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CALL on washingTON | wreaths gALA | small talk
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION o f t h e Truckload Carriers Association
october/novEMBER 2018
Excluded: F4A amendment fails to make final FAA bill | 12
Rewiring the Road: Electric vehicles changing the landsape | 21
Giving a Little: Trucking costs rise across the board in 2017 | 24
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER | TCA 2018
President’s Purview
Clear Line of Sight
Recently, I spoke to a group about improving profitability, people and performance.
It brought back memories of when I was asked what was the major driver of
sustained profitability? Is it technology? Geographic advantage? Something someone
else has that you don’t? Perhaps having more power units and trailers? My
response was, based on 16 months of interviews with CEOs and mid-management,
studying data and organizational structure, the largest contributor to highly-profitability
businesses is what your team does to improve what they are doing every day
within the company with a shared vision. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Every day, TCA is helping others get there and we can get you there, too! The
most frequent comment made to me by members is, “I wish I would have participated
in the TCA Profitability Program (TPP) sooner.”
TCA is becoming a stronger business partner by raising the member-value proposition
and developing a relationship that you simply can’t live without; one of engagement,
with a keen interest in your success. Our success is measured on your
success…a shared value within this incredible TCA team, and we have a clear line of
sight to our targeted results.
Forward progress continues on all fronts with TPP. We’re in the process of launching
our first Brokerage Best Practice Group (BPG) as TCA has received 11 applications
from existing BPG members. We’re expecting to have two groups composed
of 20 members prior to the first meeting set to be held days prior to TCA’s Annual
Convention. We’re also working exhaustively on a new TPP initiative which will mark
a significant milestone. Stay tuned....
In late September, TCA hosted its Fall Policy Committees and Board of Directors
meetings, which yielded positive results and action items. If you were not able to join
us, minutes are now available online at www.truckload.org/Fall-Meetings.
Held in conjunction with the meetings was TCA’s Second Annual Call on Washington,
built upon establishing TCA as the Voice of Truckload on Capitol Hill. Nearly
50 attendees had more than 230 meetings, in which members were able to talk faceto-face
with their elected officials. Additionally, Congressman Sam Graves, R-Mo.,
shared his commitment to passing infrastructure reform legislation next year.
Also during the event, TCA also met with FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez.
Last month, FMCSA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on potential
changes to the Hours of Service regulations. FMCSA’s decision to proceed
with this rulemaking process is encouraging and we hope additional flexibility will be
granted. Furthermore, on federal preemption of state meal and rest break rules, ATA
petitioned FMCSA to override California’s individual state law. TCA filed its comments
urging the agency to assert federal authority on this issue. TCA will continue to fight
for federal preemption until it becomes a reality.
During TCA’s fall meetings, attendees had the opportunity to listen to a CNBCstyle
panel discussion, “What the Data is Telling us about the Freight Market,” moderated
by FreightWaves CRO George Abernathy. Panelists included TCA Chairman
Dan Doran, TCA Vice President of Government Affairs David Heller, and Freight-
Waves CAO Dean Croker.
John Lyboldt
President
Truckload Carriers Association
jlyboldt@truckload.org
The three-day event concluded with the Sixth Annual
Wreaths Across America Gala. More than 230 attendees
raised just over $90,000. To view photos from the event,
visit pages 40-41. Thank you to our event hosts, Freightliner
and Pilot Flying J, and sponsors TravelCenters of America
and Petro, Randall-Reilly, and DriverFacts. I extend a special
thanks to those who supported the evening and for your
continued support in the delivery of wreaths each December.
On behalf of the TCA officers and board, we all want to
thank you for your engagement and participation.
Being a better business partner for you is our business
imperative.
Safe trucking,
PRESIDENT’S PICKS
Fighting Fatigue
Safety execs share how they make sure
drivers stay alert at the wheel
Page 16
Inside Out with Zander Gambill
TCA’s membership coordinator alike at
home, work: honest, simple, straightforward
Page 34
Those Who Deliver
A celebratory mood hangs in the air as
company toasts 60th anniversary
Page 38
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 3

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CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Dan Doran, President
Doran Logistics, LLC
OCTOBER /NOVEMBER 2018
PRESIDENT
John Lyboldt
jlyboldt@truckload.org
VICE PRESIDENT - GOV’T AFFAIRS
Dave Heller
dheller@truckload.org
AT-LARGE OFFICER
Roy Cox, President
Best Logistics Group
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Dorothy Cox
dlcox@thetrucker.com
AT-LARGE OFFICER
Dave Williams, Executive VP
Knight Transportation
PRODUCTION MGR. + ART DIRECTOR
Rob Nelson
robn@thetrucker.com
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
William (Bill) Giroux
wgiroux@truckload.org
VP - OPERATIONS AND EDUCATION
James J. Schoonover
jschoonover@truckload.org
FIRST VICE CHAIR
SECOND VICE CHAIR
Josh Kaburick, CEO Dennis Dillinger, President
Earl L. Henderson Trucking Company Cargo Transporters
TREASURER
Jim Ward
President & CEO
D.M. Bowman, Inc.
SECRETARY
John Elliott, CEO
Load One, LLC
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Rob Penner
President & CEO
Bison Transport
ASSOCIATION VP TO ATA
Bill Reed Jr., Chairman & CEO
Skyline Transportation
AT-LARGE OFFICER
Mike Eggleton, Jr., Vice President
Raider Express, Inc.
publication are not necessarily those of TCA.
In exclusive partnership with:
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PRESIDENT’S PURVIEW
Clear Line of Sight by John Lyboldt | 3
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Redefining the Times | 6
Capitol Recap | 12
TRACKING THE TRENDS
Fighting Fatigue | 16
Tailored Fit | 18
Electric CMVs Changing Landscape | 21
Truck Costs on the Rise | 24
A CHAT WITH THE CHAIRMAN
Time and Issues March On with Dan Doran | 26
MEMBER MAILROOM
SPONSORED BY MCLEOD SOFTWARE
Making the Right Choices | 33
TALKING TCA
Inside Out with Zander Gambill | 34
Carrier Profile with D.M. Bowman | 38
Gala Recap | 40
Call on Washington | 42
Small Talk | 43
Important Dates to Remember | 46
REACHING TRUCKING’S
TOP EXECUTIVES
T H E R O A D M A P
© 2018 Trucker Publications Inc., all rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission
prohibited.
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and editorial materials are accepted and published by Truckload Authority and its exclusive partner,
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Cover Courtesy:
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and Fotosearch
Additional magazine photography:
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Chris Cone Photography: P. 26, 27, 28
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“It isn’t good enough to react to changes
in the marketplace; I HAVE TO STAy
AHEAd Of THEM. Truckload
Authority provides me the knowledge to
make informed decisions today, but more
importantly, GIVES ME THE INSIGHT
I need to handle the future decisions
CRITICAL TO OUR SUCCESS.”
— Roy Cox
PResident, Best LogistiCs gRouP
TRUCKING’S MOST ENTERTAINING
EXECUTIVE PUBLICATION
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 5

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER | TCA 2018
Legislative Update
Redefining
TIMES
Is the clock running out on the current HOS rule?
the
C
S
By Klint Lowry, Lyndon Finney and Dorothy Cox
Historians tell us sleeper berths
came into use as early as the 1920s, but they were
often unsafe and uncomfortable.
Nonetheless, they allowed professional truck drivers
to spend extended periods of time on the road, often
driving in teams of two.
With this successful formula, drivers began making
requests to truck manufacturers for larger and larger
sleeping cabins with modern amenities.
Today, a sleeper berth is a trucker’s home away
from home.
For some, it’s home … period.
The sleeper berth — how much time and when a
driver should put it to use — is the primary subject
of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s
Notice of Advance Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM)
on Hours of Service announced August 21 by FMCSA
Administrator Ray Martinez.
The agency has been conducting listening sessions
on the ANPRM and accepted public comments through
October 10.
In addition to reinstating the option for splitting up
the required 10-hour off-duty rest break for drivers
operating trucks that are equipped with a sleeper
berth, the FMCSA asked for comments on three other
HOS rules:
• Expanding the current 100 air-mile “short-haul”
exemption from 12 hours on-duty to 14 hours on-duty,
in order to be consistent with the rules for long-haul
truck drivers
• Extending the current 14-hour, on-duty limitation
by up to two hours when a truck driver encounters
adverse driving conditions, and
• Revising the current mandatory 30-minute break
for truck drivers after eight hours of continuous
driving.
The ANPRM went out in the form of questions
taken from listening sessions with trucking interests,
including petitions asking for more HOS flexibility by
the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
(OOIDA), the United States Transportation Alliance,
the United Drivers Alliance and others, with Martinez,
FMCSA’s sixth administrator, commenting that the
ANPRM “basically opens the floor” to these groups and
other trucking stakeholders to comment on how the
HOS can be made more flexible.
Martinez noted that HOS changes haven’t been
addressed seriously for the last 15 years and that many
things have changed in the way commerce operates
during that period, including more congestion, along with
“real-time delivery” created by internet shoppers who
order something in the morning and want it delivered by
that afternoon, putting more trucks on the road.
In addition, the ANPRM seeks public comment and
relevant data on two recently submitted petitions
requesting regulatory relief from HOS rules (1)
pertaining to the 14-hour, on-duty limitation (filed by
OOIDA) and (2) pertaining to the 10-hour, off-duty
requirement (filed by TruckerNation).
6 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

Comparison of
Sleeper Berth Provisions Over the Years
1940
2 unspecified periods totaling 8 hours
1962
2 periods totaling 8 or more hours;
each a minimum of 2 hours
2011
2003
2 periods totaling 10 or more hours;
each a minimum of 2 hours
2005
2 periods totaling 10 or more hours; one
at least 8 consecutive hours; the other at
least 2 off duty or in the sleeper
2007-8
2 periods totaling 10 or more hours; one
at least 8 consecutive hours; the other at
least 2 off duty or in the sleeper
2 periods totaling 10 or more hours; one
at least 8 consecutive hours; the other at
least 2 off duty or in the sleeper
“So, this is a good opportunity to step
forward if you have thoughts on these specific
points or something that might be related
to them,” Martinez told members of the
trucking news media during a briefing on the
ANPRM. “We keep hearing flexibility, flexibility,
flexibility. Of course, we’re a safety agency
so we look at everything through the lens of
safety,” he added.
Now that ELDs are in place and generating
information, “that allows us to pivot and
say, now where is the flexibility in that [HOS
regulation],” Martinez said. FMCSA is trying
to be “agile” in listening to stakeholders and
then acting on what they’ve heard in the
past several months. The ANPRM is a “step
forward” he said, in seeing what HOS changes
should look like.
But he cautioned that the kind of feedback
that the agency receives on the ANPRM will
determine how FMCSA will move forward, or
not, with any HOS changes.
Joe DeLorenzo, director of FMCSA’s Office
of Enforcement and Compliance, added that
the ANPRM is “deliberately very nonspecific”
because the agency wants it to “provide a
framework for the kind of information that we
would need in order to make a decision going
forward.”
And in answer to a question from the
news media asking what would constitute
adverse driving conditions mentioned earlier,
DeLorenzo said that’s exactly the type of
question the agency wants comments on.
At the first listening session at The Great
American Trucking Show in Dallas, Martinez,
looking at a room full of truckers and other
trucking stakeholders, set the tone for a fastmoving,
receptive agency.
“One of the things this agency has been
accused of, and other federal agencies have
been accused of, is moving at a snail’s pace, at
a glacier’s pace,” Martinez said.
“We want to move this along on a fast
track. I think we’re at a critical moment here.
It’s been 15 years since Hours of Service has
been seriously addressed. This is a critical,
possibly pivotal moment.”
The conditions under which drivers operate
have changed since HOS was introduced,
Martinez explained. Highway congestion has
increased, but at the same time the push is on
for ever-faster delivery.
“It’s also a very healthy time for the
industry,” he said, and there’s a need to make
sure drivers’ time can be utilized both safely
and efficiently.
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 7

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In his first six months on the job, he said, if he had to
boil down what he’s heard so far into a single message,
it’s that HOS is an extremely important issue to everyone
in the industry, and the most important aspect of HOS
that needs to be addressed is “flexibility, flexibility,
flexibility.”
“These are the things we’re hearing when talking with
drivers and carriers,” Martinez said.
What’s important at this stage, he said, is that the
agency gets the feedback it needs to move forward.
“Give us the information you think would be relevant
to making a decision — and this is critical — whether we
move forward with this ANPRM. And if we do, what we
would include in it and why.”
Martinez emphasized the word “whether,” he
explained, because he wants to make sure people don’t
assume that now that the process has begun, these
changes are a done deal.
“It only happens if there’s participation and good
information is provided,” he said.
As much as everyone would like to see changes as
quickly as possible, he said, there is no “magic wand” for
government regulations. There’s a step-by-step process.
“It starts by listening informally and then taking it
through the regulatory process,” he said.
In particular, last year’s runup to the ELD mandate
put HOS under a more intense microscope, and the
hope is that carriers, associations or universities that
have compiled data that can shed some light on these
particular issues will share it.
“This is a great opportunity to leverage what you’re
getting. Anything that can educate us about this would
be helpful.
“I say ‘educate.’ Obviously, we’re familiar with the
issues, but this is the opportunity for the broader public
to comment.”
Martinez said he came to the truck show in part
because he likes to hear directly from the people he
serves. But he also wanted to emphasize that the agency
is committed to moving on this as quickly as the process
will allow, and that FMCSA is genuinely interested in
hearing from as wide a swath of the trucking community
as possible.
As the comments began to roll in virtually as soon as
the ANPRM was printed in the Federal Register, Martinez
expressed his pleasure.
“It’s the robust type of response that we were
looking for,” he said. “The level of engagement I would
classify as highly unusual. They are thoughtful, they
are substantive. The theme of the need for flexibility is
coming through loud and clear.”
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8 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org

Comments
TCA HOS
The Truckload Carriers Association has filed its comments on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Hours of Service revisions.
Some of the highlights of the comments with respect to the most talked-about portions of HOS — the split
sleeper-berth provision and the 30-minute rest break — are as follows:
talks
Split Sleeper-Berth Provision
30-Minute Rest Break
Question: If the 30-minute rest break rule did not exist,
would drivers obtain adequate rest breaks throughout a
daily driving period to relieve fatigue?
TCA’s answer: In conjunction with full split sleeper-berth flexibility,
drivers will be able to obtain adequate rest breaks through
a 24-hour daily driving period to relieve fatigue if the 30-minute
rest break rule is eliminated. Allowing drivers to stop and rest
when they feel tired, and not at a time that is predetermined by
the agency, is key to alleviating fatigue-related safety issues for
drivers.
Question: Are there alternatives to the 30-minute rest
break that would provide additional flexibility to drivers
while achieving the safety benefits goal of the current
30-minute break?
TCA’s answer: Split sleeper-berth flexibility, allowing drivers
to take their mandated 10 hours of off-duty rest time in various
intervals over a 24-hour period, would effectively achieve the
safety benefits goal of the current 30-minute break. In a study
conducted in 2010-2011, FMCSA found that, while consolidated
nighttime sleep provides the best opportunity for drivers to obtain
the maximum amount of sleep and become fully rested,
split sleep throughout the workday is preferable to consolidated
daytime sleep. The study noted that “these findings are in accord
with human circadian physiology, which has sleep propensity
high at night when the circadian drive for wakefulness is
falling or low, and sleep propensity low during the day when the
circadian drive for wakefulness is rising or high.”
Since many drivers operate at night in order to avoid traffic
congestion, particularly around large cities, it is clear that providing
the flexibility to sleep at any period throughout the day
is preferable from a safety perspective to forcing drivers to take
According to a recent study, “Technical Memorandum: Hours
of Service Flexibility,” from the American Transportation Research
Institute (ATRI), “… there is a range of 53.5 minutes
between the best and worst travel times” in the travel corridor
studied. If drivers were able to utilize split sleeper-berth flexibility
and rest at the times which make the most sense from both
a fatigue and a trip optimization standpoint, this nearly hour of
potentially wasted time during the worst driving periods could be
avoided. When comparing two hypothetical drivers, one operating
under the current HOS regulations and another utilizing split
sleeper-berth flexibility, the driver with flexible hours saved 45.5
minutes in drive time and one hour 15.5 minutes of the 14-hour
maximum work hours over the same trip.
ATRI also points out that use of the current split sleeperberth
flexibility is not practical to avoid congestion, since rushhour
traffic often lasts for several hours. Providing drivers the
flexibility to take their rest in the sleeper berth at the interval
that works best for them would greatly help alleviate the stress
of crowded roadways and lost efficiency in driving times. Fewer
trucks on the road during rush hour presents a commonsense
goal for the regulatory community. Exposure increases the risk
of accidents for truck drivers and the motoring public. Decreasing
this risk by allowing drivers to rest during the busiest traffic
periods would greatly advance safety.
Overall, even though the distance traveled by trucks will
remain constant in this country, the time and money it takes
to complete those trips can be minimized with more flexibility
in the regulations. At a time when the trucking industry
is overwhelmed by questions regarding productivity, the split
sleeper-berth proposal provides FMCSA with an excellent opportunity
to improve the industry’s safety and productivity at
minimal cost.
their rest at one interval during the day when they will experience
low sleep propensity and obtain less rest than if they had
split the rest period into separate parts.
Question: How does the 30-minute rest break impact the
efficiency of operations from a driver’s or a carrier’s perspective?
TCA’s answer: The 30-minute rest break requirement leads to
inefficient operations from both a driver’s and a carrier’s perspective.
Drivers are forced to stop and rest for 30 minutes even
if they do not physically feel the need for it, in many cases using
the full 30-minute break or longer to simply locate safe parking.
The requirement is also unneeded, as many drivers will stop
for that length of time to eat or rest without the rule. As commenters
noted at the FMCSA public listening session held on August
24 in Dallas at The Great American Trucking Show, drivers
will voluntarily stop during the day to give their minds and eyes
a break, use the restroom, or purchase food. Reducing the regulatory
burden would save enforcement dollars for the government
and compliance time and money for drivers and carriers.
Question: How would your [FMCSA] suggestions impact
the costs and benefits of the 30-minute break?
TCA’s answer: Benefits would be gained from removing the
30-minute break requirement. This can already be seen by the multiple
exemptions presently granted from this requirement for drivers
of various types of CMVs, proving both the ambiguous nature of the
rule and its narrow relevance for only a small number of fleet types.
If the 30-minute rest break does not work for every type of driver,
fails to provide a one-size-fits-all solution, and can only be remedied
by relaxing the regulatory burden, the costs of the requirement
clearly outweigh the benefits and it should be repealed.
To read the entire document TCA filed with the FMCSA, go
to https://www.truckload.org/policy-positions/#hours_
of_service.
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 9

Feedback from the Front Line
EROAD, a global technology provider of fleet
management, electronic tax reporting and ELD
compliance products, has provided what it called
“valuable and relevant” data to the Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration as the agency collects
public comments regarding proposed changes to the
Hours of Service regulations.
“We receive ongoing feedback about HOS rules
and their impacts on the road and on the bottom line
from our customers,” said Norm Ellis, president of
EROAD North America. “HOS flexibility is important,
and EROAD is in an excellent position to combine
what we see in our data along with fleet operators’
experiences to help FMCSA make the best decisions
on improving HOS.”
“We appreciate suppliers like EROAD that get involved with our industry by
providing actionable information for the FMCSA,” said David Heller, vice
president of government affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association.
“Going beyond by offering a solution to provide data and expertise is what
makes having highly engaged industry suppliers so valuable.”
As for how ELD data can be used to support a more flexible split sleeper-berth rule, most respondents pointed
out that ELDs can support additional flexibility by capturing the events in the driver’s day more accurately and
helping carriers to better manage schedules and fatigue. Some pointed out that while ELDs can capture time,
they do not capture fatigue.
In August, the FMCSA announced
it was seeking public input regarding
four provisions of the industry’s
Hours of Service regulations that are
currently under review by the agency.
Those include:
• Expanding the current 100 air-mile
“short-haul” exemption from 12 hours
on-duty to 14 hours on-duty, to be consistent
with the rules for long-haul truck
drivers.
• Extending the current 14-hour on-duty
limitation by up to two hours when a
truck driver encounters adverse driving
conditions
• Revising the current mandatory 30-minute
break for truck drivers after eight
hours of continuous driving, and
• Reinstating the option for splitting up
the required 10-hour off-duty rest break
for drivers operating trucks that are
equipped with a sleeper-berth compartment.
To provide relevant input to the FMC-
SA and represent the viewpoints of its
customer base, EROAD took the
following steps:
• Performed analyses on millions of anonymized,
aggregated data points from
trips taken by U.S.-based vehicles and
drivers from January 1, 2018, through
July 31, 2018, examining ELD data for
patterns of FMCSA violations in relation
to type, frequency per driver, and time
in violation.
• Based on questions provided by the FMC-
SA for public comment on HOS flexibility,
surveyed EROAD customers and other
fleet operators to seek context regarding
the HOS provisions under review.
• Hosted an open roundtable webinar during
which the data from the statistical
analysis and the survey were discussed
and additional commentary was captured,
and
• Encouraged carriers to submit comments
directly to FMCSA through the webpage
provided.
EROAD ELD data analytics found that:
• The 30-minute rest break is the most
common violation, followed by 14-hour
duty limit, 11-hour driving limit, and
on-duty limit. One respondent said this
rule had created a “nightmare” in fuel
lanes at truck stops as compliance had
replaced common courtesy. Another
respondent said drivers at his company
should be able to use more frequent,
shorter breaks than they currently can.
Another said everyone wants a break,
but how many trucks “do you see on the
side of the road taking all 30 minutes?
Many drivers want to stop when they
want to.”
The proportion of violations by type has
remained fairly consistent since the
mandate was introduced. Also, according
to EROAD data:
• Average time spent in violation is reducing
overtime, and
• The number of violations per driver is
increasing for the 11-hour driving limit
and 14-hour duty limit violations.
10 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

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CAPITOL RECAP
A review of important news coming out of our nation’s capital
By Lyndon Finney
Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. That is to say F4A, the twin-33 issue
and fixing the infrastructure are still top-of-mind for truckload carriers. And, the Truckload Carriers
Association is working night and day to make sure these things stay top-of-mind with lawmakers.
F4A
Frustrated by repeated attempts to get Congress to pass
legislation that prevents individual states from passing trucking
regulations that are contrary to federal rules, the trucking industry
has turned to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for
help.
The most recent Congressional rebuff came late last month
when an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration
Reauthorization Act of 2018 that would have clarified Congress’
intent to have federal regulatory authority over interstate
commerce was removed as the House and Senate conference
committee met to resolve differences between the two bills as
passed by those respective chambers.
The amendment would have stopped the erosion of federal
authority by states who impose meal and rest breaks that run
contrary to national uniformity.
The trucking industry wants the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration to rule that state-initiated trucking
regulations are preempted by federal rules.
The amendment had been approved in the House on a vote of
222-193 last April, but was not part of the FAA Senate bill.
The amendment was based on California’s meal and rest break
initiative, but has spread to other states and included a retroactivity
clause that makes its effective date 1994 — or in essence — as if
it had been enacted through the Federal Aviation Administration
Authorization Act (commonly called F4A) of 1994.
“It landed on the cutting room floor, so to speak,” said David
Heller, vice president of government affairs at the Truckload
Carriers Association. “It was lost in the war of attrition. It was a
controversial amendment in and of itself and there are obviously
groups that would oppose such a thing — some across party
lines — depending on the state they represent. It was simply a
controversial amendment that, for whatever reason, nobody could
get behind. In the end, the majority could not get behind it and it
wound up on the cutting room floor.
“First, there were concerns that this is a trucking issue, and
this is a Federal Aviation Administration bill, and why was this
trucking amendment in an aviation bill? The second problem
was the battle of education. I’ve been on probably 200 meetings
with lawmakers and their staffs just educating them on what this
issue truly is. I think because of the nature of interstate commerce
they have a pretty firm grasp on the fact that, you know, this is a
California-specific target. Because of our efforts, they understand
this is an interstate issue and affects carriers in their state as well as
the vast amount of business that goes on in the state of California.”
The California law requires employers to provide a “dutyfree,”
30-minute meal break for employees who work more than
five hours a day as well as a second “duty-free,” 30-minute meal
break for people who work more than 10 hours a day. Other states
followed, enacting their own break rules. Nearly 20 states have
their own separate meal and rest break laws.
Within hours of learning that the amendment had been quashed,
the American Trucking Associations submitted a petition to the
FMCSA requesting a determination under federal law whether
California’s meal and rest break rules are preempted by federal
law.
The specific federal law cited by ATA says a state may not
enforce a state law or regulation on commercial motor vehicle
safety that the Secretary of Transportation decides may not be
enforced.
FMCSA is accepting public comments on the petition through
October 29.
“TCA plans to be extremely active in the comment process,”
Heller said. “There are certainly safety arguments that are
12 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

paramount on this issue. For the agency to rule in favor of the petition
there has to be a strong argument for preempting the state rule. It can’t be
because we feel like it.”
Trucking will not take continuing defeat of its F4A efforts lying down,
Heller said.
So, the waiting game continues.
“We’ll just have to see what happens from here,” Heller said.
TWIN 33S
While no one is publicly saying much, the issue of whether allowing
twin 33-foot tandem trailers to run on the nation’s highway could spring
up again at virtually any time.
And whether or not it does could depend on the midterm elections next
month.
“There’s an opportunity there to revive it. We have to pay strong
attention, especially in this lame duck session. This might be the time,”
said David Heller, vice president of government affairs at the Truckload
Carriers Association. “It depends on how everything shakes out with the
elections. If the elections go the way many people think they’ll go [and the
House and Senate go Democratic], then the lame duck session will be the
best way to try and put something forward.”
That’s because Democrats have no appetite for longer tandems.
“The safety argument plays well with the Democrats,” Heller said.
Proponents — led by FedEx, UPS and Amazon — have been trying for
about five years to get Congress to allow longer tandems but have run into
roadblocks every time.
In one Congressional hearing last year, lawmaker after lawmaker on
both sides of the aisle voiced opposition.
TCA stands staunchly against twin 33s.
But the trucking industry is not together on the issue, Heller said,
and when opponents of twin 33s visit Capitol Hill, they find lawmakers
swaying from one side to the other based on which side lobbied them last.
“There are a lot of things that can go wrong with that configuration
as you and I know,” Heller told Truckload Authority. “But legislatively
speaking, the opposition [twin-33 proponents] has invested tens of millions
of dollars on this issue, so letting it go quietly would not be in their best
interest. They have looked at any opportunity to get an amendment into
a bill and I’ll think they’ll continue to do so. We’ll have to keep an eye
Increasing the length of tandem trailers could force railroads to
make major modifications in equipment and tracks.
www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 13
J. J. KELLER’S ELD INSIGHTS
3 Ways to Use ELDs to
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3. Improve retention with coaching, recognition and rewards
Riskiest Behaviors First
Identifying risky driving and compliance behavior is a top priority. All
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helps determine which drivers require immediate coaching and training.
To keep it simple, a few key areas that correlate to crash risk are:
• Excessive speed — accumulated time and speeding events
• Hard-braking and distracted-driving event trends
• Previous safety incidents including non-reportable accidents
• Log falsification incidents and recurring limits violations
Attack Inefficiency & Improve Service
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• Excessive customer delays
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• Fuel efficiency
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CAPITOL RECAP
on them and keep informed so we’ll have the most up-to-date
information so that the next time this issue comes up on Capitol
Hill, we’ll be able to fully inform members of Congress about
the issue.”
While the primary concern of truckload carriers has and always
will be safety, if LTL carriers were to have longer trucks, shippers
would force truckload carriers into the position of having to have
longer trailers to compete for freight.
Americans for Modern Transportation and every shipping and
retail association have signed on to say they want the additional
freight capacity longer trucks would create.
“That’s ‘Size and Weight 101.’ The bigger the truck, the more
it can hold, and shippers will want that on our highways,” Heller
said.
Although it’s not necessarily new, the issue of twin 33s and
intermodal transport is gaining press.
That’s because today’s rail cars that carry trailers are not
compatible with longer tandems and the Association of American
Railroads has begun to lobby Congress against twin 33s and a
recent study by railroads says allowing longer tandems or longer
single trailers won’t work.
“You have a rail car that can hold a 53-foot trailer and a rail car
that can hold four 28-foot trailers, which is great for intermodal
operations. And that has proven to be a successful venture for
the railroads to ship goods,” Heller said. “The problem is that
cars that would hold two 33-foot trailers do not exist. You could
put one 33-foot trailer on a car that holds a 53-foot trailer, but
obviously that wouldn’t be efficient.”
Therefore, railroads would have to design longer cars
specifically to hold two 33-foot trailers.
But doing so would put railroads up against federal regulations.
Twin 33s are incompatible with the current rail network, AAR
said. And to use them in intermodal movements, freight railroads
would need to spend billions more on rail infrastructure.
“If the railroads design a car to hold two 33-foot trailers,
that car is going to infringe upon the required safety zone [on
either side of tracks] and would be unable to negotiate curves
without interfering with obstacles,” Heller said. “Then we’ll
have to stop putting freight on trains. The argument of twin-33
proponents that longer tandems are going to take trucks off the
road just doesn’t exist anymore. It’s going to put trucks back on
the roadway because people won’t be able to put their freight
on trains.”
The Americans for Modern Transportation shot back at the
railroads’ opposition to twin 33s.
“We are extremely disappointed that the AAR, on behalf of
the short-line railroads, is opposing efforts within Congress to
modernize trucking equipment and allow twin 33-foot trailers to
operate on our nation’s highways,” said Executive Director Randy
Mullet. “The short-line railroads have determined that holding
productivity hostage as a means of holding back their competition
is more important than the travelers, consumers, and businesses
that would benefit from the safe and efficient movement of freight
on our roads.
“Rather than letting the railroads stand in the way, Congress
must move forward on commonsense policies such as twin 33-
foot trailers that would reduce congestion on our roads, improve
the safety for travelers, lower costs for consumers and businesses,
decrease the amount of wear-and-tear on roads and bridges, and
bring about meaningful environmental gains.”
INFRASTRUCTURE
Conversation surrounding President Donald J. Trump’s
ballyhooed plan to invest $200 billion in federal infrastructure
funding to encourage $1.5 trillion in overall investment from
states, municipalities and private entities can be summed up
in two words.
What happened?
Strong question marks remain on how to pay for improving the nation’s infrastructure.
The answer might be summed up in one word.
Politics.
“I’ve been in some conversations that say it is strictly
politics,” said David Heller, vice president of government
affairs at the Truckload Carriers Association. “There are strong
question marks about how to pay for it, and any infrastructure
bill must include a funding
mechanism. It can’t be like
the Fixing America’s Surface
Transportation (FAST) Act
that didn’t have any funding
mechanisms.”
The only real progress — if
it can really be called progress
— was the introduction in
July of a plan authored by
outgoing House Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee
Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa.
Shuster’s plan calls for the
formation of a Highway Trust
Fund (HTF) Commission that
will recommend to Congress
ways to achieve long-term
solvency of the HTF, as well as
14 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

Going My
Weigh?
for a provision that allows for Congress to expedite consideration of
legislation on the matter.
The discussion plan calls for the establishment of a national,
volunteer-based pilot program to see whether a per-mile user fee could
be a viable replacement for the existing user fees on gasoline and diesel.
The volunteer-based program would be administered by the Secretary
of Transportation in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury.
The plan also calls for an increase in federal user fees on gasoline
and diesel by 15 and 20 cents, respectively, phased in over a three-year
period, along with similar user fees on alternative fuels. The tax would
end in 2028.
Shuster also recommends the elimination of the reduced user fee for
public transportation buses, reinstatement of the 4.3 cents-per-gallon
user fee on diesel for certain passenger trains, along with 10 percent
excise taxes on electric vehicle batteries and bicycle tires.
The plan calls for the extension of other highway taxes, as well as the
Highway Trust Fund Expenditure Authority and of “funding, policies
and programs” within the FAST Act through fiscal 2021.
“Shuster’s bill makes a lot of sense by increasing the fuel tax and
indexing it to inflation for 10 years,” Heller said.
TCA supports a fuel tax increase to support the HTF.
There is some support nationally for a vehicle-miles-traveled tax
instead of a fuel tax increase, and support for a gas tax hike may be
increasing, Heller believes.
“The jury is still out on VMT, no doubt about it. We’re not there yet.
We don’t have the processes in place to collect the money or pay out
the money,” he said. “Remember, the VMT programs now in place are
only pilot programs and participation is voluntary. Many believe the
reporting of mileage would be easy to compromise.
“I think people are starting to warm to the idea of a fuel tax increase.
We have elections coming up and the ‘death blow’ tax issue is out
there, yet it is getting done at the state level. The American public
is smart and doesn’t have any trouble understanding the facts
surrounding not having a fuel tax increase since 1993. I think people
understand prices are going up and where they go from here is
anybody’s guess.”
Ask anyone in the Washington, D.C., area who’s run into a pothole
and blown a tire about a tax increase.
“I think they would say yes,” Heller said.
A tax is actually more cost-effective, he noted. “The harsh reality
of inaction is the fact that the average American would pay more for
repairs caused by the damaged infrastructure than they would pay for
an increased fuel tax.”
For example, vehicle maintenance fees are higher from potholefilled
roads than motorists would pay if the fuel tax was increased by
25 cents and the money was being used on the infrastructure, he said.
It’s the “invisible tax of inaction.”
It’s estimated that if nothing is done to repair roads, vehicle operation
and repair costs are about $985 per household. On the other hand, a 25-
cent fuel tax increase would cost around $300 per household.
The figures don’t lie. There is absolutely no doubt that something
has to be done about the infrastructure, and quickly.
After all, the American Society of Civil Engineers has given the
infrastructure a “D” grade.
“If my son comes home with anything but an ‘A’ or ‘B,’ there are
serious problems in our household,” Heller said. “I think the same
needs to be said with our nation’s infrastructure. For a country that
touts the best of everything, a ‘D’ on infrastructure doesn’t make
much sense.”
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www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 15

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER | TCA 2018
Tracking The Trends
By Lyndon Finney
The National Safety Council has just
released of a survey titled “Fatigue in Safety-Critical
Industries: Impact, Risks and Recommendations,” which
summarizes the results of two other NSC surveys — “Fatigue in the
Workplace: Causes and Consequences of Employee Fatigue,” and “Fatigue
in the Workplace: Risky Employer Practices.”
The council looked at four safety-sensitive industries —transportation,
construction, manufacturing and utilities.
The report notes —as does the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s
Large Truck Crash Causation Study —that 13 percent of commercial motor
vehicle accidents are attributable to fatigue.
Within the transportation industry, the report says that 100 percent of motor
carrier employers that participated in the study agreed that fatigue is a safety
factor.
Only 73 percent of employees said fatigue was a safety issue.
Ninety-seven percent of employers agreed that it’s unsafe to drive when tired,
77 percent of the employees agreed it’s unsafe to drive when tired.
Percentages aside, however, were you to poll every motor carrier member of
the Truckload Carriers Association and inquire about priorities, No. 1 on the list
would be safety.
Ask about priority No. 2 and priority No. 3, and safety could well be the answer
there, too.
The dictionary defines safety as “the condition of being safe from undergoing
or causing hurt, injury, or loss.”
Motor carriers have additional definitions: profitability and survivability.
Let one accident, regardless of its severity, hit the police blotter, and watch the
legal bloodhounds swoop down on you and, abracadabra, you might be signing
a big check.
And a few big checks might result in closing your doors.
In the wake of the release of the National Safety Council’s report on “Fatigue
in the Workplace,” safety executives at two TCA member carriers sat down with
Truckload Authority to share their company views on how they deal with one of
the key elements of safety — fatigue.
Garth Pitzel is director of safety and driver development at Bison Transport in
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Bison Transport has 800 owned and 670 owner-operator tractors; 4,000
trailers, 1,160 company drivers and 720 owner-operators.
The carrier has been named the grand prize winner of the large carrier division
of TCA’s Fleet Safety Awards program for the last eight years and has won the
award 11 times since the program’s inception in 2003.
Pitzel said Bison looks at fatigue and distracted driving as being synonymous,
and attacks both with equal force, beginning with the use of
a simulator.
“Those are two issues that remain high on our focus,” Pitzel said. “When
you look at the causation of incidents, we see those two issues have increased in
our fleet over the last couple of years.”
Using a simulator, Pitzel said, Bison created a video using three drivers.
“We created a distractions video and incorporated fatigue into the video,” he
said. “We created a lot of distractions. We texted them, then we got them to pick
up something such as a bottle of water off the floor. It demonstrated to them how
quickly they lost their focus on driving — so much so they would drive across the
white line or onto the shoulder.”
Using the video of the three drivers in the simulator, Bison undertook a
massive awareness campaign.
“I said we have this beautiful simulator tool that we can use, but you’ve also
got to be on the public roadway. The video had shown them how frustrated
drivers became,” he said. “They said, ‘that wouldn’t happen to me.’ But we showed
them the video and said, ‘but you were not looking at the roadway for 4.5 or 5
seconds and look what happened.’ The message to all our drivers was this could
happen to you.”
Bison performed a test with a company that has technology that looks into
the eyes of the driver to determine fatigue or distraction and the carrier plans to
expand that trial.
Once the system detects distraction, it has the capability of producing an
audible tone or vibrating the driver’s seat.
Bison did not activate the tone or seat vibration during the trial.
“We’re just collecting data, but we’ve seen a 67 percent reduction in distracted
driving, 98 percent reduction in cellphone use and a 46 or 47 percent reduction in
fatigued driving,” he said.
Bison has since turned on the notification system and soon will have it
installed in 115 of its trucks.
There are many factors that contribute to fatigue, Pitzel said, one being
waiting to load or unload.
“We’re fortunate from a business perspective; we don’t have our drivers
waiting too many times for loads, but when it happens, that creates fatigue and
anxiety,” he said.
Then what happens?
“So when they get these notifications, whether it’s a distracted driving or
fatigue scenario, they don’t react to it because ‘I ‘ve just got to make up my miles
because I haven’t moved for a day.’ That becomes an issue because the driver
might recognize he’s fatigued, but they are not going to do anything about it
because they just sat in Lubbock, Texas, for a day and a half.”
The driver then is prone to ignore the signs of fatigue.
They’d love to rest, but instead they’ve just reached into the cooler, grabbed a
sandwich because they say, “I don’t want to stop and have lunch. I’ve got to drive.”
When that happens, driving, not safety is the focus, Pitzel said.
Lifestyle ranks right up there with the cause of fatigue, he noted.
For instance, with the schedule of freight being what it is, “you have the ability
to end up driving most nights at the end of your shift, and that can create havoc.”
Pitzel says Bison drivers will normally spend five days on the road, but
sometimes they don’t get as much rest at home as they do on the road because
16 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

“When you look at the causation of incidents, we see those two issues (fatigue and distracted
driving) have increased in our fleet over the last couple of years.”
— Garth Pitzel, Bison Transport director of safety and driver development
“We seek to stay aware of our drivers’ situations that could lead to fatigue.”
— Jeremy Stickling, Nussbaum Transportation vice president of human resources and safety
“their ‘honey-do’ list was so long.”
Some drivers say they sleep better in the berth, so they come in the night
before a trip and sleep in the truck, Pitzel related.
Fatigue, along with distracted driving, is something a carrier can’t stop talking
about.
“Education is the key,” he said.
Jeremy Stickling is vice president of human resources and safety at Nussbaum
Transportation of Hudson, Illinois. The company has 400 power units and 400
drivers.
Safety is very, very high on the radar at Nussbaum and it’s not just making sure
drivers comply with Hours of Service.
There are those times when a driver is unexpectedly stuck at a shipper, which
messes with the driver’s schedule.
For instance, Stickling said, because of the delay at the shipper, the driver has
to shut down early one day and start early in the morning the next day, messing
up their routine.
“You find yourself changing your sleep time” and that puts the driver at risk
for fatigue.
Working in concert, Nussbaum operations works with drivers to avoid
situations that can lead to fatigue, Stickling said.
Operational and driver awareness is one key to avoiding fatigue, Stickling said.
“We seek to stay aware of our drivers’ situations that could lead to fatigue,” he
said. “We talk it through with the driver. We ask them how they feel because they
know better than anyone else. We ask, ‘do you feel like you’re not handling your
situation at the moment very well, are your eyes getting heavy, are you starting
to nod off?’”
If that’s the case, drivers are told to park the truck and get some rest, regardless
where they are in terms of hours left on the clock or hours left to drive.
“We make sure operations makes them feel free to do just that and our drivers
have that freedom,” Stickling said. “A lot of them drive with the assumption that
they aren’t supposed to do that [pull off and rest when they get tired] or they’ll
get trouble, or perhaps they feel own pressured because if they stop for extra rest
it can mean fewer miles, and that can mess with their pay. So it’s kind of ingrained
in them to tough it out.”
To help ease the concern about pay and promote rest when tired, Nussbaum
has a minimum salary guarantee of $1,150 a week.
When a driver gets tired, there’s no substitute for rest, Stickling said, not even
caffeine, which studies have shown can improve alertness.
“I don’t like to recommend caffeine or NoDoz, because we don’t want a driver
to start relying on them thinking it’s OK because if they get tired, they can take ‘x’
to fix it,” Stickling said. “That’s not how we coach drivers when it comes to fatigue.
If you feel yourself getting tired, it’s rest. That’s how you fix that. There’s no liquid
in a bottle is to fix fatigue.”
Nussbaum also uses in-cab technology to help prevent incidents caused by
fatigue.
“Our in-cab cameras go inward and outward and if we see someone nodding
off, we get on it right away,” Stickling said. “Sometimes the problem is micro
sleeping where they don’t think they were sleeping, but their brain actually shut
off. We’ll call them in and we often hear ‘Yeah, I was on YouTube too long last
night.’”
When a driver has a continued problem with micro sleeping, they are often
referred for obstructive sleep apnea testing.
To help defray the cost of sleep apnea testing, Nussbaum is developing a
partnership with a sleep apnea company that will include initial testing at no
cost to the driver.
Like most other carriers, Nussbaum has other safety systems, including lane
departure technology.
If drivers veer out of their lane, Nussbaum’s system activates a rumble strips
speaker.
If that happens at a certain frequency over a set amount of time, the truck
will emit an audible beep until the driver can do one of two things: demonstrate
driving between the lines without issue for a set period of time or pull over and
what else — rest — or as Webster puts it, “the refreshing quiet or repose of
sleep.”
FATIGUE
IN SAFETY-CRITICAL INDUSTRIES:
IMPACT, RISKS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Final report of a three-part series
Based on results from the 2017 National Employer and Employee Surveys on Workplace Fatigue
The National Safety Council has just released the results of a survey “Fatigue in Safety-
Critical Industries: Impact, Risks and Recommendations,” which summarizes the results
of two previous NSC surveys — “Fatigue in the Workplace: Causes and Consequences of
Employee Fatigue” and Fatigue in the Workplace: Risky Employer Practices.”
The summary report highlights findings from the construction, manufacturing,
transportation and utilities sectors — all safety-sensitive industries that tend to use
shift work.
All three reports are available at nsc.org/work-safety/safety-topics/fatigue.
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 17

tailored fit
rolling strong introduces improved Features to
its new-look health & wellness app
BY KLINT LOWRY
Gauges and a metallic background make it unmistakable
that Rolling Strong’s refurbished health and fitness app
was created specifically for truckers.
In just about every ad for every diet or exercise program
or product, they show a before-and-after comparison to
illustrate the remarkable improvements the product provides.
Rolling Strong didn’t have that option at its disposal
in recent weeks as it unveiled a new version of its driver
wellness app on iOS and Android.
Nonetheless, when Rolling Strong President Steve Kane
sat down to talk about the new app, he exuded the same
sense of satisfaction as one of those people in “after” photos
who have lost 100 pounds and are proudly holding out the
waistband of their old pants.
“The new version of the app is awesome,” Kane said. “It’s
very trucker-friendly.”
When Rolling Strong originally released its wellness app
in summer 2017, it was widely praised as a single-source
tool for drivers to not only monitor and track their health and
nutrition but to access assistance and resources to help them
with diet, exercise and other aspects of health.
But that was really more of an extended soft launch, Kane
said.
“We focused on the technology we wanted to have in place
that would make it do all the things that we wanted it to do,”
he said. In the year and a half since its debut, they have been
gathering feedback from drivers to help guide them as they
fine-tuned the app.
“I was a driver for many years, and this is something we
built really to absolutely cater toward the driver,” Kane said.
The upgrade emphasizes that this is something specifically
designed for truckers, he added, in both form and function,
which is clear the moment the app is opened. The screens
have a “trucking signature look” as Kane calls it — with
“gauges” and diamond-plate steel backgrounds to simulate
a dashboard.
It’s also been a priority to keep the app user-friendly. “We
wanted people to be able to get to anything in the app within
two clicks,” Kane said.
For those who are not familiar with the app, drivers should
really think of it as a tool, Kane said. It’s really the Rolling
Strong program they are signing up for, which itself is not a
one-size-fits-all regimen but rather a collection of resources
that can be used toward each user’s goals and preferences.
“Just because we have an app out there doesn’t mean
every driver’s going to want to start doing jumping jacks and
eating tofu,” Kane said.
When a driver signs up, the first thing they will be asked
to do is to fill in their biometric information. The app can be
18 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

used to find a health screen location through the service
network Rolling Strong has at over 30,000 locations
including Walmart, Kroger, Publix, CVS Pharmacy and
at 11,000 higi health stations nationwide.
This gives drivers the flexibility to get checked out
and get started on a program without having to set up a
doctor’s appointment. With the app’s newly improved
mapping, a driver can find a location to get vital stats
taken while out on the road, as well as locations to get a
DOT physical and other medical services.
“We capture that information on the app, and the
app contours itself to give feedback and guidance to
the driver on things they can do to curb down those
risk factors that they may have fallen into,” Kane said.
For instance, if a driver has high blood pressure, diet
and exercise recommendations will be adjusted in an
attempt to lower the numbers.
The user also has the option of entering their DOT
recertification date and the last card type they were
issued, to which dietary and exercise recommendations
will be made to lower the user’s risk factors. The app
will also send recertification reminders at 90, 60, 30
and 14 days prior to the exam.
“If a user needs extra support, they can call in to our
coach line and we will work with them leading up to
their exam and help prepare them,” Kane said.
The app’s home screen has a series of buttons for
various aspects of the program: “Sleep,” “Nutrition,”
“Fitness,” “Hydrate,” “Health” and “My Stats.” “The
intention is that each driver will use the buttons
differently, some more than others, to their specific
needs,” Kane said.
As an example, the “Nutrition” button is one that
most everyone will use, but in different ways. If a user
is trying to lose weight, as most drivers are, the app
can set up a diet plan based on the user’s caloric and
macro needs.
There’s a difference, Kane said, between “going
on a diet,” where you just slash calories, and a diet
plan, where you cut back in a precise manner while
maintaining a nutritional balance. For most people,
the plan would entail establishing the driver’s daily
caloric needs to maintain current weight, then setting
up dietary guidelines aimed at 500 fewer calories below
that.
“If it’s good food choices, that’s enough to lose
a pound a week,” Kane said. Add in some regular
exercise, and that’s maybe another half-pound, which
is a reasonable rate for weight loss.
Rather than prescribe a day-by-day, meal-by-meal
menu, users can type in the name of a food, scan a
barcode or search by restaurant and the app will give
calorie counts and amount of fats, carbs and proteins,
sodium and sugars and keep track of their intake
throughout the day.
Another useful dietary tool, Kane said, is the Predict
My Meal feature.
“If I’m a driver and I pull up and there’s three fast
food places and two sit-down restaurants, the app can
tell the best choices for their needs at all of them before
Subscribers to the Rolling Strong health and fitness app
have access to an exercise video library and to a team
of coaches who can consult with drivers about diet and
exercise topics or even give a pep talk as needed.
they go inside any of them,” he said. The app will go so
far as to steer the user away from high-carb meals if
they are going back out on the road afterward to avoid
post-meal grogginess.
There’s an old saying in the fitness field that the
“best” exercise is the one you’ll actually do.
Just as with the “Nutrition” section, when drivers
press the “Fitness” button, they are given the means
to create a workout regimen that works for them, given
their goals and circumstances — not an easy task when
you’re on the road for extended periods.
Users can find out what exercise options are available
at the next TravelCenters of America /Petro Stopping
Center, or if there are gyms along their route that are
part of the Rolling Strong network and have truck
parking. Or they can access a video library of workouts
for truckers suitable for all fitness levels.
Users can keep a running log of their workouts, as
well.
The “Sleep” and “Hydration” buttons represent two
areas of wellness that are often overlooked, especially
hydration, Kane said.
“How hydrated we are affects how we think, how
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 19

The nutrition page lets users log their daily food
intake, check the nutritional values of foods they
are considering eating and check the menus of local
restaurants for the best options for them.
alert we are, how we sleep, how we metabolize food,” he said.
It’s so easy to get in the habit of drinking soda or energy drinks
or coffee, he said, which can make your energy spike then crash,
which is dangerous behind the wheel.
Kane said back when he boxed in his college days, no one
he trained with would touch those kinds of drinks. They always
wanted to keep their heart rates as low and composed as possible
until they needed to expend their energy.
“In the long run, water is going to give you that alertness better
and more consistently than leaning on sugar and caffeine,” he said.
With the app, drivers can keep track of their water intake.
They can also keep track of how much sleep they are getting.
In recent years, the industry has become much more aware of the
problem of fatigue behind the wheel. With the “Sleep” function
drivers can find nearby rest areas and hotels with truck parking.
They can log the amount of sleep they’re getting, either manually or
through a wearable device.
One of the next features planned will be to allow C-PAP users to
log the amount of time they use their devices, Kane said.
Aside from being a means to keep track of progress, all that
logging serves another purpose. Since the app’s introduction,
Rolling Strong has added a rewards system. Drivers can earn
points for getting a good night’s sleep, for hydrating, for exercise
or for hitting their dietary goals. Those points can be traded in for
fitness-related merchandise, but they also add a game element to
the app.
Along with the enhanced mapping, Kane said, one of the primary
areas of improvement to the app is that it addresses another aspect
of wellness that is hard to measure but a definite issue for truck
drivers — social interaction.
Part of the Rolling Strong program has a team of coaches
available to offer advice and encouragement. “The coaching
network is there to provide feedback to the drivers,” Kane said. It
can be something as simple as having your coach help talk you
out of that giant slab of lasagna at the end of a long day or to get
in-depth advice about your diet and workout regimen.
Drivers can connect with their favorite coach by text or by onetouch
calling on the app.
They can also connect with fellow drivers through a new social
media page that was recently added. Drivers can make friends, talk
about their successes and challenges, share recipes and workout
tips and even engage in a little friendly competition, either one-onone
or companywide among other drivers.
“We put our time and resources into building a tool that is really
meant to help drivers maintain their health on the road, and make
it fun,” Kane said.
Kane wrestled in high school, boxed in college, and always kept
himself trim and fit. Then he became a professional truck driver,
he said, and that’s when he started to see belly fat. That’s when he
decided he would dedicate himself not only to maintain his own
health but improve that of his fellow professional drivers.
The quest to be fit never ends. Even if you attain it, you have to
maintain it, and there’s always another level. Developing this app
and continuing to develop this app, he said, is a genuine passion
for him and everyone else at Rolling Strong.
“It’s a big step and a big decision to want to be healthier,” he said.
“And there’s a lot of suspect remedies out there. This is something
that was built by people with firsthand familiarity with trucking to
make it all make sense to them.”
Fleets can become Rolling Strong customers by paying a
monthly fee per subscriber (driver), typically as a feature of their
on-board fleet management system. Individual drivers and owneroperators
can also join for a monthly fee. To find out more, visit
rollingstrong.com.
20 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

Proliferation of electric
CMVs, autos promises
to profoundly change
American roads
By Dorothy Cox
F
ueling stations that sell gas and diesel are ubiquitous,
and as much a part of America as hamburgers
and french fries.
All that’s about to change, because the U.S. Department
of Transportation along with truck OEMs and various
startup groups are diligently pursuing different electric
and electric-hybrid configurations that will necessitate
multiple fueling — or charging — solutions.
For now, since many OEMs are concentrating on use of
electric vehicles for short-haul and delivery runs, there
isn’t a huge need for coast-to-coast electric plug-in charging
stations.
But there will be.
Tesla plans a worldwide network of solar-powered
“mega-chargers” that the company says will give its trucks
another 400 miles after charging for 30 minutes.
According to Nikola Motor Co. founder and CEO Trevor
Milton and data on the company’s website, the hybridelectric
truck OEM owns several natural gas (NG) wells
across the country and will take NG from these wells and
liquefy it on-site. The fuel will then be transported to
Nikola stations once they’re finished being built. Nikola’s
electric motors are powered by a liquid-cooled 320 kWh,
lithium-ion battery pack (over 30,000 lithium cells), which
is charged by a proprietary onboard Nikola Motor Co. turbine
powered by NG.
Until the stations are built, Nikola will be leasing its
trucks to fleets and owner-operators and including “unlimited
fuel” as part of the deal. The lease comes at a cost
of $5,000 a month, which covers the lease payment, unlimited
miles, warranty, scheduled maintenance and all
the NG needed for the lease period of about five years,
saving $420,000 for a million miles over the course of the
lease, Milton said.
By 2028, Nikola is planning on having more than 700
hydrogen stations across the U.S. and Canada. The first 14
stations will be up and running by 2021, according to a
Nikola news release.
Milton added that the company will soon announce a
2019 event in Phoenix, where customers, suppliers, the
news media and industry insiders will be able to see all
the latest Nikola products in action.
Nikola’s zero-emission trucks — which will be able to
travel between 500 and 1,200 miles and be refilled within
20 minutes — will be part of fleets beginning in 2020 and
in full production by 2021, Milton said. To date, the company
has nearly $11 billion in pre-order reservations.
Well-established OEMs such as Daimler, Volvo and Paccar
also are aware that driving their customers to buy
electric-powered trucks will include the ease of fueling or
charging electric and electric/hybrid trucks.
Daimler, which will begin series production of its eCascadia
Class 8 heavy- and medium-duty battery electric
trucks in 2021, knows customers will have to be informed,
guided and encouraged along the way.
“We will not leave our customers alone in this area of
the [electric vehicle] business,” said Andreas Juretzka,
director of e-mobility for Daimler Trucks North America
(DTNA).
He said Daimler plans to work with all its electric truck
customers by providing a consultancy service to help
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 21

One of Volvo Trucks’ future transport solutions is handled by an autonomous electric vehicle linked to
a cloud service and a transport control center, eliminating the need for a cab. The driveline and battery
pack are of the same type that are used in Volvo Trucks’ other electric trucks.
them integrate electric vehicles into their fleets.
The OEM is also championing the development of a
charging-system standard for battery-powered commercial
vehicles through a taskforce called CharIN. The objective
is to develop a commercial vehicle charging standard.
“In collaboration and consultation with utilities, service
providers, charging system manufacturers and our fleet,
we help create a win-win solution for new commercial EV
(electric vehicle) infrastructure,” DTNA stated on its website.
“Daimler is one of the founders of CharIN,” Juretzka told
Truckload Authority, and he said the goal is to come up
with a standardized charging cord, connector, inlet and
vehicle-to-infrastructure communication software for
heavy-duty vehicle use. He added that DTNA is collaborating
with utilities and agencies “to foster a supportive
environment for high-voltage charging networks.”
Volvo Trucks and DTNA have pursued electric truck
models for use in Europe as well as the U.S., but “so far,
it is difficult to say how the adoption rate will be, even in
Europe,” Juretzka said. “Right now, electric trucks are still
very early on the adoption curve with limited availability.
Everyone is still in the prediction phase in determining
how both markets will adapt.”
In introducing in September its newest electric autonomous
truck — which doesn’t have a cab and is connected
via the cloud to a control center — Volvo Trucks North
America said growing world population and increasing
urbanization “are leading to significant challenges to
solve environmental issues such as congestion, pollution
and noise. Rising consumption, the fast growth of e-commerce
and the widespread shortage of drivers put higher
demands on efficient transport solutions.”
The driveline and battery pack are of the same type
that are used in Volvo Trucks’ other electric trucks.
22 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

Claes Nilsson, president of Volvo Trucks, said: “If we are
to meet this demand in a sustainable and efficient way,
we must find new solutions. In order to secure a smoothly
functioning goods flow system we also need to exploit
existing infrastructure better than currently. The transport
system we are developing can be an important complement
to today’s solutions and can help meet many of
the challenges faced by society, transport companies and
transport buyers.”
Volvo Trucks’ future transport solution is intended to be
used for regular and repetitive tasks characterized by relatively
short distances, large volumes of goods and high delivery
precision. Transports between logistic hubs are typical
examples, but additional use cases can also be applicable.
“Our system can be seen as an extension of the advanced
logistics solutions that many industries already apply today.
Since we use autonomous vehicles with no exhaust emissions
and low noise, their operation can take place at any time of
day or night. The solution utilizes existing road infrastructure
and load carriers, making it easier to recoup costs and allowing
for integration with existing operations,” said Mikael Karlsson,
Volvo’s vice president of autonomous solutions.
Many OEMs believe that as emissions regulations become
more and more stringent and as the cost of electric
batteries comes down, electric trucks will be more and
more attractive to consumers.
“As emission regulations change over time,” said Daimler’s
Juretzka, “we see the advantages of focusing on all-electric
drives for our commercial trucks that meet certain use applications
and ranges typical for many of our customers.”
Daimler has established an Electric Innovation Fleet to
be delivered to customers at the end of this year to help
the OEM glean real-world information on total cost of
ownership, ease of use, including charging, and overall
profitability of its electric vehicles.
The OEM is striving to make electric trucks “as profitable
as possible from the beginning,” Juretzka said.
Additionally, if diesel prices spike as many analysts
have predicted, that will add fuel to the electric truck conflagration.
At least for the present, gone are the days of
$2-a-gallon diesel, with many regions on the way to prices
of around $4 a gallon.
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TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 23

You’ve got to
give a little
Trucking costs rose across the board in 2017
By Klint Lowry
Times are good in the trucking industry. But as the
saying goes, you have to spend money to make money,
and the cost of doing business in trucking went up in
almost every way in 2017, according to the latest edition
of the American Transportation Research Institute’s (ATRI)
report, “An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking.”
Since 2008, ATRI, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit transportation
research organization that specializes in the trucking
industry, has collected marginal cost data from motor
carriers to publish the annual report, which provides accurate
and timely operational cost data analysis to be used
both by trucking industry stakeholders as a benchmarking
tool and by government agencies for future transportation
infrastructure analyses.
In the report, ATRI presents motor carriers’ key operational
costs, comparing the most recent year to every
year since the survey began. Along with the overall averages,
presented both in cost-per-mile (CPM) and cost-perhour
(CPH), the statistics are also presented broken down
by fleet size, sector, and region of operation to give a
more thorough perspective on cost trends, acknowledging
the variety of operating conditions and business models
across the trucking industry.
The statistics are also broken down by segment —
truckload (TL), less-than-truckload (LTL), and “other,”
which includes specialized fleets.
Data for the 2018 report, which analyzes the industry
in 2017, was collected between April and August this year
through data forms sent out electronically to a representative
group of carriers across all segments, and to carriers
solicited by ATRI as well as by state trucking associations.
In all, participating carriers in this year’s survey accounted
for 178,926 truck-tractors, 4,773 straight-trucks,
and 360,434 total trailers, and accumulated more than
9.4 billion miles in 2017.
As the statistics are compiled they are weighted to ensure
they are representative of industry shares of the major
for-hire sectors. For example, LTL carriers were overrepresented
(36 percent) in the survey compared to their
actual share (24 percent) of the trucking industry.
ATRI continually works on its data collection methodology
to achieve more precise cost metrics. But because the
report consists of year-to-year comparisons, ATRI includes
in each yearly report a description of any changes made
to their data collection form.
Changes to the 2018 data collection form included:
• A question in which respondents were asked to submit
their fleets’ IFTA mileage. This question was added to
provide a more precise calculation for the overall mileage
traveled by the vehicles in ATRI’s sample.
• A question in which respondents were asked to provide
the number of drivers employed by type of equipment for
Average Total Marginal
Costs by Sector, 2016-2017
Sector
LTL
Other
TL
2016
$1.74
$1.83
$1.42
2017
$1.84
$1.95
$1.49
company drivers in a company truck, leased drivers in a company
truck, and owner-operators, and
• The addition of 33-foot trailers to the list of trailer types for
which asset count and equipment age data were collected. The
U.S. Department of Transportation’s most recent truck size and
weight study concluded that there were no changes recommended
for truck size and weight at this time.
In keeping with previous years, marginal costs were divided
into two general categories: vehicle- and driver-based costs.
Vehicle costs included fuel, truck/trailer lease or purchase
payments, repair and maintenance, truck insurance premiums,
permits and licenses, and tolls. Driver-based costs included wages
and benefits.
Overall, the 2017 costs incurred by motor carriers were up for
nearly every major cost center in 2017, resulting in the average
CPM increasing 6.2 percent — more than three times the core
inflation rate, the report noted — to $1.69.
Carriers characterized as “other” than truckload or less-thantruckload,
which include operations such as specialized — oversized/overweight,
tank haulers, flatbed carriers, and parcel/express
operations — reported the highest CPM for the fourth year
in a row, at $1.95.
“This has been driven by higher driver compensation, as well
as elevated repair and maintenance costs relative to other industry
segments,” the report said.
LTL carriers saw their CPM increase to an average of $1.84,
while the CPM at TL carriers rose to $1.49.
“Truckload costs were markedly lower than other sectors for
repair and maintenance, as well as driver compensation, as these
costs are spread over a larger mileage base,” the report stated.
Unlike most years, in which a notable rise in one cost was offset
by a drop in another, usually resulting in an overall net gain,
there was almost no shift from 2016 to 2017 in the percentage
each individual cost represented in the total CPM.
Driver wages continue to be the single largest cost center, as
they have been since surpassing fuel for that distinction in 2015.
24 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

Average Marginal Costs per Mile, 2012-2017
2012
$0.641
$0.174
$0.138
$0.063
$0.022
$0.044
$0.019
$0.417
$0.116
$1.633
2013
$0.645
$0.163
$0.148
$0.064
$0.026
$0.041
$0.019
$0.440
$0.129
$1.676
2014
$0.583
$0.215
$0.158
$0.071
$0.019
$0.044
$0.023
$0.462
$0.129
$1.703
2015
$0.403
$0.230
$0.156
$0.074
$0.019
$0.043
$0.020
$0.499
$0.131
$1.575
2016
$0.336
$0.255
$0.166
$0.075
$0.022
$0.035
$0.024
$0.523
$0.155
$1.592
2017
$0.368
$0.264
$0.167
$0.075
$0.023
$0.038
$0.027
$0.557
$0.172
$1.691
Fuel Cost
Truck/Trailer Payments
Repair/Maintenance
Truck Insurance Premiums
Permits & Licenses
Tires
Tolls
Driver Wages
Driver Benefits
TOTAL
Wages accounted for one-third of carriers’ marginal costs,
just as they did in 2016. Total driver-based compensation,
including benefits, represented 43 percent of total average
marginal costs in 2017, also unchanged from a year earlier.
Driver compensation, including wages, benefits and bonuses,
has been the biggest source of cost increases incurred
by motor carriers since 2012, according to the report. Driver
wages have risen 33.6 percent in that time to nearly 56
cents per mile in 2017, while driver benefits have “surged”
to 17.2 cents per mile, the reported stated, with total driver
compensation reaching 73 cents per mile in 2017.
According to the report, the rapid rise in driver compensation
can be attributed to the longstanding and worsening
driver shortage. The report said that in 2017, “The ongoing
driver shortage has been exacerbated by the industry’s
recovery from the freight recession in 2016, as burgeoning
demand for truck transportation presses up against industry
capacity constraints.”
Adding to the impact of the driver shortage, the report
explains, is the fact that the industry has yet to find a way to
attract new, younger drivers to replace retiring baby boomers.
Meanwhile, the rise in benefits and other incentives
beyond higher wages indicates that carriers are recognizing
that these forms of compensation that add to the employees’
quality of life are critical for recruitment and retention.
The report also noted that in the same vein, although it is
not considered a marginal cost, bonuses are a rapidly rising
cost center, with 62.7 percent of survey participants indicating
they pay some type of incentive or bonus beyond wages.
According to the survey, while the frequency of bonuses
is increasing, the amount of those bonuses shifted from
2016 to 2017. While the average safety bonus dropped by
just over 12 percent to about $1,300, the average on-time
delivery bonus jumped by nearly 31 percent, to $2,542.
And while retention bonuses dropped from an average
$1,143 in 2016 to $974 in 2017, starting bonuses increased
a whopping 43.1 percent, from $973 in 2016 to $1,401 in
2017.
With continued high freight demands and no relief in sight
to the driver shortage, the report says, driver compensation
will likely continue to climb for the foreseeable future.
As driver compensation has risen since 2012, fuel costs
have dropped in that time, and along with it fuel’s share of
total CPM. After peaking at 38 percent in 2012, fuel accounted
for 22 percent of CPM in 2017, just above the 21 percent
reported in 2016, the lowest since the survey began.
Motor carrier fuel costs have paralleled diesel prices since
the survey began, according to the report, and 2017 was an
extremely volatile year for diesel prices.
After prices fell as low as $1.98 per gallon on February
2016, they ended that year at $2.54 per gallon. “Since that
time, a number of factors have contributed to the continued
increase in diesel fuel prices,” the report said. In early
2017, OPEC cut production. Then in August, Hurricane Harvey
shut down one-fourth of refining capacity in the U.S.
“As a result, fuel costs incurred by motor carriers increased
9.3 percent to nearly 37 cents per mile between
2016 and 2017,” the report said, clarifying that was an average,
and that fuel costs vary greatly based on operational
characteristics.
For example, TL carriers in the survey reported average
fuel costs of 33.1 cents per mile, while LTL carriers reported
38.3 cents and carriers in the “Other” category reported their
fuel cost at 43.2 cents per mile.
Fleet size also has a bearing on fuel costs, “as larger
fleets are able to leverage their size in terms of diesel buying
power and can engage in more sophisticated price hedging
strategies or use technology to distribute their fleets’ trips in
a more fuel-efficient manner,” the report said. As in previous
years, this held true in 2017, as participating fleets operating
250 or fewer power units registered fuel costs at least 7
cents higher per-mile than larger fleets.
The survey said that the percentage of respondents reporting
the use of at least some alternative fuel vehicles in
their fleet in 2017 was roughly the same as in 2016, about
10 percent. The survey also pointed out that alternative-fuel
vehicles account for a small percentage of respondents’ overall
fleet numbers.
“The adoption of alternative fuel vehicles will continue
to be dictated by diesel fuel prices and the fuel efficiency of
new diesel truck models,” the report said. “Increasing diesel
prices would make the adoption of alt-fuel trucks a more
financially attractive proposition. Increases in the fuel efficiency
of diesel trucks, however, can counter increases in
diesel prices as more fuel-efficient trucks would allow carriers
to stretch their costs over more miles.”
The Northeast was the most expensive region of the
country to run a truck, with a CPM of $1.735 in 2017. Driver
compensation and lease or purchase payments were the cost
centers most responsible. The Southwest had the lowest
average CPM, at $1.536.
To get a free copy of “An Analysis of the Operational
Costs of Trucking: 2018 Update,” visit www.atri-online.
org.
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 25

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER | TCA 2018
A Chat With The Chairman
26 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

Sponsored by
Foreword and Interview by lyndon finney
The Uniform Code of Military Justice is the foundation of military law
in the United States. It was established by the United States Congress in accordance
with the authority given by the United States Constitution, which
provides that “The Congress shall have Power....To make Rules for the Government
and Regulation of the land and naval forces.” A part of that foundation
relates to how leaders of the military should act, including a call for them
to be an officer and a gentleman, which served as the basis for the 1982 film,
“An Officer and a Gentleman.” The term also describes current Truckload
Carriers Association Chairman Dan Doran, who joins us for a chat about
recent accomplishments of the association and about the challenges it faces
between now and the annual convention in March.
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 27

Sponsored by Mcleod software
McLeodSoftware.com | 877.362.5363
Mr. Chairman, when Truckload Carriers Association
members read this Chat, you will have completed
almost two-thirds of your term. Share with
the membership what you believe are the major
advancements you and your officers have been
able to achieve and what you would still like to
accomplish during the remaining four months.
Lyndon, thank you for another opportunity to chat.
I have been an officer of the TCA for nine years. The
accomplishments over that time have been many. Most
recently during my term as chairman, the most apparent
has been our ability to get in front of the FMCSA on Hours
of Service. As you know, ELDs were mandated and the
administration appointed a new administrator of FMCSA,
all right before my term began. We as an association were
able to take advantage of past relationships and get in
front of the HOS conversation. The TCA has been talking
about this issue for a long time, and we realized that
the problem was not with electronic logs, but with the
HOS rules. In addition to HOS, the major advancements
include the TCA’s voice — the truckload segment of our
industry now has a presence and is recognized. Also, our
successful Call on Washington event and Fall Business
Meetings give the association an identity on Capitol Hill
and another substantive venue to discuss and direct
policy that affects truckload carriers. The TPP program
has made great strides under John Lyboldt’s assistance,
as well, and we expect great things from that program.
But I must say that one person’s influence is not confined
to their term as chairman. Once you are an officer
you have the opportunity to speak up and make your
presence felt, and I have never had a problem speaking
up or being heard.
The association has just completed its second Call
on Washington, where members met with lawmakers
and others to discuss issues of importance to
the trucking industry. Share with readers the
outcome of those meetings and why it is so important
for TCA to be actively involved in government
affairs.
This year was most successful, with 50 attendees and
nearly 230 total meetings. We met with regulators at
FMCSA, representatives and senators from every region
in the country, and representatives from Canada, as
well. This year we had a lunch program that included a
question-and-answer session with staff members from
some key congressional committees. The Truckload
Carriers Association and its staff are now recognized
as the resource for answers on the truckload segment
of trucking. There is no replacement for face-to-face
meetings. Our society has become comfortable with
email, cellphone, and social media interactions. But the
most likely way to make a lasting impression is face-toface
communication. So it is critical for our members to
get in front of their state and federal representatives,
and our Call on Washington helps our members arrange
those meetings. The truckload segment of our industry
has a unique story, and we need to tell that story.
The annual Wreaths Across America Charitable
Gala was held earlier this month in conjunction
with the Call on Washington, an open house at
TCA headquarters and TCA membership committee
meetings. By all reports, the Gala, like those
in past years, was extremely successful. Share
with us the highlights of the Gala and the need
for professional truck drivers to participate in
transporting wreaths to national cemeteries
across the country.
The Wreaths Across America program is a great
program and the TCA is proud to be a partner. The
Truckload Carriers Association and the truckload
industry have been an integral part in building that
program. This industry employs 3.5 million drivers, and
many of them are veterans, so this program hits close to
home and is very emotional. This year was successful,
and we raised over $90,000 at the gala. Many Gold Star
families were present and recognized. Lindsay Lawler
and Chris Roberts performed, and the keynote speaker
was Sgt. Sammy Davis, a Medal of Honor recipient.
Davis graciously presented his own personal harmonica
for auction to support Wreaths Across America. Our
own Past Chairman Rob Penner was the successful final
bidder on the harmonica and Rob gave the harmonica
back to Sgt. Davis. Many of our member carriers and
their drivers donate their time and resources to move
the wreaths across the country. Without that support
and generosity, the Wreaths program would not be a
success.
28 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

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the software designer? A lot of questions have to be
answered. I do think that in controlled situations like
inter-plant moves or supplier to end-user situations the
technology has an application. Ultimately, the question
is: “Are you comfortable driving on the freeway next to
a truck with no driver?” I think the DOT is trying to stay
ahead of those who are developing the technology, and
that is their job.
Speaking of the federal government, any discussion
about improving the nation’s infrastructure
seems to have disappeared. Why is this and what
can the trucking industry do to revive discussion
about fixing the nation’s roads and bridges?
Planning for the 2019 annual convention is under
way. Please give members a glance at how the
convention program is shaping up and why they
should attend the meeting in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas is always a great venue for our annual
convention. We are changing up the Monday evening
event. We have several panels that will address business
growth strategies, leveraging big data, and effective
strategies for high performing teams. Networking is
top notch at our annual convention. As well, all of our
committees will meet to discuss policy and current
issues. I have personally invited FMCSA Administrator
Ray Martinez to speak. Las Vegas is full of options for
entertainment and dining. And at the Wynn there is
always a chance of interacting with the rich and famous.
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently issued
new federal guidance for automated vehicles,
advancing its commitment to supporting the safe
integration of automation into the broad multimodal
surface transportation system. What is TCA’s
stance on automated vehicles and do you think
the DOT is handling the advancement of automated
vehicles in a safe and manageable manner?
The TCA supports driver assist technology at this
time. Contrary to what the media and the technology
community say, fully automated truck capabilities will
not be mainstream in the near future. First of all, we
have to follow the money. Is it really going to be cost
effective? Is the cost of the technology, along with the
cost of the risk, going to make it worth replacing a
driver? My guess is it will be quite some time before
the cost will come into line. Secondly, is the insurance
market ready to accept the technology? And who will
ultimately be responsible? The trucking company, the
hardware manufacturer, the truck manufacturer, or
I do not think the conversation has disappeared. The
topic of improving our infrastructure and how to pay for
that was very much alive in our visits to Capitol Hill. The
problem remains as to how to pay for the improvements.
The TCA supports an increase in fuel taxes, with that
increase to be indexed to inflation. It is the first time
in my career that I have gone to Washington and
asked for a fuel increase, and we were quick to let our
representatives know that fact. However, there is no one
on Capitol Hill that wants to be in support of more taxes,
period. Especially a fuel tax that hits everyone’s pocket.
But if you compare the efficiency of a fuel tax increase
as compared to other modes of raising the money, the
fuel tax puts more money into the roads. The fuel tax is
in place, it can be raised in quick order, and 98 percent
of the money is available for road improvement.
Since our last Chat With The Chairman, Raymond
Martinez has completed six months on the job as
administrator of FMCSA. I know TCA has met with
him on at least one occasion. He seems to be a person
who is very open to input and is committed to
improving safety within our industry. Is that an
accurate assessment of Mr. Martinez’s administration
thus far?
The TCA has met with the administrator on many
occasions. Mr. Martinez and John Lyboldt have known
each other for quite some time, going back to their
days in New York. Administrator Martinez is asking
the industry for comments and suggestions on how
to improve safety on our roads. And the FMCSA is
listening. One thing that electronic logs have produced
is data. And our members have been providing data in
their comments to the agency, and I would encourage
others to do the same. I think the administrator has
heard and realizes that the 30-minute break is not
popular and does nothing to improve safe travel on
our highways. As well, the public comments have been
showing no support for the running 14-hour clock, and
the administration realizes the need for flexibility in the
Hours of Service. So yes, the fact that the FMCSA is
listening to our issues is a positive step to improving
safe travels on the nation’s roadways.
30 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

Let’s look at some regulatory issues. First, F4A. As everyone knows, the
F4A amendment, which was initially part of the House Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) reauthorization package, was not part of the final
bill signed by President Donald Trump. Why do you think this amendment
was removed and what can the industry do to push this important issue
through Congress?
The amendment language that directly affects the trucking industry was
regarding meal and rest breaks. This became a talk more about labor law than
Hours of Service regulations. The talk becomes very partisan when it comes to
labor laws, so that is why it was going nowhere in the bill. Certain states are
implementing labor laws and applying them to HOS regulations that affect truck
drivers. It is confusing at best when a driver crosses several state lines in a day’s
time. Which state law applies? And do I need another break? Our industry needs
one set of HOS rules that apply on a federal level. Unfortunately, there are many
carriers who have been caught in this confusion, penalized, and even forced out
of business because of these different state laws. My suggestion is for carriers to
get in front of their state representatives and make their issues heard.
The comment period for the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on
changes to Hours of Service ended earlier this month. At first glance,
many of the comments centered on the need to allow more flexibility
within the sleeper berth provision. Why is it important for drivers to be
able to “stop” the 14-hour clock in order to better utilize time off duty?
First, on a good day, a driver’s travel is unpredictable, so the driver needs
flexibility to adjust for construction, traffic and weather. Second, not all drivers’
sleep requirements and sleep schedules are the same. Forcing a driver to drive
when he is tired, hot, dirty from loading, and headed into the sun, is not safe.
Some may say that the driver doesn’t have to do that, but when the hourglass
is losing sand, the pressure is on to make the most out of the hours left. Current
HOS rules allow for a two-hour break or an eight-hour break. Two hours is not
enough to avoid rush hour, nor get parked for quality sleep. And eight hours
is so close to 10 that the driver might as well just take his full 10-hour break.
Flexibility that allows a driver to stop, rest, relax, eat a meal, clean up, and
refresh his mind and body is necessary in any effort to improve the safety on
our highways.
At the end of september, full implementation of the electronic logging
device mandate reached six months. As we know, the primary purpose of
ELDs is to improve Hours of Service compliance and keep tired drivers off
the road. But we also know that use of ELDs can help improve other facets
of the trucking industry. Based on your personal knowledge and discussion
with other motor carrier executives, what information can be
gleaned from electronic logging devices that will help improve performance
and productivity?
In one word, data. Electronic logging devices have identified hot spots for
detention, traffic and inefficiencies in production lines. ELDs have also shown the
true time involved in driving on-duty and hours not productive in a driver’s day.
Also identified are routes where drivers are pushed to their limit, parking on exit
ramps, forced to sleep in dangerous locations, and forced to continue their day
under less-than-desirable conditions. We have only scratched the surface of the
benefits from this data. Carriers will be able to identify desirable shippers and
reward those shippers with greater service. Carriers will also be able to identify
problem commodities, routes, and equipment abuses.
Finally, as tca members begin to look toward 2019, what would be your
counsel on how to best plan for another prosperous year?
Be prepared for change, stay flexible. Get involved with TCA and your state
association.
Show up, pay attention, speak up! You might be the next chairman.
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 31

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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER | TCA 2018
Member Mailroom
How do I Know that I am
Making the Right Decisions
for my Operations?
Utilizing an industry benchmarking program such
as the TCA Profitability Program can provide invaluable
insight into your current operations. By using
comparative tools to see how your company stacks
up to the industry, you can gain actionable insight to
help navigate the current and future freight market.
Since its inception, TCA members have relied on the
best practice group program to shape their operations
and analyze performance within their operating modes.
With both an online data tool and in-person meetings,
there are several ways to get involved with the program.
Want to experience the benefits of the program
firsthand? TPP has expanded to include quarterly
seminars on specialized topics such as retention,
maintenance and operations. Attendees of the December
4, 2018, seminar will hear from industry leaders
on “Filling the Gap between Knowing and Doing.” Discussions
will include competitive intelligence, managing
the workforce squeeze and execution — where
you are versus where you should be.
To register and see the full program, visit www.
truckload.org.
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 33

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER | TCA 2018
Talking TCA
Zander Gambill | director of membership outreach
BY klint lowry
Ask just about anyone to describe the general character of
the people who make up the trucking industry, and no matter what
other phrases or descriptions they may use, you could confidently
bet next month’s pay that somewhere in there the phrase “down-toearth”
will be uttered. In fact, it will likely be the base upon which the
entire definition takes shape.
That held true as Zander Gambill shared his impressions of the
trucking professionals he’s met since taking over as the Truckload
Carriers Association’s new director of membership outreach early
this summer. He had just recently met a bunch of them at the second
annual Call on Washington and at the Wreaths Across America Gala,
both of which he’d enjoyed, not only because both events had been
successful in their respective purposes, but because of the people he
got to meet and mingle with.
As he verbally circled around to concisely convey his impressions,
he kept landing on that phrase, “down-to-earth.” The way he said it
made it clear it’s a quality he values. It doesn’t take long to see it’s a
term that describes him pretty well, too.
If the purpose of these Inside Out features is to let the members
of TCA familiarize themselves with the staff at TCA headquarters in
a way that goes beyond ID-badge photos and impressive-sounding
job titles, the first thing that should be noted about Zander Gambill is
he wasn’t exactly enthused about the prospect of sitting down and
talking about himself.
It’s not that he’s shy; you can’t be a wallflower in his line of work.
But he’s free from the compulsion so prevalent in today’s social
media-saturated society to present himself and his life for other
people’s entertainment. He has a Facebook page, but if it existed in
the physical world instead of cyberspace it would need dusting. Even
in his work, he says, he’s never taken the hard-driving, don’t-takeno-for-an-answer
approach to sales. It’s hard to imagine him as the
cloyingly ingratiating, say-anything-to-get on-their-good-side type.
“I’m just kind of, ‘here’s what we have to offer, and we’d love for
you guys to participate and enjoy our benefits like other members,’”
he said.
He prefers to conduct business the way he conducts his life — he
keeps it honest and simple and straightforward. And he’s happy to
find that the trucking industry suits his style, and vice versa. He could
easily see himself riding in this seat for years.
The older you get, the more you value stability. He’s quietly
comfortable in himself and in his life, a common trait for a man of 53,
but it doesn’t take long to get the feeling it’s been part of Gambill’s
modus operandi for a long time, maybe always.
In a lot of ways, Gambill is the portrait of the All-American boy
makes good at achieving the American Dream. He’s a family man who
derives a lot of joy from his success in that role. He’s a guy who likes
his sports, his music, long walks with his wife Amy, and occasionally
tipping back a frothy adult beverage — simple, down-to-earth
pleasures.
But there are a few interestingly unexpected dabs of color in the
portrait. For one, this All-American boy wasn’t born in America.
“My mother is Welsh, my father is American,” Gambill said.
In the early 1960s, Gambill’s father, Malcolm, was working for
Harsco Corporation, a steel service company. “He was servicing
different steel mills across the world,” Gambill said.
Malcolm was on an assignment in Wales when he met Helen
Jones. The couple were married and Gambill’s brother, Jonathan, was
born in Wales. By the time his sister, Sally, was born a few years later,
the family was living in Venezuela, but they were back in Wales by the
time Zander came into the world.
That’s Zander with a “Z”, he points out; a lot of people think
it’s with an “X,” since it’s short for Alexander. Sally couldn’t say
“Alexander” when they were little, and as often happens in families,
the cute mistake got to be the more popular version of his name, and
he’s been Zander ever since.
When Zander was 3, the family relocated again, this time to
Mexico, where they lived for two years before Gambill’s father
got a permanent position at his company’s home office in Butler,
Pennsylvania, about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh.
Though he knows he lived in Wales and Mexico the first five years
of his life, it’s almost like biographical trivia. He’s visited Wales several
times and he has a familial connection to the place, but he doesn’t
remember living there, nor does he remember much about his two
years in Mexico. They spoke Spanish when they were there, he said,
but he retained none of it.
“I remember when we moved to western Pennsylvania, my
parents were trying to get us to all speak Spanish around the table
and we just wanted no part of it,” he said. Young Zander was about
to start school, and he and his siblings were only interested in fitting
in in their new town.
“I’m a western PA boy,” Gambill said; under “hometown” he lists
Butler. It’s an old Rust Belt town. It’s where the Jeep got its start, he
said in a demonstration of hometown pride, and it’s where American
Pullman Standard built its famous railroad sleeper cars.
34 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 35

A young Zander regales his grandmother
with a trombone solo.
Amy and Owen Gambill take a break with their 10-year-old
Welsh Corgi, Ollie, during the Million Corgi March.
He grew up a sports fan, specifically a fan of
Pittsburgh’s teams. And he played baseball and football
in high school. But scanning the sparse entries on his
Facebook page, the prevalence of album covers is a
strong clue that music is also one of Gambill’s lifetime
interests.
“It’s always been a passion,” he said. In his teen years,
“My brother was into music, and he kind of influenced
me, whether it was progressive punk [it was the late ’70s,
early ’80s, after all] or country or what have you, but I’ve
always liked music.”
As for his own musical pursuits, he played the
trombone in a few jazz bands — “just school stuff,” he
said. He even chose playing in the marching band over
playing on the football team one season. He also gave
the guitar a try, he said, because, well, he was a teenage
boy, and the trombone “didn’t bring in the ladies, put it
that way.”
Sports and music are the kinds of interests that can
fill a lifetime of leisure time, but when it came to picking a
career path, Gambill was all business, earning an MBA in
marketing and international business at the University of
Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business.
The pursuit of a career in the publishing field pulled
the western PA boy from home, and in 1990 he was in
the Washington, D.C., area, where he had a job selling
advertising for a British publishing group. It was also
during this time he met Amy Lewis, who was living in
Alexandria, Virginia, at the time. The couple was married
in 1994.
The next year, Gambill’s career took them to
Charlotte, North Carolina, where he spent five years
as circulation/consumer marketing manager for Hearst
publications, followed by six years as director of
business operations and of circulation for American
City Business Journals. During this time, he and Amy
had two sons: Cedric, now 19; and Owen, 17.
In 2008, Gambill and his family moved back to his
home state of Pennsylvania, where he got a job as
associate publisher at the Central Penn Business Journal
in the state capital, Harrisburg. He spent four years there,
followed by four years at BridgeTower Media, where
he served as vice president of audience development/
operations.
But despite a long, impressive list of positions and
achievements, Gambill found himself out of a job at the
start of 2018, a victim of cutbacks.
“The publishing world is not on solid ground,” Gambill
said. “Everyone is trying to branch into digital if not
completely change over, and not everyone is doing so
well at the transition.”
He’d left the Central Penn Business Journal on his
own accord, and saw as the privately-owned company
was purchased by a public company called New Media
Investment Group, that “they were all about cutting costs
and quarterly earnings and quarterly reports,” he said.
Prior to that, the move from North Carolina to
Pennsylvania had been precipitated by his being laid
off at American City Business Journals. Now, after two
layoffs and a near miss in between, Gambill decided it
was time to get out of publishing. Besides, he and Amy
had been talking for a while about how they would like
to settle back in Alexandria, where she grew up and
where they met. So, he set the parameters of his job
search to accomplish both, and that’s how he found
TCA.
He’s found the skills he accumulated over the years
in publishing transfer well to the nonprofit association
arena, although he’s had to make some adjustments.
“I like sales, and I like the marketing and analysis
part of it, as well,” he said. In publishing, the work he
did was more about consumer marketing and audience
Q & A With Zander Gambill
DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: September 12, 1965,
Newport, Wales, Britain
MY TRADEMARK EXPRESSION IS: How do you eat an
elephant? One bite at a time!
MOST HUMBLING EXPERIENCE: The birth of my two sons.
PEOPLE SAY I REMIND THEM OF: Actor Jason Bateman
MY GUILTY PLEASURE: Beer
I HAVE A PHOBIA OF: Running out of beer
THE PEOPLE I’D INVITE TO MY FANTASY DINNER
PARTY: Mario Lemieux, Bill Murray, Franco Harris, Gordon
Downie, Michael Stipe
MY GREATEST PROBLEM AS A PROFESSIONAL IS:
Overthinking
I WOULD NEVER WEAR: Skinny jeans
A GOAL I HAVE YET TO ACHIEVE: Getting my kids
through college
THE LAST BOOK I READ: “Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex
Pistol”
LAST MOVIE I SAW: Some random Hallmark movie
MY FAVORITE SONG: “Blossom” by Milky Chance
IF I’VE LEARNED ONE THING IN LIFE, IT WOULD BE:
The 5Ps — Proper Preparedness Prevents Poor Performance
THE THING ABOUT MY OFFICE IS: It’s decorated with my
wife’s oil paintings
ONE WORD TO SUM ME UP: Dependable
36 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

development. He had large marketing budgets to work
with and would do email and direct mail campaigns. It
was all about generating leads. And they would analyze
all these campaigns.
“Even the sales calls, we were always analyzing
everything we did,” he said. And that was fun in its own
way, he added, because there’s a part of him that really
likes that analytical, brainstorming side of marketing.
“This job is a little more sales focused,” he said.
“We’re also watching our numbers, just not on the same
level as before.
“At an association, it’s all about getting on
the phone and reaching out to people. It’s a lot of
networking and relationship-building. It’s about reaching
out and relating the message. It’s a little different, it’s a
little more one-on-one, which is great.”
This job is less about demographics and audience
samplings and more about individual personalities. And
this is where Gambill has been so pleased to have found
that down-to-earth quality that’s so prevalent and so
compatible with who he is.
“There aren’t a lot of huge egos, as far as I know,
and they’re pretty open to my calls and my reaching
out,” he said. Every call won’t result in a sale, he said,
but with TCA’s reputation as a calling card, he’s found
just about everyone is willing to hear him out.
That’s been helpful, because he’s still in the process
of feeling at home in the industry. There’s a lot to learn
about the marketplace, about regulatory and legislative
issues. And the acronyms. Associations love their
acronyms, he said. But he’s slowly cracking the code and
settling into trucking culture.
“It’s getting there; I’m feeling pretty good,” he said.
Right now, both sides of life, personal and
professional, are about settling in. Cedric is attending
New York University, and Owen is about a year away
from college.
“The goal is to keep supporting them and get them
through college so they can start sliding down that razor
blade of life, start working and earning a living,” Gambill
said, so that in about five years he and Amy can begin
the empty-nester phase of life.
Well, not completely empty. They have their Welsh
Corgi, Ollie, with whom they recently participated in
something called the “Million Corgi March.” That’s
what they called it, anyway. It wasn’t really a million
Corgis, more like 200 or so, Gambill said. And it wasn’t
so much a march as it was a way for Welsh Corgis and
their owners to take a group stroll from the Jefferson
Memorial to the Washington Monument.
Activities like that are part of why they wanted to
move back to Alexandria. Besides having friends and
family, there’s so much culture, so much to see and do,
even if all you want to do is take a nice walk.
“I think we’ll be here for at least 10 years,” Gambill
said. Who knows, he could easily see riding things
the way they are right into retirement and being very
comfortable about it.
Sounds like a simple, straightforward, down-to-earth
plan.
Gambill and his father Malcolm
Zander Gambill, along with son Owen, wife Amy and son
Cedric prepare a greeting for his Welsh grandmother.
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 37

Those
Who Deliver
with D.M. Bowman
PROFILE
Don Bowman continues to be involved and sets
the tone for his namesake company, which he
founded in 1959.
There’s been a celebratory mood hanging in the air at D.M.
Bowman, Inc., as the company marks its 60th year in business.
And with good cause. The company has come a long way since
1959, when Don Bowman bought himself a used 1955 B61 Mack
and a 22-foot cable dump trailer and went into business for himself.
Since then, the company has continually grown and expanded
in size and services offered. Today, Bowman lists 382 power units
among its assets and employs nearly 500 driving associates. But
that’s just the beginning.
“We’re a very diversified organization, with a lot of different
service offerings for customers,” said D.M. Bowman President and
CEO Jim Ward.
The services offered by the Bowman family of companies include
short haul; van/line-haul; flatbed, bulk, and specialty services; fleet
services; brokerage; technology-related services; warehousing and
logistics; truck maintenance; used truck sales; and trailer leasing.
That’s not even counting Bowman Sales and Equipment, a
provider of trailers and sea containers which Bowman started back
in 1972 and is currently run by Bowman’s son, Don.
“We’re more and more of a transportation and logistics
company and continue to gravitate in that direction, more so than
just a truckload carrier,” Ward said.
Throughout its evolution, two constants have remained at
the company’s core: First, there’s the company headquarters in
Williamsport, Maryland. Though D.M. Bowman also has 14 other
terminals and dedicated yards, Washington County, in which
Williamsport is located, remains the lifelong home of both Bowman
and his company. It’s where the lion’s share of the company’s
1.33 million square feet of warehouse and logistics facilities are
located, with another 355,000 square feet of space due to open in
November.
The other constant is Bowman himself, who continues to keep
his hand in things and whose business philosophy sets the tone
for the company.
The motto at D.M. Bowman is “We carry through.” That thought,
Ward said, is expanded upon in the company mission: “We exist
to provide our customers with safe, reliable, courteous service that
exceeds their expectations.”
For as large and diverse as the company has become, Ward
explained, the company’s overarching goal can be summed up in
one word: service. The growth has been constant, but it’s always
been smart, purposeful growth — not just to get a piece of every
pie that’s out there.
For example, he said, “in 1966 we received our first ICC authority
and added several company trucks, basically to transport brick
within a 165-mile radius of our corporate location.”
A year later, the company purchased its first semi tank-trailers
to transport petroleum products to help balance the inactivity of
brick-hauling in the winter.
“We’ve kind of been a company to always look for that next
38 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

opportunity to be able to provide balance to the system and service
to the supply chain as customers demand,” Ward said.
Don Bowman has always been something of a visionary, Ward
said. “Our saying around the company is, ‘we’re not going to be
around the bleeding edge, we want to be on the cutting edge.’”
In other words, embrace change, master it, get in front of it.
“We continue to see the supply chain evolving,” Ward said.
“And as we move into the ‘internet of things,’ we begin to see this
Amazon effect, you’re seeing more and more of that.
“The way goods are moving today, it’s requiring a diverse type of
equipment as well as a warehousing facility where you might have
facilities to pick-pack and store and move product out.
“We are challenged by our customers to work with them to
make sure they have the right product, in the right place at the right
time — and of course, they’ll always tell us — for the right price.
“From a customer’s perspective, you’re going in and helping
them more effectively manage their demand in their supply chain
to satisfy their customers. And you could be overlaying with
technology, you could be overlaying what they do with equipment,
you could be overlaying what they do with facilities, but all of that
is used to help build efficiencies and help manage their cost of
transportation.”
A company has to have the clarity of vision and the willingness
to see and adapt to change, and adaptation often means acquiring
new equipment and facilities.
It’s one thing to envision how things should work, but it’s
something else to consistently pull it off. Even with all the right
equipment and facilities, Ward said, it’s people who make the
operation work, and it’s people skills that make things work right.
There’s no service that even a company as diverse as D.M.
Bowman can offer that a customer can’t find somewhere else. The
competitive edge goes to the company that performs that service
with greater engagement.
“There’s a gentleman from Bulverde, Texas, Dan Baker; he’s
a consultant in our industry,” Ward said, “and I’ve always said
that he says it best: ‘You’re in the people business first and the
transportation business second, and don’t forget it.’ And there’s a
lot of truth in that, because everything you get done you basically
do through people.”
Ward feels lucky that he came to work for Don Bowman in the
mid-80s, because Bowman has always held to that philosophy.
“The closer you get to the customer, the further you move away
from a transactional deal and more to a value proposition,” Ward
said. “And that’s where everybody starts to win. When you listen
to the customer, you listen closely, you will identify opportunities.
Then the key to being able to execute those opportunities is having
the right people.”
Ward believes one of the keys to the success at D.M. Bowman,
Inc. has been that Don Bowman has always extended that “we’re
in the people business” philosophy inward to the people that work
for him.
“Something Don has often said is, ‘if it’s good business for our
professional driving associates, then it’s going to be good business
for us.’”
Ward points out that it was during Bowman’s tenure as American
Trucking Associations chairman in 1995-96 that National Truck
Driver Appreciation Week was launched.
“Appreciation is the strongest currency in the corporate culture,
I truly believe that,” Ward said. “We have a participatory culture
inside of D.M. Bowman. It is exciting to on-board talent that is
smart, passionate and has a desire to win and watch them grow
and develop.”
The company is as committed to investing in its people as it is in
investing in equipment, facilities and technology, Ward said.
In fact, Ward said, “Because of our belief in education, that’s why
we’ve been a 50-year member of Truckload Carriers Association.
The networking opportunity at Truckload Carriers Association as
well as the educational opportunities that they offer, we see has a
lot of value to our organization.
“I truly believe the old saying that you are known for the company
you keep, and I consider myself very blessed to have experienced
trucking with a career at D.M. Bowman, Inc.”
Chairman: Don Bowman
President & CEO: Jim Ward
Executive VP/COO: Brian Hall
Chief Logistics Officer: Dave Ebner
Director of Maintenance: Mike Boarman
Power Units: 382
Trailers: 1,500
Driving Associates: 460
Member of TCA: 50-year TCA Ambassador
Club Member
D.M. Bowman, Inc. President and CEO
Jim Ward, standing, celebrates National
Truck Driver Appreciation Week with
drivers and maintenance technicians.
Director of Operations Anthony Triggs leads a team
conversation with driver associates.
D.M. Bowman’s fleet of 382 power
units offers truckload service to all 48
contiguous states.
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 39

6 th Annual
WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA
Charitable
Gala
In
Review
2
3
4
1
5
More than $80,000 was raised September 26 as the Truckload Carriers
Association hosted its sixth annual fundraising gala in support of Wreaths
Across America at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. More
than 230 attendees — trucking executives, industry suppliers, military families,
and members of the press — attended.
New this year, WAA hosted its 2018 Virtual Convoy in conjunction with the gala.
The event was broadcast live to hundreds of thousands of social media followers
encouraging viewers to help fill a trailer with wreaths; the fundraiser was quite
successful, with $15,000 collected.
The funds will support logistics for the delivery of two million fresh remembrance
wreaths that will adorn veterans’ gravestones on National Wreaths Across America
Day December 15.
“Each December, hundreds of TCA members are proud to haul a truckload of
respect,” said TCA’s President John Lyboldt. “Tonight, we celebrated this great
industry and its passion to help advance Wreaths Across America’s mission of
remember, honor, teach.”
The evening’s keynote speaker, Medal of Honor Recipient Sgt. Sammy Davis,
shared his story of resilience, detailing the early hours of November 18, 1967, when
then Private First Class Davis’ artillery unit came under heavy mortar attack.
Before concluding his speech, Davis played “Shenandoah” on a harmonica,
which was auctioned off at the event, yielding a $3,500 donation to the
transportation fund.
Other notable speakers included American Gold Star Mother and
professional speaker Jill Stephenson, who shared with attendees the heartfelt
story of her son, Cpl. Benjamin S. Kopp.
After Stephenson spoke, the National Association of Independent Truckers
(NAIT) and their insurance partner, IAT Insurance Group, were recognised for
donating $50,000 to help cover fuel costs for owner-operators hauling wreaths.
Also during the event, Morrill, Karen and Rob Worcester thanked the trucking
industry for their continued support and shared new logistics information. The
Worcesters encouraged American Gold Star Mothers in the audience to join them
onstage to share their son’s or daughter’s name, rank, and date of death.
The gala was hosted by Freightliner and Pilot Flying J and sponsored by
TravelCenters of America and Petro, Randall-Reilly, and DriverFacts.
During the reception, attendees had the opportunity to purchase exclusive,
marble holiday ornaments as well as truck decals to showcase their involvement
in and support for WAA. Guests were also encouraged to have a professional
photo taken.
Throughout the evening, attendees could place bids on more than a dozen
silent auction items ranging from getaway packages to a Tiffany & Co. crystal
decanter to an American flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol on September
11, 2018.
The gala was held in conjunction with TCA’s Fall Business Meetings and Second
Annual Call on Washington.
For more information about Wreaths Across America, or to haul a truckload of
wreaths this December, visit www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org. Search the hashtag
#WAA2018 on social media networks to learn more about this year’s wreath-laying
events.
40 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
1. The presentation of colors was provided by the Civil Air Patrol National Capital Wing
Color Guard, Arlington Composite Squadron.
2. TCA’s Director of Education Ron Goode talks with attendees at the ornament
fundraiser table.
3. Dave Stukus, left, Michael Stuewe and Kathleen Roseman, all representing
TravelCenters of America, enjoy the festivities.
4. CIvil Air Patrol’s Dan LeClair and wife Pam pose for a photo in the Sky View lobby.
5. Keynote Speaker and Medal of Honor Recipient Sgt. Sammy Davis and his wife Dixie
signed books and talked with attendees during the reception.
6. TCA’s Government Affairs Manager Kathryn Sanner displays a “Trucking Supports
Wreaths Across America” 3M adhesive truck decal. Interested in purchasing a set of 10 or
25 for you fleet? Email TCA@truckload.org.
7. Worcester Wreath Co.’s Morrill Worcester, left, talks with attendees Brenda and George
Fieser prior to the dinner portion of the evening.
8. TCA’s Communications & Image Committee Policy Co-Chair and Weinrich Truck Line’s
Brenda Dittmer thanks her colleagues for their pivotal role in the delivery of remembrance
wreaths each December.
9. Attendees wait their turn to have a commemorative photo taken during the event.
10. TCA’s Communications & Image Policy Committee Co-Chair and Pilot Flying J’s
Wendy Hamilton asked those who have served or are currently serving in our Armed Forces
to stand and be recognized.
11. TCA President John Lyboldt welcomed attendees and highlighted the trucking
industry’s involvement in and support for Wreaths Across America. The evening was made
possible by hosts Freightliner and Pilot Flying J.
12. TCA’s Highway Angel spokesperson and Nashville Recording Artist Lindsay Lawler,
accompanied by Chris Roberts, performed the national anthem and America the Beautiful
during the event.
13. More than 230 attendees gathered at the Gala.
14. American Central Transport, Inc.’s Bob Kretsinger and his son, Midshipman 1/C
Joeseph Kretsinger, pose for a commemorative photo.
15. TCA officer and Cargo Transporters’ Dennis Dellinger, left, talks with keynote speaker
Sgt. Sammy Davis.
16. It’s important to acknowledge our industry’s unwavering commitment to honor
our veterans, TCA’s Chairman and Doran Logistics Services’ Dan Doran said during the
chairman’s address.
17. During the event, guests affiliated with the American Gold Star Mothers
organization and those that lost a loved one who served were encouraged to come to the
stage to share their fallen veterans’ name, rank and birth date.
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 41

Call on
1 2 3
On September 25, the Voice of Truckload was heard loud
and clear as the Truckload Carriers Association held its Second
Annual Call on Washington. Nearly 50 attendees from across
North America descended on Capitol Hill to discuss industryspecific
issues with their elected officials.
The day began with an education session, where members
were briefed on the state of the 115th Congress and TCA’s policy
positions. Armed with their industry know-how and passion,
as well as new strategies gained from the briefing, attendees
arrived on Capitol Hill prepared to promote the truckload
industry and ask the tough questions that needed to be asked of
legislators and their staffs.
During this year’s event, attendees boasted a combined
230 Hill visits in which they were able to talk with their elected
officials about issues such as Hours of Service, sleeper berth
flexibility, younger CMV drivers, and more.
Also during the event, TCA Chairman Dan Doran and
immediate past Chairman Rob Penner, as well as TCA officers
and TCA leadership had the opportunity to meet with Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Ray Martinez.
The Association would like to extend a thank-you to those
members who attended and helped make this event a success.
The Call on Washington bags and congressional booklets were
made possible by TCA associate member DriverFacts.
More information about the Third Annual Call on Washington
will be announced shortly at truckload.org.
To view photos from TCA’s Inaugural and Second Annual Call
on Washington, visit truckload.org/Flickr.
4
5 6 7
1. TCA members pose for a group photo on Capitol Hill. Nearly 50
individuals had a combined 230 visits where they were able to share
issues that truly matter with lawmakers.
2. The Canadian delegation takes to Capitol Hill. From left: TPP
retention coach Ray Haight; Challenger Motor Freight, Inc.’s Geoff
Topping; and KRTS Transportation Specialists, Inc.’s Kim Richardson.
3. The Ohio delegation meets with Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, center.
From left: Global Executive Solutions Group’s Jeff Friess; Garner Trucking,
Inc.’s Zac Brumbaugh; TCA Chairman Dan Doran; Garner Trucking Inc.’s
Sherri Garner Brumbaugh; Nagle Toledo, Inc.’s Ed Nagle; and TCA
President John Lyboldt.
4. Goldberg Segalla’s Carianne Torrissi talks with Wesley Wright,
legislative correspondent for Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.
5. TCA President John Lyboldt, far right, and the Ohio delegation meet
with Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, center.
6. The California delegation poses with Trevor Higgins, center,
legislative assistant for Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. From left:
DriverFacts’ Parker Widly; Mylene Patterson; Lori and Dave Widly, as well
as Spangenberg Partners’ Lisa and Glynn Spangenberg and LaunchIt
Public Relations’ Mari McGowan.
7. TCA member and Global Executive Solutions Group’s George Fieser
poses in front of the U.S. Capitol.
8. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Ray
Martinez sits down with TCA leadership. Pictured from left: TCA
immediate past Chairman and Bison Transport’s Rob Penner; TCA officer
and Skyline Transportation, Inc.’s, Bill Reed, Jr.; Martinez; TCA Chairman
and Doran Logistics Services, LLC’s Dan Doran; TCA’s Vice President of
Government Affairs David Heller; and TCA’s President, John Lyboldt.
9. TCA’s David Heller, left, and the Wisconsin delegation meet with
Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.
10. From left: Werner Enterprises, Inc.’s Sarah Wellman; TCA officer
and Skyline Transportation, Inc.’s Bill Reed, Jr.; Rep. Scott DesJarlais,
R-Tenn.; Big G Express, Inc.’s Randy Vernon; and Global Executive
Solutions Group’s George Fieser.
8
9 10 11
42 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

A QUICK LOOK AT IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
SMALL
A QUICK LOOK AT
IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
TALK
Bridging Border Barriers
Say goodbye to NAFTA and hello to USMCA.
What does the new, revised trade agreement with Mexico and Canada
mean for the trucking industry?
Make plans to attend the Truckload Carriers Association’s Second Annual
Bridging Border Barriers event as several industry executives, along
with key association leaders, answer this question and more.
The event will be held from 7 a.m. to noon on November 14 at the Lionhead
Golf Club & Conference Centre in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Join colleagues to learn about and discuss current and potential crossborder
issues that are facing our industry. It’s important that you’re involved
in helping shape the outcome. There is urgency in educating ourselves on
the issues and in having our voices heard.
The event is offered at no charge and is reserved exclusively for forhire
carriers, regardless of TCA membership, thanks to sponsor Freightliner.
Confirmed speakers include Ontario Trucking Association President
and Canadian Trucking Alliance Chairman Stephen Laskowski; Commercial
Vehicle Safety Alliance Director of Roadside Inspections Programs Kerri
Wirachowsky; TCA President John Lyboldt; TCA Vice President of Government
Affairs David Heller; and TCA Profitability Program Retention Coach
Ray Haight. Additional speakers will be announced soon.
For more information or to register, visit truckload.org/BBB.
Capitol Christmas Tree
This year, the Willamette National Forest, in partnership with nonprofit
organizations Choose Outdoors and Travel Oregon, will bring the 2018 U.S.
Capitol Christmas Tree, also known as “The People’s Tree,” to more than 25
communities this holiday season.
For the sixth year, the Truckload Carriers Association will be playing a key
role in delivery of the tree.
TCA member company and 2018 Best Fleets to Drive For Small Carrier
Category Winner Central Oregon Truck Co. will be transporting the tree.
The 2018 tour announcement is appropriately timed to celebrate the 50th
Anniversary of the National Trails Systems Act, one of the inspirations for the
2018 theme of “Find Your Trail.”
On Friday, November 2, the tree will be cut and prepared for the more
than 3,000-mile journey that commemorates the second inspiration for the
theme — the 175th anniversary of the Oregon Trail — by following a reverse
path of the trail.
A series of festive events will be hosted by local communities at museums,
main streets, city halls, state capitols, markets, retailers and high
schools. There’s even a parade.
This November, TCA member companies Meritor Inc. and MHC Kenworth,
as well as Doran Logistics Services, will be hosting whistle stops November
20 and 23 in their respective cities.
Whistle stop attendees will have the opportunity to sign the trailer banner,
learn about the Willamette National Forest and the great state of Oregon,
purchase U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree merchandise, and more.
TCA encourages member companies to visit one or more of the following
events:
• Friday, November 9: Sweet Home High School, 1641 Long Street, Sweet
Home, Oregon, noon street fair, 6 p.m. parade and 7:30 p.m. program
• Saturday, November 10: Linn County Circuit Court, 300 SW Fourth Avenue,
Albany, Oregon, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Saturday, November 10: Cabela’s, 2800 Gateway Street, Springfield,
Oregon, 4-5:30 p.m.
• Sunday, November 11: McKenzie River Ranger Station, 57600 McKenzie
Highway 126, McKenzie Bridge, Oregon, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
• Sunday, November 11: 48257 E. 1st, Oakridge, Oregon, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
• Monday, November 12: 450 SW Powerhouse Drive, Suite 422, Bend, Oregon,
11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
• Monday, November 12: 160 Detroit Avenue, Detroit, Oregon, 5-7 p.m.
The lighting of the Christmas tree at the U.S. Capitol is one of
the top highlights of the Christmas season in Washington, D.C.
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 43

• Tuesday, November 13: Oregon State Capitol, 900 Court Street NE, Salem,
Oregon, 10 a.m.-noon
• Tuesday, November 13: Oregon City, Oregon
• Wednesday, November 14: The Dalles City Hall, 313 Court Street, The
Dalles, Oregon, 9-10 a.m.
• Wednesday, November 14: Baker City, Oregon
• Friday, November 16: City Hall, 911 North 7th Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho,
9-10 a.m.
• Saturday, November 17: Fort Bridger State Historic Site, 37001 Isthmus
Loop I-80 Fort Bridger, Wyoming, 9-10 a.m.
• Sunday, November 18: 975 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, Wyoming, 9-10
a.m.
• Sunday, November 18: Scottsbluff, Nebraska, including parade route
from 23rd Street to 17th Street on Broadway and ceremony on the 1700 block
of Broadway, 6-7 p.m.
• Monday, November 19: Otoe County Courthouse, 110 South 11th, Nebraska
City, Nebraska, 6-7 p.m.
• Tuesday, November 20: Perry High School, 404 Lecompton Roa, Perry,
Kansas, 12 noon-1 p.m.
• Tuesday, November 20: MHC Kenworth, 1524 North Corrington, Kansas
City, Missouri, 4-5- p.m.
• Wednesday, November 21: Independence Uptown Market, 201 West Truman
Road, Independence, Missouri, 9-10 a.m.
• Thursday, November 22: 2018: Ameren Thanksgiving Day Parade, 7th
Street and Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri, 8 a.m.-12 noon
• Friday, November 23: The Harrison Pavilion, 101 Harrison Avenue, Harrison,
Ohio, 2-6- p.m.
• Sunday, November 25: Andrews Air Force Base, 1500 Perimeter Road,
Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
The locations of stops are subject to change. All times are approximate
and do not account for unforeseen weather and traffic delays.
The official tree lighting will occur in early December as determined by
the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In addition to Central Oregon Truck Company, Doran Logistics Services,
Meritor, Inc., and Kenworth Truck Co., numerous TCA member companies play
a vital role in the tree’s delivery, including Eaton Corp., Great West Casualty
Co., Pilot Flying J, and SkyBitz.
Other notable sponsors and volunteers include Papé, KGW8, Oregon Forest
Resources Institute, Hale Trailer, VanDoIt, Alaska Airlines, Husqvarna, Willamette
Valley Visitors Association, Axis Crane, the National Forest Foundation
and the City of Sweet Home.
For tour information, event details, news and updates, and to track the
tree cross-country, visit capitolchristmastree.com or search the hashtag
#CapitolChristmasTree on social media networks.
Drivers of the Year
Remember that November 9 is the deadline for nominations for the
2019 Driver of the Year contests.
The annual contests — Company Driver of the Year and Owner-Operator
of the year — seek to identify and honor the best men and women
traveling the roads today, those who drive safely, give to their communities,
protect the environment and enhance the image of trucking as they
make us all proud to be a part of this great industry.
Truckers News and Overdrive partner with the Truckload Carriers
Association to conduct the contests. Sponsors are Cummins and Love’s
Travel Stops and Country Stores.
The overall goal of the contest is to recognize and pay tribute to the
company drivers and owner-operators who provide reliable and safe
truck transportation in moving the nation’s goods. Several finalists will
be chosen for both divisions from which the grand prize winners will then
be selected. The grand prize winners will be recognized and honored as
the outstanding company driver and owner-operator for 2018 based on
the ability to operate in a safe manner on the public highways, efforts to
enhance the public image of the trucking industry, and positive contributions
to the community in which the driver lives. Owner-operators will
also be judged on the ability to run a business.
The company driver contest is open to any company driver employed
by an over-the-road carrier who has safely driven one million consecutive,
accident-free miles. A company driver must be nominated by the
STEPHEN RICHARDSON
PHILIP KEITH
motor carrier by which he/she is currently employed and must have been
employed by and driving for the current trucking company for the past
three years.
Fleet operators who own no more than five power units used in fiveaxle
or more tractor-trailer combinations and who drive one of the power
units as a full-time occupation are eligible to enter this contest. Owneroperators
who hold state or federal operating authority or who are incorporated
under the laws of their trucking companies’ domicile are also
eligible for the contest.
Owner-operators must substantiate five years of job history as a commercial
truck driver with the last three years as an owner-operator.
Owner-operators may enter on their own behalf, be nominated by a
spouse, or be nominated by the motor carrier with which they have been
under a long-term contract for a period of three consecutive years or more.
The top three finalists in each division will be announced in January
2019.
The grand prize winner will be announced during TCA’s 2019 Annual
Convention March 10-13, 2019, at the Wynn in Las Vegas.
Stephen Richardson was the 2018 Company Driver of the Year; Philip
Keith was 2018 Owner-Operator of the Year.
For other rules, visit truckload.org.
Fleet Safety
Each fall, Truckload Carriers Association members submit online applications
in phase 1 of one of trucking’s most important competitions
— the Fleet Safety Awards.
The awards, sponsored by Great West Casualty Company, recognize
the safest truckload fleets traveling the roads in North America.
Do you work for or know of a deserving fleet? To enter, complete an
application with company and contact information, accident and mileage
information, as well as the carrier’s 2018 Accident Frequency Ratio. The
application deadline is November 6.
Carriers placing first, second, and third in each of six mileage-based
divisions are honored.
Division I (less than 5 million miles), Division II (5-14.99 million miles)
and Division III (15-24.99 million miles) compete in the small carrier sector,
while Division IV (25-49.99 million miles), Division V (50-99.99 million
miles) and Division VI (100 million or more miles) compete in the large
carrier sector.
For Phase 2, an independent, qualified, objective auditor of TCA’s
choosing will be notified of the top three companies in each division and
will schedule an audit which will be conducted between November 7 and
December 14, 2018.
Based on successful completion of Phase 2, carriers will be invited to
participate in Phase 3, in which they must electronically submit a grand
prize entry highlighting the effectiveness of their overall safety programs
and policies. The deadline for entry is January 11, 2019.
44 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

Eligibility:
PHASE 1 – Entry Application Submission
Due by November 6, 2018
PHASE 2 – Verification and Auditing
Conducted between November 7 –
December 14, 2018
PHASE 3 – Grand Prize Entry
Due by January 11, 2019
During TCA’s 2019 Annual Convention, March 10-12, at the Wynn in Las
Vegas, the grand prize winners from the two sectors will be announced.
To be eligible for the award, a carrier must be TCA member in good standing
at the time of entry and maintain its membership through the time of the
awards presentation in March.
Conglomerate members may submit either a single entry reflecting aggregate
mileage or separate entries for each subsidiary/affiliate company.
All subsidiary/affiliate company submissions must be TCA members in good
standing and maintain their memberships through the aforementioned
awards presentation.
Additionally, companies must operate in the truckload industry and have
operating authority in the United States, Canada, or Mexico.
Carriers must agree to have pertinent records audited by an independent,
qualified, objective auditor of TCA’s choosing and agree to have a company
representative available for two appearances at TCA events during the year,
including:
Garth Pitzel, right, director of safety and driver development
at Bison Transport, accepts the National Fleet Safety Award
for the large carrier division from Patrick Kuehl, executive
vice president of Great West Casualty Co., which sponsors the
competition. Bison has won the award eight consecutive years.
• TCA’s Annual Convention, at which time the company representative —
CEO preferred — will be presented the grand prize award; and
• TCA’s 2019 Safety & Security Division Annual Meeting, June 2-4 in
Memphis, Tennessee, at which time the safety representative will be honored.
Lastly, prior to TCA’s safety meeting, grand prize winners will be asked to
submit safety information for a flyer which is to be distributed at the Safety
& Security Division meeting. The submitted information should highlight the
company’s safety program and function as a “visual acceptance speech.”
To complete an application or to view eligibility and rules, visit truckload.
org/Fleet-Safety.
Laura Martin joins TCA staff
Laura Martin has joined the Truckload Carriers Association as membership
coordinator.
She joins the TCA team with extensive experience in association membership
services and sales.
Martin’s career has mostly been in the Washington/Northern Virginia region,
where she has worked for several organizations including the Wildlife
Legislative Fund of America, the American Society of Association Executives,
the Naval Enlisted Reserve Association and most recently The Girl Scouts Nation’s
Capital, where she held the position of membership specialist.
In addition to her professional experience, Martin has volunteered extensively
in her community, serving as a preschool substitute teacher, a Girl
Scout Daisy Leader, a PTA vice president and as a division commissioner in
the Fairfax Women’s Soccer Association and Dulles Sportsplex.
She earned her B.S. in political science from the University of Delaware.
Andrew Boyle, right, executive vice president and chief financial
officer at Boyle Transportation, accepts the National
Fleet Safety Award for the small carrier division from Patrick
Kuehl, executive vice president of Great West Casualty Co.,
which sponsors the competition. It is Boyle Transportation’s
first time to win the award.
LAURA MARTIN
TCA 2018 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 45

MARK YOUR
CALENDAR
NOVEMBER 2018
>> November 14 — Second Annual Bridging Border
Barriers, Lionhead Golf Club, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
DECEMBER 2018
>> December 4 — TCA Profitability Seminar, Katz,
Sapper & Miller Conference Center, Indianapolis
MARCH 2019
>> March 10-12 — TCA’s 81st Annual Convention, Wynn
Las Vegas Resort, Las Vegas
JULY 2019
>> July 10-12 — 36th Refrigerated Division Annual
Meeting, Sunriver Resort, Bend, Oregon
For more information or to register for the events, visit
www.truckload.org/Upcoming-Events or contact
TCA at (703) 838-1950.
Visit TCA’s Event Calendar Page
online at Truckload.org and click “Events.”
The Truckload Carriers Association
welcomes companies that
joined our association in
August and September.
September 2018
Pope Trucking
Western Dairy
Pentagon Logistics
August 2018
Select Dedicated Systems
PEIR, Inc.
RTS (Renewable
Transport Systems)
Hoosier Air Transport
46 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2018

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