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DEALMAKING 101 | Bridging Border Barriers | HIGHWAY ANGELS<br />

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION o f t h e Truckload Carriers Association<br />

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021<br />

INFRASTRUCTURE<br />

2017 VS. 2021<br />

Where Trump faltered, can<br />

Biden succeed? | 6<br />

viva<br />

las vegas<br />

Daymond John of ‘Shark Tank’ to keynote Annual Convention<br />

PREDICTING 2021<br />

Industry experts optimistic,<br />

but driver shortage<br />

may cloud outlook | 14<br />

COMPANY CULTURE<br />

Embracing diversity can<br />

make your business<br />

stronger | 16


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January/February | TCA 2021<br />

President’s Purview<br />

Preparing for a Safe and<br />

In-person Convention<br />

The truckload industry saw an unprecedented year of new opportunities<br />

and challenges in 2020. During this upcoming year, we will continue to<br />

face these and new changes under the Biden administration. Our industry<br />

continues to be in the spotlight as essential to the lives of every citizen. We<br />

continue to grow stronger, despite the uncertainty COVID-19 confronts us<br />

with every day.<br />

It is now more important than ever to support and learn from your peers to<br />

help us all achieve success in the coming year. Truckload 2021: Las Vegas,<br />

TCA’s Annual Convention, will be held in person from April 17-20 at the<br />

Wynn Las Vegas Resort. TCA aims to provide you with a forum to network,<br />

challenge your mind, and connect with vendors providing the latest technology<br />

and services.<br />

Your health and safety during the event is our top priority. TCA is continuously<br />

working with the Wynn Las Vegas and the State of Nevada to ensure<br />

you have a safe space to learn and network. The resort maintains stringent<br />

cleaning and health standards and provides for 24/7 health support and<br />

technology, including temperature scanners and hand-sanitizing stations.<br />

Wynn Resorts is a leader in Las Vegas regarding COVID-19 safety, currently<br />

developing its own rapid testing center in conjunction with the University<br />

Medical Center of Southern Nevada. TCA is committed to adhering<br />

to current guidelines while also delivering the high-quality event experience<br />

our members expect and deserve. For more information about the event,<br />

please visit truckload2021.com.<br />

TCA’s goal is to keep our members safe and informed. We are discovering<br />

new ways to provide value to our members through events, image programs,<br />

government affairs initiatives, and educational content not just in<br />

2021, but every year.<br />

Please continue to call upon TCA as your resource for truckload questions,<br />

concerns, and information. You will be hearing more from us more as we<br />

continue to grow our value proposition and voice. Together, we will create a<br />

rewarding and profitable future for truckload in 2021 and the years to come.<br />

John Lyboldt<br />

President<br />

Truckload Carriers Association<br />

jlyboldt@truckload.org<br />

John Lyboldt<br />

TCA President<br />

PRESIDENT’S PICKS<br />

Down the Stretch<br />

TCA Chairman Dennis Dellinger enters<br />

final quarter of tenure<br />

Page 20<br />

Those Who Deliver<br />

Mantra of one family, one dream drives<br />

Cheema Freightline to success<br />

Page 30<br />

Whistlin’ ’Round the Christmas Tree<br />

TCA, Cargo Transporters host<br />

whistle stop in North Carolina.<br />

Page 32<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 3


Phone: (703) 838-1950<br />

Fax: (703) 836-6610<br />

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD<br />

Dennis Dellinger, President and CEO<br />

Cargo Transporters, Inc.<br />

PRESIDENT<br />

John Lyboldt<br />

jlyboldt@truckload.org<br />

VP - OPERATIONS AND EDUCATION<br />

James J. Schoonover<br />

jschoonover@truckload.org<br />

MANAGER - GOV’T AFFAIRS<br />

Kathryn Porbe<br />

ksanner@truckload.org<br />

FIRST VICE CHAIR<br />

Jim Ward, President and CEO<br />

D.M. Bowman, Inc.<br />

SECOND VICE CHAIR<br />

John Elliott, CEO<br />

Load One, LLC<br />

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR<br />

Josh Kaburick, CEO<br />

Earl L. Henderson Trucking Co., Inc.<br />

AT-LARGE OFFICER<br />

John Culp, President<br />

Maverick USA<br />

AT-LARGE OFFICER<br />

Karen Smerchek, President<br />

Veriha Trucking, Inc.<br />

publication are not necessarily those of TCA.<br />

In exclusive partnership with:<br />

1123 S. University Ave., Ste 325, Little Rock, AR 72204<br />

Phone: (501) 666-0500 • Fax: (501) 666-0700<br />

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER<br />

Bobby Ralston<br />

bobbyr@thetruckermedia.com<br />

EDITOR<br />

Lyndon Finney<br />

lyndonf@thetruckermedia.com<br />

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT<br />

Kris Rutherford<br />

krisr@thetruckermedia.com<br />

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT<br />

Cliff Abbott<br />

cliffa@thetruckermedia.com<br />

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER<br />

Meg Larcinese<br />

megl@thetruckermedia.com<br />

MGR. - DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS<br />

Hunter Livesay<br />

hlivesay@truckload.org<br />

SPECIAL TO TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY<br />

Dwain Hebda<br />

VICE PRESIDENT - GOV’T AFFAIRS<br />

Dave Heller<br />

dheller@truckload.org<br />

VP-MEMBERSHIP OUTREACH<br />

Zander Gambill<br />

zgambill@truckload.org<br />

SENIOR DIRECTOR - OUTREACH<br />

Marli Hall<br />

mhall@truckload.org<br />

TREASURER<br />

David Williams, Executive VP<br />

Knight Transportation<br />

VICE CHAIR TO ATA<br />

Joey Hogan, Co-Pres. & Chief Adm. Officer<br />

Covenant Transport<br />

SECRETARY<br />

Pete Hill, Vice President<br />

Hill Brothers Transportation, Inc.<br />

AT-LARGE OFFICER<br />

Ed Nagle, President<br />

Nagle Toledo, Inc.<br />

AT-LARGE OFFICER<br />

Jon Coca, President<br />

Diamond Transportation System, Inc.<br />

GENERAL MANAGER<br />

Megan Hicks<br />

meganh@thetruckermedia.com<br />

MANAGING EDITOR<br />

Wendy Miller<br />

wendym@thetruckermedia.com<br />

STAFF WRITER + COPY EDITOR<br />

Linda Garner-Bunch<br />

lindag@thetruckermedia.com<br />

PRODUCTION MGR. + ART DIRECTOR<br />

Rob Nelson<br />

robn@thetruckermedia.com<br />

PRODUCTION<br />

Christie McCluer<br />

christie.mccluer@thetruckermedia.com<br />

For advertising opportunities, contact Meg Larcinese at<br />

megl@thetruckermedia.com<br />

© 2021 Target Media Partners, all rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission<br />

prohibited.<br />

All advertisements<br />

and editorial materials are accepted and published by Truckload Authority and its exclusive partner,<br />

Trucker Publications, on the representation that the advertiser, its advertising company and/<br />

or the supplier of editorial materials are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject<br />

matter thereof.<br />

Such entities<br />

and/or their agents will defend, indemnify and hold Truckload Authority, Truckload Carriers<br />

Association, Target Media Partners, and its subsidiaries included, by not limited to, Trucker<br />

Publications Inc., harmless from and against any loss, expense, or other liability resulting from<br />

any claims or suits for libel, violations of privacy, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement<br />

and any other claims or suits that may rise out of publication of such advertisements and/or<br />

editorial materials.<br />

PRESIDENT’S PURVIEW<br />

Preparing for a Safe and In-Person<br />

Convention with John Lyboldt | 3<br />

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE<br />

Infrastructure Bill 2017 vs. 2021 | 6<br />

Capitol Recap | 8<br />

TRACKING THE TRENDS<br />

Predicting 2021 | 14<br />

Enriching Your Company Culture | 16<br />

A Real Eye Opener | 18<br />

A CHAT WITH THE CHAIRMAN<br />

The Home Stretch with Dennis Dellinger | 20<br />

TALKING TCA<br />

Viva Las Vegas! | 28<br />

Those Who Deliver with Cheema Freightlines | 30<br />

Whistlin’ ’Round the Christmas Tree | 32<br />

Inside Out with Caitlin Smith | 34<br />

Driver of the Year Finalists | 36<br />

Dealmaking 101 | 38<br />

Bridging Border Barriers | 40<br />

Member Mailroom: Truckload 2021: Las Vegas | 41<br />

TCA Logbook | 42<br />

New Members | 47<br />

Ambassador Club Honorees | 47<br />

REACHING TRUCKING’S<br />

TOP EXECUTIVES<br />

“From IN-dEPTH ANALySIS of<br />

industry news, updates on happenings<br />

around TCA, and features promoting<br />

the PUBLIC IMAGE Of THE<br />

INdUSTRy, Truckload Authority is<br />

a GREAT RESOURCE for industry<br />

news and insights from the experts.”<br />

— Karen Smerchek<br />

President, Veriha Trucking, Inc.<br />

TRUCKING’S MOST ENTERTAINING<br />

EXECUTIVE PUBLICATION<br />

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021<br />

T H E R O A D M A P<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 5


JANUARY/FEBRUARY | TCA 2021<br />

Legislative Update<br />

Infrastructure Bill<br />

2017 vs. 2021<br />

By Lyndon Finney and Cliff Abbott<br />

Where<br />

Trump<br />

faltered,<br />

can Biden<br />

succeed?<br />

Standing before a packed U.S. House of Representatives chamber on February 28, 2017, newly sworn-in<br />

President Donald J. Trump was delivering his first State of the Union address when he touched on a subject<br />

deeply ingrained in the minds of Americans — infrastructure.<br />

“We’ve spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while our infrastructure at home has so badly<br />

crumbled,” said Trump, promising that America’s crumbling infrastructure “will be replaced with new<br />

roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, and railways gleaming across our very, very beautiful land.”<br />

Almost one year later, the president unveiled the promised plan, a 53-page document that called for<br />

spending $1.5 trillion for repairing and upgrading the country’s infrastructure. Only $200 billion<br />

would come from federal coffers; the rest would come from state and local governments,<br />

which were expected to match any federal allocation by at least a four-to-one ratio.<br />

On January 20, Trump will leave office with no plan having been approved,<br />

but the lack thereof rests not necessarily at his feet. A highly<br />

partisan Congress has spent the past four years batting transportation<br />

legislation back and forth with more intensity than<br />

a professional ping-pong competition.<br />

Now, President-elect Joe Biden is outlining his own<br />

infrastructure plan that calls for a transformation investment<br />

of $1.3 trillion over 20 years to equip the<br />

American middle class to compete and win in the<br />

global economy, to move the U.S. to net-zero<br />

greenhouse gas emissions, and to ensure<br />

that cities, towns, and rural areas across<br />

our country share in that growth.<br />

Biden said his infrastructure plan<br />

would be part of his efforts to<br />

“strengthen worker organizing,<br />

collective bargaining, and unions.”<br />

Biden plans to jump-start<br />

the repair of highways,<br />

roads, and bridges, according<br />

to a document released<br />

in November outlining<br />

how he wants to<br />

invest in middle class<br />

competitiveness.<br />

6 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


“Almost 20% of our roads are in poor condition, and there is a backlog<br />

of hundreds of billions of dollars of investment. Americans in cities lose<br />

more than 8.8 billion hours to traffic each year — an average 54 hours<br />

a year per commuter,” he said. “I propose to immediately spend $50 billion<br />

over the first year of my administration to kickstart the process of<br />

repairing our existing roads, highways, and bridges. In addition to sending<br />

these funds to states, some of the dollars will go directly to cities and<br />

towns that own and run most of our roads.”<br />

Biden also said he will expedite permitting so that projects can break<br />

ground faster. Will Biden succeed where Trump did not?<br />

That may be the proverbial trillion-dollar question, but the Truckload<br />

Carriers Association’s Vice President of Government Affairs David Heller<br />

feels the framework for a Biden infrastructure plan is within the Moving<br />

America Forward Act, which includes the tenants of the Investing in a<br />

New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America<br />

Act (better known as the INVEST in America Act).<br />

This act eventually became part of the Moving Forward Act (MFA),<br />

which was passed by the House 233-188 last July.<br />

The bill’s authors said MFA would:<br />

kDeliver better roads and bridges faster with more than $300 billion<br />

of investment that prioritizes fixing what we already have, including<br />

tens of thousands of structurally deficient bridges;<br />

kInvest more than $100 billion in transit to put more zero-emission<br />

buses on the road, add new routes, and provide more reliable service,<br />

resulting in better transit options and fewer single-occupant cars clogging<br />

highways; and<br />

kModernize infrastructure to reduce traffic congestion and address<br />

bottlenecks and make roads smarter and safer for all users.<br />

“The House was very kind to provide us with the blueprint of what<br />

could be on the agenda in the Biden administration,” said Heller. “The bill,<br />

which is very centric, talks about many of the things that are important<br />

to the Democrats. A lot of the points in this could be part of a massive<br />

infrastructure bill.”<br />

If one of the elements of the House-passed bill is included in any infrastructure<br />

legislation, trucking has some work to do, added Heller. “We are<br />

concerned about liability insurance premiums going up from $750,000 to<br />

$2 million.”<br />

There’s also the issue of hair testing for substance abuse. Last year, the<br />

Department of Health and Human Services issued proposed guidelines<br />

that would allow hair testing only if it was coupled with another type of<br />

drug testing specimen.<br />

Heller called the proposed guidelines “watered down.”<br />

Then, of course, there’s the issue of money, which plagued Trump and<br />

will likely plague Biden.<br />

When Trump took office, the balance of the Highway Trust Fund, which<br />

is the source of funding for most highway projects, was $47 billion.<br />

At the end of FY2020 on September 30, 2020, the Congressional Budget<br />

Office said the balance was $14 billion. At the end of FY2021 on<br />

September 30, 2021, it is forecast to be insolvent.<br />

Unless something is done to prop up the fund, the balance will be in<br />

the negative by $73 billion.<br />

Biden’s plan calls for a stabilization of the Highway Trust Fund but<br />

offers no insight into how that might happen.<br />

“A lot people project an infrastructure plan to be part of Biden’s<br />

first 100 days,” Heller pointed out. “So, if this is going to happen,<br />

we need to have a real discussion of how we actually pay for it.<br />

HIGHWAY TRUST FUND<br />

by the numbers<br />

k<br />

k<br />

k<br />

January 2017<br />

Balance: $47 BILLION<br />

September 2020<br />

Balance: $14 BILLION<br />

End of September 2021<br />

Forecast: INSOLVENT<br />

“<br />

An increase in the federal fuel tax<br />

(which hasn’t been raised since 1993)<br />

represents the most cost-effective way to raise<br />

money to support the Highway Trust Fund.”<br />

— David Heller, Truckload Carriers Association’s<br />

Vice President of Government Affairs<br />

An increase in the federal fuel tax (which hasn’t been raised since<br />

1993) represents the most cost-effective way to raise money to support<br />

the Highway Trust Fund.”<br />

While it may be the most cost-effective way, there is likely to be little<br />

support within Congress for a tax increase, especially in the House where<br />

members must face the voters again in two years and where the GOP<br />

made a 15-seat gain last cycle.<br />

The fund has been hurt even more this year because the COVID-19<br />

pandemic stopped a lot of driving, which means people didn’t go to<br />

the pump, Heller noted, so now the fund is in more dire straits than<br />

ever before.<br />

So, when it comes to infrastructure, the country stands exactly where<br />

it did four years ago: No bill and no money.<br />

Or as Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees,<br />

once said, “it’s like déjà vu all over again.”<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 7


BY LYNDON FINNEY & LINDA GARNER-BUNCH<br />

While the aftermath of the general election and Joe Biden securing the presidency have taken the spotlight, trucking news<br />

continues to come out of the nation’s capital. This is highlighted by the release of the Federal Highway Administration’s<br />

updated version of its Jason’s Law truck parking survey that offered a picture of the status of what drivers say — based<br />

on a survey published in October — is the top concern among their ranks. Additionally, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety<br />

Administration has solidified a final rule clarifying agricultural commodity and livestock definitions in hours-of-service<br />

regulations, while the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s report on Brake Safety Week showed 12% of the 43,565 commercial motor<br />

vehicles inspected were placed out of service.<br />

Despite the need for parking and reports of operating over capacity, 79% of truck stop respondents in the most recent Jason’s Law survey said they do not plan to add<br />

more truck parking.<br />

FHWA RELEASES UPDATED JASON’S LAW PARKING SURVEY<br />

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently released an<br />

updated version of its Jason’s Law truck parking survey that offered a<br />

picture of the status of what drivers ranked — based on a survey published<br />

in October — as their top concern.<br />

The report revealed new statistics but no real solutions.<br />

According to the latest Jason’s Law survey, there are about 313,000<br />

truck parking spaces across the nation, including 40,000 at public rest<br />

areas and 273,000 at private truck stops, an increase of 6% and 11%<br />

between 2014 and 2019, respectively.<br />

The survey report found new shortages among the entire Interstate 95<br />

corridor, Pacific corridors, and states surrounding the Chicago region, as<br />

well as other major freight corridors.<br />

Not many new parking areas are being developed, the report said,<br />

because of challenges in planning and funding.<br />

Some states reported fewer public spaces compared with 2014. Among<br />

them were Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, New<br />

Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington state. On the other hand,<br />

Delaware, Florida, and Tennessee all showed increases in the number of<br />

parking spaces available.<br />

Of the nearly 11,700 truck drivers participating in the survey — a 43%<br />

increase from the first Jason’s Law survey — 98% reported problems finding<br />

safe parking. Issues with truck parking were reported in every state and region.<br />

According to the survey, the highest rate of parking issues was found<br />

along major freight corridors in states along Interstate 95, the Chicago<br />

region, and Interstate 5 in California.<br />

Time frames when truck parking is most difficult to find include at<br />

night from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m., during the week Monday through Thursday,<br />

and in the colder months of October through February.<br />

Among the other findings based on driver responses, it was noted<br />

that drivers need a variety of parking types; design is important in<br />

truck parking; safety and security is valued; public rest area closures<br />

present challenges; receivers should offer parking on site; and truck<br />

spaces need to be reserved for trucks.<br />

State commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety agencies show the<br />

states with the highest rate of unofficial or unauthorized truck parking<br />

are typically those with major freight-generating areas, major ports, and<br />

intermodal facilities.<br />

California, Florida, Texas, and Illinois are among the states with high<br />

numbers of unauthorized parking, the report said.<br />

According to the survey results, most of the unauthorized truck parking<br />

occurs on ramps (58%) and shoulders (34%), most often between 7 p.m.<br />

and 9 a.m.<br />

CMV safety agency respondents reported that unauthorized truck<br />

parking is related to limited spaces and inclement weather, especially<br />

SEE PARKING, PAGE 9<br />

8 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


LIVESTOCK, AGRICULTURE DEFINITIONS PUBLISHED<br />

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety<br />

Administration (FMCSA) has published a<br />

final rule clarifying agricultural commodities<br />

and livestock definitions in hours-of-service<br />

(HOS) regulations.<br />

The agency said it had worked closely with<br />

the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)<br />

on the rule in an effort to provide clarity for the<br />

nation’s farmers and commercial drivers.<br />

“The agriculture industry is vital to our<br />

nation, and this new rule will provide clarity<br />

and offer additional flexibility to farmers<br />

and commercial drivers, while maintaining<br />

the highest level of safety,” said the U.S.<br />

Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.<br />

Currently, during harvesting and planting<br />

seasons as determined by each state, drivers<br />

transporting agricultural commodities, including<br />

livestock, are exempt from HOS requirements<br />

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has<br />

published a final rule clarifying agricultural commodities<br />

and livestock definitions in hours-of-service regulations.<br />

from the source of the commodities to a<br />

location within a 150-air-mile radius from<br />

the source. The agricultural commodity<br />

rulemaking from FMCSA was prompted by<br />

indications that the current definition of these<br />

terms may not be understood or enforced<br />

consistently when determining whether the<br />

HOS exemption applies.<br />

“I applaud Secretary Chao for recognizing<br />

these obstacles and working with USDA to<br />

come up with common sense definitions for<br />

agricultural commodities and livestock that<br />

meet both the needs of agricultural haulers<br />

and public safety — critical concerns for all of<br />

trucking,” said Secretary of Agriculture Sonny<br />

Perdue.<br />

FMCSA published an advanced notice of<br />

proposed rulemaking in July 2019 to solicit<br />

feedback from the agriculture community.<br />

Based on a review of public comments,<br />

FMCSA published the new rule to clarify<br />

SEE AGRICULTURE, PAGE 10<br />

DOES CALIFORNIA VOTE EXEMPT TRUCKERS FROM AB5?<br />

Proposition 22, which was designed to<br />

push back against AB5 in California for<br />

independent contractor drivers such as those<br />

at Uber or Lyft, passed comfortably in the<br />

November 3 general election.<br />

The role of AB5 in trucking in California<br />

remains in the balance as a federal appeals<br />

court considers a challenge to an earlier and<br />

ongoing preliminary injunction that cited a<br />

90s-era federal law — the Federal Aviation<br />

Administration Authorization Act — as<br />

effectively blocking the provisions of AB5<br />

in the trucking sector. Oral arguments in the<br />

appeal were heard in early September.<br />

The California proposition that was approved<br />

at the polls took ride-share drivers out of the<br />

state’s AB5 law. This should be a factor in<br />

whether the trucking industry remains exempt<br />

from it as well, according to a lawyer involved<br />

in key litigation.<br />

In a letter to the court, the attorney for the<br />

California Trucking Association (CTA), which<br />

brought the original lawsuit, said the victory<br />

of Proposition 22 takes a further whack at the<br />

idea that AB5 is a law of “general applicability.”<br />

Mayer Brown Attorney Andrew Tauber said<br />

AB5 is not a law of<br />

general applicability.<br />

It contains numerous<br />

exceptions for<br />

numerous industries and<br />

professions.”<br />

— ANDREW TAUBER<br />

MAYER BROWN ATTORNEY<br />

AB5 was never a law of general applicability,<br />

which would cover a broad swath of economic<br />

activity. The CTA’s argument is that it was<br />

always targeted toward trucking, as well as<br />

ridesharing, and is even more so with the<br />

success of Proposition 22.<br />

Tauber noted that the original AB5 had<br />

several exemptions for various industries.<br />

That list of employee classifications grew with<br />

additional exemptions passed in September.<br />

“Now AB5 has been amended yet again<br />

and once again rendered even less generally<br />

applicable than before,” Tauber wrote in the letter<br />

to the court. “After passage of Proposition 22,<br />

AB5 is not a generally applicable law — not<br />

even in the transportation industry, much less<br />

more broadly.”<br />

According to published reports, in his<br />

arguments before the appeals court Tauber said<br />

the state of California — which is the CTA’s<br />

opponent in the case — had argued that AB5<br />

can’t be preempted by F4A because it is a law<br />

of general applicability.<br />

In his arguments before the court, Tauber had<br />

described that as a “false characterization.”<br />

“AB5 is not a law of general applicability,”<br />

he argued. “It contains numerous exceptions for<br />

numerous industries and professions.” Further, he<br />

said, “it specifically targets the trucking industry.”<br />

This was Tauber’s second letter to the court<br />

about the matter.<br />

After the California legislature significantly<br />

widened the number of jobs that were performed<br />

by independent contractors that could be exempted<br />

from AB5, Tauber told the court that “truck drivers<br />

are notably absent from the long list of professions<br />

exempt from the ABC test under California law.”<br />

That omission, he said, helped make the argument<br />

that AB5 is a targeted piece of legislation and is<br />

not a law of general applicability.<br />

PARKING, FROM PAGE 8<br />

snowstorms in the Rocky Mountain states. Illegal parking also occurs when<br />

trucks park to stage while waiting for deliveries. Based on that information,<br />

FHWA claims dynamic messaging signs and other technologies are needed<br />

to send out information about parking availability.<br />

Truck stop owners also participated in the 2019 Jason’s Law survey.<br />

According to the survey, more than 87% of identified truck parking is at<br />

private truck stops.<br />

The average number of truck parking spaces per truck stop is 143<br />

spaces. Truck stops reported being over 100% capacity overnight, on<br />

weekdays, and from May to October. Nearly three-quarters do not monitor<br />

parking. Those that do monitor spaces do so manually. More than threequarters<br />

of truck stop respondents do not offer reservations, and 75% do<br />

not charge for parking. Of those that do charge for parking, 3% waive the<br />

fee for drivers who buy amenities or food.<br />

Despite the need for parking and reports of operating over<br />

capacity, 79% of truck stop respondents said they do not plan to add<br />

more truck parking.<br />

Jason’s Law is named in memory of professional truck driver Jason<br />

Rivenburg who was murdered for $7 while parked overnight at an<br />

abandoned gas station.<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 9


MEDICAL EXAM RULING FAVORS KNIGHT-SWIFT<br />

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety<br />

Administration (FMCSA) has granted Arizonabased<br />

Knight-Swift Transportation a temporary<br />

exemption from the requirement that motor<br />

carriers rely on motor vehicle records (MVRs)<br />

as proof of a driver’s medical qualifications<br />

as a condition of employment, according to a<br />

November 4 notice on the Federal Register. The<br />

exemption took effect December 4, 2020, and<br />

expires November 4, 2025.<br />

Under the exemption, Knight-Swift can<br />

require newly hired commercial driver’s<br />

license (CDL) holders to undergo a complete<br />

medical examination; the company would rely<br />

on the MVR for drivers’ later annual reviews.<br />

Knight-Swift first applied for the exemption<br />

March 8, 2016, citing the “prohibitive” cost<br />

of obtaining MVRs. According to a second<br />

application, submitted October 16, 2019, the<br />

2016 application “languished for over three<br />

years” without being reviewed and processed.<br />

FMCSA on December 23, 2019, published<br />

a notice of the application, requesting public<br />

comments.<br />

According to the most recent Federal<br />

Register notice, FMCSA received three<br />

comments from individuals, all of which<br />

opposed granting the exemption. After<br />

reviewing the comments, along with the<br />

application, which included supporting data,<br />

FMCSA granted the exemption, noting that the<br />

agency believes that “allowing Knight-Swift<br />

to rely on its records of medical certificates<br />

for the first year of employment for newly<br />

hired drivers would not compromise safety<br />

or enforcement of the medical certification<br />

requirements for CDL holders.”<br />

In its application, Knight-Swift provided<br />

data on a sample pool of 5,722 newly hired<br />

drivers with valid two-year medical cards.<br />

After undergoing the hiring process, 19% of<br />

the sample pool drivers were downgraded<br />

to a one-year certification and 2.1% were<br />

disqualified. Knight-Swift did not indicate<br />

whether it knew if these drivers (those holding<br />

a CDL) provided the new certification to<br />

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted a temporary exemption to Knight-Swift Transportation<br />

allowing the carrier to require newly hired drivers to undergo a qualifying medical exam.<br />

the state driver licensing agencies (SDLAs)<br />

issuing their licenses. To ensure an equivalent<br />

level of safety, Knight-Swift proposes to<br />

include in the driver qualification file the<br />

newly hired driver’s medical examination<br />

report in lieu of obtaining a second MVR.<br />

Under the temporary exemption, Knight-<br />

Swift is subject to the following terms and<br />

conditions:<br />

• The carrier must maintain the initial MVR<br />

reviewed prior to hiring the driver showing<br />

the driver was medically certified by a health<br />

care professional on the agency’s National<br />

Registry of Certified Medical Examiners;<br />

• The medical examiner’s report the<br />

company will rely upon for the first year of<br />

employment must be prepared by a health<br />

care professional on the agency’s National<br />

Registry of Certified Medical Examiners<br />

and be available for inspection by federal<br />

or state enforcement personnel during an<br />

investigation or compliance review; and<br />

• Knight-Swift must obtain reliable proof<br />

that the new medical examiner’s certificate was<br />

provided by the driver to the SDLA and include<br />

such proof in the driver qualification file.<br />

In addition, the carrier must provide a<br />

quarterly report to FMCSA about newly hired<br />

drivers whose two-year medical certificate is<br />

downgraded to a shorter term or are medically<br />

disqualified after completing the companymandated<br />

medical exam. This report must<br />

include:<br />

• Driver’s full name;<br />

• CDL number and state of issuance;<br />

• Medical examiner’s name and FMCSAissued<br />

National Registry identification number<br />

for the examination recorded on the MVR<br />

prior to the Knight-Swift medical exam;<br />

• Examination date and expiration date for<br />

the medical exam noted on the MVR;<br />

• Knight-Swift medical examiner’s name<br />

and FMCSA-issued National Registry<br />

identification number; and<br />

• Knight-Swift examination date and<br />

expiration date for the medical exam.<br />

AGRICULTURE, FROM PAGE 9<br />

the meaning of these existing definitional terms to ensure that the HOS exemptions are<br />

utilized as Congress intended.<br />

“Our nation’s farmers and agriculture haulers will benefit from this clarification<br />

of the rules and will be able to deliver their products in a safer and more efficient<br />

manner,” said FMCSA’s Deputy Administrator Wiley Deck. “These improved rules<br />

will help farmers move commodities and get food to our grocery stores. We have heard<br />

the concerns from our farmers and ag haulers and we’ve worked closely with USDA<br />

and the industry to provide regulatory clarity and craft this new rule.”<br />

FMCSA said it is continuing to work closely with the USDA to eliminate<br />

confusion and further align the agencies’ interpretations of agricultural<br />

commodity definitions.<br />

The agriculture industry<br />

is vital to our nation,<br />

and this new rule will<br />

provide clarity and offer<br />

additional flexibility to farmers<br />

and commercial drivers, while<br />

maintaining the highest<br />

level of safety.”<br />

— ELAINE L. CHAO<br />

U.S. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION<br />

10 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


TANK HAULERS GET OK FOR PULSATING TAIL LIGHTS<br />

Motor carriers hauling tank trailers can now<br />

install a red or amber brake-activated pulsating<br />

light on the rear of the trailers, according to a<br />

decision by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety<br />

Administration (FMCSA).<br />

The pulsating light must be positioned in the<br />

upper center position or an upper dual outboard<br />

position and be used in addition to the steadyburning<br />

brake lights required by Federal Motor<br />

Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs).<br />

According to a notice on the Federal Register,<br />

FMCSA has granted a limited five-year<br />

exemption in response to a September 2019<br />

application by National Tank Truck Carriers Inc.<br />

(NTTC), noting, “The agency has determined<br />

that granting the exemption would likely achieve<br />

a level of safety equivalent to or greater than the<br />

level of safety provided by the regulation.” The<br />

limited exemption will expire October 8, 2025.<br />

NTTC is an association that includes more<br />

than 200 tank-truck companies responsible for<br />

transporting more than 80% of the volume in the<br />

tank-hauling industry. According to the Federal<br />

Register notice, most of NTTC’s members<br />

are regional, family-owned businesses that<br />

specialize in bulk transportation of hazardous<br />

products, such as petroleum products,<br />

chemicals, gases, and hazardous wastes. These<br />

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has<br />

granted an exemption that will allow carriers operating<br />

tank haulers to add a pulsing, brake-activated amber<br />

or red light to the back of the trailers in an effort to<br />

reduce the number of rear-end collisions.<br />

companies also haul nonhazardous materials<br />

such as bulk foods and dry bulk products such<br />

as cement or plastic pellets.<br />

In its application for an exemption from 49<br />

CFR 393.25(e), NTTC contended the pulsating<br />

brake-activated light, used in conjunction with<br />

the required steady-burning light, will improve<br />

visibility and help prevent accidents.<br />

“Rear-end crashes generally account for<br />

approximately 30% of all crashes. These<br />

types of crashes often result from a failure to<br />

respond (or delays in responding) to a stopped<br />

or decelerating lead vehicle. Data collected<br />

between 2010 and 2016 show that large trucks<br />

are consistently three times more likely than<br />

other vehicles to be struck in the rear in twovehicle<br />

fatal crashes,” noted NTTC.<br />

Additionally, NTTC cited a similar exemption<br />

granted by FMCSA to Groendyke Transport,<br />

Inc., based on real-world demonstrations of<br />

the pulsing lights’ effectiveness in reducing<br />

the frequency of rear-end collisions. NTTC<br />

also cited studies conducted by the National<br />

Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the<br />

issues of rear-end crashes, distracted driving,<br />

and braking signals.<br />

In granting the current exemption, FMCSA<br />

noted that while flashing, rotating, or pulsating<br />

red lights are usually only allowed on emergency<br />

vehicles, these vehicles use high-intensity lights<br />

that are visible on all sides of the vehicle, while<br />

the pulsating brake lights requested by NTTC are<br />

visible only from the rear of the vehicle, and only<br />

when the vehicle’s brakes have been activated. In<br />

addition, FMCSA said, the requested lights are<br />

similar in intensity and flash rate to rear-hazard<br />

lights currently allowed by FMCSRs.<br />

The Truckload Carriers Association filed<br />

comments with FMCSA in support of both the<br />

NTTC and Groendyke exemptions.<br />

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TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 11


FMCSA SEEKS OPINIONS ON<br />

AUTOMATED DRIVING SYSTEMS<br />

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety<br />

Administration (FMCSA) is seeking public<br />

input on a survey questionnaire, Trucking<br />

Fleet Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for<br />

Managing Mixed Fleets, designed to collect<br />

opinions of automated driving systems<br />

(ADS) from industry professionals both<br />

before and after hands-on demonstrations<br />

with the technologies.<br />

The agency plans to use the survey<br />

to collect opinions from about 2,000<br />

commercial vehicle drivers, fleet managers,<br />

industry engineers, vehicle-sales personnel,<br />

researchers, and state and federal government<br />

personnel at four roadshows. The roadshows<br />

will take place in conjunction with large<br />

conferences, such as the Technology<br />

Maintenance Council’s annual meeting, the<br />

North American Commercial Vehicle Show,<br />

the SAE COMVEC digital summit and the<br />

Automated Vehicle Symposium.<br />

Phase 1 of the study will be conducted<br />

before the roadshows to provide baseline<br />

opinions of ADS technologies; Phase 2 will<br />

consist of opinions gathered after participants<br />

take part in hands-on demonstrations of the<br />

technologies at the roadshows.<br />

“Although ADS-equipped trucks hold the<br />

Although ADSequipped<br />

trucks<br />

hold the promise<br />

of increased<br />

safety, productivity,<br />

and efficiency, it is not<br />

clear how these vehicles<br />

should be integrated into<br />

fleet operations with<br />

conventional trucks for<br />

mixed-fleet operations.”<br />

— FMCSA NOTICE<br />

REGARDING AUTONOMOUS DRIVING SURVEY<br />

promise of increased safety, productivity, and<br />

efficiency, it is not clear how these vehicles<br />

should be integrated into fleet operations<br />

with conventional trucks for mixed-fleet<br />

operations,” the notice reads. “Existing<br />

stakeholders in the road freight ecosystem<br />

(primarily for-hire and private truck fleets, but<br />

also shippers, brokers, truck manufacturers,<br />

and service and maintenance providers) do<br />

During an October platooning demonstration,<br />

Locomation worked with the Smart Belt Coalition<br />

to coordinate deliveries between food banks in<br />

Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan. The Federal Motor<br />

Carrier Safety Administration hopes to gather data<br />

from members of the trucking industry for use in the<br />

development of a concept of operations for incorporating<br />

automated driving systems into existing fleets.<br />

not have a clear picture of how they will<br />

implement ADS in their daily operations.”<br />

According to the notice, FMCSA hopes<br />

to use the program to help ADS technology<br />

gain traction in the nation’s trucking industry<br />

through hands-on demonstrations. Through<br />

these demonstrations, the agency hopes to<br />

SEE AUTOMATED, PAGE 13<br />

TRUCKING FIRM OWNER CHARGED FOR FALSE STATEMENTS<br />

Tony Kirik, 39, of Rochester, New York,<br />

is facing criminal charges for allegedly<br />

making false statements to the Federal Motor<br />

Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)<br />

and the U.S. Department of Transportation<br />

and conspiring to do the same. The charges<br />

carry a maximum penalty of five years in<br />

prison and a $250,000 fine.<br />

Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who<br />

is handling the case, stated that according<br />

to the criminal complaint, Kirik owned and<br />

controlled a trucking business called Dallas<br />

Logistics. The company was put in the name<br />

of a nominee owner to conceal the fact<br />

that it was affiliated with another trucking<br />

company, Orange Transportation, that Kirik<br />

also controlled.<br />

Orange Transportation had received a<br />

negative rating from the Department of<br />

Transportation, and that negative rating<br />

would have been applied to Dallas Logistics<br />

had the true relationship between the two<br />

entities been disclosed to the FMCSA.<br />

To prevent the government from learning<br />

that the two entities were affiliated, Kirik<br />

The owner of a Rochester, New York, trucking company is facing charges for allegedly lying to the U.S. Department<br />

of Transportation.<br />

directed his employees to create and present<br />

false documents and representations to the<br />

FMCSA.<br />

The defendant made an initial<br />

appearance in late November before U.S.<br />

Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson and<br />

was released.<br />

The criminal complaint is the result of<br />

an investigation by special agents of the<br />

Department of Transportation, Office of<br />

Inspector General. The fact that a defendant<br />

has been charged with a crime is merely an<br />

accusation and the defendant is presumed<br />

innocent until and unless proven guilty.<br />

12 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


The proposed rule would allow states to develop design standards for<br />

resurfacing, restoration and rehabilitation projects for freeways, including those<br />

on the interstate system.<br />

HIGHWAY DESIGN<br />

STANDARDS PROPOSED<br />

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has published a<br />

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to allow state departments of<br />

transportation more flexibility with design standards to repair the nation’s<br />

freeways and interstate highways.<br />

“The FHWA proposes to provide regulatory relief to states to<br />

address the immediate repair needs of our nation’s roadways without<br />

compromising safety and efficiency,” Federal Highway Administrator<br />

Nicole R. Nason said.<br />

The rule would allow states to develop design standards for resurfacing,<br />

restoration, and rehabilitation projects — commonly known as RRR —<br />

for freeways, including those on the interstate system, which has been a<br />

longstanding practice for non-freeway projects.<br />

Consistent with federal law, RRR standards would be required to<br />

preserve and extend the service life of the existing roads and enhance<br />

highway safety. This change would allow states to develop RRR freeway<br />

projects using a performance-based, flexible approach.<br />

The RRR standards developed by states would be subject to FHWA<br />

approval. FHWA would continue to work with state departments of<br />

transportation as they develop RRR design standards that integrate safety<br />

and cost-effectiveness.<br />

The rule also proposes to incorporate the latest versions of design<br />

standards and standard specifications that have been previously adopted.<br />

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AUTOMATED, FROM PAGE 12<br />

familiarize industry insiders and the general public with ADS technology;<br />

collect participants’ opinions and perception of ADS; and use the data<br />

collected to make sure the resulting concept of operations covers major<br />

industry concerns.<br />

FMCSA is seeking comments on various aspects of the informationcollection<br />

program, including the following:<br />

• Whether the proposed collection is necessary for the performance of<br />

FMCSA’s functions;<br />

• The accuracy of the estimated burden;<br />

• Ways for FMCSA to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of<br />

the collected information; and<br />

• Ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the<br />

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www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 13


JANUARY/FEBRUARY | TCA 2021<br />

Tracking The Trends<br />

Predicting<br />

Industry experts optimistic, but driver shortage may cloud outlook<br />

By Cliff Abbott<br />

If 2020 proved anything it’s that forecasting<br />

the future is far from an exact science.<br />

After all, who predicted a worldwide pandemic<br />

and the resulting economic recession?<br />

Still, business planners need some<br />

idea of what’s coming. Three industry experts<br />

offered their thoughts.<br />

First, expectations for the overall economy.<br />

FTR Intelligence’s Vice President of Trucking<br />

Avery Vise is cautiously optimistic. “The next<br />

year, by and large, looks to be pretty good, but<br />

there are some risks,” he said.<br />

U.S. Xpress CEO and President Eric Fuller<br />

thinks the industry will continue progress made<br />

since the recession. “The economy seems fairly<br />

robust. I don’t see that changing in the near<br />

term,” he said.<br />

Britton Transport President Jim Stokeland<br />

agreed. “I believe it will continue to be strong<br />

through mid-year and maybe longer,” he stated.<br />

With one COVID-19 vaccine approved for<br />

use in the U.S. and others likely to be approved<br />

in late 2020 and early 2021, there’s a reason<br />

for optimism. But the logistics for distribution<br />

of any vaccine, including how soon it can<br />

be administered to a large enough segment<br />

of the population to allow for a return to normalcy<br />

has yet to be finalized as of press time.<br />

Vise is concerned about further lockdowns,<br />

however. “The biggest risk is in the upswell in<br />

COVID-19 cases,” he stressed. “We don’t<br />

know what government will do.”<br />

Capacity was a big issue to start 2020.<br />

Freight rates were expected to be stagnant or<br />

possibly deteriorate because of excess capacity<br />

caused by near-record truck sales in 2019.<br />

Indeed, sales of new Class 8 trucks in the first<br />

quarter were 24.3% behind the same period of<br />

the prior year. As the effects of the pandemic<br />

hit, second quarter sales fell 51.2% behind last<br />

year’s pace.<br />

The market intervened. The goods side of the<br />

freight market pushed the number of available<br />

loads higher at a faster rate than drivers could<br />

return to work. The result was record-setting<br />

spot rates, with contract rates beginning to<br />

follow. Truck sales increased in the following<br />

months, ending the year with sales numbers<br />

similar to 2016 and 2017.<br />

Unfortunately, while the economy is coming<br />

back, many of the drivers who left the industry<br />

are not. “It may be that for the first time we actually<br />

have a driver shortage,” quipped Fuller.<br />

“Our problem will be finding drivers.”<br />

Vise provided a list of reasons drivers<br />

aren’t coming back. “We expected capacity<br />

to come back as soon as we needed it after<br />

the recession, but the fact is that it hasn’t<br />

happened.” One reason, he said, is that many<br />

have simply retired. “Whether it’s frustration<br />

with ELDs, automated transmissions, a<br />

reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, or what,<br />

they’re hanging up the keys,” he said, adding<br />

that “there are other factors that indicate we’re<br />

facing an unprecedented driver shortage.”<br />

One factor is fewer workers overall. “Statistics<br />

show that labor participation is a full<br />

two points below where it was before the recession,”<br />

Vise explained. “That doesn’t seem<br />

like much, but 2% of hundreds of millions of<br />

workers is a significant number.”<br />

Another factor is a dramatic surge in the<br />

number of new carriers. While monthly registrations<br />

have only reached 4,000 a few times<br />

this century, they have been over 5,000 for five<br />

consecutive months, exceeding 7,500 in one<br />

month. Vise thinks that owner-operators who<br />

lost contracts or miles responded by obtaining<br />

their own authority and taking advantage of<br />

record-high spot rates.<br />

Then, there are drivers and owner-operators<br />

who return to trucking, but in a different capacity.<br />

“Consumer spending has been in goods instead<br />

of services,” Vise explained. “We’ve seen<br />

reports that show we’re down about 2% on<br />

total spending, but up 8% on goods.”<br />

Those goods must be delivered by someone.<br />

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,<br />

parcel/local delivery jobs have been steadily increasing<br />

for a decade and jumped nearly 8% in<br />

2020 alone. Drivers are finding ways to earn a<br />

living and be home each night.<br />

14 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


“<br />

We expected<br />

capacity to come back<br />

as soon as we needed<br />

it after the recession,<br />

but the fact is that it<br />

hasn’t happened.”<br />

— Avery Vise, FTR Intelligence’s<br />

Vice President of Trucking<br />

The COVID-19 impact on CDL schools can’t<br />

be overlooked. “Schools shut down for a long<br />

time, and even the ones that are open are at half<br />

capacity,” said Fuller.<br />

“According to the Commercial Vehicle Training<br />

Association, 40% fewer CDLs are being issued<br />

due to school closures, and closures of<br />

testing centers,” agreed Vise.<br />

Add to these the implementation of the<br />

Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Many drivers<br />

who once responded to a positive drug<br />

test by moving to a different carrier are now<br />

leaving the industry instead. With legal marijuana<br />

now available in more states than ever<br />

before, the problem can only get worse.<br />

Despite the obstacles, Stokeland isn’t holding<br />

back.<br />

“We’re looking to grow aggressively in the<br />

U.S. We’re looking to net up double-digit percentages<br />

on the asset side,” he said. “Our customers<br />

need us to have the extra capacity, and<br />

we’ll seek new business, too.”<br />

“It’s really a driver-led decision. Part of our<br />

focus is on growth, but that’s got to come with<br />

more drivers,” said Fuller.<br />

Provided that drivers can be found, contract<br />

rates are expected to continue rising. “I still<br />

think we’ll see a 10%-15% increase in contract<br />

rates,” he added. “There has been about two<br />

years of flat while we’ve had cost increases.”<br />

Stokeland said Britton will look at rates and<br />

expenses. “We expect to carry out specific initiatives<br />

that will improve our RPM,” he said.<br />

With a change in direction on important issues,<br />

a new administration could impact the<br />

trucking industry in several ways. “There probably<br />

are a few issues on the radar, but the first<br />

might be the insurance minimum. It hasn’t<br />

gone up since the ’70s. It will hurt a lot of the<br />

smaller carriers,” Fuller said.<br />

Stokeland is concerned about regulations.<br />

“I would say regulations that impact driver<br />

ability to navigate the highways and make a<br />

living each day,” he said.<br />

Vise went in a different direction. “The bigger<br />

moves will be in environmental issues, and the<br />

biggest might be on the labor side with worker<br />

classification,” he said.<br />

Infrastructure could be an issue, too. “Under<br />

a Biden administration, we’re more likely to get<br />

a larger, more expensive infrastructure bill,” said<br />

Fuller. That could be more bad news for capacity.<br />

“If a new administration implements an infrastructure<br />

bill that results in massive spending,<br />

construction jobs will also put pressure on<br />

driver availability,” explained Vise.<br />

Finally, all three weighed in on the end of the<br />

pandemic. “We hope we are in the twilight,”<br />

said Stokeland. “We will support our driving<br />

and office staff in any way possible.”<br />

Fuller thinks the COVID-19 pandemic might<br />

have resulted in permanent changes to the way<br />

we work. “We’ve gotten comfortable with the<br />

idea of people working from their homes,” he<br />

said. “After the pandemic, we think 60%, maybe<br />

70% of office employees will be working<br />

from home permanently.”<br />

While the industry eagerly awaits the end of<br />

the pandemic, 2021 is sure to bring issues and<br />

surprises of its own.<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 15


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‘Diversity, equity, and<br />

inclusion’ encompass much<br />

more than race — and can<br />

lay a strong foundation for a<br />

company’s success<br />

By Linda Garner-Bunch<br />

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has become a common<br />

catchphrase in American culture, but what exactly what does it<br />

mean and why is it important for employers?<br />

“Diversity is the understanding and acknowledgement of the<br />

differences we all bring to the table, whether it’s gender, ethnicity,<br />

sexual orientation, or religious beliefs — all the things that<br />

create our various differences,” said LaQuenta Jacobs, a humanresources<br />

professional with more than 20 years of experience.<br />

“It is bringing those to the table and managing those into the<br />

organizational culture in a way that drives inclusion, where people<br />

feel as if they ‘belong’ in an organization (and that) they’re valued<br />

for their differences.”<br />

Jacobs, who joined XPO Logistics in 2018 as head of resources<br />

for the last-mile unit, became the company’s first chief diversity<br />

officer in August 2020. Prior to XPO, Jacobs championed inclusivity<br />

in senior human-resources roles with Delta Air Lines, The<br />

Home Depot, Turner Broadcasting Systems, and Georgia-Pacific<br />

Corp., among others.<br />

While race and gender are the most obvious facets of diversity,<br />

Jacobs noted that the term also applies to a person’s religious beliefs,<br />

socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. Other groups<br />

under the “diversity” umbrella include military veterans, people<br />

with physical or mental disabilities, and others.<br />

Practicing diversity, equity, and inclusion in business does not<br />

mean offering a job or promotion to a person simply because he<br />

or she fits a certain profile, Jacobs stressed. Instead, it’s a matter<br />

of ensuring that each open position is properly posted and that all<br />

qualified applicants receive equal consideration — and then hiring<br />

the most qualified candidate, regardless of race, gender, religion, etc.<br />

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion is not a ‘check the box’ exercise,<br />

and it’s not a game of quotas, because numbers only take us<br />

so far,” explained Jacobs. “It is extremely important in companies,<br />

specifically in (the trucking and logistics) industry, to promote an<br />

inclusive workforce and build a culture that fosters innovation,<br />

higher employee engagement, and leading in your industry.”<br />

For business leader, author, trainer, and speaker Brian Fielkow,<br />

who serves as CEO of Jetco Delivery and executive vice president<br />

of the GTI Group, creating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion<br />

is vital to a company’s success. During his 25-plus years in<br />

the trucking industry, Fielkow said he has gained valuable insights<br />

by working with diverse groups of people, learning about their<br />

experiences, and hearing their opinions.<br />

Like many trucking companies, Fielkow said, Jetco has struggled<br />

with driver turnover and employee morale issues, adding<br />

that having a diverse group of employees has helped the company<br />

better solve those problems.<br />

“Several years ago, we asked our drivers to elect a driver<br />

committee,” he shared. “The committee is meaningfully engaged<br />

in our decision-making and brought much greater diversity<br />

to the table.”<br />

Fielkow said forming this diverse committee has helped Jetco<br />

attract and retain the best drivers, create opportunities for those<br />

drivers, and proactively address drivers’ concerns.<br />

“Diversity in thinking, which results only from a broad range<br />

of experiences and backgrounds, is critical for ensuring continuous<br />

improvement. Individuals and businesses work smarter and<br />

grow faster with diversity at the table,” he explained. “I have been<br />

around companies that were like country clubs; it’s not a healthy,<br />

productive environment when the workplace is homogenous, and<br />

you have ‘group think.’ You need diverse voices that stem from a<br />

16 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


Top: The leadership of Jetco Delivery works to incorporate diversity,<br />

equity, and inclusion into every level of the company’s operations.<br />

Left: XPO Logistics Chief Diversity Officer LaQuenta Jacobs presents<br />

a challenge coin to XPO’s Last Mile President Erik Caldwell on<br />

Veterans Day in honor of his service in the U.S. Army.<br />

broad range of experiences to challenge norms and ideas to continually<br />

push your organization.”<br />

Gaining a reputation as a company that fosters diversity, equity,<br />

and inclusion is also an important step in attracting top-quality<br />

employees. Jacobs noted that, according to CNN Money and other<br />

sources, 76% of job seekers say they want to work for a company<br />

that offers a diverse, inclusive culture.<br />

“That’s huge, for 76% of the pipeline to want to know that the<br />

organization is going to value them for the diverse and inclusiveness<br />

that they bring to the table,” said Jacobs.<br />

Both Jacobs and Fielkow stress that, regardless of the industry,<br />

having employees from varying backgrounds and who have<br />

differing points of view can help a company grow, develop creative<br />

and innovative solutions, and better connect with a diverse<br />

client base.<br />

“By sharing differences — differences of opinions, backgrounds,<br />

experiences — we can better understand each other,” added Fielkow.<br />

“Once we have that understanding, we are more comfortable<br />

discussing, challenging each other, agreeing and/or disagreeing<br />

with each other. That understanding enables us to be on the same<br />

“<br />

Diversity is the understanding<br />

and acknowledgement of the<br />

differences we all bring to the<br />

table, whether it’s gender, ethnicity,<br />

sexual orientation, or religious<br />

beliefs — all the things that create<br />

our various differences.”<br />

— LaQuenta Jacobs,<br />

XPO Logistics’ first chief diversity officer<br />

page and a united front once we leave the room, regardless of<br />

whether we agreed or disagreed behind closed doors.”<br />

Fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion is not<br />

something that happens overnight, Jacobs noted; rather it takes<br />

three to five years of research and planning. The first step is to<br />

assess your company’s culture.<br />

“You’ve got to have a road map. You need to understand where<br />

you are, so you know where you’re going,” she explained. “Most<br />

DEI programs fail because they don’t have a clear objective.”<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 17


A Real<br />

Eye- pener<br />

Top issues list puts driver shortage at top for 4th straight year<br />

By Kris Rutherford<br />

Each October, as an annual rite of passage and a barometer<br />

of the operational and financial aspects of the trucking<br />

industry, motor carrier executives eagerly await the release<br />

of the American Transportation Research Institute’s (ATRI)<br />

Top Industry Issues (TII).<br />

The report is always “an eye-opener,” said Cargo Transporters’<br />

Vice President of Safety and incoming chairman of<br />

the ATRI Research Advisory Committee, Shawn Brown. The<br />

committee helps set the annual agenda for the institute’s<br />

research initiatives.<br />

On the other hand, the results of the 2020 report might<br />

lead some to say the industry has turned a blind eye to the<br />

No. 1 issue for the past four years — the lack of qualified<br />

drivers in the industry.<br />

More than 3,100 industry stakeholders took part in the<br />

2020 survey. Of those, 43.9% were motor carrier personnel,<br />

32.2% were commercial drivers, and 23.9% were<br />

other industry stakeholders, including suppliers, driver<br />

trainers, and law enforcement. Top concerns of both segments<br />

are combined for the overall list. The report sets<br />

forth the groundwork of the analysis with a reminder that<br />

responses reflect a trucking industry operating in a year<br />

that was the “most chaotic and unpredictable time period<br />

in many decades.”<br />

The big three: the trucking<br />

industry’s most pressing<br />

concerns<br />

Overall, respondents to the survey collectively ranked the<br />

following as the top three issues:<br />

• Driver shortage;<br />

• Driver compensation; and<br />

• Truck parking.<br />

The high ranking of these issues is not a surprise; much<br />

of the industry’s media coverage continues to focus on these<br />

concerns. The dynamics within the statistics are what make<br />

the 2020 TII an eye-opening study.<br />

Not only did the driver shortage rank as the No. 1 issue, it<br />

outdistanced driver compensation by about 7%. While the lack<br />

of drivers continues to be an industry trend, Brown suggested<br />

the 2020 ranking partially grew out of efforts to increase safety.<br />

“The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug<br />

and Alcohol Clearinghouse has placed more visibility —<br />

rightfully so — on substance abuse,” he shared. “The results<br />

took some CDL drivers off the roads and the highways are<br />

safer for it.”<br />

“Some” doesn’t accurately the number of drivers the<br />

clearinghouse has taken off the road, said the Truckload<br />

Carriers Association’s Vice President of Government Affairs<br />

David Heller.<br />

While it does make the roads safer, it definitely contributes<br />

to the shortage.<br />

Since the Clearinghouse opened January 6, 2019,<br />

some 42,000 CDL holders have tested positive for alcohol<br />

or drug substance abuse and have been listed in the<br />

clearinghouse database.<br />

Of those, some 29,000 have not begun the return-to-duty<br />

(RTD) process, which requires abuse counseling and testing<br />

before a driver can earn back his or her CDL.<br />

Brown said that the lack of drivers results from the difficulties<br />

inherent in the job. “In an over-the-road company,<br />

the drivers are gone multiple nights each week away from<br />

their families,” said Brown.<br />

But carriers are not ignoring the problem.<br />

“Many companies are changing lanes of travel and working<br />

to create more ‘point-to-point’ relay type runs,” added<br />

Brown, noting that these changes offer drivers more home<br />

time. On a less optimistic note, he said the industry has<br />

learned no “magic bullet” exists to increase the number of<br />

people who consider truck driving as a career.<br />

Strategies offer hope for<br />

best practices<br />

The TII analysis lists strategies to improve each of the<br />

issues.<br />

The leading suggestions to address the driver shortage<br />

included lowering the interstate commercial driver age<br />

requirement, addressing various states’ delays in testing<br />

and credentialing new drivers, as well as actively recruiting<br />

women and minorities to careers as truck drivers.<br />

“These strategies can prove fruitful to our industry if<br />

implemented properly,” said Brown.<br />

When asked to address the issue of driver retention (No.<br />

6 on the TII list), in the face of the top-ranking and seemingly<br />

directly related issues of the driver shortage and compensation,<br />

Brown said it’s a matter of timing.<br />

One strategy to address driver retention is to study truck<br />

driver pay in comparison to “competing occupations.”<br />

People employed as drivers, as well as their families, might<br />

18 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


question if the dynamics involved in the occupation can be<br />

fairly compared to any other job. Brown thinks the analysis<br />

is possible, suggesting that emergency services personnel<br />

who work rotating 24/7 shifts and spend nights away from<br />

home work under similar conditions.<br />

Another strategy posed in terms of driver retention is to research<br />

the effectiveness of existing carrier retention programs.<br />

When comparing the rankings of drivers to those of motor<br />

carrier personnel on the issues presented, drivers do<br />

not include either of the carriers’ top two issues — driver<br />

shortage or driver retention — in their top 10.<br />

“From the viewpoint of drivers,” Brown said, “I do believe<br />

there is a link to retention as expressed in their concern for<br />

adequate compensation. Carriers look at the issue through<br />

the lens of, ‘How can we provide it?’ Drivers look at the<br />

same issue through the lens of, ‘How do I get it?’”<br />

The relationship between issues is a matter of perspective,<br />

he said.<br />

Truck parking tops driver<br />

concerns, while not top<br />

of mind for carriers<br />

A startling finding of the 2020 TII survey comes in relation<br />

to truck parking. Commercial drivers ranked finding safe parking<br />

as the No. 1 issue they face. On the other hand, carriers<br />

didn’t consider it a top 10 issue. Many who review the results<br />

of the survey will be surprised at the apparent lack of concern<br />

of carriers for parking, and Brown is surprised as well.<br />

How can an issue that doesn’t appear on the driver list<br />

(driver shortage) or the motor carrier list (truck parking and<br />

driver compensation) wind up No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 respectively?<br />

Because of the number of respondents in each<br />

segment who ranked those issues No. 1 and No. 2, said ATRI<br />

President and COO Rebecca Brewster.<br />

“If you select an issue as your top concern, it receives<br />

three points in the ranking,” said Brewster. “Second place<br />

issue gets two points in the ranking and your third issue gets<br />

1 point.”<br />

Can agreeing to disagree<br />

be a successful strategy?<br />

Brown believes the difference of opinion is not new, but it<br />

is more obvious in this year’s survey.<br />

“I feel that over time, no matter how different the responses<br />

are between the carriers and drivers, we as carriers need<br />

to pay close attention to the driver survey response rankings,”<br />

shared Brown, adding that carriers need to view drivers<br />

as customers just as much as shippers and receivers.<br />

“A mentor of mine has said for many years that we must<br />

listen to our drivers,” noted Brown.<br />

Sometimes hearing the issues drivers face is a challenge,<br />

but Brown added that listening to concerns helps carriers<br />

better serve the needs of their drivers, which enables them<br />

to become better companies.<br />

“Ultimately it is my feeling that over time, the driver survey<br />

responses will create a shift and somewhat steer the<br />

direction of carrier responses as well,” added Brown.<br />

Commercial<br />

Drivers<br />

Truck<br />

Parking<br />

Driver<br />

Compensation<br />

Detention/Delay<br />

Hours-of-Service<br />

Driver<br />

Training<br />

Standards<br />

Automated<br />

Truck<br />

Technology<br />

Compliance,<br />

Safety,<br />

Accountability<br />

Driver Health<br />

and Wellness<br />

Speed<br />

Limiters<br />

ELD Mandate<br />

1<br />

2<br />

3<br />

4<br />

5<br />

6<br />

7<br />

8<br />

9<br />

10<br />

Motor<br />

Carriers<br />

Driver<br />

Shortage<br />

Driver<br />

Retention<br />

Complianance,<br />

Safety,<br />

Accountability<br />

Insurance Cost/<br />

Availability<br />

Tort<br />

Reform<br />

Technology<br />

Economy<br />

Transportation<br />

Infrastructure<br />

Driver<br />

Distraction<br />

Detention/Delay<br />

Hours-of-Service<br />

Source: American Transportation Research Institute Survey.<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 19


JANUARY/FEBRUARY | TCA 2021<br />

A Chat With The Chairman<br />

The Home<br />

Stretch<br />

Dennis Dellinger enters the final quarter of<br />

his successful chairmanship<br />

Foreword and Interview by Lyndon Finney<br />

Horse-racing enthusiasts can still hear the voice of Dave Johnson ringing in their ears.<br />

For many years he called races for ABC and NBC Sports. Of great note is the fact that Johnson<br />

called the Kentucky Derby from 1978 to 1980 and 1987 to 2000, and the Preakness Stakes and<br />

Belmont Stakes from 1987 to 2000. Of great acclaim was his signature call as the horses came<br />

out of the final turn. “And down the stretch they come!” he would shout with gusto as viewers<br />

could begin to hear the hooves of the horses on the freshly turned turf. As we enter 2021, one<br />

could yell that same phrase as Truckload Carriers Association Chairman Dennis Dellinger enters<br />

the final stretch of his tenure leading the association. He has been at the helm of the organization<br />

through one of the most unusual years in history. In this issue’s Chat, the chairman talks about the<br />

association’s accomplishments during the past two months, shares what is on the agenda for the<br />

next three months, and talks about the rationale for rescheduling the annual convention from the<br />

Gaylord Opryland Resort in January to the Wynn Las Vegas Resort in April.<br />

20 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


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TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 21


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Mr. Chairman, thank you for joining us for<br />

another Chat with the Chairman. We hope you<br />

and your family had a Merry Christmas and<br />

Happy New Year. What are the traditions of the<br />

Dellinger family holiday celebrations?<br />

I have mentioned several times in the past that I<br />

am part of a large family. This year, COVID-19 has<br />

brought change to some of our past Christmas traditions,<br />

but we know it is temporary. We normally attend<br />

Christmas Eve candlelight services at church and<br />

gather with family on Christmas morning. The longstanding<br />

tradition begins with a morning breakfast<br />

followed by a late dinner. Absent COVID-19, this dinner<br />

might include up to 45 people. I did say my family<br />

was large!<br />

Speaking of Christmas, TCA recently participated<br />

in events surrounding the transporting of the<br />

U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree to Washington. Why<br />

is it important for the association to participate<br />

in this event?<br />

Trucking plays a critical role in transporting “The<br />

People’s Tree” each year and it’s imperative that TCA<br />

bring recognition to the transportation aspect of the<br />

program. We have been a longtime supporter dating<br />

back to 2012 when TCA began its relationship with<br />

Choose Outdoors, the nonprofit which organizes the<br />

initiative. I was excited when TCA asked Cargo Transporters<br />

to co-host a whistle stop in my home state,<br />

and what better place than Asheville, North Carolina,<br />

to host the tree? The event featured a photo booth,<br />

food trucks, local media, and a special appearance by<br />

Santa Claus. More than 500 people had the opportunity<br />

to see this piece of history as it made its only<br />

stop outside of Colorado, where the tree was harvested,<br />

while en route to the West Lawn of the U.S.<br />

Capitol.<br />

Despite the holidays, the pace has not slowed<br />

at tca. One of the most visible events was the<br />

Fourth Annual Bridging Border Barriers, which<br />

attracted a record attendance as a virtual<br />

event. What were the highlights of this<br />

meeting?<br />

TCA conceived of this event to bring networking,<br />

content, and educational opportunities north of the<br />

border. Though I was disappointed I was unable to<br />

make the trip to Canada, I was excited there were<br />

over 500 registrants for the virtual event in early<br />

November, further substantiating the relevance of TCA<br />

to the industry. This event continues to grow much<br />

as it was envisioned, clearly getting a boost from the<br />

virtual platform this year. Highlights included a great<br />

human resources panel focusing on employee engagement<br />

and retention efforts north of the border.<br />

Dave Heller provided an update on regulatory issues,<br />

the Canadian electronic logging device mandate, and<br />

the prospects of an infrastructure bill in the U.S. under<br />

a Biden presidency. Finally, it is always great to<br />

see the relationship between TCA and the Canadian<br />

Trucking Alliance on display as John Lyboldt, Stephen<br />

Laskowski, and Mark Seymour of Kriska Transportation<br />

Group covered cross-border operations in today’s<br />

environment. Overall, the event was a huge success,<br />

and we look forward to convening live and in person<br />

next year.<br />

What are some of the association’s other<br />

accomplishments since we last spoke?<br />

In the two months since we last spoke, the association<br />

continues to be extremely busy. It is quite easy<br />

to get caught up in all things COVID-19 and forget<br />

there are still things that have occurred within the<br />

association. In an effort to provide our members the<br />

safest environment possible, we have transitioned<br />

our Annual Convention, Truckload 2021, from Nashville<br />

in January to Las Vegas in April, allowing us a<br />

larger venue if social distancing is still required. This<br />

decision has been viewed as a positive step from a<br />

membership that is both anxious and eager to engage<br />

in the networking opportunities that in-person meetings<br />

allow. Besides the venue change, TCA hosted the<br />

Bridging Borders Barriers event and a whistle stop for<br />

the Capitol Christmas Tree as just alluded. Our educational<br />

offerings, i.e., webinars, continue to see largerthan-normal<br />

attendance numbers, which complement<br />

the educational department’s increased online learning<br />

enrollments. Also, as we prepare for the new administration<br />

in January, the government affairs team is reviewing<br />

its strategic agenda in preparation for ongoing<br />

meetings with the transition team. I assure you, it is<br />

TCA’s desire to get behind a meaningful discussion to<br />

ensure an infrastructure package is passed early next<br />

year.<br />

22 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


Sponsored by Mcleod software<br />

McLeodSoftware.com | 877.362.5363<br />

As you head into the last months of your<br />

chairmanship, what is on your agenda for<br />

continuing to advance the value of the<br />

association to its members?<br />

I have talked several times about TCA being the<br />

best proposition value our industry has to offer. In a<br />

membership survey distributed this fall, I was excited<br />

to see confirmation of the same. Your responses<br />

are important to the leadership of the association<br />

as we continue to chart a strategic pathway for the<br />

future of the association. The staff is serious about<br />

reviewing all responses and ensuring the best services<br />

are provided to the membership. In addition,<br />

they will be considering requested programs and<br />

will work to enhance or better communicate those<br />

programs that exist today. Finally, many readers<br />

may not be aware, but for the sake of continuity and<br />

consistency at TCA, Jim Ward and I will meet in late<br />

January to discuss the transition of unfinished business,<br />

as was done with me prior to chairing TCA.<br />

Your chairmanship has been extended a few<br />

weeks with the decision to make the annual<br />

convention an in-person event and move it to<br />

Las Vegas in mid-April. What was the rationale<br />

behind this decision and what is the association<br />

doing to ensure the safety of the delegates?<br />

The decision was given much careful thought in<br />

the months prior to the announcement. Since<br />

COVID-19 became an issue, the leadership discussed<br />

each scheduled meeting, citing the pros and<br />

cons surrounding the safety of each venue related<br />

to our membership, and whether we should be in<br />

person or virtual. We knew in late October the January<br />

meeting posed risks from a venue standpoint, as<br />

well as a timing issue related to COVID-19. The staff<br />

began to explore options to push the meeting back<br />

and possibly find a bigger venue that could accommodate<br />

our membership should social distancing still<br />

be required. We followed up with the membership<br />

with the option of Las Vegas in mid-April only to find<br />

there was overwhelming support for an in-person<br />

meeting. I look forward to passing the baton to Jim<br />

Ward in person at the Wynn in Las Vegas.<br />

What are some of the highlights of the<br />

convention schedule?<br />

Truckload 2021 in Las Vegas is going to be a fantastic<br />

event. Seeing how we convened our convention last<br />

year just as the pandemic was starting, it looks like we<br />

will reconvene at an opportune time as well. The membership<br />

has told us they are eager for the opportunity<br />

to see one another and get back to business as usual.<br />

What we may have taken for granted in the past will<br />

definitely be my greatest highlight, and that is networking<br />

with as many as 1,200 attendees and exhibitors.<br />

While virtual meetings have proven successful, to have<br />

over 100 exhibitors on the exhibit floor and qualified<br />

speakers participating in as many as 25 educational<br />

sessions will be a welcome return to in-person meetings.<br />

The “Trucking in the Round” sessions pertaining to<br />

leadership, human resources, safety, and profitability<br />

allow choices for every attendee to participate. I’d be<br />

remised not to mention, we have two great keynote<br />

speakers, Mr. Daymond John and Mr. Jim Kwik. I look<br />

forward to their messages and to seeing each of you<br />

once again in a face-to-face environment.<br />

Voters have spoken and the Trump<br />

administration will end on January 20. Donald<br />

Trump seemed to be a strong supporter of<br />

trucking, highlighting the industry at some<br />

White House events. However, Trump was not<br />

able to advance an infrastructure plan as he<br />

wanted. Why was he not successful?<br />

I want to tread lightly on this response, but will chalk<br />

it up to timing and leadership. Trump was looking for a<br />

legislative win and was successful with the Tax Cuts and<br />

Jobs Act of 2017, which was popular with the Republican-led<br />

House and Senate. Though both sides said they<br />

wanted an infrastructure plan, the same Republican-led<br />

House and Senate struggled to agree on the means to<br />

pay for the massive program. By the time infrastructure<br />

was revisited, divisions in party lines became greater,<br />

only to be followed by a sweeping change in the makeup<br />

of the House and its leadership. As Trump was ensnarled<br />

in continuous battles with the Democratic opposition,<br />

opportunities for bipartisan legislation — whether<br />

it was infrastructure or any other matter — seemed<br />

improbable if not virtually impossible.<br />

24 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


President-elect Joe Biden recently released<br />

his own plan to “revitalize America’s<br />

infrastructure with unprecedented<br />

investments” to make America more<br />

competitive with the rest of the world. What<br />

are the key elements of him being successful?<br />

The obvious is to learn from history as to why<br />

the previous administration failed. I think the Biden<br />

administration will have an aggressive agenda that<br />

includes infrastructure. On the other hand, passage<br />

of a funding mechanism may be somewhat difficult<br />

should the Republicans hold the majority in the Senate.<br />

As I stated earlier, both sides say they want an<br />

infrastructure plan but differ greatly as to how to accomplish<br />

the same. Maybe the Biden administration<br />

will be better reaching across the aisle, should it be<br />

necessary. For the sake of our industry and the U.S.<br />

economy, this is definitely an item that I will continue<br />

to watch and advocate until a bill is passed.<br />

The Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse has<br />

been operational for one year. What do you<br />

hear from the membership about how the<br />

Clearinghouse has benefited them in their<br />

recruitment process?<br />

Since its inception, the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse<br />

has removed nearly 30,000 drivers from our<br />

industry. That alone speaks volume of the benefits<br />

afforded through the program. As for recruiting, it<br />

is priceless to access one source to gain a better<br />

understanding of an individual seeking employment<br />

instead of relying on substandard information, or<br />

even no information, as was prevalent in the past.<br />

As a carrier that uses hair testing, I can also say the<br />

Clearinghouse is not being fully utilized. Hair testing<br />

has been successful in detecting a large number<br />

of offenders by viewing a longer history of drug use<br />

than the federally regulated urine testing we are now<br />

required to use in our industry. Until the Clearinghouse<br />

allows reporting of alternative methods like<br />

hair testing, the data will not be as accurate as we<br />

know it to be.<br />

The nation is well aware of the way the<br />

trucking industry and its drivers have stepped<br />

to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic,<br />

moving critical cargo throughout the<br />

country — often without regard to personal<br />

safety. with The approval of the Pfizer vaccine<br />

and probable approval of others, do you<br />

expect the industry to play a pivotal role in<br />

distribution of this important medicine?<br />

As we have seen in the news, the trucking industry<br />

has already started playing a pivotal role with the<br />

distribution of the Pfizer product. As you know, our<br />

industry is the most flexible form of freight transportation<br />

in the U.S. This is demonstrated by the mere<br />

fact there likely is not a thing you own that has not<br />

been on a truck, whether a finished product or the<br />

raw materials used to construct the same. Trucking<br />

has already played a role in the development of<br />

these vaccines by delivering the raw materials to<br />

pharmaceutical companies and as more vaccines roll<br />

out, the industry can offer flexibility and timeliness<br />

that other modes could not. Will there be challenges?<br />

Certainly, but overcoming challenges is what we do<br />

best as an industry. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety<br />

Administration (FMCSA) has already granted an exemption<br />

to the hours-of-service regulations for those<br />

carriers and drivers transporting the vaccine and<br />

corresponding supplies. If it needs to be hauled, our<br />

industry has demonstrated it has and will continue to<br />

serve at the front lines of the COVID-19 battle.<br />

TCA 2020 2021 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 25


Sponsored by Mcleod software<br />

McLeodSoftware.com | 877.362.5363<br />

“<br />

I am very<br />

optimistic about<br />

2021. The rollout of a<br />

vaccine for COVID-19<br />

could jumpstart both<br />

the U.S. and global<br />

economies.<br />

— Dennis Dellinger, TCA Chairman<br />

”<br />

26 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


Speaking of drivers, the past few issues of<br />

Truckload Authority have featured stories<br />

of the heroic efforts of drivers who’ve<br />

earned wings as Highway Angels. What is the<br />

importance of the Highway Angel program,<br />

and why should members nominate drivers for<br />

this honor?<br />

The Highway Angels program began in 1997, and<br />

I am proud to say it has recognized nearly 1,300<br />

professional drivers to date. I’m always inspired to<br />

hear the stories of these highway angels and the<br />

gratitude of those they assisted. In April 2020, TCA<br />

rolled out a microsite, making it easier to read not<br />

only the details of their heroic stories but to see pictures<br />

and possibly hear recorded interviews. We all<br />

know that recognition programs help promote satisfaction<br />

among employees. Recognizing our drivers<br />

for going above and beyond to help those in need<br />

is important because those actions are not just another<br />

part of their job. TCA and its Highway Angels<br />

sponsors are there to assist us and give us the platform<br />

to give the proper recognition warranted.<br />

In closing, share with members any thoughts<br />

you have about trucking in 2021.<br />

I am very optimistic about 2021. The rollout of<br />

a vaccine for COVID-19 could jumpstart both the<br />

U.S. and global economies, and should the new administration<br />

focus, as previously mentioned, on an<br />

infrastructure package, our industry would definitely<br />

see long-term benefits as well. Our opportunities in<br />

2021 will focus on the age-old problem that once<br />

again ranked in the Top 10 trucking industry concerns<br />

according to the annual report by the American<br />

Transportation Research Institute, which is the<br />

driver shortage. It will be important that we continue<br />

to make our industry more attractive to women<br />

and minorities. Our industry will see and hear more<br />

on this issue, and what better time than 2021 to<br />

press forward?<br />

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.<br />

www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 27


JANUARY/FEBRUARY | TCA 2021<br />

Talking TCA<br />

Viva Las Vegas!<br />

TCA’s Annual Convention relocating for<br />

2021 in-person event; Daymond John<br />

of ‘Shark Tank’ to keynote<br />

28 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


Daymond John<br />

Jim Kwik<br />

The Truckload Carriers Association is pivoting its<br />

upcoming annual convention — Truckload 2021:<br />

Las Vegas — to the Wynn Las Vegas Resort, April<br />

17-20, and has lined up two nationally known speakers<br />

to highlight the event.<br />

Hip-hop fashion designer Daymond John, who appears<br />

regularly on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” will be the keynote<br />

speaker Monday, April 19, thanks to the sponsorship<br />

of International Trucks.<br />

Growing up in Queens, New York, John’s entrepreneurial<br />

talents were exhibited at an early age; he sold<br />

everything from pencils to reconditioned cars. Upon<br />

graduating from high school, he worked as a waiter at<br />

Red Lobster before getting his start in the clothing industry.<br />

In 1992, from his mother’s basement in Queens,<br />

John began making hats to sell at concerts and neighborhood<br />

festivals. Encouraged by his early success,<br />

John recruited three childhood friends to work with<br />

him. They began sewing tie-top hats. John set up shop<br />

at his mother’s house, taking out a $100,000 mortgage.<br />

This was the beginning of FUBU, an acronym for For<br />

Us, By Us. FUBU’s collection later expanded to include<br />

hockey jerseys, T-shirts, and baseball caps, all embroidered<br />

with the FUBU label.<br />

John teaches audience members how to apply his<br />

successful methods to a wide range of businesses today.<br />

He shares winning tips for negotiating, boosting<br />

sales, improving employee morale, increasing productivity,<br />

and optimizing staff talents.<br />

Jim Kwik, founder of Kwik Learning and a worldrenowned<br />

expert in speed-reading, memory improvement,<br />

brain performance, and accelerated learning, will<br />

appear at the general session Tuesday, April 20, thanks<br />

to the sponsorship of Pilot Flying J.<br />

Kwik is host and creator of “Kwik Brain with Jim<br />

Kwik,” a world famous, top-ranked podcast. He is also<br />

the bestselling author of his 2020 book titled “Limitless:<br />

Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock<br />

Your Exceptional Life.” To date, his online courses are<br />

used by students in more than 100 countries.<br />

After a childhood brain injury left Kwik learningchallenged,<br />

he created strategies to dramatically enhance<br />

“ Every year I look forward to the TCA Annual Convention as one of the best assemblies of<br />

people, ideas, products, and services in the trucking industry. The amount of knowledge and<br />

relationship-building that can occur in a few short days is amazing.”<br />

“ TCA’s Annual Convention provides<br />

tremendous educational and networking<br />

opportunities. It is affordable and the<br />

keynote speakers and panelists are<br />

always delivering information that is<br />

relevant to our industry. A first-class<br />

event every year.”<br />

— Kim Richardson,<br />

President of KRTS Transportation Specialists, Inc.<br />

his mental performance. He has since dedicated<br />

his life to helping others unleash their true genius<br />

and brainpower to learn anything faster and live a<br />

life of greater power, productivity, and purpose.<br />

TCA members are encouraged to join industry<br />

professionals for this premier event, which focuses<br />

on the current needs of the truckload industry.<br />

In addition to John and Kwik, the three-and-ahalf-day<br />

event features:<br />

• Truckload-specific educational sessions<br />

from industry leaders;<br />

• Dedicated exhibit hours to learn about the<br />

latest products and technology for your fleet;<br />

• Insightful panel discussions and energetic<br />

keynote speakers; and<br />

• Dozens of unique networking opportunities<br />

with trucking’s most engaged leaders.<br />

Your health and well-being is TCA’s top priority.<br />

— John Elliott,<br />

CEO of Load One, LLC<br />

“ The learning and networking that<br />

takes place at the TCA annual event<br />

is one of the highlights of my year.<br />

The staff does a great job of building<br />

roundtables to discuss real life,<br />

current issues that we face each day<br />

in our industry.”<br />

— Joey Hogan, Co-president & Chief Administrative<br />

Officer of Covenant Transport Services<br />

TCA is working with the city of Las Vegas and<br />

the Wynn Las Vegas to ensure that you have a<br />

safe space to learn and network.<br />

As the situation regarding COVID-19 continues<br />

to evolve, TCA is committed to keeping<br />

attendees up-to-date on regulations and event<br />

protocols.<br />

For questions about exhibit hall space and<br />

availability, contact TCA’s Vice President of<br />

Membership and Outreach, Zander Gambill, at<br />

(571) 444-0301.<br />

For questions about hotel rooms and accommodations,<br />

contact TCA’s meetings department<br />

at (703) 838-1950.<br />

To join the conversation on social media, use<br />

the hashtag #2021TCA.<br />

Visit truckload2021.com to learn more and to<br />

register.<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 29


PROFILE<br />

Those<br />

Who Deliver<br />

with Cheema Freightlines<br />

By Cliff Abbott<br />

One family, one dream. Those words appear on the website of Sumner,<br />

Washington-based Cheema Freightlines. Since the Cheema name<br />

appears several times on the executive roster, one might assume that<br />

the statement refers to hiring relatives of the owner. Not so, said President<br />

and CEO Harman Cheema.<br />

“Of course, my father started the company and some family members<br />

work here,” he said, “but I like to say we are a driver-oriented<br />

company and consider our driver family very important.”<br />

The company has come a long way since being founded in 2006 by<br />

the patriarch Darshan Cheema with one truck and a refrigerated trailer.<br />

Even then, sons Harry and Harman were involved in the business.<br />

“I was 15 years old and a sophomore in high school,” remarked Harman.<br />

He booked loads for the fledgling business, eventually adding billing,<br />

accounts payable, and other administrative duties to his growing role.<br />

While growing into his current leadership role, Harman Cheema<br />

was also maturing in a world dominated by technology that wasn’t<br />

available to the early entrepreneurs of trucking.<br />

“I bring a unique perspective in that I have grown up with technology<br />

that others had to work hard to learn,” he explained. “I have an<br />

opportunity to apply that knowledge to traditional ways of managing<br />

the business.”<br />

Something else Cheema brought to the business is the family atmosphere<br />

he experienced while learning the ropes.<br />

“We trust our drivers and want to make sure they are happy,” he<br />

said. The Cheema website notes that the company offers flexible<br />

home time options, “the best equipment available on the market,” and<br />

plenty of respect.<br />

Cheema trucks, mostly Freightliner Cascadias, feature inverters,<br />

premium seating, and the latest in safety technology. For Cheema,<br />

safety is a must.<br />

“We hire experienced drivers with an established record of safety,<br />

and we invest in just about every ADAS (automatic driver assistance<br />

system) available, including collision mitigation, lane departure, vehicle<br />

stabilization, blind-spot warning, and front-facing video systems,”<br />

explained Cheema.<br />

Respect for drivers has influenced the decision on the video systems,<br />

too. “We chose not to go with inward-facing cameras, for two<br />

reasons,” said Cheema. “We trust our drivers, and we already get<br />

plenty of data from our forward-facing cameras.”<br />

Drivers are encouraged to contribute their thoughts to the business.<br />

30 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


“<br />

I’m a young<br />

leader myself, so I’m<br />

still learning. When we<br />

encourage feedback and<br />

participation, we build a<br />

team while learning how<br />

to do our jobs better.”<br />

— Harman Cheema<br />

President and CEO<br />

of Cheema Freightlines<br />

“We really do have an open-door policy,”<br />

he stated. “Drivers call me, sometimes just<br />

to vent. We try to stress to office employees<br />

as well as drivers that no feedback is<br />

bad feedback.”<br />

Cheema considers feedback as a part<br />

of his own leadership development. “I’m a<br />

young leader myself, so I’m still learning,”<br />

he explained. “When we encourage feedback<br />

and participation, we build a team<br />

while learning how to do our jobs better.”<br />

Pay, equipment, and a great working<br />

culture have paid off in terms of reduced<br />

driver turnover. “We have a core base of<br />

safe drivers,” said Cheema. We have an<br />

excellent retention rate in comparison to<br />

the industry.” The company currently experiences<br />

30% to 35% annual turnover.<br />

The Cheema Freightlines running area<br />

helps with both driver retention and operational<br />

efficiency. “We run primarily in<br />

the western 11 states with a lot of traffic<br />

on the I-5 corridor. We don’t have plans<br />

to go outside of the western 11,” added<br />

Cheema. The company’s driver hiring area<br />

primarily consists of the states of Washington,<br />

Oregon, California, and Arizona.<br />

Expansion of the running area isn’t being<br />

discussed. “We recognize that there are opportunities to get stronger and<br />

improve lane density within our current network,” he explained.<br />

From his father’s single truck, Cheema Freightlines now stands at<br />

325 and growing, with full-service terminals in Lathrop, California,<br />

and company headquarters in Sumner, Washington. With more than<br />

1,000 trailers, Cheema can set up trailer pools and take advantage of<br />

drop-and-hook opportunities when possible.<br />

Safety is serious business at Cheema, as evidenced by the way new<br />

trucks are equipped. The leadership team does their best to make<br />

sure safety is a part of the carrier culture.<br />

Executive Leadership<br />

Harman Cheema<br />

president and CEO<br />

Scott Thompson<br />

chief financial officer<br />

Doug Mayle<br />

vice president<br />

Harman K. Cheema<br />

director of human resources<br />

Harry Cheema<br />

director of maintenance<br />

DRIVERS<br />

350<br />

TRUCKS<br />

325<br />

By the Numbers<br />

TOTAL EMPLOYEES<br />

385<br />

TRAILERS<br />

1,000<br />

*Number of drivers includes 25 owneroperators.<br />

The total number of employees<br />

does not include owner-operators.<br />

“We start every day, every meeting with<br />

a safety message,” said Cheema. “Safety<br />

is, and has to be, our no doubt No. 1 priority.”<br />

The company’s Federal Motor Carrier<br />

Safety Administration inspection ratings<br />

are well below industry averages.<br />

The amount of freight Cheema runs<br />

through West Coast states requires the<br />

company to adhere to strict emissions<br />

rules, especially in California, where<br />

California Air Resources Board wields<br />

enormous power. That’s not a problem<br />

for Cheema. “We’ve usually been ahead<br />

of the curve with emissions requirements,”<br />

he said. “We trade our equipment<br />

at the three-and-a-half to fouryear<br />

mark, so we’re always running the<br />

latest technology.”<br />

As emissions requirements push<br />

the trucking industry away from petroleum-based<br />

fuels, equipment powered<br />

by alternative energy sources is being<br />

discussed more frequently.<br />

“We’re talking to Freightliner about<br />

electric trucks and where they might<br />

fit,” noted Cheema. “Right now, we’re<br />

looking at them for some of our local<br />

runs.” Like leaders across the industry,<br />

Cheema foresees difficulty incorporating<br />

vehicles that don’t return to company<br />

terminals each day. “It will be difficult<br />

to fit them in until the infrastructure is in<br />

place for charging them,” he said.<br />

Like many carriers, Cheema is focused<br />

on guiding the company through<br />

the current COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s<br />

definitely been challenging,” he said. “At<br />

first, like everyone else, we were trying to<br />

get a feel for what was going to happen.”<br />

Cheema’s familiarity with available<br />

technology helped in making decisions<br />

about which employees would work<br />

from home. “We didn’t have much of<br />

a learning curve,” he said.<br />

A bigger concern, he said, was the<br />

necessity of closing some driver-support facilities. “We really want<br />

to support our drivers, but we have to keep them safe, too,” he said.<br />

“We realize that while we’re at home, they’re still out on the road. It<br />

was difficult making decisions that took away some of our support<br />

infrastructure for them.”<br />

Cheema appreciates what drivers have done for trucking during<br />

the COVID period. “People see truckers in a different light when they<br />

know how much we’ve done to combat the pandemic,” he concluded.<br />

“Truckers are heroes.”<br />

At Cheema Freightlines, they’re family, too.<br />

Opposite page, top: President and CEO Harman Cheema, right, is shown with Director of Maintenance Harry Cheema in front of one of the company’s 325<br />

trucks. Opposite page, right: New Cheema drivers pose for a photo as they prepare for the job ahead. Above: Based in Sumner, Washington, Cheema drivers<br />

are often treated to great scenery like this shot of Mount Rainier.<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 31


Whistlin’<br />

’round the<br />

Christmas Tree<br />

TCA, Cargo Transporters<br />

host whistle stop for<br />

U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree<br />

By Dwain Hebda & Wendy Miller<br />

After traveling nearly 2,000 miles from Colorado’s Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre,<br />

and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests, a 55-foot Engelmann<br />

Spruce adorned with handmade ornaments from Coloradans stood tall on<br />

the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Although the traditional lighting ceremony<br />

of the tree in early December signaled the beginning of the Christmas season,<br />

the tree made quite a journey before arriving at its destination.<br />

Known as “The People’s Tree,” this piece of history was transported by<br />

William “Butch” Hanna and Theron Schmalzried, longtime drivers with Apex<br />

Transportation based in Henderson, Colorado. Hanna handled the driving for<br />

the Colorado portion of the journey; then he switched off with Schmalzried,<br />

who took the load the bulk of the way East.<br />

The tree made several stops during its trek, offering a chance for the public<br />

to get a glimpse of the precious cargo. The Colorado portion of the tour,<br />

themed Experience Your Nature, was a partnership between GMUG National<br />

Forests, the nonprofit Choose Outdoors, and Colorado Tourism.<br />

After making several stops in the tree’s home state, the tree traveled to the<br />

East Coast, where the Truckload Carriers Association was waiting with open<br />

arms and a truckload of Christmas cheer. Along with Cargo Transporters,<br />

Inc., TCA hosted a whistle stop at the Asheville Outlets in Asheville, North<br />

Carolina. The event was free and open to the public.<br />

TCA Chairman and Cargo Transporters, Inc.’s President and CEO Dennis<br />

Dellinger was especially excited to welcome to the tree to his state.<br />

“With so few physical events taking place this season, we were eager<br />

to participate in this year’s whistle stop,” shared Dellinger. “Asheville was<br />

a wonderful host city, and the Asheville Outlets was a great venue. It was<br />

heartwarming to be able to experience seeing the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree<br />

along its route and provide the opportunity to so many families who came<br />

out for the event.”<br />

“<br />

Asheville was a wonderful host city,<br />

and the Asheville Outlets was a great venue.<br />

It was heartwarming to be able to experience<br />

seeing the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree along<br />

its route and provide the opportunity to so<br />

many families who came out for the event.”<br />

— Dennis Dellinger, Truckload Carriers Association Chairman<br />

and Cargo Transporters, Inc., President and CEO<br />

32 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


With the help of several local sponsors, the event offered complimentary<br />

bags which contained hand sanitizer and a personal marker to sign<br />

the tree’s banner; live remote broadcasts with iHeart Media’s 99.9 KISS<br />

Country Eddie Fox, 104.3 STAR Ariel Rymer, and 570 WWNC Mark Starling;<br />

a hot cocoa station, ITeam Games, and a photobooth sponsored by<br />

Ingles Markets; a toy drive benefitting Eblen Charities; food and beverages<br />

by Chick-fil-A and Sierra Nevada; and more.<br />

“Asheville Outlets was thrilled to help host the U.S. Capitol Tree whistle<br />

stop this year,” shared Asheville Outlets General Manager Miranda Bowman.<br />

“This event was a huge success, bringing Christmas cheer and holiday<br />

excitement to our community during a challenging year.”<br />

The tree itself wasn’t the only thing that brought attention to the event.<br />

Transporting the tree across the country was a Kenworth T680 featuring<br />

a custom wrap that paid homage to Colorado’s 14,023-foot Wilson Peak<br />

in Colorado’s Uncompahgre National Forest and the phrase, “From colorful<br />

Colorado to America’s front steps.” This was Kenworth’s seventh<br />

year to donate the truck for the trip.<br />

Schmalzried and fellow trucking lifer Hanna were tapped for the honor<br />

of hauling the tree based in part on their experience. Schmalzried has 42<br />

years of truck-driving experience, 23 of them with Apex, while Hanna<br />

has been behind the wheel for 41 years and driving with Apex for 17.<br />

Along the way, both have been recognized by the industry with numerous<br />

driver and safety awards.<br />

“It means a lot to me because there’s just a handful of guys that get a<br />

chance to do this. It’s just an honor,” shared Hanna.<br />

The driving duo met up for the final leg of the run into Washington,<br />

D.C. Hanna said his portion of the route and scheduled stops went<br />

smoothly, even though COVID-19 forced at least one event’s cancellation<br />

and turned the rest into either drive-by viewing opportunities<br />

or designated zones where the public could view the motorcade as it<br />

passed through.<br />

Those interested in the trek were able to track the progress of the<br />

run online. Using FleetLocate by Spireon’s advanced trailer management<br />

technology, capitoltreetracker.com provided real-time GPS location<br />

tracking of the tree as it made its way to the U.S. Capitol.<br />

After the stop in North Carolina, the tree was delivered to the West<br />

Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on November 20. Upon arrival, it was decorated<br />

with handmade ornaments specially created by Coloradans. The tree<br />

was lit during a live-streamed ceremony in early December.<br />

On the last jaunt into D.C., Schmalzried was joined not only by Hanna,<br />

but by company president Walt Schattinger. Schmalzried said that, as<br />

honored as he was to drive the truck, he felt equally proud to see his<br />

boss get to enjoy the moment.<br />

“This is something that doesn’t happen to very many people, to get<br />

that chance to do it, or for a trucking outfit to do it,” said Schmalzried.<br />

Hanna agreed, calling the tree assignment a fitting cap to a<br />

rewarding career.<br />

Opposite page, top: Cargo Transporters, Inc.’s Shawn Brown, left,<br />

and Derrick Whittle, pose with Santa Claus during the Asheville, North<br />

Carolina, whistle stop. Opposite page, bottom: Visitors to the whistle<br />

stop had the opportunity to sign a banner that traveled with the tree<br />

to the U.S. Capitol’s West Lawn. This page, top: U.S. Forest Service<br />

employees smile after signing the banner. This page, center: Theron<br />

Schmalzried, right, and William “Butch” Hanna, drivers with Coloradobased<br />

Apex Transportation, were tapped to drive the tree to Washington,<br />

D.C. They are shown in front of the custom-wrapped Kenworth T680<br />

that hauled the tree this year. This page, bottom: The whistle stop,<br />

hosted by the Truckload Carriers Association and Cargo Transporters,<br />

Inc., was a free event offering a chance for the public to see the tree on<br />

its way to Washington, D.C. More than 500 people attended the event.<br />

To view photos from the Asheville event, or from<br />

the tree’s entire journey, visit truckload.org/Flickr.<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 33


Not many college graduates are fortunate enough to walk<br />

across the stage in May and be on staff at one of the nation’s<br />

most prestigious trade associations only a few months later.<br />

Count Caitlin Smith as one of the fortunate ones.<br />

Smith graduated from the University of Maryland in College<br />

Park, Maryland, in May 2019 and was named to the position<br />

of Meetings Coordinator at the Truckload Carriers Association<br />

(TCA) last January. She had to hit the ground running.<br />

There is little doubt that she and her supervisor, TCA’s<br />

Director of Meetings Kristen Bouchard, have been busy this<br />

year, because meetings are essential for advancing the<br />

mission of any organization, whether in person,<br />

virtually or teleconference, and especially during<br />

a global pandemic.<br />

Smith learned under fire not only the<br />

importance of trucking in the midst of<br />

COVID-19, but also the execution of<br />

meetings in an entirely new format due to<br />

social distancing.<br />

TCA’S CAITLIN SMITH HIT THE GROUND RUNNING<br />

AS MEETINGS COORDINATOR<br />

“To try and plan meetings during a pandemic<br />

presents a special challenge because things<br />

are constantly changing,” shared Smith. “As a new employee,<br />

what’s happened (during the pandemic) has shown me<br />

the (trucking) industry’s resilience and willingness to stick with<br />

it and tough it out, because there are numerous obstacles in the<br />

way to plan these meetings. One thing’s for sure, and that is that<br />

our members want to meet. Whether it’s virtual or in person,<br />

they’re willing to work through the obstacles, whether that be<br />

changing the location at the last minute or a change in a date.<br />

Throughout the pandemic, the industry’s resilience has been<br />

absolutely admirable.”<br />

Smith was born, raised, and still lives at home in Eldersburg,<br />

Maryland, as part of a close-knit family that includes her father<br />

Scott, a mortgage loan officer; mother Nancy, who runs a<br />

BY LYNDON FINNEY<br />

medical practice; older sister, Amanda; and younger sister, Emily.<br />

Smith has also learned the challenges of commuting. It currently<br />

takes Smith an hour to get to the TCA office in Alexandria,<br />

Virginia, so she’s looking forward to being able to move to Washington,<br />

D.C., allowing her to be closer to work and being able to<br />

regularly see her sister Amanda, who already lives in D.C.<br />

Caitlin started her path toward joining the TCA by first finding<br />

an interest in policy and trade while in college.<br />

Throughout the<br />

pandemic, the industry’s<br />

resilience has been<br />

absolutely admirable.”<br />

“— Caitlin Smith,<br />

TCA Meetings Coordinator<br />

“I knew I liked politics and government but wasn’t sure what<br />

facet of those areas of study I wanted to pursue,” she said. “Eventually,<br />

I settled on majoring in public policy, and then when<br />

I interned at the International Trade Administration<br />

within the Department of Commerce, I became<br />

excited about the trade world, which is why I<br />

ended up at a trade association.”<br />

While she obviously didn’t know it at the<br />

time, her classes and the internship were<br />

preparing her for the job at TCA.<br />

“One of the classes that I took that was the<br />

most applicable to my job at TCA was my nonprofit<br />

writing class, which had a lot to do with writing<br />

for a job hunt (resumes, cover letters), but also when<br />

you’re in a job, how to organize and execute a project, and manage<br />

multiple priorities and timelines while not sacrificing quality<br />

along the way” explained Smith.<br />

When she graduated, Smith said she didn’t 100% know she<br />

wanted to work at a trade association, just that she wanted to<br />

work in the trade world.<br />

Like any recent college graduate, she was surfing the internet<br />

looking for job possibilities and found TCA was looking for a<br />

meetings coordinator.<br />

She first had a phone interview with Bouchard. An in-person<br />

interview followed, and shortly thereafter the job was hers.<br />

34 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


“It was obvious when Caitlin came to TCA in January 2020 that she<br />

was going to make a strong addition to the team,” said Bouchard. “She is<br />

bright, welcoming, and has a passion for keeping projects on schedule.<br />

She joined TCA just prior to our Annual Convention in Orlando and transitioned<br />

with us into what can only be described as an unprecedented time.<br />

Since then, Caitlin has successfully collaborated with staff, hotels, and<br />

vendors to navigate through numerous event changes and cancellations.”<br />

Smith knew the position with TCA was right for her because of the approachable<br />

nature of the organization and its undeniably positive “energy.”<br />

“I felt it was a good fit and I immediately felt like a valued member of the<br />

team,” recalled Smith.<br />

Very quickly after starting work at TCA, Smith came to recognize the<br />

strength and significance of the trucking industry.<br />

“This might sound silly, but what I didn’t realize was the critical nature of<br />

the industry,” she said. “Trucking is one of those things that can exist in the<br />

background of your life. You obviously see semi-trucks when you’re driving<br />

on the highway, but you don’t always give it a second thought. Now being<br />

close to the industry I see how important it is. This is especially true during<br />

a pandemic when people need supplies urgently and truckers are called<br />

upon to be essential workers.”<br />

As important as trucking is to the nation, so are well-run meetings to<br />

TCA members.<br />

Smith helps make sure that happens.<br />

UP CLOSE<br />

with Caitlin Smith<br />

MOST HUMBLING EXPERIENCE:<br />

Any time I’m forced to do quick<br />

math in front of people<br />

PEOPLE SAY I REMIND THEM OF:<br />

My mom<br />

MY GUILTY PLEASURE:<br />

“The Bachelorette” TV show<br />

MY GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A PROFESSIONAL:<br />

Keeping my notes organized<br />

A GOAL I HAVE YET TO ACHIEVE:<br />

Running a marathon<br />

THE LAST BOOK I READ:<br />

“Rage” by Bob Woodward<br />

ONE WORD TO SUM ME UP:<br />

Sincere<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 35


The Truckload Carriers<br />

Association (TCA), and<br />

its partners Overdrive<br />

and Truckers News, have released<br />

the names of the 2020<br />

Company Driver of the Year<br />

and 2020 Owner-Operator of<br />

the Year finalists.<br />

Each year, the Driver of<br />

the Year Contests recognize<br />

company and owner-operator<br />

professional truck drivers<br />

who provide safe and reliable<br />

transportation of North<br />

America’s goods.<br />

The top finalists were selected<br />

based on their demonstrated<br />

ability to operate safely<br />

on public highways, their<br />

efforts to enhance the public<br />

image of the trucking industry,<br />

and their contributions to their<br />

local communities.<br />

Thanks to the generosity of<br />

long-time sponsors Cummins,<br />

Inc., and Love’s Travel Stops,<br />

each grand prize winner will<br />

receive $25,000, while the two<br />

runners-up in each division<br />

will win $2,500.<br />

Company Driver<br />

of the Year<br />

Finalists<br />

BETTY ARAGON<br />

Betty Aragon of Tucumcari, New<br />

Mexico, drives for Wilson Logistics,<br />

Inc., based in Springfield,<br />

Missouri.<br />

Wilson Logistics Founder and<br />

CEO Darrel Wilson said he considers<br />

Aragon a pioneer for women<br />

truck drivers and a consummate<br />

professional.<br />

“Betty’s career began in 1977 when<br />

she purchased her first truck with the<br />

help of her father and she has over<br />

5 million safe driving miles without<br />

a single accident citation or negative<br />

roadside inspection,” said Wilson.<br />

“Betty’s genuinely kind heart and<br />

dedication to her family, safety, and<br />

trucking makes me proud to have a<br />

professional like her representing our<br />

company and industry.”<br />

Wilson Logistics Vice President<br />

of Safety and Training Scott<br />

Manthey added that when Aragon<br />

started driving there were no facilities<br />

for women drivers.<br />

“Yet Betty persevered though<br />

these times,” shared Manthey.<br />

“It is people like Betty who have<br />

helped over-the-road trucking mature<br />

to the thriving industry it is<br />

today.”<br />

Aragon has been driving for<br />

Wilson Logistics since July 2009.<br />

DENNIS CRAVENER<br />

Dennis Cravener of Virginia<br />

Beach, Virginia, has been driving<br />

for Givens Transportation, Inc.,<br />

based in Chesapeake, Virginia,<br />

since 1972.<br />

This year, Cravener will reach<br />

the 6-million-mile mark.<br />

“Givens has been incredibly fortunate<br />

to have Denny as part of<br />

our team for so long, but every<br />

carrier should really be proud to<br />

know he is out on the road representing<br />

our industry,” said Givens<br />

Transportation President Trevor<br />

Dunlap. “Certainly, his steadfast<br />

work ethic and dependability to<br />

complete dispatches make him the<br />

most reliable of drivers. However,<br />

it’s his initiative and mentorship<br />

that make him so special. It is impossible<br />

to know how many driver<br />

miles Denny has impacted, but it’s<br />

easily in the hundreds of millions<br />

with the number of drivers he has<br />

influenced during his career.”<br />

Givens Transportation, Inc.,<br />

Safety Director Richard Salazar<br />

noted Cravener drives mainly to<br />

the Northeast section of the country<br />

and sees all road conditions,<br />

whether it be dry, wet, icy, or<br />

snowy where arguably road congestion<br />

is the worst.<br />

“Dennis is very safety-conscious,<br />

highly competent, and a proven<br />

professional who adds depth and<br />

stability to Givens Transportation,”<br />

said Salazar.<br />

For more information on the<br />

Driver of the Year Contests,<br />

visit truckload.org/DOY.<br />

36 TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


Owner-Operator<br />

of the Year<br />

Finalists<br />

GLEN HORACK<br />

Glen Horack of Elkland, Missouri,<br />

has been leased to Prime,<br />

Inc., based in Springfield, Missouri<br />

since 1996.<br />

Prime, Inc., President and former<br />

TCA Chairman Robert Low<br />

said Horack has had a 100% ontime<br />

service during his entire time<br />

with the company.<br />

“Having drivers like Glen is what<br />

makes this company so successful,”<br />

said Low. “He continues to<br />

give the best service to our customers<br />

and does whatever we ask<br />

of him. I am honored to have someone<br />

like him working with our company<br />

and am proud to consider him<br />

as part of our Prime family.”<br />

Prime, Inc., Safety Director<br />

Steve Field noted Horack and his<br />

wife, Karla, often make a dedicated<br />

floral run to Canada and back.<br />

“They have had to deal with all<br />

kinds of weather including ice,<br />

snow, and high winds, but continue<br />

to deliver the load on time, every<br />

time,” said Field, adding that Horack<br />

is always working to improve the<br />

image of trucking through community<br />

involvement and his daily<br />

behavior in front of customers and<br />

the motoring public.<br />

Each owner-operator<br />

finalist will be showcased<br />

by Overdrive magazine<br />

and each company driver<br />

finalist will be showcased<br />

by Truckers News.<br />

DOUGLAS SCHILDGEN<br />

Douglas Schildgen of Waterloo,<br />

Iowa, has been leased to Waterloo-based<br />

Warren Transport, Inc.,<br />

since 1976.<br />

“Doug is one of our finest and<br />

has made a lasting impression on<br />

how professional and dedicated<br />

he continues to be,” said Warren<br />

Transport, Inc., President James<br />

Schommer.<br />

He commended Schildgen for his<br />

distinct ability to help others.<br />

“He provides direct input he believes<br />

will help others succeed,”<br />

added Schommer. “From other<br />

contractors, safety staff, dispatch,<br />

and senior leadership (including<br />

myself), his wisdom and commonsense<br />

approach benefits us all.”<br />

Warren Transport, Inc., Director<br />

of Safety Robert Sullivan said<br />

Schildgen understands safety has<br />

no excuses.<br />

“Doug’s record sets him apart<br />

from most of his peers as he maintains<br />

his accident/injury free record<br />

by committing himself to safety<br />

before and after he steps into the<br />

cab,” said Sullivan.<br />

BRYAN SMITH<br />

Bryan Smith of Asbury, Iowa, has<br />

been leased to Tucker Freight Lines,<br />

based in Dubuque, Iowa, since 1993.<br />

Tucker Freight Lines President and<br />

CEO Al Tucker said that since buying<br />

the company in 2018, Smith has impressed<br />

him by the way he is involved<br />

with his community and family, all<br />

while running close to 100,000 safe<br />

miles a year over the road.<br />

“If you get to know Bryan, you will<br />

quickly learn that trucking is not the<br />

most important thing in his life,” said<br />

Tucker. “If Bryan is at the terminal during<br />

the week, you can count on seeing<br />

his truck sit in the yard until after he<br />

gets his three girls off to school. If he<br />

has to stop by the terminal when he is<br />

off duty, one or more of the girls will<br />

be with him. He spends his off time<br />

with the people that matter most.”<br />

Tucker Freight Lines Safety Director<br />

Cody McClain noted Smith not only<br />

passed 3 million safe miles during<br />

2020, he did it while hauling equipment<br />

and building materials.<br />

“These are some of the most difficult<br />

and dangerous items to haul in<br />

the industry,” said McClain. “Bryan always<br />

takes the time to ensure his and<br />

everyone else’s safety.”<br />

McClain said Smith is also a goto<br />

resource for new drivers with any<br />

questions.<br />

Grand prize winners<br />

will be announced at<br />

TCA’s Annual Convention –<br />

Truckload 2021: Las Vegas –<br />

on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 37


Dealmaking 101 –<br />

Choosing the right battles is<br />

key to winning the war<br />

By The Tenney Group President & CEO Spencer Tenney<br />

and Senior Analyst Stephen Joest<br />

In order for buyers and sellers of businesses to successfully execute a transaction, both sides must<br />

remain disciplined in allocating time, energy, and focus in diligence and negotiation. Consistent with<br />

the classic 80-20 rule, one could assume that 20% or less of the deal points in a transaction account<br />

for 80% or more of the value creation for each party. However, many transactions fail to even make it to<br />

the closing table when one or both parties get bogged down by the 80% of deal points that only have<br />

a marginal impact on value. Below are three strategies to consider to “choose the right battles” on the<br />

path to “winning the war” in order to successfully close a transaction.<br />

Strategy #1:<br />

Focus on material deal points in the context of transaction goals<br />

Before embarking on a journey to buy or sell a business, it is critical to define goals to serve as a filter<br />

for various opportunities that the market may make available. Sellers must define goals around financial<br />

outcome, post-transaction involvement, plans for key employees, etc., while buyers must define<br />

strategic and financial rationale for acquisitions as part of their larger growth plan. When negotiating<br />

a transaction, both parties must let these goals serve as a “North Star” in guiding the sequencing and<br />

emphasis placed on each deal point. When parties can focus early energy on structuring a transaction<br />

that accomplishes the most material goals of each side in principle, it becomes a whole lot easier to<br />

navigate the marginal trade-offs of dollars and risk associated with ancillary deal points.<br />

Spencer Tenney<br />

38 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


Strategy #2:<br />

Remain principled on the “end,” flexible on the “means”<br />

When negotiating material aspects of a transaction, buyers and sellers must be willing to take a step back<br />

and view the transaction in totality, rather than honing in on specific deal points. Too often the parties get<br />

caught up in the “weeds” of specific economic or legal mechanics and “die on the hill” of trying to impose<br />

their will on a specific point, when the reality is there are an infinite number of ways to structure a transaction<br />

to accomplish various goals. If there are alternative ways to structure a transaction that result in<br />

materially similar net economic and risk outcomes, wouldn’t it be worth having that conversation? While it<br />

is generally not prudent to compromise on the “end” (i.e. the most significant goals each party has in the<br />

transaction), it is necessary to remain open-minded on the “means” to get there.<br />

Strategy #3:<br />

Seek clarity to determine if a “battle” is necessary at all<br />

Particularly in the earlier stages of a transaction, when the parties are just getting to know one another, it<br />

is critical to establish clarity around the goals of each party as well as the nature of the sellers’ business.<br />

Due to the information asymmetry inherently present in the process (seller has operated the business for<br />

30 years while buyer has had two weeks of high-level diligence), buyers will often err on the side of caution<br />

when proposing initial terms. Rather than taking offense and responding emotionally in a way that could<br />

jeopardize the transaction, sellers and their advisors should seek to understand the risks the buyer is willing<br />

to mitigate, provide additional information or explanation to help the buyer distinguish between “real”<br />

and “perceived” risks in order to advance the conversation. As Sun Tzu once wrote in The Art of War, “The<br />

greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” Although every transaction that makes it to the finish line<br />

will inevitably have a few “battles” (i.e. negotiations around material deal points), the parties must conserve<br />

mental and emotional energy by avoiding unnecessary battles so that deal fatigue does not threaten a deal<br />

that would otherwise accomplish the goals of both parties.<br />

For more information about The Tenney Group visit thetenneygroup.com.<br />

About the Authors<br />

Spencer Tenney and The Tenney Group facilitate Truckload Live Distance Learning<br />

sessions tailored to how trucking executives can build business value in a tough<br />

economy.<br />

To access recordings, visit www.truckload.org/TAO:<br />

• Building Value in a Tough Economy: Leadership, Independence, & Culture – Where Big Money is Made<br />

• Building Value in a Tough Economy: Financial Reporting, Operations, & the “Due Diligence Dry Run”<br />

• Building Value in a Tough Economy: Offsetting Growing Expenses Through Acquisitions & Creating<br />

Value in the Sales Process.<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 39


TCA Bridging Border Barriers<br />

Common ground<br />

Cross-border professionals<br />

met virtually to discuss issues<br />

facing both U.S. and Canada<br />

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) hosted its Fourth Annual<br />

Bridging Border Barriers event virtually on Thursday, November 19.<br />

More than 500 industry professionals attended the informative<br />

half-day session which focused on key issues and topics affecting the<br />

trucking industry on both sides of the U.S./Canada border.<br />

Thanks to its sponsors — Blume Global, Daimler Trucks Canada,<br />

ORBCOMM, and TruckRight — the event was offered at no charge to<br />

all audiences.<br />

Video recordings of each session are now available; email<br />

TCA@truckload.org to receive access.<br />

For those unable to attend, here’s a synopsis of the morning, which<br />

began with opening remarks by KRTS Transportation Specialists, Inc.,<br />

President Kim Richardson and Cargo Transporters, Inc., President and<br />

CEO and TCA Chairman Dennis Dellinger.<br />

HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONALS PANEL<br />

Four industry professionals discussed all things HR in the trucking<br />

marketplace such as recruiting, retention, employee engagement, driver<br />

safety, and communications.<br />

Panelists included:<br />

• Challenger Vice President of People and Culture Geoff Topping;<br />

• Rosedale Group Director of Human Resources and Administration<br />

Rosana Preston; and<br />

• Halvor Lines Chief Risk Officer Adam Lang.<br />

The session was moderated by Erb Group of Companies Vice President<br />

of Human Resources Dave Dietrich.<br />

REGULATORY UPDATE<br />

TCA Vice President of Government Affairs David Heller made a presentation<br />

that evoked lively discussion on how the trucking regulatory<br />

landscape shaped up in 2020 and what’s to come in 2021.<br />

Two key topics were the looming electronic logging device (ELD)<br />

mandate in Canada and the 7-3 sleeper berth provision in the new hoursof-service<br />

rule in the U.S.<br />

Heller said with the ELD implementation date set for June 2021,<br />

carriers operating in Canada have been going through a lot of the same<br />

more<br />

than<br />

500 from<br />

the<br />

professionals<br />

United States<br />

& Canada<br />

growing pains U.S. carriers exhibited in the months prior to the U.S.<br />

implementation in February 2016.<br />

“The difference between the U.S. and Canadian rule is there is a third<br />

party-certification process in Canada,” said Heller. “There is an expectation<br />

of that the number of certified devices in Canada will be considerably<br />

smaller than the list of over 400 devices certified in the U.S. by the Federal<br />

Motor Carrier Safety Administration.”<br />

U.S. carriers operating in Canada will have to carry an ELD device<br />

certified by the third party in Canada, added Heller.<br />

“We encouraged carriers with U.S.-certified devices to remain in constant<br />

contact with their ELD provider as the Canadian process moves forward,”<br />

he explained.<br />

Heller said discussion of the new American HOS rules revolved around<br />

a hiccup discovered as carriers started using the 7-3 sleeper berth split.<br />

“For instance, if they take that three hours first once they get back on the<br />

road, there are some ELDs that will show that they are out of compliance<br />

until they take that remaining seven hours in the berth,” he said. “Carriers<br />

are calling it a retroactive noncompliant ELD and they have been causing<br />

some confusion. It’s an issue that bears watching.”<br />

VIEW FROM THE TOP – LEADERSHIP PANEL<br />

The panel covered several topics of interest to attendees, including<br />

current and potential cross-border issues, the U.S.-Canada-Mexico trade<br />

agreement, marijuana transportation, sleeper berth flexibility, electronic<br />

logging devices, and truck size and weight.<br />

Panelists included:<br />

• TCA President John Lyboldt;<br />

• Ontario Trucking Association and Canadian Trucking Alliance President<br />

Stephen Laskowski; and<br />

• Kriska Transportation Group President and CEO Mark Seymour.<br />

The session was moderated by John G. Smith, vice president-editorial,<br />

Newcom Media.<br />

Lastly, Lyboldt and Richardson delivered closing remarks.<br />

virtually attended TCA’s<br />

Fourth Annual<br />

Bridging Border Barriers event<br />

Ontario Trucking Association and Canadian Trucking Alliance President Stephen Laskowski (from left); TCA President John Lyboldt; Editorial, Newcom Media Vice<br />

President and Panel Moderator John G. Smith; and Kriska Transportation Group President & CEO Mark Seymour participate in a panel discussion during TCA’s Fourth<br />

Annual Bridging Border Barriers event, which was held virtually. Because TCA pivoted to a virtual format, trucking professionals were able to join from the comfort<br />

of their home or office, as with other industry events.<br />

40 TRUCKLOAD Truckload auThoriTy AUTHORITY | www.Truckload.org www.TruCkloAd.org TCA 2021


TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 41


Highway Angels<br />

Professional truck drivers Rick Connell,<br />

Bruno Filipe Da Costa Raposo, Chris<br />

Delancey, Josh Elmore, Gene Miller, Robbin<br />

Peters, and Donna Wright have been named<br />

Highway Angels by the Truckload Carriers<br />

Association (TCA) for acts of heroism while<br />

on the road.<br />

Since the program’s inception in August 1997,<br />

nearly 1,300 professional truck drivers have been<br />

recognized as Highway Angels for the exemplary<br />

kindness, courtesy, and courage they have<br />

displayed while on the job. The program is made<br />

possible by presenting sponsor EpicVue and supporting<br />

sponsor DriverFacts.<br />

Rick Connell<br />

Connell, who lives in Auburn, Washington,<br />

and drives for ABF Freight, was recognized for<br />

coming to the aid of an elderly man who had fallen<br />

in his yard.<br />

A delivery truck driver, Connell responded<br />

to an unusual request as he was making a delivery<br />

in a residential neighborhood in Lynnwood,<br />

Washington. According to a letter sent to ABF<br />

Freight by a customer, when Connell arrived with<br />

a delivery, the next-door neighbor could be heard<br />

calling out for help through the bushes. She told<br />

Connell her husband had fallen in their garden and<br />

couldn’t get up.<br />

“The consignee and I ran through the bushes,”<br />

shared Connell, “and I jumped over the fence.”<br />

He found the man lying in a flowerbed. “He<br />

had been there for an hour on a hot, sunny day,”<br />

Connell added.<br />

The man was conscious but couldn’t lift himself<br />

out of the raised flowerbed. “I asked him if<br />

he had any injuries and checked him over,” said<br />

Connell. “I think his pride was hurt, but otherwise<br />

he seemed to be okay.”<br />

Connell helped him up and placed him into a<br />

chair in a shady area of the yard. At the wife’s request,<br />

he called 911 to get the fire department and<br />

paramedics to come and assess the man.<br />

“He was cold and clammy and I was concerned<br />

about a potential heart attack. I knew he was embarrassed,<br />

so I told him if he needed anything I’d<br />

be on the other side of the fence,” shared Connell.<br />

With that, Connell then jumped back over the<br />

fence to finish his delivery and stayed until he<br />

heard the paramedics arrive.<br />

Connell has been driving for 23 years. He has<br />

come across fatal accidents and stranded motorists<br />

in the middle of the night, and once helped<br />

Oregon state police search for a vehicle that had<br />

gone off the road in a blizzard.<br />

“I don’t consider what happened that day to<br />

be extraordinary,” he said. “It was such a minor<br />

thing. It was nothing exciting or dramatic.” Then<br />

he chuckles a bit, recalling that he was pleasantly<br />

surprised he was able to jump that fence two times<br />

at the age of 50.<br />

Bruno Filipe Da Costa Raposo<br />

Da Costa Raposo, who lives in Montreal,<br />

Quebec, Canada, and drives for Bison Transport,<br />

was recognized for helping prevent a man from<br />

jumping off a bridge onto the roadway below.<br />

Da Costa Raposo was on U.S. Highway 287<br />

near Amarillo, Texas, in the late morning hours<br />

of August 24, 2020, when he saw something on a<br />

bridge up ahead. As he got closer, he realized the<br />

figure was a man who was about to jump off onto<br />

the roadway.<br />

As Da Costa Raposo approached, he put on his<br />

four-way flashers, pulled over to the shoulder, and<br />

stopped about 50 feet from the bridge. He waited<br />

until there was a break in traffic and then positioned<br />

his truck and trailer to block the highway<br />

and stop traffic. He got out and went to talk with<br />

the man who was sitting on the edge of the bridge<br />

above him.<br />

“He told me he had lost his job, his wife had<br />

left him, and his kids didn’t want to see him anymore,”<br />

recalled Da Costa Raposo. He tried to empathize<br />

with the man and told him about the difficult<br />

times he had had in his own life.<br />

“I was trying to distract him,” he said. “Those<br />

few minutes felt like half an hour.”<br />

Then the man stood up and looked as though<br />

he was going to jump. “It felt like things were<br />

going in slow motion,” said Da Costa Raposo. “I<br />

pleaded with him to talk a little bit more. I wanted<br />

him to listen to me, to let time pass until the police<br />

arrived. I kept looking (around) and wondering,<br />

where are the cops?”<br />

A few minutes later, a police officer arrived,<br />

RICK CONNELL<br />

BRUNO FILIPE DA COSTA RAPOSO<br />

CHRIS DELANCEY<br />

ROBBIN PETERS<br />

JOSH ELMORE<br />

42 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


having been alerted about Da Costa Raposo’s<br />

truck stopped across the roadway. When the<br />

officer realized what was going on, he called<br />

for backup. Just a short time later, Da Costa<br />

Raposo saw police officers on the bridge approaching<br />

the man. They spoke with him for<br />

a few minutes and were able to convince him<br />

to move back from the edge of the bridge.<br />

Da Costa Raposo said he awoke early that<br />

morning, unable to sleep. “I had an uneasy<br />

feeling,” he remembered. “I thought that<br />

something was going to happen that day.”<br />

He recalled that as he approached the bridge<br />

a few hours later, his hands began to shake.<br />

Afterward, when he got back in his truck, he<br />

decided he needed to take a break. “It was emotional,”<br />

he said. “I couldn’t focus on the road.”<br />

He drove to a safe spot where he could get out<br />

and walk around to clear his head.<br />

Da Costa Raposo’s family moved to<br />

Montreal, Quebec from São Miguel, Azores,<br />

Portugal, when he was young. He learned<br />

French at school and learned English by listening<br />

to the radio at home. Today, he and<br />

his wife, Stéphanie, have two young children<br />

and are expecting their third child.<br />

Chris Delancey<br />

Delancey, who lives in Vineland, New<br />

Jersey, and drives for Hirschbach Motor<br />

Lines, was recognized for helping stop and<br />

apprehend a reckless driver who was found<br />

to be carrying cocaine.<br />

This marks the second Highway Angel<br />

recognition for Delancey in six months. In<br />

December 2019 he was at a Flying J truck<br />

stop in Columbia, South Carolina, when he<br />

responded to screams for help. The parents<br />

of a young child had found her unresponsive<br />

in the back seat of their vehicle. Delancey<br />

performed CPR and was able to resuscitate<br />

the child before first responders arrived.<br />

Most recently, it was just before midnight<br />

on June 14 and Delancey was on Interstate 65<br />

North in Tennessee, about to pass the Kentucky<br />

state line, when a pickup truck entered<br />

from an on-ramp and swung wildly across<br />

the three-lane highway.<br />

“He almost hit the concrete barrier,” recalled<br />

Delancey. “Then he swerved back to the<br />

right shoulder, nearly colliding with another<br />

vehicle. Then he stopped dead in front of me.”<br />

Delancey said he wondered what was<br />

happening. He activated his dashcam and<br />

watched as the male driver and female passenger<br />

got out and urinated in the middle of<br />

the highway.<br />

“Then they got back in the vehicle and<br />

drove 300 yards and then got out and did it<br />

again,” he said.<br />

Delancey called 911 and reported what<br />

he thought was a drunk driver. He described<br />

the vehicle as well as his own. Then he positioned<br />

his rig to prevent a passing motorist<br />

from rear ending the drunk driver’s vehicle.<br />

The dispatcher told Delancey to turn his<br />

four-ways on.<br />

“Then the driver took off again. I lost sight<br />

of him as he went over a hill,” said Delancey.<br />

When Delancey crested the hill, he saw the<br />

vehicle was now stopped up ahead, partly<br />

on the shoulder and right lane. Delancey positioned<br />

his truck in front of the pickup to<br />

prevent them from driving off. By now they<br />

could hear sirens coming.<br />

“The trooper pulled up and handcuffed<br />

the driver, who could barely walk, and put<br />

him in the back of the squad car, and had the<br />

female passenger lean against the squad car<br />

as he searched their vehicle,” said Delancey,<br />

adding that as this was happening, the passenger<br />

opened the squad car door.<br />

“She was trying to stuff a two-ounce<br />

packet of cocaine into the driver’s mouth to<br />

swallow,” he recalled. He acted quickly and<br />

restrained her until the trooper could handcuff<br />

her. The trooper told Delancey there was<br />

a little girl who looked to be about 4 years<br />

old, asleep and unrestrained in the front seat.<br />

Delancey learned that both the driver and<br />

passenger were using fictitious IDs and vehicle<br />

tags. They were charged on multiple counts,<br />

including driving while intoxicated, possession<br />

of cocaine, wanton disregard for public<br />

safety, and child endangerment. They had<br />

been wanted by immigration for three years.<br />

The child was placed in protective custody.<br />

Later, Delancey received a phone call from<br />

the Kentucky State Police Commissioner,<br />

who commended him for his actions that likely<br />

saved many lives that night.<br />

Robbin Peters<br />

Peters, who lives in Vancleave, Mississippi,<br />

and drives for Carroll Fulmer Logistics<br />

Corporation, was recognized for springing<br />

into action to extinguish flames and save a<br />

fellow truck driver from a burning rig.<br />

It was April 8, 2019, and Peters had just<br />

parked his truck at a Petro in Hammond,<br />

Louisiana. He had no idea he was about to<br />

have a life-changing experience. Peters noticed<br />

a driver exit a truck nearby and head<br />

inside the truck stop.<br />

Without thinking much about it, Peters assumed<br />

this was the only driver in the cab. A<br />

few minutes later, Peters noticed dark smoke<br />

billowing out from under the passenger side<br />

of the truck.<br />

Leroy Kirk, a Petro employee, also saw the<br />

smoke and came running out to assess the situation.<br />

He had not seen anyone from the truck go<br />

into the store, so the employee was under the<br />

assumption that someone must be in the truck.<br />

Without hesitation, Peters grabbed his<br />

fire extinguisher and ran over to the truck.<br />

GENE MILLER<br />

DONNA WRIGHT<br />

When he got closer, he saw there were 2-foot<br />

flames now rolling under the front portion of<br />

the cab on the passenger’s side.<br />

Peters shared how hot and intense the<br />

flames were, and that hot molten metal was<br />

dropping onto the fuel tank.<br />

“I didn’t know at the time that there was<br />

still someone in the truck,” said Peters. “I was<br />

assuming it was just the one man that went<br />

inside. I began to start extinguishing the fire,<br />

and the Petro employee came running out and<br />

[started] knocking on the door. At this point I<br />

realized there was still someone inside.”<br />

Peters shared that there was a puddle that<br />

looked like lava, and a soccer ball size hole in<br />

the fuel tank.<br />

“I didn’t know how much longer that tank<br />

would make it,” he said. “We had a row of<br />

trucks that were about to become the equivalent<br />

of a meteorite hitting Earth. Because it<br />

was diesel, it didn’t explode. But if it would<br />

have been gas, I wouldn’t be having this conversation<br />

with you right now.”<br />

Peters successfully extinguished the fire<br />

and the Petro employee retrieved the other<br />

man, who had been sleeping inside the truck.<br />

The driver in the truck spoke broken English,<br />

but the men could tell he was terrified. The<br />

fire was directly under his bunk. The outcome<br />

was a good one, all things considered.<br />

Peters was in the Marine Corps for 11 years<br />

on active duty and was a police officer for almost<br />

another 11 years. During this time, he<br />

was a first responder to an active shooter at an<br />

apartment complex, and he saved a little girl in<br />

SEE ANGELS, PAGE 44<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 43


ANGELS, FROM PAGE 43<br />

a wheelchair from a massive flood in a housing<br />

community. He has been driving trucks<br />

since he was 16, but now drives full time and<br />

is based outside of Biloxi, Mississippi.<br />

“I’ve always been very busy, active, and<br />

drawn to high-stress occupations and situations,<br />

which is what has kept me so healthy,”<br />

shared Peters. “It keeps my awareness up;<br />

high-stress situations come naturally for<br />

me. Jimi Hendrix playing guitar is the way I<br />

handle stress. It’s like me breathing air! I’ve<br />

done it all my life, (and) I don’t even recognize<br />

it as stress. I just go out and do what I<br />

have to do.”<br />

Josh Elmore<br />

Elmore, who lives in Lincolnton, North<br />

Carolina, and drives for ABF Freight, was<br />

recognized for helping a driver after his<br />

vehicle collided with a dump truck. This<br />

is his second set of Highway Angel wings.<br />

Elmore also assisted a motorist on February<br />

20, 2015, after her car caught fire.<br />

It was a summer morning and Elmore<br />

was northbound on U.S. Highway 220 near<br />

Madison, North Carolina. “I was talking to another<br />

driver and checking my mirrors and my<br />

speed,” shared Elmore. “All of a sudden, I saw<br />

a big cloud of smoke or dust in front of me. I<br />

realized there was a dump truck and car that<br />

had made contact.”<br />

The car was spinning around ahead of<br />

Elmore in the left lane, and the dump truck was<br />

in the right lane.<br />

“The car hit the guardrail,” he recalled. “I<br />

started getting on my brakes to slow and stop<br />

and make sure cars behind me didn’t hit him.<br />

My first reaction was to stop, protect the scene,<br />

and then go check on the driver. I threw my<br />

hazards on and came to a stop, blocking traffic<br />

in the left lane.”<br />

As Elmore jumped out, a power company<br />

truck stopped traffic in the right lane. He could<br />

see that the dump truck went around the bend<br />

and pulled over. Elmore ran to check on the<br />

driver in the car.<br />

“There was debris all over the road,” he<br />

said. “The driver’s airbags had deployed and<br />

I didn’t know what to expect.” As Elmore approached<br />

the car, he was relieved to see the<br />

driver was maneuvering out of the vehicle.<br />

“I checked him for injuries and asked him<br />

several times if he was okay,” said Elmore.<br />

“He was able to walk around, but was shaken<br />

up. He said he was on his way to Raleigh for a<br />

business meeting.”<br />

Elmore remained on the scene for about an<br />

hour. He shared that he’s been in a wreck before<br />

and understands what it’s like.<br />

“I try to help people when I can, show some<br />

compassion,” he shared. “Whatever happens, I<br />

hope I’m never in too much of a hurry to stop<br />

and help somebody. I try to live by that code<br />

every day. That’s the way I was raised.”<br />

Gene Miller<br />

Miller, who lives in Blue Springs,<br />

Missouri, and drives for ABF Freight,<br />

was recognized for stopping to help a<br />

family after their vehicle struck a deer<br />

and overturned.<br />

It was shortly after 6 a.m. on June 6 and<br />

Miller was northbound on Interstate 35 near<br />

Wellington, Kansas, on his way to Wichita.<br />

He was traveling behind a family in an SUV.<br />

“As we were going along, I looked up<br />

the road and saw a deer on the southbound<br />

side standing by the concrete divider,” he<br />

recalled. Miller hoped the deer wouldn’t<br />

jump the wall, but it did.<br />

Miller said the driver of the SUV swerved<br />

to the right but couldn’t avoid striking the<br />

deer. The vehicle hit the guardrail on the<br />

right shoulder, bounced off, hit the concrete<br />

wall divider under a bridge, and rolled over<br />

onto its roof. The vehicle then slid toward<br />

the right lane and Miller had to do a harsh<br />

brake to avoid T-boning it.<br />

“I grabbed my phone and headset and<br />

ran back,” said Miller. A woman and young<br />

girl were climbing out of the vehicle. The<br />

woman told him that her husband was still<br />

inside. Miller directed them to stand by the<br />

wall and then went to check on the driver.<br />

“He said he thought he had a broken leg.<br />

I crawled in and looked and discovered the<br />

man had a compound fracture by his ankle,”<br />

Miller shared with TCA.<br />

Miller already had 911 on the line and<br />

relayed the location of the accident and<br />

condition of the occupants.<br />

“By then, another truck driver stopped<br />

and we were trying to keep the driver calm,”<br />

he said. “His daughter, who was about 10<br />

or 12, was really getting hysterical, afraid<br />

the car would catch fire and blow up. We<br />

assured her everything was okay, but the<br />

driver wanted us to get him out to ease her<br />

fears. So, we slid him out, taking it easy,<br />

and moved him over to the concrete wall.”<br />

Other cars were going around the<br />

accident.<br />

“A couple of them, you could see on their<br />

faces that they knew them,” said Miller.<br />

“They stopped and came over. I assume it was<br />

maybe a girls’ softball team or something and<br />

they were traveling together. They consoled<br />

the mother and daughter while the other driver<br />

and I stayed with the father. He told me this<br />

was his first accident. I said, ‘You sure made<br />

it a doozy,’ and he chuckled. I knew he didn’t<br />

want to hit the deer, but you don’t swerve to<br />

miss a deer. This is what happens.”<br />

angels In the News<br />

As TCA continues to elevate the Highway Angel program,<br />

numerous media channels have showcased these incredible drivers:<br />

Bruno Filipe Da Costa Raposo was featured in an article in<br />

Truckers News headlined “Driver honored for stopping man’s<br />

suicide attempt” after the Bison Transport driver helped prevent<br />

a man from jumping off a bridge near Amarillo, Texas, onto the<br />

roadway below.<br />

“Kelowna truck driver named ‘Highway Angel’” read the headline<br />

in the Penticton Western News in Penticton, British Columbia,<br />

Canada. The article by Daniel Taylor told about professional truck<br />

driver Donna Wright’s heroic efforts after coming up on a<br />

semi-truck rollover along the Trans-Canada Highway.<br />

Josh Elmore was the subject of an article “ABF Freight driver<br />

named TCA Highway Angel” in the Southwest Times Record of<br />

Fort Smith, Arkansas, about Elmore’s heroic efforts for stopping<br />

to help a driver after the driver’s car collided with a dump truck.<br />

Details of these drivers’ efforts are shared in this edition of<br />

Truckload Authority.<br />

44 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


Donna Wright<br />

Wright, who lives in Kelowna, British<br />

Columbia, Canada, and drives for Challenger,<br />

was recognized for stopping at the<br />

scene of an accident and rushing to dispatch<br />

first responders.<br />

Wright has been team driving with her<br />

husband, Geoffrey, for four years. On June 6<br />

around 5:30 a.m., she was behind the wheel as<br />

Geoffrey slept in the sleeper berth. They were<br />

eastbound from Vancouver to Ontario on the<br />

Trans-Canada Highway.<br />

“It was just starting to get light out as we<br />

approached Salmon Arm (British Columbia),”<br />

shared Wright. “I noticed there was a lot<br />

of mud strewn across the highway.”<br />

Looking farther ahead, she was alarmed<br />

to see a semi–truck 20 feet off the side of the<br />

road in a marshy area with the tractor on its<br />

side. The driver had just missed a concrete<br />

barrier. Wright put her hazards on, pulled over,<br />

and then grabbed her headset as she jumped<br />

out of the cab.<br />

“My heart was racing,” she recalled. “I<br />

knew in my heart of hearts that I needed to do<br />

what I could, but I don’t deal well with tragedy<br />

or blood.”<br />

In fact, she can become faint in a moment.<br />

“The best thing I could do was to call 911 and<br />

get them dispatched,” she said.<br />

While Wright knew she couldn’t get too<br />

close, she called out to the driver to see if he<br />

was okay and if there was anyone else in the<br />

cab. About that time, a driver in a pickup truck<br />

pulled over to the side of the road. As he ran<br />

down into the marsh, the truck driver emerged<br />

and was able to pull himself out of the truck.<br />

“He was coherent and was able to answer<br />

questions and didn’t appear to have any serious<br />

injuries,” said Wright. Police and an<br />

ambulance arrived minutes later.<br />

Wright said Geoffrey slept through all of it.<br />

“I did wake him up afterward,” she said with a<br />

laugh. “He was actually quite taken aback that<br />

I would do that because of my fear of blood<br />

— a little scratch on my finger and I pass out,”<br />

she quipped. “He was quite pleased with me.<br />

I’m glad I could do that for a fellow driver. I<br />

would hope someone would do that for me if<br />

something were to happen.”<br />

For their willingness to assist fellow drivers<br />

and motorists, TCA has presented each<br />

newly awarded Highway Angel with a certificate,<br />

patch, lapel pin, and truck decals. Their<br />

employers have also received a certificate acknowledging<br />

their driver as a Highway Angel.<br />

To nominate a driver or to meet additional<br />

recipients, visit highwayangel.com or search<br />

the hashtag #HighwayAngel on social-media<br />

networks.<br />

STILL TIME TO JOIN SECOND COHORT<br />

According to the National Safety Council, every seven<br />

seconds a worker is injured on the job, totaling more than<br />

104 million production days lost due to workplace injuries.<br />

Eager to mitigate risk? Don’t miss the opportunity to learn<br />

from industry expert, Jetco Delivery CEO and acclaimed<br />

author Brian Fielkow, as he facilitates an upcoming Making<br />

Safety Happen offering — an exclusive Truckload Carriers<br />

Association (TCA)-member benefit for trucking companies<br />

of all sizes.<br />

In September 2020, TCA announced a new collaboration<br />

with Fielkow, one which offers TCA members the opportunity<br />

to attend online courses and instructor-led VIP workshops.<br />

As with the first round of courses, TCA members access all<br />

benefits for only $850, which is a savings of nearly $1,200.<br />

The hands-on course offers six 30-minute online sessions that will<br />

share tools that can be immediately customized and applied to any<br />

business:<br />

• Establish safety as a “core-porate” value;<br />

• Decipher when good can be bad: Identify and eliminate safety<br />

dysfunctions;<br />

• Engage your front-line team in the company’s safety mission;<br />

• Create a just culture and ensure accountability for safe outcomes;<br />

• Apply the power of process; and<br />

• Utilize the right metrics: Capture the leading indicators and<br />

practice prevention.<br />

In addition to the six online courses, Making Safety Happen<br />

participants will have the opportunity to attend workshops led by<br />

Fielkow:<br />

• Session 1: Safety Values vs. Priorities: Identifying Your Safety<br />

Gaps, Thursday, January 14, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET;<br />

• Session 2: Eliminating Your Safety Dysfunctions, Thursday,<br />

February 4, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET;<br />

• Session 3: Engaging Employees in Your Safety Mission,<br />

Thursday, March 4, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET;<br />

• Session 4: Creating Accountabilities for Safe Behaviors,<br />

Thursday, April 1, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET;<br />

• Session 5: Eliminating Shortcuts and Creating a Process that<br />

Your Team Understands, Thursday, May 6, from 11 a.m. to<br />

12:30 p.m. ET; and<br />

• Session 6: Identifying the Right Metrics to Assess Safety<br />

Performance, Thursday, June 3, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.<br />

In addition, participants will receive an invitation to Safety VIP<br />

Trucking in the Round Sessions during Truckload 2021, as well as<br />

the opportunity to attend quarterly Safety in the Round webinars.<br />

Special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, DriverReach, for their<br />

support.<br />

To learn more or to get started, contact TCA@truckload.org.<br />

TCA 2021 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 45


safest fleets<br />

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and sponsor Great<br />

West Casualty Company have named 19 division winners in the 45th<br />

Annual TCA Fleet Safety Awards competition.<br />

These awards identify trucking companies that have demonstrated<br />

an unparalleled commitment to safety. The top three winning companies<br />

in each of six mileage-based divisions had the lowest accident<br />

frequency ratios per million miles, annually.<br />

The division winners are now invited to compete for one of two<br />

grand prizes — one for carriers with a total annual mileage less than 25<br />

million miles, and the other for carriers with mileage greater than 25 million<br />

miles. Grand-prize winners will be announced at Truckload 2021:<br />

Las Vegas — TCA’s Annual Convention — April 17-20, at the Wynn<br />

Las Vegas Resort. All winners will also receive recognition at TCA’s<br />

2021 Safety & Security Meeting, June 6-8, in St. Louis.<br />

DIAMOND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM<br />

Division I Winners<br />

(less than 5 million miles)<br />

1. Diamond Transportation System, Inc.<br />

Racine, Wisconsin<br />

2. Spring Creek Carriers, Inc.<br />

Beamsville, Ontario, Canada<br />

3. FTC Transportation, Inc.<br />

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma<br />

ELGIN MOTOR FREIGHT<br />

Division III Winners<br />

(15-24.99 million miles)<br />

1. Elgin Motor Freight<br />

London, Ontario, Canada<br />

2. Grand Island Express, Inc.<br />

Grand Island, Nebraska<br />

3. Christenson Transportation, Inc.<br />

Strafford, Missouri<br />

GROUPE ROBERT, INC<br />

Division V Winners<br />

(50-99.99 million miles)<br />

1. Groupe Robert, Inc.<br />

Rougemont, Quebec, Canada<br />

2. Wilson Logistics<br />

Springfield, Missouri<br />

3. Freymiller<br />

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma<br />

BAY & BAY TRANSPORTATION<br />

MILL CREEK MOTOR FREIGHT<br />

Division II Winners<br />

(5-14.99 million miles)<br />

1. Mill Creek Motor Freight<br />

Ayr, Ontario, Canada<br />

2. Double Diamond Transport, Inc.<br />

San Antonio, Texas<br />

3. AAT Carriers<br />

Chattanooga, Tennessee<br />

Division IV Winners<br />

(25-49.99 million miles)<br />

1. Bay & Bay Transportation<br />

Eagan, Minnesota<br />

2. Erb International, Inc.<br />

New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada<br />

3. (tie) Johnson Feed, Inc.<br />

Canton, South Dakota,<br />

and<br />

Smokey Point Distributing<br />

Arlington, Washington<br />

TCA, PILOT FLYING J THANK WAA DRIVERS<br />

For nearly a decade, TCA and Pilot Flying J have shown their appreciation<br />

and support for the more than 75 professional truck drivers<br />

who deliver Wreaths Across America remembrance wreaths to<br />

Arlington National Cemetery each December.<br />

Typically, on the Friday evening prior to National Wreaths Across<br />

America Day, TCA and Pilot Flying J provide a hot meal at a nearby<br />

Marriott property as a token of their appreciation.<br />

This year, as large gatherings are prohibited due to the pandemic,<br />

the organizations showed their support by mailing a second annual<br />

commemorative challenge coin and a matching adhesive truck decal<br />

to each Arlington National Cemetery driver.<br />

The double-sided coins reflect this year’s theme — “Be An<br />

American worth fighting for” — as well as this year’s event date —<br />

BISON TRANSPORT<br />

Division VI Winners<br />

(100 million or more miles)<br />

1. Bison Transport<br />

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada<br />

2. May Trucking Company<br />

Salem, Oregon<br />

3. CFI<br />

Joplin, Missouri<br />

For more information about TCA’s Fleet Safety Awards, including eligibility requirements and rules, visit the Fleet Safety Awards page<br />

at truckload.org/Fleet-Safety. To view images from historic Fleet Safety Awards presentations, visit TCA’s Flickr at truckload.org/Flickr.<br />

“December 19, 2020.” The decal, which can be adorned to the cab<br />

of the driver’s truck, resembles one side of the coin and reflects the<br />

statement, “I Have Delivered a Truckload of Respect.”<br />

“A special part of our support of Wreaths Across America is the<br />

partnership with TCA and the trucking industry,” said Pilot Flying J<br />

Senior Manager of Operations and Executive Support Wendy Hamilton.<br />

“While the 2020 Arlington Driver Rally may be different due<br />

to the pandemic, we remain dedicated to sponsoring and recognizing<br />

the professional drivers that transport wreaths across the country and<br />

to Arlington. Thank you, professional drivers, for your care and dedication<br />

to delivering the wreaths and being part of paying tribute to<br />

the veterans and their families who have given the ultimate sacrifice<br />

for our freedom.”<br />

46 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2021


EXCLUSIVE<br />

Honoring TCA Ambassador<br />

Club Members<br />

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) created its<br />

prestigious Ambassador Club in 1996 as a way to honor<br />

companies that have maintained membership in the<br />

organization for 25 years or longer. Each year, at TCA’s<br />

Annual Convention, companies are recognized if they are<br />

being inducted into the Ambassador’s Club for the first time<br />

or if they have reached the next milestone of membership<br />

longevity. Special recognition is bestowed when a company<br />

reaches the 50- or 75-year mark. In this issue of Truckload<br />

Authority, companies that have been members for 40-49<br />

years are saluted.<br />

Help TCA recognize its longest-standing members. TCA<br />

appreciates their ongoing commitment to the organization and<br />

the industry.<br />

• Cresco Lines, Inc. (49)<br />

• Diamond Transportation System, Inc. (49)<br />

• DSV Road Transport, Inc. (49)<br />

• CFI (42)<br />

• C.R. England, Inc. (42)<br />

• Heartland Express (42)<br />

• Decker Truck Line, Inc. (41)<br />

• Freymiller, Inc. (41)<br />

• Great Dane (41)<br />

• Marten Transport, Ltd. (41)<br />

• Millis Transfer, Inc. (41)<br />

• Southwest Truck Service, Inc. (41)<br />

• Tucker Freight Lines (41)<br />

• K & J Trucking, Inc. (40)<br />

Be sure to check back for the remainder of Ambassador<br />

Club members in the next edition of Truckload Authority.<br />

Cover Photo:<br />

Courtesy Of The Shark Group<br />

Additional magazine photography/Graphics:<br />

Bay & Bay Transportation: P. 46 James Edward Mills: P. 33<br />

Bison Transport: P. 46<br />

Jetco Delivery: P. 17<br />

CAL Entertainment: P. 29<br />

Locomotion: P. 12<br />

Cargo Transporters: P. 24<br />

Cheema Freightlines: P. 3, 30, 31<br />

Christie Mcclure, The Trucker<br />

Media Group: P. 18<br />

Diamond Transportation System:<br />

P. 46<br />

Elgin Motor Freight: P. 46<br />

Groupe Robert: P. 46<br />

Istock: P. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 28<br />

Michael Childers-Photo-Sports<br />

Usa: P. 3, 22, 25, 26<br />

Mill Creek Motor Freight: P. 46<br />

Tca: P. 3, 20-21, 27, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37,<br />

40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46<br />

The Shark Group: P. 29<br />

The Tenney Group: P. 38<br />

Xpo Logistics: P. 17<br />

The Truckload Carriers<br />

Association welcomes<br />

companies that<br />

joined our association in<br />

October and November.<br />

October<br />

CrownSource<br />

Fair Play Motor Freight<br />

Elgin Motor Freight<br />

Len Dubois Trucking<br />

Eagle Eye Produce<br />

November<br />

Icon Transportation Logistics Ltd.<br />

Utility Trailer<br />

Do you know of someone who may be<br />

interested in joining TCA?<br />

Connect with TCA’s Zander Gambill<br />

at zgambill@truckoad.org or call him<br />

directly at (571) 444-0301.<br />

www.Truckload.org | TRUCKLOAD AUTHORITY 47

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