more than 180 trucks
and 575 trailers with terminals
in Bangor and Fairfield, Maine,
as well as Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Pottle Transportation, Inc.’s
Barry Pottle started in trucking
in 1978 and served as TCA
chairman 2006-2007. He is currently
chairman of the American
Trucking Associations.
Pottle is also an owner and/
or co-owner of five other companies,
all of which involve the
transportation industry, including
a Volvo-Mack dealership and a
warehousing business.
In addition to serving as TCA
40 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2019