Life on the road
Evansville, IN-based Atlas Van Lines recently surveyed 138 of its owner-operators to learn about life on the road. Atlas found out 37% of these drivers spend over 40 weeks a year on the road.
The “King of the Road” survey also revealed these interesting tidbits about Atlas owner-operators:
38% stop to help motorists in trouble on the highway at least three to 10 times a year
17% consider I-70 in Colorado the most scenic stretch of highway in the U.S.
30% think Rolaids get rid of heartburn the fastest; 21% give Tums the thumb's up
36% think Florida has the best rest stops; 9% place Georgia a distant second
36% listen to Country music radio when on the road; 32% to National Public Radio or talk radio; and 31% to '60s-'80s rock 'n roll.
39% take their coffee with sugar and cream; 34% drink it black and 18% add only cream
29% regard Wendy's as their favorite fast food restaurant, followed by KFC at 21%
They get it
A series of postcards with children's artwork promotes the “Share The Road Safely” campaign
(www.fmcsa.dot.gov)
MASH for Trucks
The U. S. Army's National Automotive Center (NAC) has developed a Mobile Parts Hospital (MPH) to help support American ground forces battling in Iraq.
The MPH is a self-contained, self-sustaining and mobile mini-manufacturing center designed to produce a variety of replacement parts for military vehicles. It's currently deployed near Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.
With its Rapid Manufacturing System (RMS) on board, the MPH is the automotive equivalent of the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH), according to Dennis Wend, NAC's executive director.
School aid
Schneider National Inc. reports it has donated a late-model Freightliner C-120 truck to WyoTech, which will use it to instruct students on Class 8 truck repairs. The truckload giant also supports WyoTech's efforts to build up trucking's labor pool of technicians by offering scholarships each semester to qualified students through the WTI Foundation.
WyoTech, formerly known as Wyoming Technical Institute, offers three programs under its core technical concentration: automotive technology, diesel technology and collision & refinishing technology. The school (www.wyotech.edu) has campuses in Laramie, WY, and Blairsville, PA.
Safety is no accident
- motto of Chesapeake Contracting, Reisterstown, MD
Trucker power
A recent nationwide strike by 30,000 truck drivers in the Republic of Korea illustrates the valuable role they play in the South Korean economy.
According to the Associated Press, the week-long strike — the second such in three months there — cost $530 million in lost exports alone. That's because truckers are almost the sole source of ground freight transportation from sea ports.
South Korea's cement industry alone reportedly lost $8.5 million a day when its 1,850 drivers went on strike.
The strike was called off only after the government threatened to repeal special tax breaks given to truck drivers.
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