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Truckers<strong>Connection</strong>Magazine<br />

Follow Follow Megan Follow Megan on Megan Twitter: on on Twitter:<br />

@MagazineMegan<br />

June <strong>January</strong> 2019 June <strong>2020</strong> 2019<br />

Vol ume Vol 33<br />

ume 34 33<br />

Issue 6<br />

Issue 16<br />

Features<br />

Features<br />

8<br />

14<br />

20<br />

32<br />

9<br />

16<br />

18<br />

Viewpoint<br />

Safety Tips<br />

Bill Mack’s Entertainment Beat<br />

24<br />

36<br />

44<br />

50<br />

60<br />

9<br />

16<br />

18<br />

Viewpoint Viewpoint<br />

Safety Safety Tips Tips<br />

BRIAN BRIAN SNELL, SNELL, WHO WHO AIDED AIDED<br />

WOMAN WOMAN IN WRONG-WAY<br />

IN WRONG-WAY<br />

CRASH, CRASH, NAMED NAMED HIGHWAY HIGHWAY<br />

ANGEL ANGEL OF THE OF YEAR THE YEAR<br />

24<br />

36<br />

44<br />

50<br />

60<br />

Bill Mack’s Bill Mack’s Entertainment Entertainment Beat Beat<br />

Let’s All Go Let’s to All the Go Movies to the Movies<br />

<strong>Connection</strong> Tech Tech Wordfind<br />

Nascar Nascar News News<br />

Trucking Trucking News News<br />

<strong>Connection</strong> <strong>Connection</strong> Wordfind Wordfind<br />

4 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.Truckers<strong>Connection</strong>.com<br />

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6 TRUCKER’S TRUCKER’S CONNECTION CONNECTION powered by Truck Job Seekers<br />

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Facing Fears<br />

Ah, <strong>January</strong>. A time so many make resolutions<br />

for change. While I’m a believer that you don’t<br />

need a new year on the calendar to take steps<br />

toward improving or changing things about yourself, it<br />

can be a motivator to know you aren’t alone.<br />

Whatever your reason or time of year, facing down<br />

the things you wish were different isn’t unlike facing<br />

down fear and coming out the other side a better person.<br />

Several years ago, I met a family that had two sons<br />

and a young daughter. The daughter was about five and<br />

was going through treatment for leukemia.<br />

Due to life circumstances at the time, I interacted a<br />

good bit with this family but it wasn’t long before I called<br />

them friends. But friends or not, it is gut-wrenching to<br />

watch a child endure chemotherapy and even more difficult<br />

to watch her parents cope with such a situation. One<br />

cannot help but consider your own children and realize<br />

how blessed you are to dodge such a horrible affliction.<br />

And we rallied around this family and this child as she<br />

fought for her life and as they fought to get her healthy.<br />

After years of treatment, this special girl was declared<br />

cancer-free--a miracle not enjoyed by all who deal with<br />

leukemia. She is now a strong and sassy girl with a heart<br />

of gold and her parents so very grateful for every “normal”<br />

day they get to have. Although their normal still isn’t


even what ours is. A fever, a cough, a stomach bug—<br />

these are run-of-the-mill to you and I. But far from it for<br />

a child who has had cancer. But still, they handle it all<br />

like troopers and count the days until she is reaches that<br />

magic five-year post cancer mark.<br />

Recently, they needed to get away and ended up taking<br />

a last minute trip to Panama City Beach, Florida. I was<br />

glad to see them go, loved seeing the photos of their trip<br />

and the faces of all three kids enjoying the beach town.<br />

However, it wasn’t until the trip was nearly complete that<br />

I learned the extent of what this particular sojourn really<br />

meant.<br />

The father of the family told me that it was that very<br />

town—Panama City Beach—where his daughter first<br />

appeared sick. They cut that trip short to get her to a doctor<br />

back home thinking it was serious but not necessarily<br />

life threatening.<br />

They were wrong.<br />

And so began the hardest and longest two and a half<br />

years of their lives.<br />

While the leukemia was eventually beaten and life<br />

has returned to one without constant doctor and chemo<br />

visits, the family avoided Panama City Beach—a place<br />

they’d loved for so long—due to the bad association.<br />

Until this year. While it might seem crazy to distance<br />

yourself from location you love because it happened to be<br />

where you learned of an issue, fears aren’t typically rationale,<br />

right? But this year, they decided to put it aside,<br />

head to the beach and love it as they used to and not as<br />

the place that originated a nightmare.<br />

Facing that fear was one of the best things they could<br />

have done—new memories now hold a place for them<br />

of the beach they love. And it just reminds me that there<br />

is good to be had by facing down change you are afraid of<br />

or fears you think you cannot conquer.<br />

We want to find the most paw-some<br />

trucker pet!<br />

• All entries receive a prize!<br />

• Grand Prize winner and their pet will<br />

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• Contest runs July 1 - September 30<br />

Send your photos to:<br />

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No purchase necessary, this contest is open to anyone in the United States of America that is over the age of 18 and<br />

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Safety<br />

Tips<br />

Be Aware<br />

Awareness and Anticipation of 4-Wheel<br />

Drivers Can Help Keep Trucks Safe<br />

Find the comment section of any news article<br />

about a traffic accident involving a truck<br />

and a smaller vehicle and you’ll discover it<br />

is filled with input from those determined to<br />

defend the honor of trucking and truck drivers.<br />

Someone will surely raise the point that 70%<br />

of the time (or 75% or 78.3%) the automobile<br />

driver is at fault. Another will claim that drivers<br />

of 4-wheelers frequently make hazardous<br />

maneuvers that truck drivers (and trucks)<br />

can’t react to in time. Undoubtedly, somebody<br />

will repeat the adage that none of us would<br />

have much if it wasn’t for trucks. Most of the<br />

comments will be true or at least have elements<br />

of truth in them. None of them will do anything<br />

to make the highways safer for a single person.<br />

So, as we’ve done in past Decembers in the<br />

pages of The Trucker, we’re going to wind down<br />

the year discussing your value of safety.<br />

When there’s a loss of life or a serious injury<br />

resulting from an accident, some people will<br />

get wrapped up in determining who was at<br />

fault. Once fault is established, then it’s time to<br />

decide on costs.<br />

By Cliff Abbott<br />

Somebody pays for hospital bills, ambulance<br />

rides, vehicle repairs and sometimes repairs<br />

to roads and bridges. Values will be placed on<br />

missed time at work, missing limbs and even on<br />

lives lost. Somebody pays; it’s just a matter of<br />

who pays and how much.<br />

If you make your living behind the wheel of a<br />

truck, there’s only one question that matters:<br />

How can we prevent accidents from happening?<br />

When a life is lost in a traffic accident, does it<br />

really matter whose fault it was?<br />

Every driver wants to avoid accidents. Many<br />

are trained in various programs of defensive<br />

driving, but the true professionals want to make<br />

the roads safer for everyone – even the bad<br />

drivers everyone encounters.<br />

That’s why every driver’s value of safety is so<br />

important. A person’s values are the standards<br />

of behavior or principles that he or she holds.<br />

Our values are deeply rooted, often formed<br />

in our youth, and shaped by family, friends,<br />

religious beliefs and other factors. Values<br />

determine what is most important in our lives<br />

14 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.Truckers<strong>Connection</strong>.com


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Safety<br />

Tips<br />

and in many cases who we are. Values don’t<br />

change easily, and some don’t change at all.<br />

Priorities are something else entirely. They can<br />

change, depending on need and circumstance.<br />

When you’re hungry, for example, finding a<br />

restaurant might be a priority. An hour later,<br />

something else is on the top of the priority list.<br />

That’s why making safety a “priority” isn’t<br />

good enough. Our driving decisions must be<br />

based on our values.<br />

When safety is only a priority, we check the<br />

phone to see who the text message is from<br />

before we decide if it’s important or it can wait.<br />

When safety is a value, on the other hand, we<br />

don’t read text messages while driving, period.<br />

A safety priority says we’ll drive at the speed<br />

limit unless the load is in danger of being late.<br />

If that’s the case, we’ll drive faster and cut<br />

corners to make up the time. A safety value<br />

means we’ll choose safety over timeliness.<br />

A safety priority says we’ll go a little long on<br />

driving hours because we’re almost home. A<br />

safety value means nothing trumps getting<br />

home safely, even if we need a break to do so.<br />

So, as the Christmas season creeps closer,<br />

take a moment to examine your attitude<br />

towards safety. Is it a value for you? Do you<br />

take pride in knowing that you not only avoid<br />

accidents, but you help prevent them by<br />

considering the impact your driving decisions<br />

have on other motorists? Here are some<br />

simple things that have a great impact on the<br />

probability you’ll be involved in a crash:<br />

Speed does kill: Slowing down gives you more<br />

time to react to hazards.<br />

Following distance: Over time, it’s easy to<br />

become complacent about following distance,<br />

inching closer and closer to the vehicle ahead.<br />

It’s a good idea to test yourself, counting off the<br />

seconds it takes for the nose of your vehicle to<br />

reach a point the vehicle in front has already<br />

passed. If you don’t have five to six seconds of<br />

following distance, you’re living on borrowed<br />

time. Sooner or later, you will be involved in a<br />

rear-end collision with the vehicle in front.<br />

Driving decisions: Very often, a driving<br />

decision isn’t as simple as “safe” versus<br />

“unsafe.” By considering the risks involved<br />

with each available option, you can make the<br />

choice providing the maximum benefit with the<br />

smallest amount of risk for everyone. Left turns<br />

are a great example. It’s easy to assume an<br />

oncoming driver will see your vehicle turning<br />

across their traffic lane and slow down before<br />

colliding. What if they don’t?<br />

Remain in control: In the left turn example,<br />

you can’t be sure what will happen if you<br />

put your faith in other drivers reacting as you<br />

might expect. You can remain in control by NOT<br />

making the turn in front of them. Absolutely, it<br />

may mean waiting longer for a bigger traffic<br />

gap, but it also means you’ll never have to say,<br />

“I thought they would stop…”<br />

As the year winds down, take some time to<br />

think about your value of safety and how it<br />

can apply to traffic situations. Remember that<br />

other drivers may not have your skillset—or<br />

your values. Your driving decisions should help<br />

protect them as well as yourself.<br />

After all, we all have a better Christmas when<br />

we make it home.<br />

16 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.Truckers<strong>Connection</strong>.com


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Entertainment Beat<br />

[Greatest Hits]<br />

A True Story About My Friend, Roger Miller,<br />

The Prankster<br />

When searching for Christmas gifts,<br />

books always come to mind. Although<br />

they may not be on everybody’s wish list,<br />

almost everyone I know enjoys reading a<br />

good book from time-to-time. I’m not into<br />

fiction, although I do have a few favorites<br />

in that category. Perhaps because<br />

I’m naturally nosey, I love to read biographies<br />

and autobiographies. I’m especially<br />

drawn to the un-authorized bios,<br />

although many of them are unfair works,<br />

rushed out for a fast buck or because of<br />

dislike for the subject. The worst thing<br />

a subject can do is threaten the writer<br />

with a lawsuit. Frank Sinatra filed suits<br />

against several authors, always dropping<br />

the cases just before a date in court had<br />

been set. All of the pending suits made<br />

the tabloids, grabbing lots of attention,<br />

and selling a ton of books.<br />

A couple of books are set for release<br />

in the not-too-distant-future; both focus,<br />

individually, on two of my favorite<br />

people, Roger Miller and Faron young.<br />

Sadly, both of these old friends are deceased.<br />

The authors present them in<br />

forms of factual honest.<br />

The book on Faron Young, written by<br />

Diane Diekman, has not been firmly set<br />

for publishing yet. I’ve read the manuscript,<br />

and it’s going to be a winner.<br />

More on that book later.<br />

A Canadian named Lyle E. Style<br />

wrote the book on Roger Miller, titled<br />

“Ain’t Got No Cigarettes,” a line mentioned<br />

in one of roger’s best-selling hit<br />

recordings, “King of the Road.” This<br />

book is available in Canada, and will be<br />

released in the United States shortly. It<br />

is already available<br />

in limited locations<br />

in this country. I received<br />

an advance<br />

copy a few months<br />

ago, and enjoyed it<br />

immensely. What<br />

makes this a true<br />

work of art is the<br />

author’s approach<br />

to the subject. He<br />

interviewed dozens<br />

of people who were<br />

close to Roger, quoting<br />

them in the exact<br />

manner they were utilizing<br />

when speaking<br />

with Lyle Style, not<br />

20 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.Truckers<strong>Connection</strong>.com


THETRUCKER.COM


By Bill Mack<br />

By Bill Mack<br />

editing in order to present<br />

the contributors in<br />

an oh-so-proper form.<br />

When I read the<br />

chapter where he quoted<br />

me, I was a bit embarrassed<br />

at my words,<br />

but realized they had<br />

been put to print exactly<br />

as I had presented<br />

them when I was interviewed<br />

about Roger.<br />

Roger Miller was<br />

one of the most talented<br />

individuals in all of entertainment. He<br />

was also, unexpectedly, very hilarious<br />

at times. The contributors, made up of<br />

actors, songwriters, singers musicians,<br />

music-publishers, etc., presented some<br />

favorite stories about the man, many of<br />

them I had never heard, although Rog<br />

became a close friend back in the 50’s.<br />

He was raised within 30 miles of my<br />

hometown, shamrock, Texas. His first<br />

wife was from Shamrock.<br />

Roger, who was heavy into the “pill”<br />

habit in the early 60’s, would spend<br />

many nights at my place after his wife<br />

locked him out of his house. It was a<br />

common practice, and my wife at the<br />

time, Jackie, was constantly in fear that<br />

roger might overdose on the pills while<br />

boarding out with us. I informed him<br />

of this fact and he promised he would<br />

never swallow another pill in my house.<br />

He would “pop them before entering,”<br />

he said.<br />

One morning my wife knocked on<br />

Roger’s bedroom door, asking him how<br />

he wanted his eggs cooked. There was<br />

no response. After knocking and calling<br />

his name several times and receiving no<br />

verbal reaction, she decided to walk into<br />

the bedroom and awaken him. Nudging<br />

him gently, she asked, “How do you<br />

want your eggs, Roger?”<br />

Dead silence. She also noticed Roger’s<br />

forehead seemed cold, and one eye<br />

was partially open, although motionless.<br />

She ran into our bedroom where I was<br />

still crashed out between the sheets and<br />

screamed, “I can’t awaken Roger! My<br />

God! I think he’s dead!”<br />

Naturally, this caught my interest<br />

and as I fumbled out of bed, Jackie ran<br />

back to Roger’s bedroom where she<br />

was about to call an ambulance. As she<br />

picked up the phone, she heard a growl:<br />

“Cook ‘em over easy.”<br />

As mentioned, Roger had a very<br />

unique sense of humor.<br />

While working in San Antonio, I<br />

booked a huge show into the municipal<br />

auditorium. The cast included Patsy<br />

22 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.Truckers<strong>Connection</strong>.com


Entertainment Beat<br />

Continued<br />

Cline, Jim Reeves,<br />

George Jones, Ray<br />

Price and many others.<br />

Also on the bill was my<br />

pal, roger Miller, who<br />

was just beginning his<br />

recording career with<br />

RCA Records. I had<br />

just purchased a Martin<br />

guitar, a top-of-the-line<br />

creation at the time, and<br />

was anxious to have<br />

all of the “stars” sign<br />

it. Backstage, I pulled<br />

my treasure from its<br />

case and handed it to<br />

Roger, who was sipping<br />

on a Coke in one of the<br />

dressing rooms. Handing<br />

him the guitar, I said, “Here, Rog. I<br />

want you to be the first to sign my new<br />

Martin.”<br />

He took the Marks-A-Lot I had furnished<br />

him and began scribbling. Then,<br />

he handed the beautiful instrument back<br />

to me. It was then that I noticed he had<br />

marked, “Bill Mack” on the face of the<br />

new guitar. I shouted, “What did you<br />

think I asked you to do, roger? Instead<br />

of writing your name, you wrote my<br />

name on my Martin!”<br />

He burped, “It’s your guitar, not<br />

mine.”<br />

I completely lost all control as Minnie<br />

Pearl and Grandpa Jones held me<br />

back from roger, who was roaring with<br />

laughter.<br />

For some reason, I allowed Roger<br />

to spend the night at my house, even<br />

though I was still fuming. Seated at my<br />

kitchen table, sipping on his Coke, He<br />

asked, “Are you mad at me, Bill?”<br />

Before the night was over, he had<br />

me laughing, although I was still a bit<br />

ticked over the guitar-signing incident.<br />

It was simply something Roger couldn’t<br />

resist doing. He loved to laugh, regardless<br />

of the cost.<br />

A few days later, I received a big parcel<br />

at my home in San Antonio. Opening<br />

it, there was a new Martin guitar,<br />

exactly like the old one I had just purchased.<br />

On the face, scribbled in bold<br />

letters, was “Roger Miller.”<br />

As he had done so many times before,<br />

Roger made my day.<br />

Visit Bill at BillMackCountry.com<br />

24 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.Truckers<strong>Connection</strong>.com


PKY TRUCK BEAUTY CHAMPIONSHIP<br />

THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE<br />

1 million<br />

SQ.FT. OF EXHIBITS<br />

70,000+<br />

ATTENDEES<br />

& Your Truck<br />

Don’t miss the <strong>2020</strong> PKY Truck Beauty<br />

Championship! Held annually in Louisville,<br />

KY, at the Mid-America Trucking Show, the<br />

PKY event kicks off the show truck season<br />

with the most elite custom show trucks in<br />

North America all vying for the coveted “Best<br />

In Show” trophy.<br />

The PKY event also features a night time<br />

light show, custom truck parade, and a awards<br />

ceremony featuring industry celebrities and<br />

special guests.<br />

The Mid-America Trucking Show<br />

March 26-28, <strong>2020</strong> / Louisville, Kentucky<br />

Enter your truck today<br />

www.truckingshow.com/pky-truck-beauty


DRIVE FOR P.I.& I.<br />

• Local, Regional & OTR<br />

• Percentage Paid Weekly<br />

• Great Home Time<br />

• Company Paid<br />

Employee Benefits<br />

• Paid Holidays<br />

• Tuition Reimbursement<br />

• Pay Guarantee<br />

- $725.00 Local<br />

- $850.00 Regional<br />

APPLY ONLINE NOW<br />

www.piimx.com<br />

866.819.8913<br />

PAID TRAINING PROGRAM FOR COMPANY DRIVERS


puzzle<br />

Christmas Movie Characters<br />

Solution on page 34<br />

Santa<br />

Rudolph<br />

Buddy<br />

Ralphie Parker<br />

bumble<br />

frosty<br />

grinch<br />

sally<br />

scrooge<br />

gizmo<br />

cousin eddie<br />

john mcclane<br />

susan walker<br />

harry lime<br />

george bailey<br />

jack frost<br />

charlie brown<br />

miss piggy<br />

tiny tim<br />

hermey<br />

ernest<br />

32 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.Truckers<strong>Connection</strong>.com


IS SEEKINGTEAMS<br />

Earn 64¢per mile*<br />

5500 weekly miles | Avg. 7 days at home time per month<br />

*Split between drivers | $50.00 per stop - per driver<br />

We are an ESTABLISHED motor carrier<br />

with facilities in CA ◦ IL ◦ OH ◦ NC ◦ NJ ◦ TX<br />

OUR EQUIPMENT<br />

Power Unit<br />

Freightliner Cascadia Evolution<br />

Detroit Diesel DD15 power 505hp<br />

72 inc raised roof sleeper cab<br />

10 speed Transmission<br />

Factory refrigerator<br />

Trailer<br />

DryVan - Utility with Air Ride & Tire<br />

Inflation system.<br />

53 ft Utility Refrigerated trailer<br />

powered by a Carrier reefer.<br />

We offer:<br />

Health and Life Insurance,<br />

401K & PTO │Paid Holidays<br />

Minimum of 3 years of OTR experience<br />

HazMat and Tankers Endorsement required<br />

T<br />

r u c k<br />

Y E A R S<br />

i n g<br />

f o<br />

r<br />

Please contact hr@pgs360.com or call (626) 667-9683<br />

To learn more about PGS please visit www.pgs360.com


index<br />

46 Logistics ................... 5<br />

Royal ........................ 26<br />

Clark ........................ 19<br />

Summit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10<br />

CMT ........................ 23<br />

TBS .......................... 9<br />

Dart ........................ 28<br />

TMC ..................... 13, 33<br />

East West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3<br />

Western Express............... 18<br />

Highway Transport ............ 35<br />

Wiseway ..................... 11<br />

K. L. Harring .................. 7<br />

Navajo Express ............... 12<br />

Nu-Way................... 30-31<br />

PGS ...................... 13, 33<br />

P.I. & I. Motor Express ...... 15, 29<br />

WordFind Puzzle<br />

(page 32) Solution<br />

34 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.Truckers<strong>Connection</strong>.com


IS SEEKING SOLO DRIVERS<br />

Earn 60¢per mile<br />

2,500 to 3,000 weekly miles | Avg. 7 days at home time per month (depending on<br />

work load)| Avg. 8 stops per week | $50.00 per stop<br />

We are an ESTABLISHED motor carrier<br />

with facilities in CA ◦ IL ◦ OH ◦ NC ◦ NJ ◦ TX<br />

OUR EQUIPMENT<br />

Power Unit<br />

Freightliner Cascadia Evolution<br />

Detroit Diesel DD15 power 505hp<br />

72 inc raised roof sleeper cab<br />

10 speed Transmission<br />

Factory refrigerator<br />

Trailer<br />

DryVan - Utility with Air Ride & Tire<br />

Inflation system.<br />

53 ft Utility Refrigerated trailer<br />

powered by a Carrier reefer.<br />

We offer:<br />

Health and Life Insurance,<br />

401K & PTO │Paid Holidays<br />

Minimum of 3 years of OTR experience<br />

HazMat and Tankers Endorsement required<br />

T<br />

r u c k<br />

Y E A R S<br />

i n g<br />

f o<br />

r<br />

Please contact hr@pgs360.com or call (626) 667-9683<br />

To learn more about PGS please visit www.pgs360.com

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