Nine Colorado Professional Drivers Head to National Truck Driving Championships

Nine Colorado professional truck drivers will arrive in Salt Lake City today to compete in the National Truck Driving Championships at the Salt Palace Convention Center.  These elite drivers earned their way to compete in the "Superbowl of Safety" after winning their title earlier this summer at the state level.

Over 420 drivers from all 50 states will compete in Salt Lake City for four days, challenging their driving skills, and knowledge of safety, equipment and the industry. From 18-wheeler five axle sleepers to tank trucks to twin trailers—they will drive a course that recreates situations truck drivers face daily. These maneuvers may include: an alley dock, a rear line stop, a side park, a scale stop, a right turn, a front line stop, and straight line driving through a diminishing clearance.

On August 24, one contestant will drive away as the Bendix National Truck Driving Championships Grand Champion.

"The Truck Driving Championships represent the culmination of the industry's dedication to safety," said Colorado Motor Carriers Association President Greg Fulton.  "I congratulate all the contestants and I hope Colorado cheers for our drivers this week."

Colorado participants at National Truck Driving Championships for each category include:

Randy L. Dewitt, Walmart Transportation, LLC  - Sleeper Berth Michael T. Flippin, FedEx Freight – Twins Ted Hunger, FedEx Freight – Flatbed Matthew H. Green, Sysco Food Service - Tank Truck Mark C. Lannerd, Con-way Freight - Three-Axle Stewart Sandoval, McLane Company, Inc. - Five-Axle Brendan L. Sharp, FedEx Freight  - Straight Truck Anthony L. Singh, FedEx Ground - Step Van Robert Williams, YRC Freight - Four-Axle

Eight Arizona Professional Drivers Head to National Truck Driving Championships

Eight Arizona professional truck drivers will arrive in Salt Lake City today to compete in the National Truck Driving Championships at the Salt Palace Convention Center.  These elite drivers earned their way to compete in the "Superbowl of Safety" after winning their title earlier this summer at the state level.

Over 420 drivers from all 50 states will compete in Salt Lake City for four days, challenging their driving skills, and knowledge of safety, equipment and the industry. From 18-wheeler five axle sleepers to tank trucks to twin trailers—they will drive a course that recreates situations truck drivers face daily. These maneuvers may include: an alley dock, a rear line stop, a side park, a scale stop, a right turn, a front line stop, and straight line driving through a diminishing clearance.

On August 24, one contestant will drive away as the Bendix National Truck Driving Championships Grand Champion.

"The Truck Driving Championships represent the culmination of the industry's dedication to safety," said Arizona Trucking Association President and CEO Tony Bradley.  "I congratulate all the contestants and I hope Arizona cheers for our drivers this week."

Arizona participants at National Truck Driving Championships for each category include:

Robert W. Boykin, Walmart Transportation, LLC - Sleeper Berth Ina L. Daly, Con-way Freight  - Tank Truck David R. Messmer, YRC Freight - Four-Axle Russell A. Norman, FedEx Ground - Step Van Jose A. Orozco, Con-way Freight - Five-Axle Steven D. Smalley, ABF Freight System, Inc. - Three-Axle Galen R. Spangler, Shamrock Foods Company - Straight Truck Phillip J. Wells, Swift Transportation - Flatbed

Nine Arkansas Professional Drivers Head to National Truck Driving Championships

Nine Arkansas professional truck drivers will arrive in Salt Lake City today to compete in the National Truck Driving Championships at the Salt Palace Convention Center.  These elite drivers earned their way to compete in the "Super Bowl of Safety" after winning their title earlier this summer at the state level.

Over 420 drivers from all 50 states will compete in Salt Lake City for four days, challenging their driving skills, and knowledge of safety, equipment and the industry. From 18-wheeler five axle sleepers to tank trucks to twin trailers—they will drive a course that recreates situations truck drivers face daily. These maneuvers may include: an alley dock, a rear line stop, a side park, a scale stop, a right turn, a front line stop, and straight line driving through a diminishing clearance.

On August 24, one contestant will drive away as the Bendix National Truck Driving Championships Grand Champion.

"The Truck Driving Championships represent the trucking industry's commitment to safety," said Arkansas Trucking Association President Lane Kidd.  "I congratulate all the contestants and I hope Arkansas cheers for our truck drivers this week."

Arkansas participants at National Truck Driving Championships for each category include:

Brian K. Dennington, Con-way Freight – Twins Timothy Geary, FedEx Ground - Step Van David H. Hall, YRC Freight - Four-Axle Loren H. Hatfield, ABF Freight System, Inc.     - Tank Truck Gary W. Mars Jr, Walmart Transportation, LLC - Five-Axle Mark Overholt , JB Hunt Transport - Straight Truck Larry Rhein,  FedEx Freight - Flatbed James A. Sanders, Fedex Freight - Three-Axle Clark B. Welch, Walmart Transportation, LLC - Sleeper Berth

Trucking strike ends for Fontana depot

Drivers and dock workers at a Fontana trucking depot returned to work on Monday, Aug. 20 following a three-day strike, and the disputes between the Teamsters and company officials will be decided by an arbitrator later this week.

Some 250 workers at USF Reddaway’s terminal on Etiwanda Avenue went on strike Friday morning, claiming the company had failed to negotiate a first contract with Teamsters leaders. Workers at a second facility, in Compton, went on strike to protest the Fontana situation.

Randy Korgan, business agent for Rialto-based Teamsters Local 63, said a majority of the workers signed cards in February stating that they wanted to join the union. Workers at other sites for the trucking company already are working under union contracts.

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Fire at YRC Freight in Copley closes roads, causes evacuation

Four 165-pound containers of dimethyl ether, a flammable gas, in the loading dock at the YRC Freight trucking terminal in Copley were on fire the late morning of Aug. 9.
Copley Police Chief Michael Mier said the fire was called in about 9:15 a.m. and caused the closure of portions of South Cleveland-Massillon Road, as well as Copley Road. Children at the nearby Kids Academy of Copley child care center were evacuated to Copley High School, and nearby businesses also were given the option to evacuate as a precaution.

Mier said several fire departments were hosing down the containers and surrounding buildings as a precaution, and they were still there as of noon. The Summit County Hazardous Material Response Team was on scene.

“We are letting it burn itself out,” said Mier.
YRC employee Pete Venturini said one man suffered minor burns, but “he was all right.”

“We heard a noise and then a boom and saw fire coming out of the trailer,” said Venturini. “Everyone was running. It was very scary.”

Venturini said company officials were sending everyone home.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to officials.

Holland, Reddaway and New Penn Receive Quest for Quality Awards for Performance Excellence

The readers of Logistics Management magazine have honored Holland, New Penn and Reddaway as the "best of the best" with 2013 Quest for Quality Awards. All three operating companies of YRC Worldwide were recognized for their exceptional on-time performance, value, information technology, customer service, equipment and operations in 2013.

Holland was presented with the 2013 Midwest/Mid-Atlantic Regional LTL Motor Carriers award and the South/South Central Regional LTL Motor Carriers award, as well as the Expedited Motor Carriers award. Holland has been a Quest for Quality award winner for 28 consecutive years and an Expedited Motor Carriers award category winner for six consecutive years.

"The Quest for Quality awards are very important to Holland," said Scott Ware, president of Holland. "What these awards tell us is that we have been consistently successful in fulfilling all of our service goals. We are very thankful for this recognition and will continue to work hard to maintain the same award-winning performance in the future."

New Penn received its 2013 award in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Regional LTL Motor Carriers category. This is the 19th year that New Penn has received a Quest for Quality Award.

"There is nothing more important to New Penn than the satisfaction of our customers and industry professionals," said Steve Gast, president of New Penn. "Receiving this award is a sign that New Penn is achieving that primary goal, and the importance of such an affirmation is immense. It is to the exceptional employees at New Penn that we owe our thanks, and it is through their commitment to service and quality that we will continue to excel in the years to come."

Reddaway was the proud recipient of the 2013 Quest for Quality Award in the Western Regional LTL Motor Carriers category. This marks the 20th year that Reddaway has received a Quest for Quality award.

"We are very pleased to be receiving this recognition," said T.J. O'Connor, president of Reddaway. "Quest for Quality awards are based on thorough evaluations by individuals within the industry and are an excellent means of gauging company performance. We would like to thank Logistics Management for this honor, and also our dedicated employees for serving as the foundation for all of our successes."

"What makes the Quest for Quality Awards stand out in the market is the fact that the winners are determined by the readers of Logistics Management--the buyers of logistics and transportation services who put these carriers and service providers to work around the clock and around the globe," said Michael Levans, Group Editorial Director of Peerless Media, LLC., the publisher of Logistics Management.

"And when you consider the challenging operating environment in which our nation's transportation services providers have been operating over the past 12 months, our editorial staff agrees that walking away with a Quest for Quality Award in 2013 is nothing less than a tremendous achievement."

Dallas road driver Jerry Gowdy is YRC Freight's newest 4-million miler

Jerry Gowdy, Dallas linehaul driver, is a person who sees the glass as half full as opposed to half empty.

Jerry, who joined the company in April 1973 and has been in Dallas since 1981, recently reached a milestone achieved by only 13 active YRC Freight drivers—4-million miles without a preventable accident.

The secret to his success is no secret at all: He relies on a tried-and-true formula—driving defensively, being aware of his surroundings, making sure he gets enough rest, remaining patient at all times and never being in a hurry. But just as important as those fundamentals of safe driving, and the thing he mentions again and again, is the need to have a positive attitude at all times.

"You have got to have a positive attitude every day," he said. "You can't take your problems at home to work. I try to be as safe as I can. I watch for things in front of me and make sure I stay out of the way."

Jerry's positive attitude extends to non-driving aspects of the job, such as getting along with co-workers and appreciating the job company leaders are doing to compete in the marketplace.

"I've been driving 40 years and still feel good," says Jerry who will be 74 this month and says that in the late 60s his dispatcher was the father of current YRCW CEO James Welch. "I've got no plans to retire because I enjoy what I do, and things at YRC Freight are improving."