ABF Driver Tom Martin Named Wyoming Trucking Association Driver of the Year

ABF driver Tom Martin has been awarded the Wyoming Trucking Association Driver of the Year Award. The Award recognizes superior driving skills and excellent safety records. Martin received the award during the WTA Luncheon of Champions, conducted in Casper, Wyo., on May 13.

"It is due to the dedication and leadership of outstanding employees like Tom Martin that ABF enjoys a great reputation as a trusted supply-chain partner. His productive, conscientious work helps to bring unmatched value-added logistics solutions to ABF customers," said Sam Cates, ABF safety and security director. "Tom richly deserves to be awarded this honor for his professionalism while behind the wheel and his outstanding safety record. Everyone at ABF greatly appreciates Tom's hard work and dedication and we're proud of the way he represents ABF and the trucking industry."

The Wyoming Trucking Association was organized in 1939. WTA seeks to foster and advance safety on the public roads and highways, and to do whatever is necessary to create and stimulate a fair and intelligent attitude on the part of the public with respect to the business of its members, to accomplish fair and intelligent legislation with respect to members and the public with accurate and reliable information on matters of transportation. It is an affiliate of the American Trucking Associations.

America's Road Team Captains Remind Motorists to Be Safe During Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day serves as the start for the busy summer driving season and AAA estimates that nearly 35 million motorists will travel this holiday weekend. So as motorists prepare for the Memorial Day vacations, a team of professional truck drivers are helping to make our roads safer.

America's Road Team Captains, elite professional truck drivers with millions of accident-free miles, are offering advice on how to navigate through highway traffic and arrive at your destination safely.

Tips include:

Perform a pre-trip inspection – Check your tire pressure, wipers and fluids. Simple maintenance can prevent many of the problems that strand motorists on the side of the road before you leave your home.

Plan your trip – Know where you are going and be prepared to exit. Indecisive driving is a major cause of traffic problems.

Large Trucks Have Blind spots – If you can't see the truck driver in his or her mirrors, then the truck driver can't see you.

Do not cut in front of large trucks – Remember that trucks are heavier and take longer to make a complete stop, so avoid cutting quickly in front of them. A fully loaded tractor trailer takes a football field and both end zones to come to a complete stop when driving at highway speeds.

Pay Attention – Distracted driving is a leading cause of crashes. Looking away for even two seconds doubles the chances of an accident. Turn cell phones and PDAs off.

Allow a Safety Cushion – Look 1/4 mile ahead for a safe path. Leave yourself an out.

Slow Down – Chances of a crash nearly triples when driving faster than surrounding traffic.

Keep extra water in your vehicle – Just as you keep a winter driving kit in your vehicle, it is important to be prepared when driving during the summer months. Keep plenty of extra water, sunscreen and non-perishable snacks in your car in case you are stranded.

Buckle Up – Safety belts are not a fashion statement – they save lives.
Abide by Traffic Rules – Follow traffic signs and signals – paying special attention to work zones.

Be Careful Backing Up – One in four preventable collisions involve backing up. Be sure to look before backing up; walk around your car prior to departure.

"Memorial Day Weekend is the first big vacation weekend of the summer," said America's Road Team Captain Tim McElwaney (ABF Freight System) from Conley, Ga. "There are additional motorists on the highway, with many in unfamiliar areas. For the sake of safety, drivers need to slow down, follow the rules of the road and be patient."

The America's Road Team would like to remind the motoring public that from driveway to highway, safety requires patience and dedication.

U.S. freight economy will grow significantly, American Trucking Associations says

The U.S. freight economy is on track to “grow significantly” during the next decade, led by acceleration in the trucking industry, according to a forecast by American Trucking Associations.

The trade association’s U.S. Freight Transportation Forecast to 2022 predicts that freight tonnage will grow 24 percent by 2022, with revenue ticking up even more — 66 percent.

“The trucking industry continues to dominate the freight transportation industry in terms of both tonnage and revenue, comprising 67 percent of tonnage and 81 percent of revenue in 2010,” ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello wrote in the forecast.

By 2022, trucking will have a 70 percent share of freight and an 81.4 percent share of revenue, up slightly from the current 81.2 percent.

Trucking companies such as Overland Park-based YRC Worldwide Inc. have seen improvement in the freight market. YRC reported steady gains in first-quarter shipping volume despite harsh winter weather, though the company — which is in the midst of a financial restructuring — posted a $101.8 million loss. Full Story....

Truck safety push unites police, labor and crash survivors

The pictures were lovely: portraits of parents, a couple on their wedding day, children, entire families. The stories were gut-wrenching. All those in the photos were dead, killed in crashes with large trucks.

As family members stood behind a lectern in a Senate hearing room earlier this month, holding their memories, they were united by their losses and their resolve to improve truck safety, particularly to crack down on overworked truck drivers who easily skirt federal hours-of-service rules by falsifying their driving logs.

Ron Wood held up photos of those he'd lost -- his mother, his sister and three nephews -- in a horrific 2004 accident, caused by a sleepy truck driver in Sherman, that killed 10 people.

The 18-wheeler crossed the median on a highway 60 miles north of Dallas and struck two oncoming cars, burning the SUV with Wood's relatives in it beyond recognition.
It was that crash that propelled Fort Worth police officer Robert Mills to get actively involved in commercial vehicle enforcement and to be an activist for truck safety. Full Story....