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TruckersConnectionMagazine
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September
June 2019
June 2020 2019
Vol ume 33
Issue Vol 6
ume 34 33
Issue 96
Features
Features
10
16
22
22
9
16
18
Safety Tips
Bill Mack’s Entertainment WOMAN IN WRONG-WAY Beat
24
36
44
50
60
9
16
Viewpoint
Viewpoint
Safety Tips
Safety Tips
BRIAN SNELL, WHO AIDED
18
BRIAN SNELL, WHO AIDED
WOMAN IN WRONG-WAY
CRASH,
CRASH,
NAMED
NAMED
HIGHWAY
HIGHWAY
ANGEL
ANGEL
OF THE
OF
YEAR
THE YEAR
Bill Mack’s Entertainment Beat
Bill Mack’s Entertainment Beat
Connection Wordfind
24
36
44
50
60
Let’s All Go to the Movies
Let’s All Go to the Movies
Tech
Tech
Nascar News
Nascar News
Trucking News
Trucking News
Connection Wordfind
Connection Wordfind
Find 4 your favorite TRUCKER’S magazines CONNECTION at TruckDriverMagazines.com
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TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.TruckersConnection.com
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SAFETY
TIPS
Like most tools, the fifth wheel must be used properly if it is to function as intended. When it fails, the results
can be deadly. (iStock Photo)
Drivers should give their fifth wheel attention,
too
By Cliff Abbott
When it comes to strength and durability, it’s
hard to beat the fifth wheel on your tractor.
Often abused and neglected, most fifth
wheels perform without a problem, outlasting
other truck parts — including the engine.
Maintenance is mostly a matter of cleaning and
greasing.
Like most tools, however, the fifth wheel must
be used properly if it is to function as intended.
When it fails, the results can be deadly. A fully
loaded trailer weighing more than 30,000
pounds, suddenly loosed from its fifth-wheel
connection, isn’t something any driver wants to
see in the rear-view mirror.
To make sure the trailer remains firmly
connected to the fifth wheel, it’s important to
hook up to the trailer correctly. Simply backing
in until the jaws of the fifth wheel slam shut is
asking for disaster.
A safe, solid connection starts before backing
under the trailer: Take a good look at the
surrounding area. There should be a clear path to
get under the trailer and room to maneuver once
connected. A walk around the trailer to check for
10 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.TruckersConnection.com

THANK YOU to Flatbed Truck Drivers and
All Essential Workers on the Front Line
of Covid-19
• Local, Regional & OTR
• Great Home Time &
Benefits including Paid
Holidays
• Percentage Paid Weekly
• Ask About Our Pay
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SAFETY
TIPS
damage never hurts. If there is obvious damage
or mechanical issues that make it unsafe (or
illegal) to pull, you’ll save time if you don’t have
to disconnect before finding another trailer.
If the tractor is equipped with air bags, dump
the air before backing up.
When backing, most drivers simply pull the
fifth-wheel release handle, line up in front of the
trailer and then back until they hear the familiar
“clunk” of the fifth-wheel jaws closing around
the trailer kingpin. If conditions aren’t perfect —
such as when the jaws aren’t fully open or when
the trailer isn’t at the correct height to slide on
the fifth wheel surface — damage to the trailer,
fifth wheel or both can result. Additionally,
pushing against the front of the trailer puts
force on the trailer supports. If the fifth wheel
contacts the front of the trailer instead of
sliding under, the force can cause the supports
to fail.
It’s better to visually check to make sure the
fifth-wheel jaws are open; then back up until
the fifth wheel just begins to go under the trailer.
Set the parking brake and get out of the cab.
Check the trailer height; the fifth wheel should
lift the trailer slightly as it slides underneath.
Adjust the height of the trailer, using the support
crank handle, until it’s lined up correctly.
If the fifth wheel needs grease, apply a small
amount before backing up. A thin layer is all
that is necessary. Too much grease gets into
the mechanical parts of the fifth wheel and
attracts dirt and dust, which can prematurely
wear parts.
If everything is aligned, back under the trailer
until the fifth wheel engages. Then choose a
low forward gear and “tug” the trailer gently to
check the connection.
Many drivers skip the next important step, but
it’s the only way to be sure the connection is
secure.
Visually check to make sure the jaws of the
fifth wheel have closed fully around the kingpin.
You’ll need to get under the trailer, behind the
tractor, and you’ll need a flashlight. Make sure
the jaws have engaged the shaft of the kingpin
rather than the top. If those jaws hook around
the top, chances are good that the trailer will
bounce out of the connection sooner or later.
Make sure the fifth wheel release handle
is fully retracted, too. Once you’re satisfied
that the connection is solid, attach air and
electrical lines. Check the rubber grommets in
both tractor and trailer gladhands — if they’re
cracked or broken, replace them.
Once hooked up, raise the trailer supports all
the way up. Supports that aren’t fully raised
can contact the ground, railroad tracks and
other obstacles. Finally, turn on lights and
flashers and walk around the trailer to make
sure all are working properly.
When dropping a trailer, a thorough inspection
of the area is even more important than when
hooking up. If the ground isn’t firm enough to
support the weight of the trailer supports, they
can sink in, resulting in a service call to raise
the trailer again. Uneven pavement and deep
puddles can cause problems, too. If parking
between trailers, check the spacing between
them in front and in back. They may appear to
be parked parallel, but if one is at an angle, the
parking space could narrow sharply.
Once the trailer is positioned, crank down the
trailer supports and disconnect air and electrical
lines. Pull the fifth-wheel release pin and then
pull forward. Once the fifth wheel clears the
front of the trailer, stop. Make sure the trailer
supports aren’t sinking into the pavement or
ground before pulling the rest of the way out.
Remember to re-pressurize air bags after
pulling forward, and keep an eye on the dropped
trailer as you leave to make sure it isn’t moving
or leaning.
Properly connecting to the trailer takes a few
extra minutes but the payoff will be a smooth
start to the trip.
12 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.TruckersConnection.com

Coal City Cob
Company, Inc.
Hiring Company Drivers
& Owner Operators
In 1970, the Cloonen family
started Coal City Cob with one
truck and a plan. Fifty years
later, that plan spans the nation
with over 200 drivers providing
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the heart of it, though, we’re
just folks that love trucking. As
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you to join us and remember
what it’s like to work in a culture
that is family. We look forward
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TERMINAL LOCATIONS
CHARLOTTE
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DALLAS
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HOUSTON
La Porte, TX
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St. Gabriel, LA
MORROW
Morrow, GA
NEW JERSEY
Rahway, NJ
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888-860-2434
Drive4CCCOB.com

Entertainment Beat
[Greatest Hits]
Remembering ‘The Midnight Cowboy’: Bill Mack
rode shotgun with truckers for six decades
By Kris Rutherford
Courtesy: Pat DeBarbera via the Bill Mack “The Midnight Cowboy” Memorial Facebook Page
At 88 years old, Bill Mack died on July 31 from complications associated with COVID-19.
Throughout his career he was a songwriter, musician, cartoonist, author, DJ and a friend to
truck drivers across the country.
Bill Mack’s connection with truck drivers
came naturally. Not only was Mack’s sion, and early versions of semitrucks
the famed highway during the Depres-
father a truck driver, but Mack was born traveled westward through downtown
in Shamrock, Texas, in 1932, during
Shamrock. Mack made a 60-year career
the depths of the Great Depression.
Shamrock was one of many towns that
of his relationship with truck drivers who
flourished during the heyday of Route listened to the radio during the overnight
66. Thousands of “Arkies,” “Okies” and hours that coincided with Mack’s preferred
time slot.
other Americans flocked to California via
16 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.TruckersConnection.com

Mack died July 31 from complications
associated with COVID-19. He was 88
years old.
Bill Mack, whose surname was actually
“Smith,” was a musician first and
a radio announcer second. Growing
up in Shamrock, he learned to
play guitar and harmonica. He formed
a band that had a stranglehold on
playing at dances in town, particularly
at Shamrock High School. When he
moved to Canyon, Texas, where he attended
West Texas State College, he
worked for the campus radio station. A
year later, just 19 years old, Mack became
news director at KLYN in Amarillo.
But he didn’t care much for news radio.
In interviews later in his life, Mack admitted
to pulling on-air pranks that were
largely intended to make the station’s
managers fire him. When he wrote
phony stories for an announcer he knew
would read the news “cold,” without
proofing in advance, he quickly found
himself unemployed. But that didn’t matter
to Bill Mack. It was all part of his plan.
By 1951, Mack was a songwriter, musician,
cartoonist, author and DJ. His first
break came when he signed on to host
“The Big Six Jamboree” on KWFT-TV in
Wichita Falls in the early 1950s. Mack’s
work with KWFT landed him a recording
contract with Imperial Records.
As a recording artist, Mack turned out
30 songs, none of them particularly
successful. However, his varied talents
Trucker Connection File Photo
kept him popular in the music business
throughout his life.
Through the late ’50s and ’60s, Mack
continued recording, switching labels
frequently but never finding success. Up
until 1970, his one true hit was a song
he wrote but did not record — “Drinking
Champagne.” Cal Smith recorded the
first version of the song, which reached
the Top 40 in 1968, while George Strait
took his cover of the song to No. 4 in
1990.
While Mack might have received his
first break in Wichita Falls, his “big”
break came in 1969 with WBAP-AM in
Fort Worth. The 50,000-watt clear channel
station could be picked up on airwaves
nationwide during the overnight
18 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.TruckersConnection.com

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Entertainment Beat
Continued
hours, during Mack’s favorite shift from
midnight to 6 a.m. His all-night show,
“Open Road,” attracted a huge following,
especially among truck drivers.
Soon, Bill Mack became known as “The
Midnight Cowboy,” continuing in WBAP’s
overnight slot. He received on-air calls
from truck drivers around the country.
Mack also listened to the CB radio, and
on occasion, drivers would stop in at the
station and Mack would interview them
live on the air. The only time Mack ever
thought that having drivers show up at
the station would land him in trouble was
when a driver with a tall load took out the
WBAP sign outside the station.
While WBAP made Mack a nationwide
star and essentially served as a satellite
Trucker Connection File Photo
station, he also hosted the syndicated
radio show “Country Crossroads,” heard
on more than 200 stations. He later
made the switch to real satellite radio,
remaining on Sirius XM until his retirement
in 2012.
Between his move from syndication to
satellite radio, Mack left his major mark
on country music when Lee Ann Rimes,
a 13-year old singer with a voice along
the lines of Tanya Tucker, recorded
“Blue,” a song written by Mack nearly
30 years before Rimes was born. Mack
claimed the song had been intended for
Patsy Cline, but she died before recording
it. Regardless, Rimes took the tune
to No. 1, a capstone in Mack’s career.
While Mack spent the last eight years
of his life off the air, no doubt many
truck drivers who listened to him regularly
early in their careers are still on the
road today, and to the generation before
those drivers, Mack was an icon. Thanks
to YouTube and similar streaming websites,
his barrel-like radio voice will live
on.
Route 66 turned into Interstate 40 many
years ago, and Shamrock, Texas, is today
nothing more than an interesting exit
between the Oklahoma state line and
Amarillo, Texas. But chalk another one
up to old Route 66. The highway west
undoubtedly led country music’s most
famous DJ into a career riding alongside
and entertaining truck drivers — wherever
they might travel.
20 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.TruckersConnection.com

PUZZLE
NFL Football Teams
SOLUTION ON PAGE 24
COWBOYS
PATRIOTS
EAGLES
SEAHAWKS
PACKERS
GIANTS
VIKINGS
BUCCANEERS
BRONCOS
RAVENS
DOLPHINS
RAMS
CARDINALS
LIONS
PANTHERS
FALCONS
BENGALS
BEARS
TEXANS
COLTS
JAGUARS
SAINTS
CHARGERS
TITANS
22 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.TruckersConnection.com

INDEX
Cargill .................. 19
TMC ................... 19
Coal City Cob ........... 13
East West .............. 2-3
Millis ................... 17
Navajo .................. 15
P.I. & I. Motor Express . 11, 26
Red Eye Radio ........... 14
Royal ................ 7, 25
Stageline ............. 9, 23
WordFind Puzzle
(page 22) Solution
24 TRUCKER’S CONNECTION www.TruckersConnection.com

THANK YOU to Flatbed Truck Drivers and
All Essential Workers on the Front Line
of Covid-19
• Local, Regional & OTR
• Great Home Time &
Benefits including Paid
Holidays
• Percentage Paid Weekly
• Ask About Our Pay
Guarantee & Vacation
PAID TRAINING PROGRAM FOR COMPANY DRIVERS
APPLY ONLINE NOW
www.piimx.com
866.819.8913
PAID TRAINING PROGRAM FOR COMPANY DRIVERS