Truckload Authority - Summer 2016

honoring craig transportation | WORKFORCE BUILDERS CONFERENCE | CLARE C. CASEY SAFETY AWARD
O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N o f t h e T r u c k l o a d C a r r i e r s A s s o c i a t i o n
summer 2016
The
intelligence
report
FOX Business Network anchor Trish Regan discusses
the economy, politics and the most efficient way to
repair America’s crumbling infrastructure.
lighten your load trucking votes ’16
TCA changed its policy on
size and weight.
Find out why.
Page | 6 Page | 15 Page | 30
Take a look at where
presidential candidates stand
on trucking’s big issues.
not his first rodeo
Chairman Russell Stubbs has
been fighting the stampede of
regulations for decades.

SUMMER | TCA 2016
President’s Purview
TCA Leadership and Board of
Directors Building Membership
The success or the failure of associations is ultimately in the hands of the membership and its
leaders. Creating an “unrivaled membership experience” can be directly attributed to listening intently
to members’ pain points and managing the association as you would a business. It is also a business
imperative to have a team of staff who clearly knows what their contributions mean to the greater good,
have personal business objectives, are held accountable, are recognized for their accomplishments, and
take pride in their work and are responsible to one another.
So how do you bring all of this to life and have it become “second nature” in building people,
sustainability and relevancy? It really isn’t complicated and it starts with a realistic plan, strategic and
tactical approaches to everything we do and inevitably, performance.
Here is one example of what I believe is an important element to the ongoing success of TCA, and is
repeatable monthly for years to come. Just a few days ago, on June 1, the leadership and board of directors
delivered on their personal commitment by introducing “Truckload Refueled” to our industry. This
campaign is a peer-to-peer approach in increasing our membership through one-on-one communication
using various forms of media and personal conversations. These member exchanges will bring to the
forefront many opportunities whereby we can learn what is on the minds of our carrier prospects, what
they know or don’t know about TCA, whether or not TCA is relevant, their reasons for joining or not,
and the list goes on. This initiative brings together a very powerful group of business leaders in helping
us shape the future of TCA and the results will speak for themselves. If you want to be a TCA advocate
separate from the board, please contact Dan Tidwell at dtidwell@truckload.org.
General Updates
As you may know, TCA has traditionally held its policy committee meetings and the board of directors
meeting, as outlined in the TCA bylaws, at the American Trucking Associations Management
Conference and Exhibition (MC&E). In 2015, we had two Saturday morning TCA committee meetings
cancelled due to lack of a quorum and our board of directors’ meeting barely obtained one. For those
reasons as well as some scheduling conflicts this year, TCA’s Executive Committee has elected to move
our fall 2016 meetings to Wednesday, September 21, 2016, here in Washington, D.C. It is no coincidence
that this meeting will immediately follow our very own Wreaths Across America Gala on Tuesday, September
20. Our hope is that these two events, coupled together, will increase attendance for both. This
is not an amendment to the bylaws or necessarily a permanent decision, this vote was to move the 2016
meeting only. It is also important to note this is not TCA moving in an opposite direction from ATA; it is
vital the two organizations work together to move trucking forward. We will keep you informed as the
event and meetings are formalized.
On Another Note …
TCA’s Safety and Security Division Meeting was held in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 22-24. Thank
you to Holly Caskey, who was this year’s chair, and to all of the division leadership for planning such a
well-received program. We had 20 new-timers and 180 individuals attend. Sixty-two responded to our
participation satisfaction survey and thought it was time well spent. Here are a couple of quotes: One
attendee related that “Being able to listen and hear the current pains experienced by safety managers
and upcoming changes in regulations/legislation” helped with “staying ahead of these changes” while
another observed that “All of the presenters really encouraged audience participation and shared valuable
information and best practices.”
John Lyboldt
President
Truckload Carriers Association
jlyboldt@truckload.org
And finally, the theme of this year’s WorkForce Builders Conference
is “Grow your Workforce. Change the Industry.” Speakers such
as Patty Cox, former LinkedIn executive, will talk about “Trends in
Recruiting and Retention.” The event is slated for June 28-30 in Indianapolis,
Indiana, and you do not want to miss this one. For more
information or to register visit GrowYourWorkforce.com.
Happy Trucking.
Flawed
Data
SFD Under Fire
Critics say much work left to be done to
fix safety fitness determination.
Page 16
PRESIDENT’S PICKS
Importing the Capacity Solution?
Is the H-2B visa the solution to
boosting capacity?
Page 22
Grand Family of TCA
Meet the Craig family:
Five generations of invaluable TCA support.
Page 36
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority

T h e R o a d m a p
President’s Purview
TCA Leadership and Board of Directors
Building Membersip by John Lyboldt | 3
LegisLative Look-in
Lighten Your Load | 6
Capitol Recap | 10
Trucking Votes ’16 | 15
SFD Under Fire | 16
summer 2016
nationaL news Maker sponsored by The Trucker news org.
The Intelligence Report with Trish Regan | 18
tracking the trends sponsored by skybiTz
Importing the Capacity Solution? | 22
No Parking to Study | 26
Pay Per Mile | 29
a chat with the chairMan sponsored by McLeod sofTware
Not His First Rodeo with Russell Stubbs | 30
MeMber MaiLrooM
TCA Development Policy | 35
taLking tca
Grand Family of TCA with Craig Transportation | 36
WorkForce Builders Conference | 40
See and Be Seen, Annual Safety Meeting | 41
Small Talk | 42
Mark Your Calendar | 46
REACHING TRUCKING’S
TOP EXECUTIVES
“Truckload Authority gives me UNIQUE INSIGHTS into the
truckload industry which I CANNOT FIND ELSEWHERE.
The CUTTING EDGE INFORMATION I get from
Truckload Authority is INVALUABLE to my company.”
-TOM B. KRETSINGER, JR.
PRESIDENT & CEO, AMERICAN CENTRAL TRANSPORT
2013-14 CHAIRMAN, TRUCKLOAD CARRIERS ASSOCIATION
555 E. Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA 22314
www.Truckload.org
President
John Lyboldt
jlyboldt@truckload.org
vice President – deveLoPMent
Debbie Sparks
dsparks@truckload.org
director of education
Ron Goode
rgoode@truckload.org
second vice chair
Thomas Witt
President
Roehl Transport - Flatbed & Specialized
secretary
Josh Kaburick
CEO
Earl L. Henderson Trucking Company
at-Large officer
Daniel Doran, President
Doran Logistics, LLC.
at-Large officer
Aaron Tennant, President & CEO
Total Solutions, Inc.
chairMan of the board
Russell Stubbs
Chairman, FFE Holdings Corp.
executive vice President
William (Bill) Giroux
wgiroux@truckload.org
director, safety & PoLicy
Dave Heller
dheller@truckload.org
first vice chair
Rob Penner, President & COO
Bison Transport
treasurer
Dennis Dellinger
President
Cargo Transporters, Inc.
iMMediate Past chair
Keith Tuttle
Founder & President
Motor Carrier Service, LLC.
at-Large officer
John Elliott, CEO
Load One, LLC.
at-Large officer
James Ward, President
D.M. Bowman, Inc.
The viewpoints and opinions of those quoted in articles in this
publication are not necessarily those of TCA.
PubLisher + generaL Mgr.
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publisher@thetrucker.com
adMinistrator
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Production + art director
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nationaL Marketing consuLtant
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In exclusive partnership with:
1123 S. University Ave., Ste 320, Little Rock, AR 72204
www.TheTrucker.com
vice President
Ed Leader
edl@thetrucker.com
editor
Lyndon Finney
editor@thetrucker.com
associate editor
Dorothy Cox
dlcox@thetrucker.com
news rePorter
Jack Whitsett
jack.whitsett@thetrucker.com
adverTising and MarkeTing deparTMenT
saLes director + creative director
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© 2016 Trucker Publications Inc., all rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission
prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. All advertisements
and editorial materials are accepted and published by Truckload Authority and its exclusive partner,
Trucker Publications, on the representation that the advertiser, its advertising company and/
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Cover Photo Courtesy:
Fox Business Network
additional magazine photography:
TRUCKING’S MOST ENTERTAINING
EXECUTIVE PUBLICATION
American Trucking Associations: P. 25
Associated Press: P. 15, 18, 20
Craig Transportation: P. 3, 36, 37, 38, 39
Fotosearch: P. 35, 46
Richard K. Dalton: P. 30, 31, 32
TCA: P. 3, 35, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45
The Trucker News Org.: P. 3, 6, 8, 22, 29
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TCA 2016
2016

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SUMMER | TCA 2016
Legislative Look-In
By Lyndon Finney
h, the list of trucking issues goes on and on
like a perpetual Top 10 song: Hours of Service restart,
CSA, safety fitness determination, speed limiters, drug
and alcohol clearinghouse, truck size and weight …
“Wait a minute,” you say, “no one’s played that truck
size and weight song in quite a while.”
Correct.
In the cycle of debatable trucking issues, restart,
CSA and safety fitness determination are getting the
bulk of air time.
What’s more, the Department of Transportation’s
report to Congress concerning its Congressionally-mandated
truck size and weight study will probably keep
the issue off the air for a while longer.
In its message to lawmakers, DOT said additional data
analysis is necessary to “fully understand the impacts of
heavier and larger trucks on the transportation system.”
That’s not to say that industry insiders are not concerning
themselves with the issue.
“We are out of the year in which truck size and
weight was the headline topic around the industry,”
notes Dave Heller, director of safety and policy at the
Truckload Carriers Association. “However, we will continue
to examine all the components of size and weight
with respect to productivity. We will look at all points of
interest, consider future technology and the future of
freight delivery.”
But for right now, the status quo is just fine, TCA’s
Board of Directors decided during its meeting at the
annual convention in March.
“What is the right course of action?” Heller asked
rhetorically. “For truckload carriers, it’s keeping truck
weight where it is, our membership decided. We examined
the proponents and opponents, the pros and
cons of increasing weight or keeping weight the same
and inevitably the benefits were there for maintaining
80,000 pounds.”
That reflects a change in the truck size and weight
policy that had been in place since 2011.
That policy supported both 88,000 pounds on five
axles and 97,000 pounds on six axles.
The 2011 change amended a 2010 policy that called
for 88,000 pounds on five axles.
What’s more, carriers wouldn’t be able to reap the
cost of putting dollars into new equipment.
TCA’s amended truck and weight policy reads:
“The performance of the nation’s economy in increasingly
competitive international markets depends
in large measure upon an effective and efficient transportation
system. To achieve efficiency, the trucking
industry must be able to operate its most productive
equipment to serve the facilities of shippers and receivers
throughout the nation.
“As the nation’s premier mover of freight, the American
trucking industry has long recommended reasonable
size and weight standards consistent with highway
capability and the need for efficient, intelligent and productive
use of our country’s vital resources.
“It is essential that all vehicle types approved by
the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 and
longer vehicles grandfathered or subsequently approved
be permitted to operate on a system of High-
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ways of National Significance (the Interstate and U.S. highways). In
order to achieve necessary productivity, the trucking industry must be
allowed access to the points of loading and unloading from the system
of Highways of National Significance. States, counties and cities cannot
be allowed to thwart national productivity through ordinances or regulations
restricting or banning trucks without evidence of specific safety
problems.
“TCA supports a policy of no increase in truck weight; however, as an
association we will continue to examine components of increasing productivity
as they arise.
“TCA supports allowing states to permit longer combination vehicles.
Such operations should be allowed under divisible load permits which
specify adequate driver, vehicle and highway controls. Longer combination
vehicle gross weight should be limited by the federal bridge formula
or a modified bridge formula subsequently adopted.
“TCA supports standardizing 53-foot trailer length. While national
trailer uniformity is federally protected for 48-foot trailers, 53-foot trailers
have become the industry standard. Federal law should be brought
up to modern standards to ensure the continued protection of the flow
of interstate commerce by changing maximum trailer length limits to 53
feet. In addition, TCA supports capping trailer length at 53 feet except in
states where longer trailers are currently allowed.”
TCA’s policy differs from that of the American Trucking Associations,
which supports increasing truck size and weight limits in a variety
of ways but is not actively pursuing an increase at this time, an ATA
spokesperson said.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, like TCA, supports
keeping the size and weight limits which are in place now.
As for the DOT report on truck size and weight, DOT said it organized
the study around five technical areas:
• Highway safety and truck crash rates, vehicle performance (stability
and control), and inspection and violation patterns
• Shifts in goods movement among truck types and between modes
• Pavement service life
• Highway bridge performance, and
• Truck size-and-weight enforcement programs.
But apparently DOT couldn’t get comfortable with what it found to
draw any solid conclusions, saying that “… in each of the study areas,
there are data gaps and insufficiencies in the models that make it highly
improper to extrapolate the results from each of the five technical areas
across the national system.”
DOT said it believed that the data limitations were so profound that
the results could not accurately be extrapolated to confidently predict
national impacts.
“Subsequent public input and peer review has not altered that view,”
the report said. “As such, the department stresses that no changes in
the relevant federal truck size and weight laws and regulations should be
made until these limitations are overcome. Despite recent Congressional
action approving additional size-and-weight exceptions and waivers on
a piecemeal and nationwide basis, DOT recommends a thoughtful approach
to future policy-making.
The report said that to make a genuine, measurable improvement in
the knowledge needed for these study areas, a more robust study effort
should start with the design of a research program that can identify the
areas, mechanisms and practices needed to establish new data sets and
models to advance the state of practice.
“This research plan could be developed by an expert panel, perhaps
convened by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), and should include
a realistic estimation of timelines and costs,” the report said.
Recommended areas of research included:
Truck Weight Data in Crash Databases — The report said a consistent
theme in past research on size and weight issues has been the limitations
of crash and exposure data. Most crash data systems are inadequate
in terms of allowing precise identification of longer or heavier
trucks. No state crash data system includes the operating weight of
trucks at the time of the crash.
Truck Configuration Data in Crash Databases — The lack of data
elements in most state crash databases that would identify the configuration
of a truck limits crash analysis and the development of crash
estimates. Data elements in state crash databases to identify the truck
configuration are needed (count of trailers, a count of total axles, and
the length of each trailer for combination vehicles involved in crashes).
Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) Coverage — The WIM equipment can be used
to collect data on such factors as vehicle and axle weights, axle spacing,
speed and vehicle class. The WIM data was essential for conducting an
assessment of crash information among trucks by type and various gross
vehicle weights. The WIM data was predominately available for the Interstate
System but was very limited for other National Highway System
roadways.
Longitudinal Barriers — Longitudinal barriers for use in federally
funded projects are currently evaluated based on a series of crash tests
where the maximum gross vehicle weight (GVW) is 80,000 pounds for
a tractor-trailer combination. An analytical framework and related tools
are needed to measure the impacts heavy trucks (trucks weighing more
than 80,000 pounds) would have on roadway barriers.
Motor Carrier Management Information System — The truck configurations
examined in this study were limited to those available within the
MCMIS inspection file. Each inspection included information about the
type and number of vehicle units as well as the GVW. Note that the gross
combined vehicle weight field is filled in by the field inspector and may
include the gross vehicle manufacturer’s weight rating, the weight of
the load per the bill-of-lading, or an actual measured weight if the truck
was weighed at time of inspection. Quality control and assurance of data
input by field inspectors in Gross Vehicle/Combination Weight field in the
MCMIS is needed.
Annual Certifications and State Enforcement Plans — Much of the
available cost data reflects the allocation of resources for both truck
size and weight and commercial vehicle safety enforcement. The costs
reported by states reflect resources (e.g., personnel, facilities) directed
at truck size-and-weight enforcement and truck safety enforcement. Approaches
and protocols are needed to identify truck weight enforcement
program costs separately from overall truck safety enforcement costs. In
addition, requiring data submitted by the states in annual certifications
and state enforcement plans to separate the person-hours or program
costs attributed specifically to weighing trucks would be beneficial to future
analysis.
“In many ways, this study produced more questions than it sought
to answer. Another study effort, with more time and more money, would
not at this point yield more reliable results,” the report concluded. “To
make a genuine, measurable improvement in the knowledge needed for
these study areas, a more robust study effort should start with the design
of a research program that can establish data sources and models
to advance the state of practice. Not all of this is within the purview or
capacity of DOT. Even recent gains in long-term reauthorization of transportation
programs does not sufficiently advance the state of research
and data to enable us to say when or even whether we will be in a position
to collect and analyze better data and apply it to improved policy
determinations and regulatory strategies.”
Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

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CapItol recap
A review of important news coming out of our nation’s capital.
By Lyndon Finney and Dorothy Cox
crash report
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s
(FMCSA) Analysis Division has published
data on large truck and bus crash facts
for 2014, but while the number of large trucks
involved in fatal accidents decreased 5 percent
from 3,921 in 2013 to 3,744 in 2014, and the
large truck involvement rate per 100 million
miles driven dropped 6 percent from 1.43 to
1.34, the number of large trucks involved in injury
and property damage only (PDO) accidents
skyrocketed.
To wit:
• The number of large trucks involved in injury
crashes increased by 21 percent, from 73,000
to 88,000, and the large truck involvement rate
in injury crashes increased by 21 percent.
• The number of large trucks involved in
property damage-only crashes increased by
31 percent, from 265,000 to 346,000, and the
large truck involvement rate in property damage-only
crashes increased by 29 percent.
But just how accurate are the data?
Very much so with respect to the fatalities,
not so much with respect to the injury and
property damage-only statistics, says one
source familiar with the analysis.
Fatality data is the performance metric that
both government and the industry have focused
on for decades because fatal crashes
have the greatest consequences, he said.
Thus, those annual figures are the most
accurate.
Fatal crash statistics come from a census
database that is very accurate whereas injury
and property damage-only crash figures are
derived from the general estimates system
which is far less precise.
It rounds to the nearest 10,000.
In fact, this estimates system has not been
updated in more than 30 years, and NHTSA
has recently undertaken a project to update
and improve it.
The year-to-year variability in the non-fatal
crash rate, and the disparate changes
between the number of fatal crashes and the
estimate in non-fatal crashes for 2014, calls
into serious question the reliability of this nonfatal
crash data.
Regardless of the methodology used to determine
the injury and property-damage only
data, it has to be of concern to trucking executives,
safety experts and government officials
everywhere, who are, as they should be, focused
on the fatality numbers.
“Today’s trucking industry is experiencing
a technology explosion if you will,” says Dave
Heller, director of safety and policy at the
Truckload Carriers Association. The simple
fact that fatalities have dropped is not a coincidence
but rather an opportunity that demonstrates
that our industry is hauling freight and
doing more to reduce the severity of accidents
than it ever has before.
“Our industry is moving forward with technology
such as electronic logging devices, F-
CAMs and lane departure warning systems,
all while vehicle miles traveled have of course
increased, thus creating an environment that
includes greater exposure to accidents for a
carrier. While we hope to somehow account
for preventability of accidents and determine
who is at fault in these accidents, our industry
will always admit that is has work to do when
it comes to accident prevention.”
T.F. Scott Darling, the acting administrator
of FMCSA, says the agency is pointing toward
a zero death rate, which may be an admirable
goal, but something that will never be
achieved as long as human beings are driving
trucks and cars.
“Our No.1 priority is always the safety of every
individual traveling on our roadways, so any
crash fatality is a tragedy,” Darling said, repeating
a phrase that appears in almost every FMSCA
news release. “While the numbers show that
progress is being made, FMCSA and our state
partners must remain vigilant in reducing crashes
as we seek to achieve zero deaths. Keeping
our roads safe is a shared responsibility; therefore,
we must all continue to work together — industry,
safety advocates, law enforcement and
the motoring public. When it comes to saving
lives on the roads, everyone must be involved,
and everyone must do their part.”
Fred Andersky is director of government
and industry affairs at Bendix Commercial Vehicle
Systems.
He’s been at Bendix for 11 years and has
been involved in the evolution of today’s onboard
commercial vehicle safety systems.
In his role, Andersky keeps close watch
on federal crash data and has his own opinions
on why the number of injury and property
damage-only crashes have increased.
“There are a couple of things that come into
play and I’m sure there is probably more than
just these,” he said. “I agree with what [Transportation]
Secretary [Anthony] Foxx and the
Department of Transportation have been talking
about regarding the increasing amount of distraction
on the roadway. And this isn’t necessarily
truck drivers being distracted, but the other
vehicles on the road. Candidly, as much as I
miss my motorcycle, given what I have seen on
the roads I’m glad I’m not riding anymore. It’s
just too risky. Again, it’s not necessarily the truck
drivers but other drivers as well.”
Driver turnover could also be a contributing
factor, Andersky believes.
“We are getting more new drivers coming into
the industry, which can be good, but that learning
curve can be really tricky. Getting through
that first couple of years safely becomes important.
And I also think that even though technology
has been out for a while, and I think one of
the things that we often talk about the goal of
our technology as much as we’d like it to be to
prevent crashes, what we really end up trying to
do is to kind of move the fleet over. Instead of
maybe having the fatality crash maybe you’re
having the property-only crash. That’s where
the technology is helping because obviously the
cost of a property-only crash versus a fatality
crash is significantly different.”
Then there is the issue of fault.
“The one thing the data doesn’t tell us is fault,”
Andersky said. “You know and I know that 5,000
pounds stops a lot quicker than 80,000 pounds.
While everyone blames the person who hits the
back of the vehicle we know that’s not necessarily
true when it comes to those types of situations
and we just don’t see that type of information.
Having been in the industry as long as I
have been in it and being out on the road with
my CDL and driving trucks I see a lot of scary
things out there that I wouldn’t be quick to blame
the truck drivers for.”
The data for the report came from three
sources:
• The Fatality Analysis Reporting System,
or FARS, which is maintained by the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHT-
SA), and is a census of fatal crashes involving
motor vehicles traveling on public traffic ways.
10 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

FARS is recognized as the most reliable national crash database, but
it contains information only on fatal crashes.
• The General Estimates System, or GES, also maintained by NHTSA,
is a probability-based nationally representative sample of police-reported
fatal, injury and property damage-only crashes, and
• The Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) Crash
File. The MCMIS Crash File, maintained by FMCSA, contains data on
trucks and buses in crashes that meet the SAFETYNET recommended
threshold. A SAFETYNET reportable crash must involve a truck used for
commercial purposes with a GVWR or gross combination weight rating
greater than 10,000 pounds.
Large trucks as defined by the three reporting systems would include
everything from city delivery trucks and walk-in vans (such as those used
by FedEx and UPS for local delivery) all the way up to the conventional
tractor-trailer combinations, which can weigh up to 80,000 pounds.
The report breaks out what would be Class 8 tractor-trailer combinations,
and the trends are similar to those for all large trucks (62.5 percent
of fatal accidents involving large trucks as defined in the report were listed
as combination vehicles).
The report shows:
• There were 2,839 fatalities in crashes involving large trucks, a 2
percent decline from 2,896 in 2013; fatal crashes involving combination
vehicles were down from 2013 to 2014 by 3.3 percent from 2,561 to
2,474; there were a total of 2,717 combination vehicles involved in fatal
crashes, which means that there were an unreported number of accidents
involving more than one combination vehicle. There were 1.67
fatalities per 100 million miles driven in 2014, a 2.9 percent decline from
1.72 in 2013.
• 451 truck drivers died in crashes in 2014, one more than in 2013.
• From 2005 to 2014, there was a 28.1 percent decline in fatalities in
crashes involving combination vehicles from 3,949 in 2005 to 2,839 in
2014; meanwhile, the number of combination trucks registered in the United
States rose 21.9 percent from 2,010,335 in 2005 to 2,577,197 in 2014.
• Injury crashes involving combination trucks jumped 14.2 percent from
36,000 in 2013 to 42,000 in 2014; injuries jumped 15.7 percent from
48,000 to 57,000.
• Property damage-only crashes involving large trucks were up 30.4
percent from 128,000 in 2013 to 167,000 in 2014; the number of combination
vehicles involved in property damage crashes went up 31.5 percent
from 133,000 to 175,000.
• Of the total combination vehicles registered in the U.S., 0.0009 percent
were involved in a fatal accident in 2014, and that
• All told, 8.4 percent of the combination trucks registered in the United
States were involved in either a fatal, injury or property damage-only crash
in 2014.
The American Trucking Associations pointed to the fact that fewer
Americans are losing family members and friends in fatal truck accidents.
“It is a tragedy whenever there is a fatality on our highways, but the
trucking industry is pleased to see that it is a tragedy that fewer and fewer
Americans are experiencing,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves.
“While the one-year decline being reported by the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration is positive, the long-term trend is of paramount importance,
and that trend is impressive. The number of crashes involving
large trucks had fallen 39 percent since 2004 and, while there is much
more to do, that is a figure our professional drivers, our safety directors,
our technicians and our safety partners in federal and state law enforcement
can be proud of.”
Here are some interesting tidbits about crashes involving large trucks
(10,000 pounds or more GVWR) in the year 2014. For these statistics, the
report did not separate out combination vehicles:
• 63.2 percent occurred between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The heaviest threehour
period was 12 noon-3 p.m. when 16.6 percent occurred.
• There were 3,903 persons killed in crashes involving large trucks.
The average age of persons killed in crashes was 44.6 years. The 26-
35 age group suffered the most fatalities at 16.8 percent followed by 46-55
at 16.5 percent.
• Of the persons killed, 2,792 were male, 1,110 were female.
• Of the 111,000 persons injured in crashes involving large trucks, most
(20 percent) were in the 26-35 age group. The average age was 37.7.
There were 1,194,000 females injured, 1,051,000 males.
• 31.7 percent of fatal crashes involved trucks between 6 and 10 years
old and 27.6 percent were 1 to 5 years old, reflective of the average age
of all trucks on the road today.
• 2,340 tractor-trailer combinations were involved in 62.5 percent of the
fatal crashes, meaning that only 0.0009 percent of the 2.577 million combination
trucks registered in the U.S. were involved in fatal accidents. A
total of 25,214 tractor-trailer combinations were involved in injury crashes
and 46,520 were involved in tow-away crashes, meaning that only 2.8
percent of the registered combinations were involved in one of the three
previously mentioned types of accidents.
• 5.3 percent of fatal large truck crashes in 2014 occurred in a work
zone, compared with 4.2 percent in 2013 and 3.8 percent in 2012.
• 81.6 percent of fatal crashes occurred on dry pavement; ice and snow
accounted for a total of 2.3 percent.
• 68.8 percent of fatal crashes occurred in clear weather.
• 49.7 percent of fatal crashes occurred on two-way, not divided
highways; 22.4 percent on two-way divided roadways with a protected
median barrier; 21.1 percent were on two-way, divided with an unprotected
median.
• In terms of fatal crashes, there is virtually no difference among the
five traditional workdays of Monday-Friday: 17.3 percent occurred on both
Monday and Wednesday; Friday was the lowest weekday at 15.9 percent;
9.9 percent occurred on Saturday and 6.5 percent on Sunday.
• 34.3 percent of fatal accidents occurred at speeds of 50-55 mph, 21.9
percent between 60-65 mph and 18.1 percent between 70-75 mph.
There’s quite a bit of difference in the medical exam question,
“Do you have or have you EVER had” specific injuries or illnesses and
asking drivers if they’ve had specific illnesses or injuries in the past
five years.
The first question comes from the Medical Examination Report that
went into effect this past April and the second came from the report
used prior to that.
For the drivers’ part, the number of questions is about the same: 25
on the old form and 32 on the new one.
Interestingly enough, the old form has places to identify medication
taken for some conditions such as seizures/epilepsy; heart disease;
high blood pressure; diabetes (diet, pills or insulin) and psychiatric disorders
such as depression, while the new form does not.
However, both the old and new forms have space for “further comment”
(new form) on conditions marked “yes,” and on the old form for
“yes” answers there’s space to write a condition’s “onset date, diagnosis,
treating physician’s name and any current limitation” plus a direcmEDical
rEPORT
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 11

tive to list any medications, including over-the-counter meds.
Some drivers believe asking them to state if they’ve “ever” experienced
a certain illness, injury or surgery, presumably going back to
childhood, is just too far back and may pertain to conditions that have
nothing whatsoever to do with the person’s driving ability.
“Many times something they had years ago has nothing to do
with a disqualifying condition,” said truck driver and obstructive
sleep apnea (OSA) patient Bob Stanton, co-coordinator of Truckers
for a Cause, a patient support group for truck drivers under treatment
of OSA and who is active in lobbying and education efforts as
they apply to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration medical
certification guidelines.
“Yes, we’ve heard some truckers have had problems” with the new
form, Stanton said, “especially ‘have you ever’ versus ‘in the last five
years have you had’” such-and-such a disease or condition.
He also said more drivers are reporting not being able to complete
the exam in one visit and have had to return another day with further
documentation.
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) spokesperson
Norita Taylor agreed that “They don’t like the lifetime questions
versus only going back the last five years.”
She said, “For example, if asked if you’ve EVER been in a hospital
overnight. Well, technically most of us have since we were likely BORN
in a hospital. I heard it asks if you’ve ever had cancer. Cancer is not a
disqualifying condition.”
rESTART
Last time we checked, the Obama administration had unleashed over
20,000 new regulations on the American public since January 20, 2009.
More than $22 billion per year in new regulatory costs were imposed
on Americans last year, pushing the total burden for the Obama
years to exceed $100 billion annually.
And depending on the outcome of the general election, the nation
could see that number swell if Republicans win the White House.
When the outgoing and incoming presidents are of opposite parties,
the outgoing president often serves up a plethora of what have
become known as “midnight regulations.”
It’s becoming obvious that the Republican-led Congress isn’t happy
with this deluge.
The term “midnight regulation” entered the lexicon in 1980–81 during
the final months of Jimmy Carter’s single term as president.
Carter’s administration set a new record for midnight regulations by
publishing more than 10,000 pages of new rules between Election Day
and Ronald Reagan’s Inauguration Day.
Because of the phenomenon of midnight regulations, since 1948,
during the period between a presidential election and the inauguration
of a president of a different party, the Federal Register has averaged 17
percent more pages than during the same period in non-election years.
Under the Congressional Review Act, lawmakers have 60 legislative
days to overturn a regulation from the administration.
But then the question becomes who has enough staff with the expertise
to keep track of 20,000 and know when something needs to be
overturned?
So it’s usually left up to those who’ve been negatively impacted
by a new regulation to alert Congress to rules that have missed the
target, and the 34-hour restart provision on the Hours of Service
rule made final in December 2011 is one of those.
The cries of foul actually started a year earlier when the Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking on HOS alerted the industry to the fact that the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wanted to change the restart
provision that had been in place since the major overhaul to HOS
went into effect in January 2004.
The restart provision was totally new to the industry and paved the
way for something drivers had never enjoyed — flexibility.
Gone were the days when once a driver started his or her work
week, there was no way to “restart” the clock until the weekly limit of
on-duty and on-duty driving hours had been reached. Now a driver
could restart the clock as many times in a week as he or she needed.
And, gone were the days when a driver lost a full day of work when
the load they were going to pick up was delayed by the shipper.
But alas, safety advocates convinced the administration that the
2004 restart rule actually led to a driver being able to work over 80
hours in a seven-day period, and pushed for the restart provision to
be changed so that drivers could restart the clock only once every 168
hours (or seven days) and forced drivers to include two 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
time periods during any restart.
The minute the NPRM was released, trucking started pounding the
agency with protests that the rule would cut productivity as much as 10
percent and would put more trucks on the road at the same time during
the day, further exacerbating congestion and safety problems.
Then-FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro never wavered, holding the
company line with the declaration that she would not change the 2011
restart provision that would go into effect July 1, 2013.
So trucking turned to Congress and Congress responded in December
2014 by suspending the now so-called July 1, 2013 restart
provision, at the same time reinstituting the rule that had been in place
before July 1, 2013.
At the same time, Congress ordered the agency to conduct a study
on the efficacy of the two restart provisions and report back.
Fast forward to the writing of the FY2016 Transportation, Housing and
Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriations bill.
Through an oversight, Congress failed to include direction for which
the trucking industry would operate under with respect to the restart.
Lawmakers set out to fix the error in the FY2017 THUD appropriations
bills.
The language in the Senate version of the FY2017 THUD bill
— which has been passed by the full Senate — says that unless
the results of the Congressionally-mandated study comparing the
pre-July 1, 2013, restart rule and the post July 1, 2013, restart
provision (currently suspended), show that the post July 1, 2013,
demonstrates statistically significant improvement related to safety,
operator fatigue, driver health and longevity and work schedules in
comparison to the pre-July 1, 2013, rule, the pre-July 1, 2013, rule
would remain in force.
The House version — approved by the House Appropriations Committee
and awaiting a full House vote — says to heck with the study,
let’s return to the 2005 HOS restart rule and be done with it.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has made it clear he doesn’t
like the idea of permanently reverting to the 2011 restart provision that
allows unlimited use of the restart and doesn’t include two consecutive
1 a.m. to 5 a.m. periods.
In a policy statement released last month, the administration said it
is concerned about provisions in the FY2017 Transportation, Housing
and Urban Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill “that
have the potential to undercut public safety, including section 131, of
12 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

the bill regarding the federal Hours of Service regulation addressing
driver fatigue.”
The Truckload Carriers Association strongly supports permanently returning
to the 2004 restart rule with no restrictions on how many times a
week it can be used and without the two 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. time periods.
“Our members support the 2004 restart provision in the Hours of
Service regulations so we will work hard to retain that provision,” said
Dave Heller, TCA director of safety and policy.
The fact that Congress suspended the 2011 rule “certainly has
helped our members’ operations, no doubt. The 2004 restart provision
is not as restrictive and allows drivers to operate when they feel they
are capable of operating. Flexibility is of the utmost importance to our
members,” Heller said. “Trucking is not a 9 to 5 job by any stretch of the
imagination. The unrestricted reset allows drivers to adjust for things
such as wait times better than they could if there was no restart.”
Safety advocates are striving to get the 2011 rule reinstated.
“We believe that the pernicious effects of the unfettered use of the
34-hour restart in terms of promoting driver fatigue is so dangerous to
the public that eliminating the 34-hour restart and going back to the old
pre-2004 HOS rule might be safer,” said a spokesperson for Advocates
for Highway and Auto Safety. “However, we have endorsed keeping the
current HOS rule without the two safety reforms (once-a-week and two
1 a.m. to 5 a.m. rest periods) so long as the minimum off-duty restart
period is lengthened to 48 hours.”
In baseball, a team that is able to score two or more runs in an inning is
said to “hang a crooked number” on the scoreboard or on the pitcher.
Well, applying that terminology to trucking, the industry is again facing
crooked numbers.
Appearing as the keynote speaker for the kickoff event for Infrastructure
Week in May, FedEx President and CEO Michael Ducker
called 33-foot twin trailers one “creative solution” that would “reduce
wear-and-tear on our infrastructure.”
FedEx threw down the gauntlet for what became a months-long
debate on 33-foot versus 28-foot tandems when on February 28,
2014, he told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s
subcommittee on highways and transit that increasing the
national standard for twin-trailers to 33 feet would allow carriers to
absorb up to 18 percent of future freight growth with any change
in gross vehicle weight or additional miles traveled on the nation’s
highways.
The committee at that time was working on the surface transtwin
33s
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TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 13

portation bill that ultimately became the Fixing America’s Surface
Transportation (FAST) Act.
Ultimately, allowing 33-foot trailers was included in various forms of
legislation introduced in the succeeding months, but was not included
in either the final version of the FAST Act or the FY2016 omnibus appropriations
bill.
The Truckload Carriers Association, which had been neutral on the
subject until late 2015, took a strong stand against the longer trailers.
Action by the TCA Board last October led to then-TCA Chairman
Keith Tuttle and TCA’s Highway Policy Committee Chairman Jim Towery
sending a letter to Congress opposing 33-foot trailers and asking
lawmakers not to include it in the FAST Act, saying that changing the
standard would be disastrous for many truckload carriers that couldn’t
afford to invest in new trailers or the increased cost of training, certifying
and licensing drivers to operate the longer tandems.
Even though the efforts for 33-foot trailers failed, truckload executives
warned that the fight was probably not over.
That warning was never so true when Ducker delivered his address
and talked about solutions to the infrastructure problems.
One solution that FedEx favors “is the adoption of twin 33-foot trailers,
which would reduce highway congestion and cut back on roadway
wear-and-tear, all without changing the federal gross weight limit,” he
said, adding that other LTL carriers he did not name felt the same way.
“FedEx has been operating twin 33s on the Florida Turnpike, which
is one of the nation’s busiest highways, since 2010 with zero accidents.
Our data show that 33-footers are safe, as we have learned
from five years and over 1.3 million miles of accident-free operation.
And a broader use of twin 33s would result in fewer trucks on the road.
Who isn’t for that? So we continue to seek a national policy permitting
the operation of twin 33s but there are other solutions there as well.”
So don’t think the twin 33-foot tandem issue is dead, and the warning
is still applicable, says TCA Director of Safety and Policy Dave
Heller, who promised TCA would closely follow any developments and
keep the membership informed.
ptdi
Whether private or publicly funded, or even a tribal business,
schools that recently received Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI)
course certification/ recertification are applauding the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration’s proposed truck driver training standards.
Directors from Juneau to Houston see the federal rulemaking on entry-level
driver training as a necessary step for safety in the industry.
“With the truck driver turnover, carriers are taking drivers from anywhere,”
said Ron Boyke, site coordinator at Baker College of Cadillac,
Michigan, one of the schools that received PTDI course recertification.
After visiting a 15-day driver training program in Florida recently,
Boyke noted, “I know why the federal government is coming down on
industry regulations. How can you get familiar with driving a truck after
only a few weeks? When the FMCSA standard comes into play, it’s
going to affect these types of programs.”
As the executive director of the National Association of Publicly
Funded Truck Driving Schools and having served on the federal committee
for the proposed rulemaking, Martin Garsee agrees that “many
who call themselves truck driver training schools will not be able to
meet federal requirements. It definitely raises the bar for a large majority
of the schools.”
Garsee is also director of transportation training at Houston Community
College, which recently received PTDI course recertification.
He notes that although the rulemaking doesn’t require PTDI’s 44 hours
behind the wheel, it has adopted much of the content of the PTDI curriculum.
“We made the curriculum robust in the classroom, range, and
road so that when a person successfully completes this course, they
will be a safe driver.”
And safety is what it’s all about for Garsee. “I’m all for free market
and capitalism,” he said, “but this is serious business when you put a
person out on the highway. My family goes on the road and drives in
traffic and we positively want people to be properly trained.”
At All-State Career School, in Lester, Pennsylvania, where their
Advanced Tractor Trailer Driving course received recertification, Kelli
Travers, associate campus director, agreed.
“The training standards proposed by FMSCA are long overdue.”
By setting a minimum number of hours and a required training curriculum,
Travers said, “The industry will be able to employ quality graduates,
which will increase safety and efficiency.”
With schools in Juneau, Alaska, (PTDI course recertification) and
Ketchikan, Alaska, (initial certification), the Vocational Training and
Resource Center (VTRC) in Alaska is unusual in that it’s a tribal business,
serving students in remote areas and offering a full Web-based
curriculum for the classroom portion of the course. But long before
the NPRM, safety was one of the major reasons Laird Jones, VTRC
manager, sought PTDI certification for his programs. That, and the
PTDI recognition. “Most students find local employment before they
even finish the program,” Jones said, “but a number of people want
to go beyond Alaska and with the PTDI recognition, they land a job
right away.”
As far as continuing with the more rigorous PTDI certification process,
“even after the federal regulations are in place, we will continue
with the PTDI course requirements,” Jones said.
All four directors emphasized that despite the fact that PTDI exceeds
the minimum FMCSA requirements, they will continue to allocate
time and resources to obtaining PTDI certification. Reputation is a
key factor in their decision.
“Prospective employers will understand that we meet or even surpass
PTDI standards,” Boyke said of his desire to remain PTDI course
certified. “As a higher learning institution, we don’t want to just meet
the minimum. Baker College is second to none in Michigan.”
“PTDI has a certification process that is rigid and robust — a process
that All State Career School has used for many years with great
results,” Travers said. “We have set the standard of training and will
continue to do so well into the future, using these PTDI processes.”
For Garsee, who is well recognized in the industry, it’s a matter of being
willing to have his school scrutinized. “A lot of people say ‘we follow the
PTDI standards,’ but then they don’t put themselves out there to be certified.
It’s different when you actually go through the [PTDI] process.”
“This is our third time to be course certified so in my mind, we don’t
want to give this up,” Garsee added. “The federal rulemaking does not
change my opinion of PTDI and it doesn’t change my motivation to
support PTDI. I see PTDI as doing everything right, and I want to be
part of that.”
Recently, John Lyboldt, Truckload Carriers Association president,
asked safety directors and CEOs in a meeting if safety and security
have a direct correlation to driver turnover.
The response was a unanimous “definitely.” Training to PTDI
standards — which can help potential drivers understand lifestyle and
work demands — is one way to reduce driver turnover in the first 90
days and beyond.
14 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

2 0 1 6 E L E C T I O N
Trucking Votes
By Dorothy Cox
A priest in northwest Spain recently gave
up hope that potholes in his local parish would
ever be fixed by man-made means so he asked
for some “divine intervention.” The priest
celebrated Mass May 22 over a pitted road,
splashed on some holy water to bless it and
now each pothole in the area is marked with a
wooden cross to warn drivers they need to slow
down before they hit the holes, reported The
Associated Press.
U.S. roads could use some divine intervention
as well.
With presumptive Democratic presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton promising to “build
tomorrow’s economy” and billionaire Donald
Trump, who recently received enough delegates
to be the Republicans’ nominee saying he will be
“the greatest jobs president God has ever created,”
one wonders if either promise will come
to fruition and if so, whether it will include fixing
our own teeth-rattling roads and rusted, rotting
bridges. And, will it do so without running up the
national debt even more?
Real estate tycoon Trump says, in effect, that
building is his thing, and that fixing the failing
infrastructure would be a jobs project and revitalize
the economy.
“Maybe my greatest strength is the economy,
jobs and building,” Trump said. “We do have to
rebuild our infrastructure.”
Where will the money come from? Trump
doesn’t say exactly. But when asked by the media
about his views on the war in Iraq he responded
that “If we could’ve spent that $4 trillion in the
United States to fix our roads, our bridges and
all of the other problems — our airports and all
of the other problems we’ve had — we would’ve
been a lot better off.”
Trump has drawn criticism from some Republican
opponents because he seems to favor
large federal investments in infrastructure and
acknowledged it would cost taxpayer dollars.
Many Republicans prefer instead to cut the federal
gasoline tax and let states get creative and
identify their own transportation needs rather
than putting the federal government in charge,
The Hill newspaper reports.
In his book, “Crippled America: How to Make
America Great Again,” Trump notes that the
“World Economic Forum ranks the U.S. infrastructure
as only the 12th best in the world. We don’t
spend enough to fix, build or maintain our ‘plant.’
Europe and China spend as much as 9 percent
of their GDP on infrastructure projects.
We spend 2.4 percent.”
Using the Senate Budget Committee’s
figures, Trump estimates that
“rebuilding America” would create 13
million jobs.
He cites what he says is his proven record
of not only building structures on time,
but saving money on them at the same time.
“On the federal level, this is going to be an expensive
investment,” he admits in the book, “but
in the long run it will more than pay for itself. It
will stimulate the economy while it is being built
and make it a lot easier to do business when it’s
done — and it can be done on time and under
budget.”
Who would you trust to get infrastructure
built, he asks, someone who talks about what
they plan to do or someone who has a proven
track record already?
Clinton on her website in 2015 said she
would increase federal infrastructure funding by
$275 billion over a five-year period, paying for
it through business tax reform, which political
analysts say means levying more taxes on the
wealthy. Of these funds she would direct $250
billion to direct public investment and would allocate
the other $25 billion to a national infrastructure
bank “dedicated to advancing our competitive
advantage to the 21st century economy.”
The bank “would leverage its $25 billion in
funds to support up to an additional $225 billion
in direct loans, loan guarantees and other
forms of credit enhancement,” meaning that her
plan would result in up to $500 billion in federally-supported
investment, according to Clinton’s
website.
She also mentioned cutting regulatory “red
tape” that she said slows the construction of
new transportation projects and said she would
reauthorize a Build America Bonds program to
develop partners in the private sector “to get
the best possible outcomes for the American
people.”
Clinton’s Democratic opponent Bernie Sanders
has called for an even heftier infrastructure
sum: $1 trillion in spending over the next five
years on infrastructure, including $125 billion
on a national infrastructure bank. The independent
senator from Vermont would pay for the
improvements by “closing loopholes that allow
profitable corporations to avoid paying taxes
by, among other things, shifting their profits to
the Cayman Islands and other offshore tax havens.”
But in March, Sanders made a comment
to his followers that elicited cheers from the
audience and shock from truckers. He said if
elected president he would build a “state-ofthe-art
rail system which takes trucks off the
road.” Whether he meant all trucks is doubtful
or at least unknown. Nevertheless, it became
political fodder.
“Several drivers immediately contacted us,
expressing concern over the statements,” commented
Trump’s website. “This guy has to be
stopped,” one reader responded on the site.
The Trump website asked viewers to give their
opinions on Sanders’ comments, asking: “Is it
political rhetoric used to excite uninformed followers,
or will the trucking industry be significantly
downsized under a Sanders presidency?”
One 37-year-old, 10-year driver posted his
own response to Sanders’ comments: To anybody
“with a lick of sense that’s just a pipe dream,” he
said, and went on to delineate the essentiality
of trucks and truck drivers not just to the fabric
of the U.S. economy but to the global economy
as well, since the absence of trucking’s use of
distillate fuels would impact oil and diesel prices,
making them plummet.
It may be water under the bridge, however.
Sanders’ prospects for the Democratic nomination
are growing slimmer, especially since Clinton
laid claim to the Democratic nomination June 7,
the first woman to do so.
But economists continue to be wary of the
candidates’ talk of big spending. In fact, some
pundits say the U.S. is likely to rack up bigger
budget deficits in the years ahead regardless of
who becomes president.
“The bloom is off the rosebush in terms of
focusing on fiscal restraint,” former Capitol Hill
budget staffer William Hoagland told Newsmax.
“There is now an atmosphere and an environment
for a loosening policy,” added Hoagland, senior
vice president of the Bipartisan Policy Center
in Washington.
“Infrastructure advocates all over the country
are heartened by the fact that all three candidates
have essentially said it’s [infrastructure] a
front-burner issue,” said former Gov. Ed Rendell,
D-Pa., co-chair of Building America’s Future and
an advisor to Clinton’s infrastructure team, according
to The Hill.
However, Norman Anderson, CEO of strategy
firm CG/LA Infrastructure, a Washington-based
consulting firm, lamented that “I have no evidence
that this is a much more serious infrastructure-focused
campaign than the other ones.
Who has said, ‘This is going to be my Secretary
of Transportation, this is going to be my Secretary
of Energy?’ There’s all these tell-tales.”
Not surprisingly, Rendell bashed both Trump’s
and Sanders’ infrastructure plans, saying they
don’t have very many specifics, but credited
them for bringing the issue up.
He added that if Trump were to come out
with “a more detailed plan that includes dramatic
new spending on infrastructure, it could appeal
to some Democrats and Independents who are
frustrated by the country’s congested roads, frequent
potholes and deficient bridges. Conservatives
might not like it, but I think it wouldn’t hurt
Donald Trump one iota.”
Hopefully after the Republican and Democratic
conventions, the two candidates left standing will
issue policy papers on various issues including
the infrastructure.
One can hope at least.
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 15

Safety Fitness
Determination
Under Fire
unequal
inspections
Flawed
Data
unlevel
playing
FIeld
From All Sides
By Jack Whitsett
incorrect
judgments
Safety
No. 2
The proposed rule updating the federal government’s safety fitness determination
(SFD) for motor carriers has passed the comment stage and is drawing fire from
all sides.
The new rule would present carriers with a fixed target to remain approved to
operate that would not be affected by other carriers’ ratings, DOT officials said April
7 in a conference call with the media. The purpose of the call was, Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) officials said, to encourage more comments
from the industry and stakeholders. This appears to have occurred, though most of
the comments were negative, and came from all parts of the trucking and political
spectrum.
“It’s a proposed change that lays out a new standard for determining if a carrier
is fit to operate,” said Joseph P. DeLorenzo, director of enforcement and compliance
for FMCSA, adding that the proposed rule would not use relative percentiles from
other carriers in determining a motor carrier’s fitness to operate.
“Carriers always know what the target is” under the proposed rule, he said. “In
the proposed rulemaking, we lay out specifically what the standard is. There’s a
calculation called the absolute measure. If you’re under that measure you’re OK.”
The target would not change unless there’s a completely new rule, he added.
The proposed rule would also help FMCSA to assess about 75,000 carriers a
month, “a much larger group of motor carriers” than the current 15,000 monthly,
DeLorenzo said.
FMCSA published the proposed rulemaking January 21, although a version of the
proposal was first published in 2007. The comment period, extended twice, ended
May 23. A total of 154 comments are listed on the docket website.
Thirty-six Republican members of Congress signed a May 4 letter to Acting
FMCSA Administrator Scott Darling protesting the proposed rule.
The rule, the letter stated, “radically modifies the system used to determine a
motor carrier’s fitness to operate on our nation’s highways. While we support an
easily understandable, effective safety fitness standard, we have great concern that
the new proposed methodology utilizes flawed Compliance, Safety and Accountability
(CSA)/Safety Measurement System (SMS)/ Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement
Categories (BASICS) data and analytics.”
The congressmen also accused FMCSA of failing to follow the recent Fixing
America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which required the agency to overhaul
the CSA/SMS program.
“It is inconceivable that you would propose using the same data and analysis
Congress has agreed is faulty in a new safety fitness determination methodology,”
the letter stated. “Common sense dictates that FMCSA should complete the reforms
to the CSA/SMS system before proceeding to a new method of evaluating safety
fitness of carriers.”
FMCSA spokesman Duane DeBruyne said that the letter is still under review by
DOT, and a response would be forthcoming.
Previously, eight industry interest groups had written to five Republican members
of Congress in January, expressing similar concerns. The sending organizations
included the Western States Trucking Association, the Auto Haulers Association, the
American Home Furnishings Alliance and the Transportation Loss Prevention & Security
Association. The letter was addressed to Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; Sen. John
Thune, R-S.D.; Rep. Lou
Barletta, R-Pa.; Rep. John
J. Duncan Jr., R-Tenn. and
Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa.
“We write … out of concern that
FMCSA plans to ignore the clear mandates of the FAST Act when it opens a rulemaking
this month that would change existing standards for determining the safety
fitness of individual motor carries,” the letter stated. “Regardless of whether the
proposed SFD rulemaking will incorporate every detail of the current SMS methodology
that Congress determined was unworthy of public release by FMCSA, it is apparent
that the proposed rule would incorporate the same ‘on-road safety performance
data’ that FMCSA has used in calculating … CSA.”
TCA presented a comment letter from President John Lyboldt protesting several
aspects of the proposed rule.
Referring to the letter from the members of Congress, Lyboldt wrote: “Their concerns
… which TCA members share, are based upon the findings of the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) study which recommended that FMCSA revise its SMS
methodology to better account for limitations in available information when drawing
comparisons of safety performance across carriers. Furthermore, that same study
pointed out that the vast majority of violations are not violated enough to correlate to
crash risk. By using this same data, the agency will ultimately lend itself to misjudging
motor carriers based upon data that has limitations. Our members cannot possibly
stress this fact enough. This industry, and those who operate in it, must never
have a problem being judged by their safety performance; however, we must insist
that we are judged correctly.”
Lyboldt also criticized FMCSA for the small number of carriers actually inspected.
“As a result of this shortfall, TCA cannot possibly support a rule that creates an
environment that is not equal to all involved and in many cases, allowing a competitive
advantage of one carrier versus another,” he wrote. “While this statement only
holds true for those carriers that do not meet the thresholds, the statement is still
accurate and true. Under this rulemaking, a majority of carriers will not have a rating
and with the absence of that rating will only correlate with the assumption that
a carrier is fit to operate when in actuality, carriers lacking data are just being given
the same luxuries as those that have been assessed and determined to be not rated
as ‘Unfit.’”
Lyboldt protested the subjective nature of the roadside inspections, from which
data is gathered that is used to make fitness determinations.
“TCA and its members commend the agency for its incorporation of roadside
inspection data into this measurement system in addition to data derived from
compliance reviews. That being said, it would also be fair to point out that without
a standardized process instituted across our nation’s enforcement personnel, data
generated at the roadside can often vary based upon geographic location, reliability
and more often than not, the sheer absence of roadside inspections by many carriers
who operate on our highways. While roadside inspections will generate real-time,
on-road performance measures, the mere incorporation of this data into determining
a carrier’s safety fitness will lend itself to present a score that has proven to be at
the very least, subjective in nature.”
16 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

y
Finally, Lyboldt concluded with a call for the
industry, government and stakeholders to work together
on the problem.
“The creation of the system in theory would
seem like a win/win for the industry; the reality is
that the program FMCSA has outlined in its NPRM
would create an environment filled with many
more questions than answers,” he wrote. “In a
world where safety is everyone’s No. 1 priority,
it would behoove TCA, FMCSA and the trucking
industry in its entirety to work as one in the development
of a safety fitness rating system for all to
use so that we can properly recognize those who
have proven to be safe and sternly admonish those
who are not.”
Criticism came from small trucking operators as
well. Carla Peacock, an aggregate hauler in Collinsville,
Texas, who operates three trucks, wrote “There
is no latitude for anyone that meets all of the requirements
(or actually goes above minimum standards) as the
inspectors are not willing or able to ‘think outside the box,’
and I am also finding many that have no clue what they are
looking at when it comes to the mechanical side of the equipment
… If I have two of my trucks pulled for inspections, that
is 66 percent of my fleet …. The entire spectrum of trucking must
be considered when implementing any legislation as trucking is NOT a
one-size-fits-all industry.”
A comment from a coalition of highway safety advocates summarized their opposition.
The Truck Safety Coalition (TSC), Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways
(CRASH) and Parents Against Tired Truckers (PATT) wrote that “Although TSC is
pleased with certain aspects of the FMCSA’s proposal, there are several areas of
concern, including: 1) The updated SFD (safety fitness determination) would limit the
number of motor carriers that could be subject to an SFD using on-road safety data
alone by requiring carriers to have met a certain number of inspections and violations,
2) The revised SFD creates artificial standards that have less to do with the
FMCSA’s goal of identifying and removing unfit carriers, and more to do with operating
within the agency’s budgetary constraints, and 3) The proposed SFD process
would limit use of the data from the Crash Indicator and Controlled Substances/Alcohol
Compliance Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories, the former
of which is highly correlated to the risk of a future crash.”
One of the few comments favoring the proposed rule was submitted by the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT). Asher Tobin, staff industrial hygienist for the
union, wrote: “The IBT commends the FMCSA’s concerns about the safety and security
of the travelling public to remove ‘unfit’ carriers from the road. As the amount of
materials being transported in our nation’s transportation supply chain increases, so
does the risk to our safety and security. Enhancing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Regulations (FMCSRs) are important steps that this Congress can take to protect
workers, the general public and the environment.”
The concept of safety measurement systems is being studied by the National
Academy of Sciences (NAS), DeLorenzo said in April, adding that recommendations
from the NAS study could be incorporated into a final rule. DeBruyne confirmed May
31 that the NAS study was “still ongoing.”
FMCSA has developed an online SFD calculator as an educational tool to show
carriers how their safety fitness may be calculated under the proposed SFD regulations
using their current safety information, DeLorenzo said. It is available at https://
csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/sfd/SFDCalculator.aspx.
The proposed rule also allows carriers more flexibility in dealing with an “unfit”
rating, DeLorenzo added.
“At that point in time it’s not a final determination,” he said. “There are several
different options” aside from an appeal, including an opportunity to correct data.
“Also there’s simply the opportunity to come back to the agency and say, ‘We’ve
made these changes,’” he said, giving the carrier a chance to correct deficiencies.
With the comment period closed, FMCSA must now review each comment and
make needed changes to the proposed rule, DeBruyne said.
“FMCSA proposes to amend the FMCSRs to adopt revised methodologies that
would result in a safety fitness determination,” the agency reported following the
comment period. “The proposed methodologies would determine when a motor carrier
is not fit to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in or affecting interstate
commerce based on (1) the carrier’s on-road safety performance in relation to five
of the Agency’s seven Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BA-
SICs); (2) an investigation; or (3) a combination of on-road safety data and investigation
information. The intended effect of this action is to more effectively use FMCSA
data and resources to identify unfit motor carriers and to remove them from the
nation’s roadways.”
The rule must then retrace its steps, being presented for agency and departmental
review before being sent to the Office of Management and Budget and then
returning to the agency for final publication.
“There’s usually some back and forth” between the agency and OMB before final
publishing, DeBruyne said.
J. J. KELLER’S ELD INSIGHTS
How to Pick the Right
ELog Implementation Partner
The transition to ELogs can impact nearly every process and workflow in your
organization. Once you fully appreciate the magnitude of that impact, it’s
easy to understand why an experienced ELog implementation partner can be
a tremendous asset. The right partner can diffuse potential interdepartmental
conflict, serve as the objective third party, and take into consideration all
organizational needs.
Evaluating ELog Implementation Services
To determine whether an ELog implementation partner will be able to help
your organization transition successfully from initial agreement to full
utilization, be sure they:
1.Use a systematic process for tracking project deliverables
The right implementation partner will help you define specific
deliverables for success. They’ll then create a project schedule with
your input, taking into account any constraints you have as an
organization and your desired rollout completion date. The right
partner will also provide regular project updates on the status of
deliverables, key focus items, challenges, and next steps. Frequent
communication and alignment of priorities will be critical to the
success of your ELD implementation.
2.Provide a dedicated project leader or point person
Implementation deliverables will be best accomplished with a
dedicated person leading your project team. An assigned project
leader will keep the rollout on schedule and facilitate communication
between responsible parties, stakeholders, users, administrators, and
outside parties. They’ll also make sure implementation tasks are
identified, tracked, and completed according to the project timeline,
including:
• Shipment and delivery of hardware and devices
• Loading data into your new system
• Identification of ELD installation strategy
• Coordination of drivers and vehicles for ELD installation
• Coordination of drivers and system users for training
In addition to meeting those criteria, you’ll also want to ask potential ELog
implementation partners the following questions:
• What will our user experience look like once we agree
to move forward?
• What resources will be assigned to my account?
• What installation and setup services do you offer?
The implementation of ELogs will be a challenge, but with the
right partner, the burden to your drivers and operational
team will be significantly reduced.
To learn about J. J. Keller’s Encompass® ELog system,
see the ad in this publication or visit JJKeller.com/ELogs.
with E-Logs
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 17

The
intelligence report W i t h T R I S H R E G A N
FOX Business Network anchor Trish Regan, right, made history on January 14 when she and Sandra Smith became the first all-female team to moderate a
presidential debate.
By Lyndon Finney
It was nearing 2 p.m. in New York City June 6.
On the FOX Business Network set at the Avenue of the Americas,
Trish Regan, a rising star on the network’s roster of talented journalists,
took her seat behind the desk, ready to discuss the business and
politics of the day.
On this particular Monday, she would ask FOX contributor and former
Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., why he thought Hillary Clinton, who later
that day officially became the presumptive Democratic nominee, could
reverse the legacy left by President Barack Obama and do something
about this “horrendous” and “lousy” economy.
As is her norm, the FOX Business Network anchor used vocal inflection
and arm gestures to reinforce what she said in an interview hours
earlier — that the past eight years have been a disappointment and
that Obama “squandered” a chance to pull America up by the bootstraps
and provide the leadership to pull the country out of the doldrums
of the Great Recession.
About a mile northwest of the studio that day, Skylar Brandt was
rehearsing for her role as the Golden Cockerel in an opera of the same
name which is playing at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center.
Had it not been for an uncle, Regan might have been rehearsing for
that opera on June 6 instead of taking on Mr. Bayh and in a commentary
just before his appearance, challenging a statement by Federal
Reserve Chair Janet Yellen that the economy is improving.
Regan comes from a small town in New Hampshire.
Although she probably didn’t realize it at the time, growing up there
would become part of the foundation for a career that includes being
part of a team. And along with FOX Business News’ Sandra Smith she
made history as part of the first female duo to host a presidential debate
last November.
“Being from New Hampshire had a big influence on my formative
years because every four years New Hampshire gets its shot to be in
the national limelight when we have our New Hampshire primary,” she
said. “As a result, you are growing up around politics. We in New Hampshire
elect a governor every two years which is a little bit unusual and
we have more representatives per capita than any other state in the
country. Politics is something people are talking about day in and day
out and they care very much about the issues that are going to matter
in a presidential election. So growing up, my parents talked a lot about
politics, their friends talked a lot about politics. I had the opportunity
to meet some of the people who were running for president. I really
enjoyed that culture.”
Politics aside, however, growing up Regan became an accomplished
musician, taking piano lessons as early as age 4, although trembling
hands would eventually lead her down another musical path — singing.
The piano lessons were a priority for her father, who loved playing
the piano.
“I could read music before I could read anything else. I could read
notes off a page — A-B-C-D-E-F-G. I always loved music. I used to
listen to lots of music in my room. That was something that was just
a ton of fun for me,” she said. “But singing started because I used to
get so nervous as a little kid when it came time for the yearly piano
recital. My hands used to shake so terribly and I remember once saying
to my teacher, ‘Do you think it would be OK if I sang instead?’ I
knew I could control my voice a lot better than I could control my
hands. So one year she let me sing and it went really, really well and
over the years I got involved in community theater as a little kid and
eventually when I went to high school became interested in classical
music and opera.”
Her foray into opera was at the behest of her vocal teacher, herself
operatically trained, who told her she had a wonderful voice.
Regan previously hadn’t thought much about opera, preferring the
genres of musical theater and Broadway.
“I realized then I had this instrument — or gift — so I worked really
diligently learning everything I could about opera because I knew
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literally nothing,” she said. “As far as I was concerned an opera singer
was this really large woman who wore braids with horns on her head.
So I started to listen to all these recordings. I learned to speak a lot of
languages because you need to do that as a singer and I took it very
seriously. I started winning a lot of competitions when I was young and
wound up going over to Austria and studying there.”
She also spent two years at the New England Conservatory in Boston,
one of the most storied music schools in the entire world.
It isn’t easy to get in there, either. The acceptance rate is 28 percent.
Enter her uncle.
Whether stated or implied, it might be difficult to make a living as a
professional opera singer was his message.
“As much as I loved singing at some point — and I credit my economist
uncle for this — the reality of having to make one’s way in the
world and making a living caught up with me,” she recalled. “He used
an expression that I will never forget, which was an economic term. He
said to me, ‘There are opportunity costs of what you are planning to
do.’ And he was right. I had been overseas and had auditioned for some
opera houses over there.”
An opera house in Germany called and offered her a role about the
time she took her uncle’s words to heart and decided to change career
paths.
She transferred to Columbia
University in New
York City to study history
and economics as a history
major.
“Sometimes when you
are young and a teenager
or in your early 20’s you
think about what you are
going to do with the rest
of your life and it’s not
always what you wind up
doing,” she said. “However,
the experience that I
got from singing has been
so helpful to me in what
I do every day. Anytime
I get nervous I remind
myself, ‘Trish, you’re just
talking and it’s in your
own language.’ I think I
developed a real ease in
being able to get up in
front of people” by singing
opera. “What I do is
slightly different because
it’s a camera and I need
to connect with a camera with thousands of people watching. It’s similar
in singing when you’re getting up on stage and you have a big audience.
You learn how to get over that and just be yourself. Whether you
are singing or talking, it’s a very similar skill in that you can’t get so
nervous that you can’t be who you are.”
Her getting into television was, well, happenstance might be the
best term.
Her first job out of college was at Bloomberg.
“I knew how to work the Bloomberg terminal, a multi-screen computer
system that enables professionals in finance and other industries
to access the Bloomberg Professional service through which users can
monitor and analyze real-time financial market data and place trades
on the electronic trading platform.”
“I’m convinced that’s why they hired me,” she said. “I had interned
at a couple of banking jobs at financial institutions in New York when I
was in school and my job at one of the banks was to read all the headlines
that were coming over the Bloomberg terminal each afternoon
and put together a note on the developments financially and politically
in four countries that I was covering in Latin America and as such I
know how to look up the price of a bond, I know how to look up news
headlines. I was a whiz at the Bloomberg terminal.
“It was around the time when financial news was just starting to
come into focus and they had just started their TV operation and it
was there that I went for my first job. I had gotten a tape together
because I interned at ‘NBC Nightly News’ with Tom Brokaw during
his last year there as anchor and I got a tape together and I sent it
over there and they wound up hiring me.”
After stints at Bloomberg, CBS, CNBC and NBC News, she’s been at
the FOX Business Network anchor desk since last year.
A registered Independent who “fiscally tends to be more on the conservative
side,” Regan says her political ideologies were formed when
she transferred to Columbia University.
“I was sort of on my own and had to pay my own bills. I started
thinking about a lot of things pretty hard in terms of how the overall
economy works. I’d also come from New Hampshire where we had no
income tax and no sales tax and suddenly I was in New York and looked
at my check — I had various jobs — and whatever money I earned it
was like, ‘oh boy’ because I was hit with a sales tax, state income tax
and city tax and none of that existed in New Hampshire,” she said. “And
I thought, how did we manage to get by just fine in that small little
state with no income tax and no sales tax? I started thinking [that]
it’s because what you don’t have you don’t miss and when it comes to
government sometimes the more you give them the more they spend. I
look around New York today and despite all the money you pay in taxes
for the municipality, for the state, there are a lot of problems with New
York. It’s very hard to send your kids to public school here and we still
have a lot of potholes. You name it, there’s a need. You start thinking
about government waste — and this is something you start thinking
about as a young person
when you are
studying economics
— I really felt that
this situation is representative
of the
law of unintended
consequences.
“I think everyone
wants to make sure
that everybody has
an opportunity to
succeed and everybody
wants everyone
to be successful for
sure but you can’t
reinvent human nature
and you need to
basically make sure
you’re doing your
very best to guarantee
everyone’s opportunity
but you
cannot guarantee
everyone’s outcome
and when you try to
— back to the law
of untended consequences
and you wind up making other big mistakes in your economy.
And that’s a real risk. So these are just some of the things I started
thinking about as a young person.”
Her ideologies are often expressed — as a singer might — in those
vocal inflections and arm movements.
And, in her opinion, “I think the last eight years have been a real
disappointment,” she says of the Obama administration. “President
Obama came in as we Irish like to say, ‘with the wind at his back.’ He
had so much opportunity going into the eight years that would follow
and I think that opportunity was really squandered.”
How so?
“I think the nation is in a far more divided spot now than it ever
should have been under what he promised. I can remember hearing so
many conservatives and liberals, alike, saying this was going to be the
guy that could get us beyond partisanship, that could get us beyond
any racial division and yet here we are today, racially divided more
than ever with an economy that has gone literally nowhere. We’re in a
position that we shouldn’t be in right now and I don’t think you cannot
hold him responsible.”
An example?
“Obamacare. There was so much uncertainty for so long, thus creating
an environment where people didn’t want to hire. There’s a similar
uncertainty around taxes because this administration wants to tax
more and more and I think that type of rhetoric was unnecessary given
where we had been. Our economy was in a really challenging spot when
you think back to 2007 and 2008. And we needed leadership that could
20 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

pull us out of there. We also needed a leader who was willing to work
across the aisle with both sides to help put in place the type of fiscal
policy that could generate growth. And he didn’t do that. Granted, you
can’t blame everything on the president. The reality is the economy
is cyclical. We have gone through a challenging time in that we are a
changing economy. However, there are things he can do to set the tone
at the top and he didn’t take those opportunities.”
Obama could have reached out more, Regan believes.
“It’s simple stuff. Just reach out across the aisle, be a little more
willing to work with people, be a little less political and a little more
focused on policy.”
Regan is among Americans who note the uniqueness of the race
that will pick Obama’s successor, a race in which both candidates score
below 50 percent in terms of popularity.
“I think Obama is one of the reasons this has become such an unusual
[political] year,” she said. “I think Americans are frustrated with
the party establishment types, and we’re seeing this a lot on both sides,
by the way. It’s not just a conservative issue or a liberal issue. I think
the Tea Party as well has been a response to the frustration people feel
with the establishment. I think the success we’ve seen thus far with
Bernie Sanders is a testament to the frustration people feel on the left
about the ‘establishment.’ It’s President Obama and frankly the rest of
Washington that are responsible for where we are now in terms of the
dissatisfaction felt by Americans. And I think people have said, ‘You
know what? I’ve had enough. I don’t want the status quo anymore.
These people we send to Washington are not looking out for me or my
family. So I’m going to vote for someone who will.’”
Donald Trump’s success is tied very much to the frustration of the
average American that has seen his or her talents get decimated because
factories have moved away, she said.
“The average American is not confident that they’ll be able to take
care of their families for the next 10 years or that their kids are going
to have as good a shot as they did,” she said. “And so that frustration
very much got exposed on the conservative side. I think it’s still very
much there. We’ll see how this shakes out. Hillary Clinton is going to
have to work very hard to convince Bernie Sanders’ supporters that
she’s looking out for their interests because I think a lot of the Sanders
supporters don’t think she is.”
Both Trump and Clinton have polarizing qualities about them, Regan
noted.
“On the one hand for Trump, part of his appeal is also why he’s
polarizing. People love that he will say exactly what he thinks regardless
of societal norms. So there are a lot of people that love that and
there are a lot of people that hate that. So that explains his polarizing
qualities,” she said. “With Hillary, again I think that there are people
who identify her with the establishment, the Washington elite, and it’s
very different from when her husband was campaigning years ago as
the ‘Comeback Kid,’ and he was the guy who represented change. He
was young and fresh on the scene and [now] they’ve been in politics
a long time and some of my New Hampshire friends and sources told
me back there and you know Hillary did quite poorly there, that there’s
just a lot of Clinton ‘fatigue,’ meaning that she’s identified with the
establishment and they’ve kind of been down that route already” and
Regan added that Hillary Clinton, aside from being the establishment,
“has been quite polarizing over the years.”
Trump wiped out an illustrious field of politicians, business persons
and a doctor to win the nomination.
“He by far had more charisma than any of the other candidates,”
Regan said. “All the other candidates combined weren’t quite equaling
his level of charisma on the stage. And he was smart about the media.
He was willing to talk with the media. I found it frustrating because as a
journalist and television show host that wants these guests to come on,
it’s not easy, it’s never easy, but he and his team were very responsive
and if they couldn’t come on you heard directly.”
On the Democratic side, whether Bernie Sanders will remain a candidate
until the convention is a big question, but regardless, he’s already
hurt Clinton, Regan believes.
“If he continues to stay in, then his supporters, who are very
devout, will stay by his side, and they’ll feel that they were robbed
and they were cheated, and there’s a good chance that they may
vote for the other side, being Donald Trump. I can’t tell you how
many Bernie Sanders supporters have said to me, ‘if he doesn’t
get it, I’m voting for Trump.’ And I’ve said, ‘you do realize they
have two very different approaches to the economy? You’ve got
one that’s a capitalist and one that’s a socialist.’ And they say ‘no,
I trust him to go in there and shake things up.’ And I think that’s
what people want. They want someone who’s going to go in there
and shake things up.”
Regardless of who next occupies the White House, Regan is one of
those who believe America is headed for another recession.
“I don’t know if it’s a substantial one but I think it’s a very real possibility
that we dip into negative growth for two consecutive quarters,”
she said. “And the reason for that again comes back to the changing
economy. Increasingly we’re seeing automation, robots, taking over for
people. I mean Wendy’s announced just the other day that at 6,000
stores across the country they’re looking at replacing workers with
computers because they won’t have to deal with the overtime concerns
and the minimum wage concerns and it’s a one-time cost of upgrading
their computer system. And I think increasingly those sorts of things
are going to happen. So unless you have other policies in place to really
start to grow other parts of the economy, you’re going to be left
in this transitional environment for far longer than you need to be or
should be.”
To stave off a recession, lower corporate and individual taxes are
needed, Regan said.
“You’ve got to give people a little bit more money to spend, a little
more money in their pockets each week. And you’ve got to give them
some commitment that this is a lower tax rate that’s going to be here to
stay. These are things I think would free up a lot of the economy.”
Trucking is critical to the nation’s economy, regardless of the direction
it is taking, Regan says.
“We live in a very large country and you’ve got to be able from a
business perspective to get your goods from A to B to C on time in a
predictable and reliable way. And so this is really the backbone, if you
would, of commerce.
“It’s wonderful to be able to create something, whatever that is, but
then you’ve got to be able to get that product to all of America. So it’s
great if you can create a great product, but if people can’t get it they
aren’t going to be very happy. The trucking industry is very much in
partnership with business owners in America because it’s just an integral
part of the entire economy.”
The infrastructure is the backbone of the trucking industry and Regan
is among the millions who know an upgrade is essential.
“I just don’t know if I want the government necessarily doing it,” she
said. “Again, going back to my New Hampshire roots, what government
has, government will spend. And I just want to ensure that that money,
whatever we allocate for infrastructure, is really spent as wisely as possible
as opposed to the old crony capitalism, awarding the contract to
somebody because they get along with some Congressman or that senator,
but I do think there’s an opportunity there to upgrade our infrastructure
for sure. We just have to be really smart about how we do it.”
She hasn’t thought much about how to prop up the failing Highway
Trust Fund, but she did recall a story on a successful private venture
in Chile.
“Years ago they privatized a lot of previously public works including
the roads,” she said. “And so you pay a toll to ride on the highway outside
Santiago, Chile. But it’s one beautiful highway and the companies
that maintain it do a phenomenal job of maintaining them because they
want you to take their highway instead of the cheaper back roads that
the government maintains. So I think there’s a way for us to be creative
about how we come up with the funding and how we implement
those funds so that the consumer is the one that comes out ahead.”
Off camera, Regan and her husband James Ben, a banker, are raising
three children, 6-year-old twins Alexandra and Elizabeth and a 3-
year-old son Jamie.
She makes sure she’s at home to see them off to school, prepare
dinner for them and put them to bed.
Today, Regan limits her singing prowess to the times she is putting
her children to bed.
Mostly it’s subdued singing, but on occasion …
“The other night we were singing the National Anthem and ‘God
Bless America,’ which they’ve been singing a lot in school,” Regan recalled.
“In the National Anthem when we got to ‘land of the free,’ I [hit
the high note] with full operatic rendition. The kids looked up at me,
completely at a standstill, their jaws wide open. And Elizabeth, my little
one who likes to sing, said, ‘Wow, mommy,’ but we don’t do that a lot
since we live in an apartment in New York and we have to be careful of
the neighbors.”
Skylar Brandt and those other operatic sopranos needn’t worry,
though.
Trish Regan has no plans to change careers.
She’s doing just fine at FOX, thank you.
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 21

SUMMER | TCA 2016
Sponsored by
Tracking The Trends
Importing the
Capacity Solution?
By Jack Whitsett
The trucking industry in this country has suffered for decades
from a shortage of drivers. Better pay, more home time and more
modern, comfortable cabs have all been suggested and tried to
some degree. Though these and other changes have improved the
job, little if any progress has been made in alleviating the chronic
lack of drivers.
Now a different tack is being taken by many motor carriers: hiring
immigrants to fill the cabs of their trucks. While foreign-born
truck drivers are nothing new, actively recruiting them in numbers
sufficient to make a difference to the industry is.
Immigrant drivers constitute 15.7 percent of the total driver
workforce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American
Community Survey, contrasted with the total U.S. immigrant population
which is estimated at 13 percent. California leads the nation
with 46.7 percent immigrant drivers, followed by New Jersey at 40.4
percent, Florida at 32.2 percent and New York at 25.7 percent.
Immigrant drivers tend to be younger than their native-born
counterparts, according to the report. The percentage of nativeborn
drivers over 65 is three times that of immigrants, while “foreign-born
drivers are predominantly between the ages of 25-44.”
While the trucking industry is clearly open to filling cabs with
immigrants in numbers almost 3 percent higher than the U.S. average,
the term “actively recruiting” may be misleading. Few companies
are recruiting immigrants as a class, said David Heller, director
of safety and policy for the Truckload Carriers Association. But foreign-born
drivers are obviously a source to be tapped, he added.
“Any avenue in which we can safely train new pools of people
interested in driving a commercial motor vehicle would be worth
going down,” Heller said. “Carriers generally leave no stone unturned
when trying to recruit new drivers. [A driver job] is a great
stepping stone” to the American dream.
The combination of the high-profile driver shortage and the increasing
numbers and visibility of foreign-born truck drivers has
interested the academic community and has lead recently to a surprisingly
large body of research on the subject by universities and
think tanks.
Professor Justin Lowry, an anthropologist and specialist in spatial
analysis of social phenomena at George Mason University (GMU)
in Fairfax, Virginia, directs the Institute for Immigration Research
at GMU.
Lowry’s research uses cross-cultural understandings to shed
new light on the studies of migration and immigration in the ancient
and modern world, primarily by producing maps tracing the
history of human migration.
“I make the databases that are required to make the maps,” he
said.
He is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute, where he
directs research projects that help to illuminate the relationship
between immigrants and the United States economy.
22 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

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California leads the nation with 46.7 percent immigrant drivers, followed by New Jersey at
40.4 percent, Florida at 32.2 percent and New York at 25.7 percent.
The Institute produced a detailed research paper on immigrant
truck drivers in January 2015.
“We had done work with taxi drivers,” Lowry said. “Someone
said if you’re going to do taxi drivers you might as well do all driving
industries.”
“Who’s Behind the Wheel? Filling the Seat for Truck Drivers in
the United States,” written by graduate assistant Zahra Khan, explores
the subject in some detail and offers an extensive bibliography
of additional sources.
“Working as a truck driver is a job that requires dedication and
hard work,” Lowry said. “The people who are entering the trucking
industry that are younger, a higher percentage tend to be born
abroad. Immigrants are willing to work hard to support their families.”
Lowry agreed with Heller that few trucking companies are actually
recruiting immigrants, despite the large numbers being hired.
“I think the trucking industry is recruiting anybody who is capable
and anybody who is willing.
“They’re not particularly selecting out immigrants,” he said. “I
would consider truckers to be skilled immigrants because they require
special licensure.
“The trucking industry is actually … a self-selecting industry,” he
said. “It’s a very pragmatic job. Not like fireman, astronaut, doctor,
nurse. [However] it is people who are tenacious and willing to
overcome boundaries. Those interests develop later in life.”
A major characteristic of immigrant drivers appears to be strong
national groupings. Large numbers of drivers from Russia and the
former Soviet Union live and work in the Western and Northern
U.S.
“The former denizens of the moribund Soviet bloc seem to be
an example of how some immigrant groups tend to cluster around
professions and locations, forming cultural and economic ghettos
— for instance, Chinatowns, or the Filipino medical workers who
fill the labor needs of many hospitals,” wrote Pat Dawson in Time
Magazine.
According to the George Mason study, the large majority, almost
60 percent, of immigrant truck drivers in the U.S. hail from Central
America and the Caribbean.
“The country of birth for the trucking industry, the major country
of birth for truckers, is Mexico,” Lowry said.
The trucking industry is dogged by a high attrition rate and an
“aging native-born workforce,” the report stated, leading to the
conclusion that “without immigrant workers this industry would be
in decline.”
A person must be able to read and speak English well enough
to “converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic
signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official
inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records,” according
to federal law. This is an area of the industry’s training programs
needing improvement, Lowry said.
“The trucking industry has a training system and programs in
place,” he said. “One of the places that we have identified that the
industry could improve is language training.”
The H-2B visa allows employers to hire foreign nationals to fill
workforce shortages, the report said. The annual cap for such visas
is 66,000 workers nationally.
“The demand for workers, including truck drivers, surpasses this
quota,” the report stated.
“There is a need to increase the cap to encourage the inflow of
foreign-born workers to the U.S,” the Institute’s report stated.
Aside from the limited number available, H-2B visas can be obtained
with relatively little paperwork on the part of the employer,
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported.
“In most circumstances, a statement of need that is sufficiently
detailed, for which there is no articulable basis to doubt
its credibility, may, by itself, establish the petitioner’s temporary
need without supporting documentation,” according to the DHS
website.
TCA’s Heller was cautious with regard to H-2B expansion.
“I believe there was an initiative a few years back,” he said.
“It just hasn’t come about. It’s one of those things I think we’re
in favor of exploring any opportunity that presents itself. We
can’t blindly say we’re in favor without explaining the ramifications.”
H-2B reform depends on the 2016 presidential elections, Lowry
said. He declined to speculate on the candidates’ individual positions.
Judging from his campaign website, likely Republican nominee
and New York business tycoon Donald Trump’s sole position on immigration
deals with preventing illegal immigration. Trump’s main
method of dealing with illegal immigrants is to build a wall between
the U.S. and Mexico. The wall would be paid for by threatening to
outlaw money transfers out of the U.S. unless the sender can prove
he is legally in the country. Then, when Mexico protested, the U.S.
would “tell Mexico that if the Mexican government will contribute
the funds needed to … pay for the wall, the Trump administration
will not promulgate the final rule, and the regulation will not go
into effect.”
The percentage of native-born drivers
over 65 is three times that of immigrants,
while “foreign-born drivers are
predominantly between the ages of 25-44.”
According to the website of likely Democratic nominee Hillary
Clinton, a former U.S. secretary of state and senator from New
York, a Clinton administration would focus on helping immigrants
become legal citizens and “promote naturalization and support immigrant
integration,” and “end family detention and close private
immigrant detention centers.” In addition, the website states, Clinton
would “significantly increase federal resources for adult English
language education and citizenship education.”
Clinton’s plans more closely follow Lowry’s recommendations,
certainly, and would apparently encourage legal immigrants to pursue
truck driving and other vocations, if Lowry is correct in his
assertions.
A downside of encouraging the hiring of immigrant drivers is the
possibility of fraudulent CDLs. Though illegally-obtained CDLs have
plagued the industry for years with the possibility of poorly-trained
drivers, immigrants seeking CDLs appear to be a particular target
of this crime.
The Time article notes a 2008 case in St. Louis. Mustafa Redzic,
24 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

owner of the Bosnia Truck Driving School, was sentenced to 75
months in prison when convicted of bribery, conspiracy and fraud.
“Prosecutors charged that Redzic’s students were given short
CDL tests or no tests at all after Redzic bribed the manager of a
testing facility, resulting in at least 469 ill-gotten CDLs,” the article
stated. The article also mentioned similar incidents in Utah and
Pennsylvania.
“Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania indicted nine people for allegedly
running a scheme to sell state CDLs to ill-prepared drivers,”
it stated. “Vitaliy and Tatyana Kroshnev allegedly billed hundreds
of students coming from 26 states — many of whom were Russian
speakers — up to $2,200 each at their International Training
Academy to successfully pass their CDL tests, and according to the
FBI, they are accused of enlisting foreign-language interpreters
who gave applicants the answers to the written commercial driver’s
license permit test.”
And last year in Florida, U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley prosecuted
Elariy Medvednik, Natalia Dontsova, Adrian Salari and Clarence
Davis for conspiracy to aid and abet the unlawful production of
CDLs.
“According to the indictment, Medvednik, Dontsova, and Salari
were affiliated with Larex, Inc., a commercial truck driving school,”
an FBI news release stated. “Larex marketed itself to Russian
speakers online. Individuals residing out-of-state seeking Florida
CDLs would contact Medvednik to arrange for Larex’s services at
the cost of approximately $2,000. Those individuals would then
travel to Florida to obtain their CDLs with the intention of returning
to their home states immediately afterward. However, to obtain
The truck driver shortage is steadily growing. In 2014, the industry was 38,000
drivers short, by the end of 2015 it had reached about 48,000. If the trend continues,
the shortage may balloon to almost 175,000 by 2024.
for 10 to 15 minutes. The respondents were willing to share their
thoughts with the researchers, as there were almost no refusals to
participate in the study.”
In other words, truck drivers, at least the ones on that day at
that truck stop, were willing to take time out of a busy day to help
someone who appeared to take an interest in their job, to complete
“I think the trucking industry is recruiting anybody who is capable and anybody who is
willing. They’re not particularly selecting out immigrants. I would consider truckers to be
skilled immigrants because they require special licensure.”
— Justin Lowry, George Mason University
a Florida CDL, an individual must first possess a Florida driver’s
license. The State of Florida restricts its driver’s licenses and CDLs
to Florida residents. Medvednik, Dontsova, and Salari conspired to
provide false documentation that the individuals resided with them,
so that the individuals could obtain Florida driver’s licenses.”
Medvednik pled guilty to conspiring to forge identification documents
and to producing forged documents. The other charges were
dropped. U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton Jr. sentenced Medvednik
on January 11, 2016, to one year in a federal prison camp
and fined him $30,000. The previous month, Dalton had sentenced
Dontsova to 10 months in confinement on the conspiracy charge;
all other charges against her were dismissed.
All charges against Davis were dismissed, while Salari is scheduled
for trial in July.
In a 2011 study published in the International Journal of Management,
about 60 percent of the drivers interviewed said they
would not recommend their job to their children. Excessive time
away from home, difficulty in making a reasonable income and lack
of respect were the most commonly cited reasons.
Yet almost 40 percent said they would recommend truck driving
to their children. Most common reasons were no two days are the
same, a “smart” worker can make a good living and the job teaches
responsibility and independence due to a lack of direct supervision.
One other characteristic of truck drivers stood out in the methodology
of the study. Interviews took place at “a large truck stop
located adjacent to an interstate highway. One-hundred four drivers,
who had stopped to refuel their trucks, were each interviewed
a survey. Presumably, these drivers, rather than lounging around
between trips, had other things to do and places to be, as they
“had stopped to refuel their trucks.” The questions did not take
a few seconds or a minute, but 10-15 minutes. Yet there were
“almost no refusals.”
In addition, trucker Ismael Abassov, who grew up in Russia and
Turkey and has been driving for three years, told Saul Gonzalez
of Public Radio International (PRI) in April 2016 that “American
drivers always offered a helping hand when [I] needed it. When I
started, I didn’t know this job, I had never done it, but I was asking
and they helped me a lot.”
And Illia Khmelchenko, a 24-year old Ukrainian native who drives
with his father Roman for DC Transport of Sacramento, California,
echoed Abassov’s comments. He and his father have never had any
problems with American drivers, he said. Though he’s only been in
the United States since 2011 and only been driving since last year,
he has been quick to pick up the lingo.
“When I was a four-wheeler I thought [truckers] didn’t drive
properly,” he said. “Since I’ve been driving a truck it’s the absolute
opposite. Four-wheelers drive like crazy idiots.”
The picture that emerges of a commercial truck driver is one of
a patient, helpful person, busy but willing to help even when no
benefits accrue to himself. Any profession filled with workers like
that must have something going for it.
Aprille Hanson, a special correspondent for The Trucker
newspaper, contributed to this report.
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 25

Sponsored by SKYBITz
SKYBITz.com | 866.922.4708
By Lyndon Finney
July 1996: NEWS FLASH: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) study
reveals a shortage of commercial truck parking in the United States.
March 2002: NEWS FLASH: FHWA study reveals a shortage of commercial
truck parking spaces in the United States.
May 2012: NEWS FLASH: FHWA study reveals a shortage of commercial
truck parking spaces in the United States.
August 2015: NEWS FLASH: FHWA study reveals a shortage of commercial
truck parking spaces in the United States.
Twenty years, four studies, zero change.
The report issued last August is known as Jason’s Law, named for trucker
Jason Rivenburg of Fultonham, New York, who was murdered while parked
at an abandoned gas station in 2009.
Rivenburg’s wife Hope became an advocate for more truck parking and
her efforts caught the attention of lawmakers who on at least two occasions
introduced stand-alone bills that they said would help solve the parking
problem through legislation.
Those efforts weren’t successful, but lawmakers finally were able to enact
Jason’s Law as part of MAP-21, the 2012 long-term surface transportation
bill, calling for a survey to determine if adequate parking is available for
truck drivers based on the level of commercial traffic in a particular state.
DOT lined up the big guns to tout the results of the Jason’s Law study.
“We know truck parking has been a longstanding problem in our nation
— we need new approaches to fix it,” said U.S. Deputy Transportation
Secretary Victor Mendez. “Now more than ever, this country needs better
planning, investment and involvement of all those who have a stake in safe
truck parking.”
“Without truck drivers, America’s businesses would suffer and the economy
would come to a halt,” said Federal Highway Administrator Gregory
Nadeau. “They deliver the goods and products we use every day, and are
critical to freight movement in our country.”
“Highway safety depends in part on making sure hardworking, professional
truck drivers have a safe place to recuperate after spending hours on
the road,” said FMCSA Acting Administrator Scott Darling. “We at FMCSA are
committed to addressing this shortage of safe and convenient truck parking
for the drivers who do so much to advance our economy.”
Out of the survey came the formation of the National Coalition on Truck
Parking that is presently working to find solutions.
The coalition includes the FHWA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,
the American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials, the American Trucking Associations, the Owner-Operator Independent
Drivers Association, the National Association of Truckstop Operators
and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
The coalition met last November to identify the following focus areas for
success:
• Technology/data
• Safety/security
• Funding and finance (regulatory/policy)
• Community Education
• Capacity (land use/siting/ramping), and
• Creative models and solutions.
Beginning in June, coalition members will host regional truck parking
meetings across the country to help states, local planning groups and governments,
and the private sector identify and focus on the needs in their regions
and to identify critical locations of concern, a spokesperson for FHWA
told Truckload Authority.
Some 8,000 professional truck drivers took part in the survey.
They painted a clear and concise picture of the problems they face when
it comes time to pull off the road:
• Thirty-nine percent said they spend one hour or longer to find parking.
• Drivers indicated that if parking was not found by mid-afternoon or
early evening in either a rest area or private truck stop, the next suitable
option is a well-lighted shopping area due to safety concerns. However, drivers
stated they worried that during their rest period they would be asked to
leave or given a citation by law enforcement.
• Fifty-three percent regularly use a commercial truck stop for rest and
20 percent regularly use a rest area. Other options used regularly include
shipper/receiver locations (20 percent), on/off ramps (8 percent), abandoned
lots/isolated areas (10 percent) and behind shopping centers (11
percent).
• Eighty-eight percent of drivers felt unsafe while parked during mandatory
rest or while waiting for pickup or delivery of a load over the past 12
months, and
• Thirty-six percent felt safer parked at a shipper and receiver location.
Most in the industry acknowledge that on any given night, there are
parking spaces to be found all across the country.
The issue is size and location, and maybe availability when you compare
both the 2002 and Jason’s Law surveys.
The Jason’s Law report found there currently are 1,908 public parking
locations with 36,222 spaces compared with 1,771 locations and 31,249
spaces listed in the 2002 survey.
Today, the report said there are 6,376 private parking locations compared
with 3,382 in 2002.
That would mean there are 308,920 spaces available now, both public
and private.
The 2002 survey said there were an estimated 315,850 parking spaces
at public rest areas and commercial truck stops and travel plazas serving
interstate highways and other National Highway System (NHS) routes carrying
more than 1,000 trucks per day.
Just how many of these spaces are “usable” is another question that
must be addressed.
Trucking industry stakeholders point to the Mississippi River as a natural
divide: East of the Mississippi River, where the greatest preponderance of
freight is moved, there just aren’t enough spaces to go around. West of the
26 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

Mississippi River, there are adequate spaces to meet the need for parking
with perhaps Texas and California being exceptions.
Another issue today may be the number of spaces and amenities available
at private locations.
Only 5 percent of private locations have in excess of 200 parking spaces.
Seventy-nine percent have fewer than 100 spaces; 39 percent of those
have less than 25 spaces.
Fifty-six percent of the private locations have no showers; 15 percent
have one or two; 14 percent three, four or five and 15 percent have six or
more.
Location is also an issue.
A report by Trucker Path, which offers a trip planning app, says that during
peak parking hours of 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., there is a 36 percent parking
space availability throughout the United States.
It’s just that many of those empty spaces are off the beaten path, truckers
will tell you.
So this being the fourth such parking survey and given the fact that the
other three did little to solve the problem, why should the trucking community
believe this one will lead to a solution?
“The Jason’s Law survey was in direct response to the tragic loss of a
commercial motor vehicle operator,” the FHWA spokesperson said. “It received
attention from citizens and legislators across the country, thanks to
the efforts of his widow, Hope Rivenburg. To ensure a comprehensive view
of the issues, FHWA surveyed a broad population of stakeholders involved
in truck parking — states, as called for in law, as well as truckers and truck
stop owners and operators, and law enforcement. This highlighted gaps in
the information states had as compared to real-life experiences in the field.
Additional information released with the survey results included a section
on recommended metrics for states and others to help improve the type
of data that will inform truck parking analysis and ultimately investment in
facilities and communications. Finally, the U.S. Department of Transportation
responded to the survey results by creating a national coalition on truck
parking.”
Solving the truck parking problem will require the concerted efforts of
federal and state governments, the FWHA spokesperson added, noting that
the federal government is providing leadership in this area by convening
the coalition and other meetings for continued dialogue by identifying best
practices through these meetings; offering technical assistance and through
formula and discretionary funding to be leveraged with state, local or private
sector matching funds.
The federal government is encouraging states to address truck parking
in their infrastructure planning and investment, including consideration of
truck parking in their state freight plans and in conversations held during
state freight advisory committee meetings with industry, and encouraging
the private sector to be an active participant in the planning and investment.
The spokesperson said the FHWA will re-issue the survey in later years
to track progress in addressing truck parking needs and information, adding
that states should work with the trucking industry and local governments
and community groups to identify needs and solutions that work for all.
Investment need not fall solely to the public sector.
The FWHA is also calling on the private sector to engage in planning and
investment, and to work with communities to design and locate facilities
that will mitigate public concerns about safety, noise, lighting, emissions
and other factors. Tools for locating available truck parking are emerging
from states and the private sector, and apps, roadway signage and other
technologies will help foster better access to safe truck parking, the agency
stated.
Adding and maintaining new parking spaces is expensive, says Tiffany
Wlazlowski Neuman, senior director of communications and public affairs at
NATSO, which represents travel plaza and truck stop owners and operators
in the U.S.
“It costs between $8,000 and $10,000 to build a space,” Neuman said.
“Maintenance costs can range between $2,000 and $15,000 depending on
the size of the lot and where you are in the country. Maintenance is more
expensive, for example, in colder climates. Maintenance includes the cost
of snow removal, fence repair, painting, patching potholes as well as trash
pickup and labor and security, among other things.”
Tom Liutkus, vice president, marketing and public relations at TravelCenters
of America, which operates TA and Petro Stopping Center locations, said
his company had added 1,200 new spaces in the last three or four years.
Adding more spaces is related to opportunities, Liutkus said.
“It’s about where we have the ability to expand, where we have the
need to expand and perhaps there’s geography around us that compels us
to expand,” he said. “We try to balance all those things. We might expand a
location if there’s land available.”
How does TA determine where it might expand an existing facility?
“If we are in a position where our location is capacity filled — and it
usually starts there — whether we own land or there is land available, then
those are things we’ll at least consider,” Liutkus said. “I want to make it clear
as I answer these [questions] that today it’s very opportunistic. There’s
no program where we’re saying our goal is to expand by a set number of
spaces. It’s very opportunistic because we fully understand if we’re capacity
constrained there’s an economic benefit to us if we have the ability to
expand 20-30-40 parking spaces. Those are extra customers and that’s a
good thing. We are not opposed to adding spaces if the opportunity arises
and the need is proven.”
Liutkus said TA had several such projects under way, but the company
isn’t ready to reveal its plans before the capital has been assigned.
There are 48,218 spaces available at TA/Petro locations.
For its entire network during peak hours of late evening into early morning,
Liutkus said the company’s parking capacity reaches 85-86 percent.
A company spokesperson said Pilot Flying J continues to expand the company
footprint in order to offer guests and professional drivers enhanced
food options, fuel and other conveniences.
“We listen to the feedback of the fleets and drivers with whom we work
closely and work to identify the kinds of locations that will benefit everyone
while still allowing us to offer the best-in-class services without compromise.”
Since January, Pilot Flying J has added seven new locations, bringing its
total parking spaces to more than 69,000 across its network.
Additionally, “We’ve enhanced Wi-fi offerings at our more than 650 locations
and we’re planning a large-scale remodeling program aimed at updating
more than 40 locations over the next several months,” said the spokesperson,
who then addressed the location issue.
“The issue is really a combination of lack of spaces and where parking
locations are situated,” he said. “If products were being shipped only from
coast-to-coast, it would be easier to designate spots in the exact areas
needed by drivers. Today, however, products are being shipped everywhere
and along many different routes. Obviously, there are transportation corridors
that have much higher traffic than others, and generally it is much
easier to find spaces along those routes. However, as consumer reach increases
and urban areas continue to grow, there will be destinations that are
off the main arteries, making it challenging to plan trips and find locations
for parking.”
Both TA and Pilot Flying J have turned to mobile apps to better help drivers
find available parking.
“With our truck smart app we have the ability for a driver to locate a
parking place” at TA/Petro locations “and we have … several years of data
where we have a predictive model so that we know on a particular hour on
a particular day of the week of a particular month if you are looking for a
parking space you can estimate that there’ll be ‘X’ number available or there
might not be any available,” Liutkus said.
“So we can at least provide information to help the driver when they
are seeking to find a spot so they don’t have to by sheer luck drive to one
location, drive up and down the lot and then go to next location and do the
same thing so by the fourth location they are lucky enough to find a spot
or two.”
The Pilot Flying J spokesperson said his company offers different options
for drivers to find available spaces at its travel centers.
“The MyPilot mobile app provides drivers the location information and
directions to all of our travel centers, allowing for easy and accurate trip
planning,” the spokesperson said. “Additionally, the MyPilot app provides
current fuel prices, as well as instant access to customer service representatives
that can help identify if spots are open and take a reservation for
parking. Based on feedback from fleet owners and drivers, we’ve set aside a
fixed number of spaces at about 300 locations that can be reserved, giving
drivers the option of having a space ready and waiting for them when they
stop at one of those locations.”
The safety risks of parking at an unsecured location are well known and
are documented in the Jason’s Law survey report.
Those include the safety of commercial and non-commercial drivers from
trucks parking on ramps and other unofficial areas; the health, safety and
compliance risk that drivers face when running out of hours in an area
lacking safe truck parking; and the labor and cost risks that the trucking
industry will face as growing demand for goods shipped by trucks strains the
operating capacity of the system.
Is the truck parking shortage really “fixable” or is this going to be an issue
that plagues the industry for years to come?
“There are no insurmountable obstacles to success in solving the truck
parking shortages provided that both the public and private sectors recognize
the critical nature of the issue and work cooperatively to fix it,” the
FWHA spokesperson said.
Maybe after 20 years of studying and analyzing the issue, there is “Hope”
this time things will be different.
28 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

Pay per mile
By Lyndon Finney
The American public and the trucking industry
are not on the same page when it comes to their
views on how best to fund those desperately
needed repairs for the nation’s roads and bridges
or how to pay for new highways to alleviate congestion
on the interstate highway system — now
in excess of 50 years old and well past the number
of years it was designed to be effective.
To be fair, of course, many of the more than
47,000 miles of interstate highway have been
rebuilt — some more than once.
Then there are those thousands of miles of
feeder roads that carry traffic to the interstate
system.
And many of them have been rebuilt and rebuilt
and rebuilt.
But even with the best maintenance money
can buy, you can only extend the life of these old
roads so far.
So how much will it cost to pump life into
these old highways, and to expand on them to
accommodate increases in traffic?
Robert W. Poole Jr., a transportation expert at
the Reason Foundation, estimated late last year
that it will take roughly $1 trillion.
Others have estimated that reconstruction and
modernization could cost as much as $3 trillion.
As everyone in trucking knows, Congress has
barely begun to think through what it will take to
rebuild and upgrade the entire network of interstate
and national highways.
That’s probably because lawmakers know
they just can’t pull a rabbit out of the hat and
solve the problem.
It’s going to take money and lots of it.
What’s more, the American public isn’t going
to line up at the nearest revenue office and voluntarily
drop dollars into the coffer.
So the only way to get the necessary revenue
is through a tax of some type.
Trucking advocates an increase in the fuel tax
indexed to inflation.
Remember, they say, the fuel tax hasn’t been
increased since 1993.
According to various calculations, the 18.4
cents-a-gallon gasoline tax needs to be raised to
30 cents and the 24.4 cents-a-gallon diesel tax
needs to be raised to 40 cents a gallon just to
keep track of inflation.
“Raising the fuel tax is the easiest way to fund
infrastructure needs,” says Dave Heller, director
of safety and policy at the Truckload Carriers
Association. “It’s taking advantage of systems in
place right now.”
Although he pledged that the association
would always explore options that come forward,
such as vehicle miles traveled or road use taxes,
“as it stands right now,” he explained, “a fuel tax
is the way to go because the infrastructure to
collect that tax is already in place and the mechanism
to disperse those dollars is in place.”
The public doesn’t share trucking’s support of
a fuel tax increase.
A new America THINKS national public opinion
survey by HNTB Corp., an employee-owned infrastructure
solutions firm serving public and private
owners and contractors, reveals that nearly 160
million Americans (65 percent) would support the
use of a road-usage fee option such as VMT (vehicle
miles traveled) or a mileage-based user fee
to help fund transportation costs.
Only 24 percent said they favored a fuel tax
increase.
These new findings demonstrate a significant
increase in favorability from a similar survey
conducted in 2014 when 50 percent of respondents
said they would support this approach to
infrastructure funding, HNTB officials said.
The survey, “Transportation Mobility 2016,”
also found that close to 170 million Americans (69
percent) agree that priced managed lanes should
be considered when making improvements to U.S.
highways.
“The growing recognition that new ways
are needed to pay the costs of maintaining and
building our transportation infrastructure shows
Americans understand that fundamental shifts in
funding infrastructure are happening. More and
more people realize that road-usage fee options,
such as vehicle miles traveled or priced managed
lanes, are needed to fill the gaps resulting from
declining ability of federal gas taxes to provide
needed funds,” said certified planner Matthew
Click, HNTB vice president and national director of
priced managed lanes. “Yet the use of traditional
approaches, such as federal gas taxes, sales and
property taxes, continue to be favored by certain
segments of the population,” he noted.
The survey’s findings show that more than
half (55 percent) of Americans believe funding to
maintain and build the nation’s infrastructure of
local roads, bridges and tunnels over the next 10
years should come from increased taxes, including
gas taxes (24 percent), sales taxes (20 percent)
and property taxes (11 percent) versus user
fees (45 percent).
Similarly, for the funding of maintenance, additional
lanes and safety improvements for the
nation’s interstate highways, 56 percent of Americans
would prefer increased taxes, such as federal
gas taxes (28 percent), sales taxes (17 percent), or
property taxes (10 percent), over user fees.
The America THINKS survey identifies the
emergence of significant generational differences
in how infrastructure should be funded over the
next 10 years. For local infrastructure needs, 68
percent of millennials — ages 18-34 — prefer
increased general taxes or user fees in lieu of
only gas taxes, compared to fewer generation X-
ers — ages 35-49 — (58 percent), baby boomers
— ages 50-68 — (43 percent) or seniors — 69
plus — (51 percent).
The survey also found that millennials and
generation X-ers are over three times as likely
as their baby boomer and senior counterparts
(17 percent versus 5 percent) to prefer to pay for
local infrastructure needs through higher property
taxes.
And, more millennials (25 percent) and generation
X-ers (21 percent) than baby boomers (14
percent) would opt to pay with higher sales taxes.
Another generational difference emerges on
the desirability of user fees, such as vehicle miles
traveled or mileage-based user fees.
Almost four in five Americans (77 percent)
ages 18-24 are likely to support these types of
fees versus 63 percent of older Americans.
Also, Americans ages 18-24 are more likely
than their older counterparts (79 percent versus
67 percent) to agree that priced managed lanes
should be considered when making improvements
to the nation’s highways.
HNTB’s America THINKS transportation mobility
2016 survey was conducted by Kelton Global
among 1,002 nationally representative Americans
ages 18 and older between March 14 and March
22, using an e-mail invitation and online survey.
Quotas were set to ensure reliable representation
of the entire U.S. population ages 18 and older.
The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percent.
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 29

SUMMER | TCA 2016
A Chat With The Chairman
30 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

Sponsored by
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Foreword and interview by Micah Jackson
Having served as the Texas Motor Transportation Association’s chairman and watched both his father
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one-year term, Chairman Russell Stubbs tells Truckload Authority readers why it is “déjà vu all over again”
on one major issue and addresses the changes happening in the driver and technician markets. Saddle up for
this edition of “A Chat with the Chairman!”
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 31

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Mr. Chairman, thank you for joining us for the second chat of your
chairmanship. Talk about your involvement in trucking issues over
your career as it has spanned several decades now.
I first got involved at
the state level in the late
1980s with the Texas Motor
Transportation Association,
which is now called the
Texas Trucking Association.
I started going to meetings
and learning what the industry
was about and how
to advocate at the state and
grassroots levels. I got on a
couple of committees. The
issues at the state level,
especially in Texas, [deal
with] the size and weight
issue, a lot of licensing issues
and overweight permits
since there is a lot of
oil and gas business in Texas.
The state association
make-up is a little different
from the national association.
The big issues are the
federal issues of course. As
I got involved in the Truckload
Carriers Association in
the later ‘90s, the federal
issues were different. HOS
has always been a big issue,
size and weight has always
been a big issue, drug testing, CSA, newer emissions standards, new
engines, we’ve had to deal with that stuff forever. And then defending
our image against the anti-truck groups that are always out there
promoting “safety” — sometimes at our expense — is important. Obviously,
we know safety is our No. 1 priority, whether it be at the state,
local or national level. We continually try hard to make our company
safer, which makes the roads safer.
In our last chat, you said many of the issues trucking faces today
are issues that your dad and your grandfather faced many years
ago.
Absolutely. It was kind of funny. I was telling my dad about the
conference in March in Las Vegas and told him we had a size-andweight
vote. He just laughed. He said, “I know we had one when
I was chairman and I know we had one when your granddad was
chairman, so some things never change.”
Let’s talk about that size-and-weight vote. TCA did change its
position on size and weight. Talk about that, the reason for the
change and what the change is.
Here’s the deal with truck size and weight as this issue, judging
from my previous answers, has been around for decades. We as
an association are dedicated to placing our best foot forward in representing
the desired goals of our membership and that statement
accurately reflects this year’s change. After lengthy discussion at
our Highway Policy committee meeting, a change was recommended
to the board.
Our board members had some very active discussions about it.
Some very good comments were brought up, one being that we can
support the current law, but if there’s any momentum, or technology
changes, or if there is anything out there that gives us reason
to change, we will immediately convene that committee and look at
options and alternatives. Ultimately, we as an association remain
committed to reflecting the wishes of our membership and the recent
actions of both our Highway Policy Committee and our Board of
Directors accurately signifies that.
What are your overall thoughts on the Safety Fitness
Determination rulemaking?
We like the fact that
there is something out
there that will rate carriers
and will take bad carriers
off the road. Our issue is
which criteria they are going
to use. Are they going
to use CSA scores, which
are all over the place?
What’s more, we don’t
know how accurate CSA
scores are. How many
carriers are going to be
in the program? Some of
the things we’ve heard
say only 75,000 of the
500,000 carriers will even
be rated in the program.
That’s not a very level
playing field. Will they
use inspection data and
compliance reviews to determine
fitness? We don’t
know that yet. What they
propose is if you don’t
pass, you’re unfit. Does
that assume everyone
else is fit unless they are
checked? There’s a lot of
ambiguity out there.
We all agree that infrastructure spending is insufficient and
America’s infrastructure is really crumbling. We disagree on
how to fund it. Trucking obviously wants to see an increase in
the federal fuel tax. Proponents of a vehicle miles traveled tax
are starting to make noise. What do you believe is the right path
forward on this issue?
The fuel tax, wholeheartedly. That’s a fair assessment. It can be
measured. There can’t be any fudging. If a gallon goes in the tank you
pay the tax on it. A vehicle miles traveled tax is another thing you
would have to account for and keep up with and there could be some
fudging going on there to say nothing of the administrative costs. The
fuel tax is simple. It’s already in place. Everybody understands it and I
think that’s the best way to build support. We have to keep the Highway
Trust Fund going. The roads are our workplace and that’s where
we earn our money. The fuel tax is the way to do it in my opinion.
Selling that to Congress is one thing, selling that to the American
public is another. How should trucking go about trying to sell
increasing fuel taxes for infrastructure spending?
It’s a tough sell, but you have to understand that since the
money goes back into building a highway, it becomes the responsibility
of our highway users to keep our infrastructure in good working
condition. That’s what it’s for. Everyone has to understand they
have to pay their way. Trucks buy a lot more fuel than cars do. They
get less fuel mileage so they are going to buy more and they travel
more miles. We are going to pay our share for sure. I think as an
association and an industry we just have to sell that message that
roads are for traveling; it costs money to build roads and we all
have to pay.
What is your perspective on the capacity issue with drivers
exiting the industry at an alarming rate and not entering the
industry at the rate we need?
Well, the facts are that the baby boomers are retiring — that
was the stable workforce of the truck driving industry forever. We
32 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 33

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McLeodSoftware.com | 877.362.5363
haven’t done a good job of bringing the newer folks into the industry.
Part of it is just the way the world’s changing. You know
the way children were brought up in the ‘70s and ‘80s: They’re
not as nomadic as some people; [they] sit in front of a TV or sit in
front of a laptop and are working from home and not working long
hours, not working weekends and holidays. It’s a different job; I’m
not saying it’s not the same job, but a different type of people are
coming in that don’t want to do it. I think a lot of different carriers
are doing a good job of figuring that out, trying to break up the
long-haul runs and trying to increase driver satisfaction. We’re trying
to make it a job that will be attractive to a younger person and
obviously pay has to come into that, too. However, our margins are
so thin it’s hard to jump out and have a significant pay increase
without price increases from our shippers.
OVERWEIGHT?
I DON’T THINK SO.
DOESN’T
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unconditionally guaranteed weights every time.
We’ve got a maintenance issue also with the lack of new
technicians coming into the industry. Give Truckload Authority
readers your thoughts on how we can improve in this area.
This is also a difficult task. They’re as hard to find as qualified
drivers. I know one of the big Freightliner dealers down in this part
of the country has a fully air-conditioned shop and they did that to
retain their technicians. There are a lot of changes going on in the
industry and it’ll be interesting to see where it goes.
You are now a few months into your chairmanship. Tell Truckload
Authority readers a little bit about what you’ve been up to over
the first quarter of your tenure.
Just last week we had the Safety & Security Division meeting
in Fort Worth, which I attended and spoke at and got to visit with
a lot of safety professionals in our industry. I was very pleased to
see Garth [Pitzel] from Bison Transport win the safety (Clare C.
Casey) award. It was nice to spend some time with him and the
group there. I’m on the phone with John Lyboldt probably two or
three days a week and I talk to Dave Heller quite a bit. Our officers
get together on a monthly call and also on a leadership call with
last year’s Chairman [Keith] Tuttle and next year’s chairman Rob
Penner. We also do a monthly call with ATA, Governor Graves and
his staff to be sure we’re both in line with each other. I’ve talked to
Pat Thomas and Kevin Burch, ATA’s chairman and incoming chairman
a couple of times. One big thing is that we’re moving our fall
board meeting to Washington, D.C. Typically we have it during the
ATA MC&E conference, but this year there were some scheduling
conflicts on the committee meeting times and the board meeting
times and to be sure we were going to have a quorum for our
meetings we decided to take it to a vote of our executive committee
and board of directors and we decided to move our meetings
to Washington in September and that will be the day after Wreaths
Across America so hopefully we’ll have a boosted attendance at the
Wreaths Gala and folks will already be in town for the committee
and board meetings.
Speaking of the Gala, there are many members who have not yet
attended a Wreaths Across America Gala. Talk about why they
should and the purpose of the event.
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Now accepting:
We want everyone to join us on this very special night as we
give something back to those who have served and sacrificed their
lives for our country. The Gala will be held this year on September
20 at the Washington Hilton. We’ll raise awareness and funds to
help deliver fresh remembrance wreaths to veterans’ graves at Arlington
National Cemetery, as well as to over 1,100 veterans’ cemeteries
across North America, on National Wreaths Across America
Day, to be held this year on December 17. This Gala celebrates
the close connection that the trucking industry has with veterans,
who often choose to make their careers with us after leaving the
military.
34 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org

SUMMER | TCA 2016
Member Mailroom
How does TCA develop policy and
where can I view those policies?
www.truckload.org/Issues-Policies
TCA’s new Truckload REFUELED program has questions coming
into the association at a record pace, and most pertain to the association’s
representation in the policy arena. The particular question
that seems to be asked most frequently is, “How does TCA develop
policy and where can I look to see what TCA’s positions are on particular
issues?”
TCA prides itself on being a member-driven organization. In other
words, everything we do is done with membership in mind so that
we can collectively represent our members’ viewpoints on Capitol Hill
with our federal regulators and with the general public as a whole.
That being said, policy starts with our policy committees. TCA’s Highway
Policy Committee, Regulatory Policy Committee and Independent
Contractor Practices Policy Committee meet in the spring and
fall and are tasked with discussing issues as they present themselves
in the federal legislative, regulatory and business environment.
TCA staff is generally ahead of the curve when it comes to issues
our industry faces. However, we also ask that our members submit
discussion topics that they may encounter on a daily basis or provide
staff with information on matters that may be problematic and need
to be addressed by our policy committees.
Once an issue is discussed and vetted by our committees, a recommendation
may arise to amend a policy, develop an action plan
or perhaps dive further into an issue so that we can best position
our association to accurately reflect our members’ views. Those actionable
items are placed before TCA’s Board of Directors, discussed
and voted upon to provide direction and/or possibly create, revise or
even delete policies.
These policies are TCA’s guiding principles which help formulate
our opinion in messages that we deliver to Congress or comments
that we may submit on federal rulemakings. Once all is said and
done, those policies are transparent and easily accessible on our
association’s website at www.truckload.org/Issues-Policies.
We encourage all TCA members to take part in the policy-making
activities within our association so that we can ensure that every
member has an opportunity to reflect their voice in any direction that
our organization travels.
by Dave Heller
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 35

SUMMER | TCA 2016
Talking TCA
By Lyndon Finney and Dorothy Cox
There it is.
A picture worth a thousand words, or maybe even 10,000.
Two-and-a-half-year-old Collin Craig is perched on the running board of
a tractor.
Craig Transportation is emblazoned on the door of the blue truck.
Craig? Hmm, name sounds familiar.
Let me think a bit.
Seems as though I remember hearing about a Norwood Craig, a Dale
Craig, a John Craig, but not a Collin Craig.
Well, it’s best you get used to hearing that name because if he follows
in the footsteps of his great-great grandfather, his great grandfather, his
grandfather and his father, you might well see him sitting behind a desk at
the company’s Perrysburg, Ohio, headquarters.
On the placard it well might say “president.”
Sound far-fetched?
Not if you listen to his grandfather and his father talk about the passion
that’s been passed down through the years of this truckload carrier, which
holds the distinction of being the longest-standing member of the Truckload
Carriers Association in terms of years.
Seventy-five of them to be exact.
There’s just something in the genes — passion is probably the best way
to describe it — of this family that says there will be a fifth generation to
lead Craig Transportation.
If you don’t believe us, well, just listen to what the third and fourth generations
have to say.
The third is Lance Craig Sr., grandson of Norwood and son of Dale.
Lance Craig Sr. said Norwood Craig, a grocery huckster who delivered
provisions directly to residences and farms near Pennville, Indiana, with a
mule-drawn wagon, started the company.
In 1914, the mule was replaced by a Model-T Ford, which gave Norwood
Craig more power to load more goods and deliver to his customers
faster. In 1928, he bought his first trailer that was 60 feet in length to
pull automobiles. While returning empty from a delivery of automobiles
in 1932, he came upon a truck accident rollover involving a load of glass
bottles. Norwood Craig offered to haul away the broken glass.
36 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

GRAND FAMILY
of TCA
FIVE GENERATIONS OF TRUCKING & TCA SUPPORT
It was the
first — and certainly not
the last load — Craig Transportation
moved as a freight
hauler.
The company continued to grow
and its leadership was passed to Norwood
Craig’s son Dale, the late Dale Craig,
who relocated the company to its current
site.
Other than the fact that in Indiana there was
a large contingent of the Craig family, Lance’s recollection
of the trucking operations didn’t begin until his
father moved the company to Ohio.
“My first recollection [from a trucking perspective] was
when my father was building the terminal here,” Lance Craig
said. “At the time we were a refrigerated company and I remember
the days when my father would come to the office on the weekends
and I’d sit in the car while he would stand on the hood of his Cadillac
to check the ThermoKings. We’d go down the row of a dozen or so
reefers and he’d peer into the reefers and recycle them. I thought that was
a really cool thing, but of course I didn’t understand what he was doing.”
On those weekends, Lance Craig Sr. would spend time with his father at the The present (and future) Craig Transportation brain trust: from
terminal and did everything he could to see what his father was doing and learn as left, Chairman Lance Craig Sr. (holding John Craig’s son Collin),
much as he could about the company.
President John Craig, CFO Michael Craig, CIO Lance Craig
“I was in grade school at the time, but I was really interested in the truck and trailer Jr. and General Manager Brock Pasley, who although not a
side of the business [he preferred that over the office setting].
Craig is considered a member of the family.
“I thought my dad was the smartest man in the world, but I really couldn’t conceive that
I would be running the company. I just knew I wanted to work there.”
To earn money, Lance Craig would drag the stone parking lot with a tractor pulling an I beam
behind it to clear off rocks.
“I would mow the yard and work in the shop, anything I could do,” Lance Craig recalled.
There wasn’t much discussion about succession at the time.
They just talked about Lance working there but by the time he reached high school, Lance knew he
wanted to make a career out of logistics.
There weren’t many college courses on logistics in the 1970s, so Lance decided to study business at Bowling
Green University “right down the street in Toledo, Ohio.”
“I wanted to stay close to home because I just didn’t want to disappear and take off to another land because I
wanted to be close to the business and continue to work here while I was in school.”
Lance had two siblings — Brian and Michael.
They all finished school about the same time and descended on the company.
Brian went to law school. Michael earned an MBA. Because there was a competitive nature among the boys, Lance chose not
to pursue an advanced degree.
“I didn’t want the grass to grow under my feet,” he says now.
Brian is now in private law practice.
Michael worked for the company until just recently.
It was in 1995 that Dale Craig turned over the leadership of the company
to the third generation, his son Lance Craig, Sr., who has since turned over
the reins to his son John, who also was bitten by the trucking bug at an
early age.
“I always took to it. I can honestly say that except for a short period
of time when I was looking at going into the military [he’d been training to
become a Navy SEAL], I’ve worked here,” John said. “I can remember when
I had to get a waiver because I was so young that legally I couldn’t do the
work and get paid and I got paid minimum wage and not a penny more.
My friends would mow for maybe 30 minutes and get paid 50 bucks. I’d be
mowing eight to 12 acres and by the time I’d finish it on Friday the following
Monday I’d have to start over again. And I got maybe $40 after taxes by the
time I was done for a whole week.”
Lance interjected that “I wanted him to feel the pain that I felt when I
got paid $2.50 an hour or so. At his young, impressionable age I wanted
him to feel that.”
Lance also wanted to make sure John aspired to pursue a career in trucking
by paying his dues.
“My father and grandfather would have me out scraping the bumpers of
the trailers and repainting them or sweeping the parking lot
with a push broom. It was just insane, but it never discouraged
me. I knew I wanted to be involved in trucking and I never really
stopped working. There were times when I was growing up that it
got frustrating, but luckily they kept pushing me and didn’t give in and
I was learning that hard work ethic.”
When it came time to go to college, John would probably have preferred
to stay close to the business as his father had done.
No way, José, as the saying goes.
“I was given a distance I had to put between the company and my college.
I had to be at least three to four hours away so that I couldn’t easily
come back … . This [business] was all I really ever knew growing up.”
He ended up at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where his
grandfather had attended in the 1950s. He graduated with a degree in business
from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA).
“The reason I went to Indiana was because Indiana was one of three
schools in 1999 that offered that major [the other two were Harvard and
Yale]. It gave me a chance to not just study private business, but the SPEA
major allowed me to study public business and publically traded companies
along with government agencies, a lot of different roles that the strict business
schools did not teach.”
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 37

But even being three or four hours
away from Perrysburg didn’t keep John
completely away from the office.
Each year, after completing the fall
and spring semesters, he would continue
at Indiana for the first summer session.
“For the first summer session I’d take
a full load of classes and during the second
summer session I would come home
and work at the office.”
During college, he began to get a
grasp of the business when he ran one
of the company’s shuttling operations between
semesters.
“Back then it was an operation where
we would pick up other companies’ loaded
trailers at a particular location [at that
time it was at a Toyota plant near Perrysburg],
bring them back here and park
them,” John said. “Those companies’ drivers
would come here at all hours of the
day and night and pick up their paperwork
and not have to worry about detention or
any of the dwell times, spotting programs
or preloading. That’s when I really got
the bug or the itch. I’ve always known I
wanted to be here. I saw the good and
bad sides of the family business. So I
learned the lessons early on in life. My
brothers — Michael and Lance Jr. — and
I have been raised very respectfully and
close to one another.”
John became president at age 29 in 2010 when his father assumed the
role of chairman of the board.
Today, John’s brother Michael, who has a degree in management and
entertainment [he is a musician who once performed at a TCA meeting], is
Craig Transportation’s chief financial officer.
Lance Jr. is chief information officer and is in charge of recruiting and
retention.
John was hesitant to answer when asked about taking on the title of
president.
“Believe it or not when I started here I refused to take a title. My dad
had a large group of vice presidents with him, one in each department who
had come up the ranks with him. I really wanted to learn the company as
a whole. I didn’t want to be pigeon-holed into one area. Growing up I had
done operations, I had done sales. I had done a lot of the areas; basically
safety was the only one that I really hadn’t been involved with until I came
back from college. So I really went around kind of quietly with no title. Only
because customers wanted to know, I put marketing and sales analyst or
something that wasn’t over the top and threatening on my business card.
I truly don’t believe in titles; I tell that to our staff. If I had my way there
really wouldn’t be any titles at all.”
As chairman of the board, Lance Sr. says it was tough letting go when he
named John president.
But “I really have stepped back.”
He made the decision to transition leadership to the fourth generation
after some soul searching.
“My father contracted dementia and that’s how I got the company because
he just didn’t want to let go. Trucking was his whole life. He worked
it seven days a week,” Lance Sr. said. “He always had a laser focus on it,
he was a top negotiator. My style was a little bit more easygoing, a servant
kind of style. What kind of tells me that I did the right thing is when I look
at John. He has really developed into my father. So that really gives comfort
to me and my wife. He’s a seven-day-a-week guy. He’s out here every
day. He’s got the laser focus. He’s one tough, tough negotiator and a smart
cookie. So it’s good to see how these generations repeat themselves. He’s
strong, he really is. He really does love and believe in our heritage.”
Craig Transportation’s membership in TCA [it used to be called the Common
Carriers Conference] began when Norwood Craig decided he wanted to
expand his relationship on a national basis at a time when there were common
carriers and contract carriers and motor carriers were who concerned
about the future of their organizations.
“It was all about some pressure that
some in the industry were getting from the
government about re-designating from a
contractor to a common carrier and so he
got a lesson on Washington and the regulations
and he needed to better understand
that. And with my father, of course,
we continued to carry the torch and utilize
the association simply to help us through
the day-to-day operating of our companies,
again from driver shortages to new
regulations to size-and-weight and that
sort of thing. It was a two-pronged thing,
to give back to your industry to make a
difference and to help guide your company
to be more profitable.”
And the value of TCA has remained a
tenet at Craig Transportation through the
past 75 years as has the willingness to
serve the organization. Dale Craig was
chairman of the board in 1971-72, Lance
in 2004-2005.
John Craig remembers cutting his teeth
on TCA meetings and early on “I was able to
learn the value of TCA. They took time [with
me],” he said. “I went out to Washington
by myself and learned everything they do
and learned how they operate, learned the
best practices and I tell you right now, we
would not be here if it wasn’t for the things
I learned through TCA.”
John Craig told Truckload Authority that the relationships he formed
through TCA were invaluable “like with Josh Kaburick (CEO, Earl L. Henderson
Trucking Company), Aaron Tennant (CEO, Simplex Leasing, Inc.), Chris
Hummer (President, Don Hummer Trucking) and Mike Eggleton, Jr., (Vice
President, Raider Express, Inc.) … We were all coming into our own at our
companies although we were of different sizes and different modes. At the
same time, the TCA organization was willing to help me build a young transportation
executive forum … It was a place just to be able to talk to people
our age going through the same things as we rose up through our companies’
[ranks]. There were so many best practices that I was able to learn.”
The older generations, John Craig said, weren’t forthcoming with their
company secrets but “I wanted to turn us into an open book. I wanted us
to have relationships with vendors, suppliers, other trucking companies and
to form partnerships.” And he said those relationships the company built in
the industry “is why our company has changed and become so diverse and
successful.”
“I remember Chris Hummer one day had a refrigerated broker load,”
John Craig said, “and they wouldn’t take it and it would have spoiled. So
we put it in our garage overnight for him and his driver came and picked it
up. Those are the simple [relationship] things I learned. That was basically
what I was taught.”
John Craig is so sold on what he’s learned from TCA and from his father
and grandfather about the values of belonging to the association that he has
lined up his younger brothers, Michael and Lance Jr. and General Manager
Brock Pasley (who’s like family, just without the same last name) to get
involved with TCA.
Lance Craig Sr. has his own memories of TCA relationships and camaraderie:
“I remember back in the ’60s jogging with Stoney M. Stubbs Jr. (former
Chairman of the Board and CEO of Frozen Food Express Industries),” he said,
explaining that it was “incredible” to brush shoulders with executives from
other companies and find out they “had the same problems that we had.”
Those ‘problems,’ it turns out, haven’t changed all that much.
Lance’s father Dale recorded literally thousands of cassettes of his
speeches and talks at TCA meetings to pass on to the younger generations
and Lance Craig said he played one of the cassettes for son John as they
were sitting in the car one day. “Once that was done I looked at John and
I told him, ‘You probably are thinking by now what you heard could have
been said today.” Sure enough, the tape talked about such things as overregulation,
the driver shortage and size and weight, “the hot-button issues
that will forever be challenging to the trucking industry for generations,”
Lance said.
38 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

Craig Transportation, which now has 105 trucks, 320 trailers, 60
independent contractors and 45 company drivers, has kept up-to-date
with technological changes, due in large part to TCA.
It has terminals in Albany, Georgia; Rome, Georgia; and Trenton,
Ohio, in addition to the headquarters terminal. The company is
exploring the possibility of adding three more locations.
“After my first eight or nine years here,” said John Craig, “I was
pushing technology, I was pushing the advancement of it. … [and] TCA
was very important to our survival” in that respect.
John continued that “My youngest brother Lance Jr. has pretty
much taken us from the average level [with technology] to better than
some of the largest carriers in the country. Right now some of our
customers are looking at this [computer] program that Lance [Jr.] built
from scratch. It does the work of 30 or 40 people. We’ve been able to
leverage the technology in keeping our costs down and maintain an
internal focus [in] having the data to study. We’ve really been blessed
in that area.”
They’ve also no doubt been blessed that the younger generations
of Craigs (all boys) have taken a keen interest in the family business.
John was so eager to come to work at Craig Transportation that he
skipped his college graduation ceremony to come back home to the
business.
Lance Craig Sr. noted that like in the picture of his grandson Collin
(John Craig’s son) on the truck’s running board, “With my boys and as
my father did with me, we get them in cars, tractors and trucks early
on. It’s a way for them to connect early with what we do. Collin is at
the lap stage and while I drive he steers. … Our heritage has an affinity
for transport vehicles and Collin is already hooked. His favorite vehicle
is what he calls ‘Papa’s car.’”
So with Craig Transportation and the Craig family, the apple doesn’t
fall far from the tree, or more accurately, the wheel doesn’t roll far
from the truck.
Like Craig Transportation’s website says, it’s “a legacy you can
trust.”
And that would apply to both the family-run business and their long
association with TCA.
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 39

Inaugural WorkForce
Builders Conference is
fast approaching
The inaugural TCA WorkForce Builders Conference is scheduled to take
place June 28-30 at the Westin Indianapolis. The conference will “address the
many human resources issues that trucking companies face,” said Ron Goode,
TCA’s director of education. It will include “driver recruiting and engagement,
but also fleet management, specifically for truckload carriers and particularly
targeting middle managers as well as vice presidents of operations, vice presidents
of safety, etc.”
A major feature and purpose of the Conference is certificates in business
skills and expertise.
“It will kick off our certificate programs,” Goode said. “What we’re doing
is creating something that doesn’t exist in this industry, that is a professional
development community in the truckload segment.”
As the average worker in the truckload industry nears 50 years of age,
it becomes evident that professional development training is the key to cultivating
a stronger, more stable workforce. In response, TCA has developed
three new certificates — Human Resources, Recruitment, and Retention — for
managers and staff.
“These new certificates, in addition to
our Fleet Manager Certification program
and a new carrier insurance purchasing
certification that we will be announcing
soon, show our commitment to providing
the tools and resources that support
the truckload industry,” Goode said. A
recent Human Resources Certification
Institute and Top Employers Institute
study reported that “human resources
certification, at both the individual and
organizational levels, is positively correlated
with stronger results for several
important measures of business performance.”
Credits can also be earned toward renewal of the TCA Certified Fleet Manager
(CFM) designation, as well as the North American Transportation Management
Institute’s (NATMI) Certified Director of Safety or Certified Safety
Supervisor(CDS/CSS) designations.
“Anyone who has already been certified can earn continuing education
credits for their NATMI certifications,” Goode said.
The Conference format allows attendees to focus on key subjects in workshops,
as well as two-hour intensive workshops that devote more time to
dive deeper into topics. The four categories are HR/Legal/Health & Wellness,
Recruitment, Fleet Management, and Retention.
Additionally, the Conference presents “Networking in the Round,” a unique
opportunity to focus on important workforce-related ideas and strategies.
Networking in the Round brings together all conference participants during
the Closing General Session for roundtable discussions. Each table will host a
small group discussion of an assigned topic for 30 minutes. Every 30 minutes
attendees will choose a different table depending on the subject matter they
are interested in discussing.
“Based on the number of people, we divide that number by 10,” Goode
said. “That becomes the number of topics. The table moderator’s job is to get
the discussion going.
“Everyone is both a teacher and a student at the same time. After 30 minutes
we switch. We’ll do that three times.”
Digital marketing veteran Patty Cox will give the keynote address.
“In planning this conference, we found that our members wanted information
from people outside of trucking,” Goode said. “Patty Cox is a former
executive at LinkedIn. Her expertise is how companies brand themselves.”
An adjunct professor at Northwood University in Midland, Michigan, Cox
will explore the latest business trends with specific focus on the impact of the
digital “landscape.”
“She knows what other companies outside of trucking are doing,” said
Goode.
“Taking a fresh look at the human resources issues drives TCA’s vision for
this new conference,” said TCA President John Lyboldt. “Patty Cox will inspire
attendees to look beyond traditional human resources strategies and inject
new ideas into their hiring, recruiting, training and retention strategies.”
The WorkForce Builders Conference is sponsored by TruckRight and EpicVue
as host sponsors and EBE Technologies, AIRS, Stay Metrics, Lytx, Randall-
Reilly, Eleos Technologies and TruckersReport as conference sponsors.
40 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org

Over 200 presidents, CEOs, vice presidents and safety directors of Truckload
Carriers Association members gathered at the Worthington Renaissance in Fort Worth,
Texas, for the annual Safety & Security Division meeting. The conference provided attendees
the opportunity to interact and network on all issues related to truck safety
and security.
(1) R. Eddie Wayland, partner at Nashville-based King and Ballow and TCA’s legal counsel, shared with attendees things they should be
aware of so they don’t land their company in the courtroom. (2) Melton Truck Lines Vice President of Human Resources and Safety Angie
Buchanan spoke during the “Not Just an Apple a Day” workshop. Buchanan shared the successes of Melton’s driver wellness program. (3)
TCA’s Safety & Security Division Chair and Dart Transit Co. Vice President of Driver Training Holly Caskey welcomed attendees to Tuesday’s
general session and invited panel guests to the stage. (4) TCA President John Lyboldt addressed the general session Monday morning.
(5) Attendees’ badges had letters A through D, which directed them to a Safety in the Round workshop. Insightful conversations ensued
in the small groups held Monday and Tuesday. (6) Wil-Trans Safety Director Mike Tettamble and Cargo Transporters, Inc. Safety Director
Jerry Waddell stopped by for a photo in the exhibition hall Monday evening. (7) Bison Transport President and COO Rob Penner, left, TCA
Chairman and FFE Holdings Chairman Russell Stubbs, second from right, and TCA President John Lyboldt, right, are shown with 2016 TCA
Safety Professional of the Year Clare C. Casey Award recipient Garth Pitzel, Bison Transport director of safety and driver development. (8)
TCA Director of Education Ron Goode poses by the TCA booth. The backdrop highlighted three TCA products — TCA Wellness, inGauge and
Truckload Academy. One representative from each program is on-site at industry events to talk about their respective products. (9) Carriers
and associate members mingled during the reception Sunday evening at the Worthington Renaissance in Fort Worth, Texas. (10) The 2016
recipient of the Clare C. Casey award received an engraved glass plaque as well as a commemorative ring and a maroon blazer. This year’s
recipient was Bison Transport’s Garth Pitzel. (11) Federal Motor Carrier Chief Safety Officer and Assistant Administrator Jack Van Steenburg, left,
talked with TCA Director of Safety & Policy, David Heller, after their point-counterpoint discussion during Sunday’s general session. (12) Pictures
of the 2015 National Fleet Safety Awards Division Winners were displayed on signs in the Grand Ballroom foyer. The companies were recognized
during the general session on Sunday. The award is sponsored by Great West Casualty Company.
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TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 41

A QUICK LOOK AT IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
SMALL
A QUICK LOOK AT
IMPORTANT TCA NEWS
TALK
Top Rookie
The June 24 deadline for nominations for Trucking’s Top Rookie is drawing close.
A check for $10,000 and a package of prizes will be awarded the winner, who will
be named at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas August 26.
The award, named in honor of the late Mike O’Connell, recognizes the best professional
truck driver who has been on the job for less than a year.
The Trucking’s Top Rookie contest is a partnership among the American Trucking Associations,
the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, the National Association of Publicly
Funded Driving Schools, Pilot Flying J, Progressive Commercial Insurance, Rand McNally,
Red Eye Radio Network, Truckers News and the Truckload Carriers Association.
Nominations must be made online.
“The contest gives great insight on the first impressions we as an industry make
on new drivers,” said Debbie Sparks, vice president of development at TCA. “The
content that the nominees provide can help carriers in crafting their recruitment
practices and messaging.”
A panel of seven judges will review each nominee and select 10 finalists.
“Recognizing the excellence of new truck drivers has never been more important
than it is today,” said David Hollis, editor of Truckers News. “Encouraging new drivers
to make a career out of trucking and showing them they’re appreciated is a great way
to stem the driver shortage.”
The winner receives $10,000 cash; $1,000 cash and 100,000 Pilot Flying J MyReward
points; a custom plaque from Award Company of America; an interview on Red Eye Radio
Network with Eric Harley; a feature in Truckers News; $1,000 worth of DAS Products
merchandise featuring the RoadPro Getting Started Living On-The-Go Package; a package
of Trucking Moves America Forward promotional items; a dash camera from COBRA
Electronics; and a GPS unit and Motor Carrier Road Atlas from Rand McNally.
The nine other finalists receive $1,000 cash; 50,000 MyRewards points from Pilot
Flying J; a custom plaque from Award Company of America; $100 worth of DAS Products
Merchandise, featuring the RoadPro MobileSpec Portable Life Package; a package
of Trucking Moves America Forward promotional items; a CB radio from COBRA
Electronics; and a GPS unit from Rand McNally.
2014 Trucking’s Top Rookie was Julie Matulle.
Last year’s winner was Frederick Weatherspoon, a 52-year-old veteran of three
branches of the military and a driver for Dartco. Other previous winners include Julie
Matulle in 2014, Kyle Lee in 2013; Keith Redvay in 2012 and Derek Paul in 2011.
The late Mike O’Connell was formerly the executive director of the Commercial Vehicle
Training Association, and originated the idea of honoring a top rookie driver to help
show new drivers they are important to and appreciated by the trucking industry.
The 2015 Trucking’s Top Rookie award went to Frederick Weatherspoon, a
veteran of three branches of the military.
2013 Trucking’s Top Rookie Kyle Lee shares his honor with wife Kayla and
children Koy and Adelaide.
42 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

TMAF Update
Three years into the program, you might say trucking is all wrapped up in the Trucking
Moves America Forward (TMAF) image campaign.
Recently, TMAF recognized 35 organizations and individuals — many of them members of
the Truckload Carriers Association — who purchased one or more TMAF-branded trailer wraps
for display on their company trailers, signifying a growing enthusiasm within the industry to
educate the motoring public on trucking’s essentiality to business and commerce.
The trailer wraps are no doubt the campaign’s most visible statement.
“Trucking truly does move America forward, but we need to do a better job of promoting
that message,” said Kevin Burch, co-chairman of TMAF, president of Jet Express, and first vice
chairman of American Trucking Associations. “By putting more of TMAF’s bold trailer wraps on
the road, we hope to do our part in proudly demonstrating that trucking is the backbone of this
country.
“Reaching our goal of putting 100 TMAF-branded trailer wraps on the road in one
year was a major achievement, and we could not have done it without the generosity and
enthusiasm of these trucking companies and individuals,” Burch added. “Each of these
moving billboards sends an important message about our industry — and we owe a special
thanks to Holland and Load One for putting 20 and 14 trailer wraps, respectively, on
the highways.”
TMAF first announced its trailer decal wrap program in July 2015, calling it a major
education initiative to inform the motoring public on the trucking industry’s benefits and
mission.
Each of these “moving billboards” is seen by as many as 16 million people per city. TMAF’s
goal is to put another 200 wraps on the road by March 2017.
The campaign also includes television spots, media interviews and appearances at conventions
and trade shows.
There are also promotional items such as caps, T-shirts, buttons and more available on the
campaign website at tmaf.org.
Burch is proud — and rightly so — of the success of the program.
“We’re in our third year and I love telling this story to some of the committee people,” he
told Truckload Authority. “When we were six months into the program I was asked by several
Truckload Carriers Association member Regency Transportation of Franklin,
Massachusetts, is promoting the Trucking Moves America Forward with a
trailer wrap.
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 43

people, ‘Kevin, the money you’ve collected, have you figured
out a way to give it back in case it doesn’t work?’ So
six months into TMAF I was thinking that’s hard to believe
because we’ve set sail and we’re not going to change the
course right how and I’m here to tell you that we’ve reached
our goal the first two years. The foundation is set. Now it’s
not like ‘what’s this TMAF campaign,’ it’s just rolling out
there now. People know Trucking Moves America Forward. It
doesn’t cost a lot to get involved in it; get on the website. On a
one to 10, I’d give us an eight.”
Calling it a 10 would require getting more people involved
in donating, Burch said.
“We’re really on a tight budget because it costs a lot
of money to do these things,” he said. “I’m just glad that
we’re there. This is a five-year plan and we’re in the third
year. I’d just like to see it step up to the next level with
more sponsors and some more OEMs getting involved.”
And the trailer wrap program?
“On the one to 10 scale, it’s a 10. We’ve reached the
first goal to sell 100 wraps in a year,” he said. “Now our
new goal is 200 for the coming year and we’ve already
sold 15. We’re going to refresh the trailer wraps a bit.
We’re coming out with a 3-D trailer wrap that’s really going
to show the people on the road what we are doing.
At $2,400 a wrap, it costs about half what a wrap usually
costs. People are seeing the value in it. We’re not getting
ones and twos, we are getting fives and 10s the last four
or five purchases.”
WAA Gala/Meetings
Plans are well under way for the fourth annual Wreaths
Across America Gala to be held September 20, but in a new
location and with a special invitation to attend from WAA
Founders Morrill and Karen Worcester, Truckload Carriers
Association Chairman Russell Stubbs and Miss America 2000
Heather French Henry, who will emcee the evening.
In conjunction with the Gala, this year TCA will hold its fall
board and committee meetings on September 21, a move
that should boost attendance at both events.
The Gala and the board and committee meetings will be
held this year at the Washington Hilton.
The first three Galas were held at the Grand Hyatt Washington,
but with the decision to hold the fall board and committee
meetings in conjunction with the Gala, the Grand Hyatt
was unable to provide the needed hotel rooms and adequate
Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills (Ret.), left, with
Immediate Past Chairman Keith Tuttle, was the
keynote speaker at the 2015 WAA Gala.
space for meetings because of prior commitments.
TCA members are encouraged to reserve your places
now.
The cost is $225 per person, $2,500 per table of 10 or
$3,500 for premium table of 10 (to include upgraded linens,
premium location and a champagne toast).
There will be an exciting announcement concerning the
keynote speaker soon.
TCA has traditionally held policy committee meetings
and its Board of Directors meetings — as outlined in the TCA
bylaws — at the American Trucking Associations Management
Conference and Exhibition.
At the 2015 MC&E, two Saturday morning TCA committee
meetings had to be cancelled because of the lack of a quorum
and the Board of Directors meeting barely had a quorum.
Because of this and some scheduling conflicts, the 2016
meetings have been moved to Wednesday, September 21, the
day after the Wreaths Across America Gala.
TCA officers approved a call for the vote of the Executive
Committee, which was a requirement of the bylaws, and 83
percent of the total votes collected approved the move to
September.
This is not an amendment to the bylaws or necessarily a
permanent decision, but was to move the 2016 meeting only.
It is also important to note that this is not TCA moving in
an opposite direction from ATA; it is vital the two organizations
work together to move trucking forward.
Benchmarking
Although the original Best Practice Group (BPG) started
back in 2002 with more questions than answers, it is now
considered the most successful collaborative program under
the TCA umbrella.
Over the course of the past 15 years, the benchmarking
process and meeting formats have been refined and iterated,
but many of the original members remain the same — because
of high return on investment.
Further, demand for participation in these programs has
never been stronger. Currently, there are 52 distinct members
in five Best Practice Groups — two refrigerated groups and
three dry van groups.
The success of these programs lies with the BPG members
themselves, and long-time facilitator Jack Porter.
As a result of their respective efforts, TCA has successfully
translated the framework and knowledge base from
these groups into a unique online platform, with a mission of
exposing as many companies and people as possible to the
valuable exercise of benchmarking.
Since its launch in September 2015, inGauge has grown
steadily and added over 20 new features based on user demand,
including a Dashboard available only to Best Practice
Group members.
Currently boasting 104 distinct company profiles in its
database, the features and data available through inGauge
are becoming relevant to all types and sizes of motor carriers.
To help speed up the data collection and reporting process,
inGauge has teamed up with McLeod software to allow
users to map their financial and statistical data to the appropriate
inGauge database fields. Eventually this collaboration
will allow McLeod users to automatically report their relevant
benchmarking data automatically via API to inGauge.
The success and evolution of TCA’s benchmarking effort is
about to take a major leap forward.
TCA President John Lyboldt will be, in the coming months,
communicating TCA’s strategy to build even further on an
already strong foundation.
Lyboldt’s extensive benchmarking experience as senior
vice president of dealer services at the National Automobile
Dealers Association (NADA) is a key piece of the puzzle in
taking benchmarking to the next level.
“Our goal with our new benchmarking offerings is to have
1,000 participants involved in one of our benchmarking programs
by 2020,” Lyboldt said. “During my tenure at NADA, we
were able to grow our 20 group participation level to 2,450
members. Considering the size of the North American trucking
industry, given the right tools, we will exceed our goals.”
The inGauge Benchmarking platform will serve as the
“intake” program for new members, but also as the key
business intelligence service for Best Practice Groups. In
addition, new levels of service will allow for more frequent
discussion and collaboration with fellow group members
Current TCA Chairman Russell Stubbs, left, and
past Chairman Shepard Dunn enjoy a time of fellowship
before the 2015 WAA Gala.
Medal of Honor winner Army Col. Jack Jacobs
(Ret.) shared his experiences from the Vietnam War.
44 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

via virtual technologies.
With all this exciting activity, it’s going to be understandably difficult to coordinate and deliver
upon its commitment. In this regard, TCA is actively recruiting a new manager of Benchmarking
Services. In this role, the successful candidate will actively recruit new benchmarking
candidates and conduct onsite and virtual meetings to help member companies take the next
step in their respective businesses.
For more information on inGauge, go to www.tcaingauge.com to book a personalized
demo or call (888) 504-6428.
Casey Award
Garth Pitzel, director of safety and driver development for Bison Transport of Winnipeg,
Manitoba, has been presented with the 2016 Truckload Carriers Association’s Clare C. Casey
Safety Professional of the Year Award.
The honor is bestowed upon a recipient whose actions and achievements have had a profound
and positive benefit or contribution to better safety on the nation’s highways.
Pitzel was presented the award May 23 during the organization’s Safety & Security Division
Annual Meeting.
He joined Bison Transport in October 1994 and held various roles within highway and city
operations before being promoted to his current position in June of 2001.
He is responsible for company and driver safety, driver development and company security.
Under his leadership, Bison has established a safety culture that consistently wins awards
throughout the trucking industry.
Bison Transport has won TCA’s safest fleet grand prize award in the large carrier division
for the past 10 years.
A well-known safety professional, Pitzel actively promotes the industry and furthers transportation
and workplace safety initiatives. He appears at a variety of industry-related events
as a speaker and presenter. He regularly contributes his expertise and resources to trucking
associations and private industry, as well as to government and regulatory bodies. These have
included initiatives in promoting and bringing new drivers to the industry, training for private
fleets, and harmonization of regulations for long combination vehicles across provinces.
He is currently involved with TCA’s School Committee and has held several leadership roles
within the Safety and Security Division.
He is a member of the Saskatchewan Trucking Association’s board of directors, Qualcomm’s
Safety Advisory Board, and the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee.
He also was inducted into the Manitoba Trucking Association’s Pioneer Club, which
recognizes members of the local trucking industry who have been continually employed in the
industry for at least 25 years and are actively and directly engaged in the formulation, direction,
or execution of policy.
According to the application written to nominate Pitzel for the award, he “is an energetic
and driven leader who engages and motivates people at all levels. He freely provides his
time, direction and resources to partners and competitors on many safety-related issues and
initiatives. He believes that safety should be a common goal, which requires collaboration,
perseverance, open dialogue and action. Garth is a crusader for our people and our industry
— always available and involved, advocating on behalf of safety.”
Nominees for TCA’s award must exemplify leadership and demonstrate the goals of protecting
lives and property in the motor transportation industry while serving their company,
industry and the motoring public. The award is named after a safety professional who actively
served TCA from 1979 until 1989. He was devoted to ensuring that all truckload safety professionals
meet yearly to build the strong safety network this division provides today, and was
instrumental in forming the first annual Safety and Security Division meeting in 1982.
Following his death in 1989, the first Award in his name was presented in 1990.
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fleet grand prize award winner in the large carrier division for the past 10 years.
Allianz that’s who.
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Contact Sam Rizzitelli at 203.736.1966 or
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© 2016 Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty
TCA 2016 www.Truckload.org | Truckload Authority 45

Mark Your
Calendar
SEPTEMBER 2016
june 2016
>> JUNE 28-30 — 2016 WorkForce Builders Conference — The Westin
Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana. Find more information at Truckload.
org or contact TCA at (703) 838-1950.
>> september 20, 2016 — Fourth Annual Wreaths Across America
Charitable Gala, Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C. Find more
information at Truckload.org or contact TCA at (703) 838-1950.
>> september 21, 2016 — Board of Directors meeting, Committee
meetings, Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C. Find more information at
Truckload.org or contact TCA at (703) 838-1950.
july 2016
>> JULY 20-22 — 2016 Refrigerated Division Meeting — The Skamania
Lodge, Stevenson, Washington. Find more information at Truckload.org
or contact TCA Meetings Department at (703) 838-1950.
Visit TCA’s Event Calendar Page
online at Truckload.org and click “Events.”
trucking’s most entertaining executive public ation
Tca members:
This is your magazine!
BEST FLEETS TO DRIVE FOR | SAFEST FLEETS | DRIVERS OF THE YEAR | HIGHWAY ANGEL
INSIDE OUT FEATURING RON GOODE | HIGHWAY ANGEL TOUR | GETTING HEALTHY WITH ROLLING STRONG
O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E T R U C K L O A D C A R R I E R S A S S O C I A T I O N
O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E T R U C K L O A D C A R R I E R S A S S O C I A T I O N
HEALTH FAIRS | inGAUGE LAUNCH | MEET OUR NEW MEMBER DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E T R U C K L O A D C A R R I E R S A S S O C I A T I O N
FROM WHERE WE SIT • HIGHWAY ANGEL TOUR WITH LINDSAY LAWLER • WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA GALA IN REVIEW
O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E T R U C K L O A D C A R R I E R S A S S O C I A T I O N
WINTER 2015-16
SPRING 2016
SUMMER/FALL 2015
MISTER
MONDAY
NIGHT WITH
BEST FLEETS TO DRIVE FOR • NATIONAL FLEET SAFETY AWARD WINNERS • DRIVERS OF THE YEAR
O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E T R U C K L O A D C A R R I E R S A S S O C I A T I O N
with international
TV star MIKE ROWE
Russell Stubbs is the
first third-generation
chairman in TCA history
COACH JON GRUDEN
SUMMER 2014
BILL O’REILLY
EXCLUSIVE
NO SPIN MEDIA MOGUL
WINTER
2013-14
CRACKING UP (NO LAUGHING MATTER) | 06
RIDICULUDICROUS \ r -’dik-y -’lud-e-kres \ | 10
DOWN TO BUSINESS WITH CHAIRMAN KRETSINGER | 24
TCA CELEBRATES 75 YEARS: FOUNDATION OF THE FUTURE | 33
IN THIS ISSUE:
HIGHWAY TO HOPE
FAKERZ PART 2
Unfunded optimism
Scam me once, shame on you.
Scam me twice, shame on us.
ATRI’S TOP 10
The top 10 industry concerns
keeping executives up at night
RAISING THE BAR
Entry-level driver training
standards are going up
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
The industry has woken up to the dangers
posed by obstructive sleep apnea
OVERSTOCKED
Over-supply has the new truck market limping
along. Who’s paring down the inventory?
IN THIS ISSUE:
CSA, TAKE 2
Will the second act be better than the first?
YOU CAN’T PARK HERE
Lack of parking continues to vex drivers
BUILDING MORE VALUE
with Chairman Keith Tuttle
12
19
24
EXCLUSIVE
MAKE LOVE, NOT POLITICS WITH
JAMES CARVILLE & MARY MATALIN
TECH TAKEOVER
COMING RETRACTIONS
It’s all about your business, your concerns, your challenges and your lifesT yle.
FIRED UP
WITH CHAIRMAN SHEPARD DUNN
We WanT To hear from you! Tell us how we’re doing and how we can address your needs better. Maybe there is a topic you would like to see
covered or a story you think deserves attention. Feel free to email us at editor@thetrucker.com. We appreciaTe The opporTuniT y To serve you.
-The Trucker and your Truckload Authority team
46 Truckload Authority | www.Truckload.org TCA 2016

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