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June
22, 2004
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Headline
News
Sixth
Annual Lee Crittenden Memorial Award Presented to Harry Kowalchyk
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2004
Contact:
Richard Clemente, PTDI Program Director
(703) 838-8847 or rclemente@truckload.org
Sixth
Annual Lee Crittenden Memorial Award Presented to Harry Kowalchyk
Long Time Supporter of PTDI Honored
Alexandria,
Virginia – The Professional Truck Driver Institute, Inc.
(PTDI) presented the sixth annual Lee J. Crittenden Memorial Award to
Harry Kowalchyk, Jr., President and CEO of the National Tractor Trailer
School (NTTS) in Liverpool, New York at PTDI’s Board Meeting held
in Alexandria, VA, June 17, 2004.
The award is given to the person who has done the most to advance the
ideals and goals of the Professional Truck Driver Institute, Inc., of
which Lee Crittenden was a staunch supporter until his death in April
1998.
Kowalchyk founded NTTS in 1971 with his partner, Bill Mocarski and is
responsible for the total daily operations at both the Liverpool and
Buffalo school locations. He is a Board member of the Commercial Vehicle
Training Association (CVTA) and serves on the National Younger Driver
Standards Forum, which was instrumental in developing the PTDI standards
for the Younger Driver Program. Kowalchyk is an industry leader having
served as President/Co-founder of the Commission of Accredited Truck
Driving Schools and the New York Association of Tractor Trailer Schools.
Kowalchyk’s support of PTDI has been unwavering. He has served
on the PTDI Board of Directors, Executive Committee and as a Commissioner
on the PTDI Certification Committee. Ray Haight, President and COO of
MacKinnon Transport, Inc., Chairman of PTDI, and presenter of the award,
stated: “Harry is truly dedicated to PTDI and believes in and
supports the program through his involvement and participation with
a number of PTDI-related functions and activities.”
When not busy with NTTS and PTDI Kowalchyk, who is a former sea going
marine, enjoys boating and golfing, as well as spending time with his
wife of 38 years, Mary.
The presentation of this annual award will keep the memory of Lee Crittenden
alive and serve as inspiration to others who get involved with truck
driver issues. Mr. Crittenden helped many important industry activities
get their start. He was passionate about promoting a positive image
of the nation’s professional truck drivers, and was largely responsible
for the creation of America’s Road Team. He also initiated a scholarship
program for the drivers who participate in the National Truck Driving
Championships. His greatest industry achievement is largely believed
to his part in founding the Professional Truck Driver Institute, where
he served on the board of directors and also served as the finance chairman
during the early years of the Institute’s infancy. Mr. Crittenden
worked for CitiCapital and that company was instrumental in creating
this award with TCA.
PTDI has certified entry-level training courses at 64 schools in 27
states and Canada, and three driver-finishing programs in three states.
To receive a digital
photo of Mr. Kowalchyk receiving his award please contact Aimee Cirucci
at 703-838-8859 or acirucci@truckload.org.
PTDI is a national,
nonprofit organization sponsored by the nation’s trucking industry
to advance truck driver training, proficiency, safety, and professionalism.
PTDI is based in Alexandria, Virginia.
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TCA
Launches Real World Recruitment and Retention Basics Series
With the economy
recovering, many carriers are now starting to turn away business because
they don’t have enough drivers. Recruitment and retention of drivers
is a consistent challenge for carriers. To provide TCA members with
tools to increase retention and decrease turnover, TCA is pleased to
announce its new newsletter series, Real World Recruitment and Retention
Basics.
Every week, the
Truckload Carrier Report will present a recruitment and retention strategy
with “real world” carrier examples. Strategies will include,
recruiting basics; understanding turnover; the driver’s first
30 days; excelling at core functions that touch the driver, e.g., securing
driver friendly loads, assigning loads, resolving shipper problems;
driver retention action plans and measuring the performance of those
plans. The members sharing their experience have company drivers and
owner operators, haul a variety of freight and have turnover ranging
from 23 to 65 percents. According to the American Trucking Associations
in 2003, Line-Haul TL driver turnover was 107%. Source: American Trucking
Associations (Trucking Activity Report).
The first in the
series of Real World Recruitment and Retention Basics addresses
the recruitment and hiring of drivers. The strategies are from “How
to Recruit and Retain Drivers” by David Goodson, produced for
TCA by Commercial Carrier Journal’s Commercial Carrier University,
sponsored by Bridgestone/Firestone Tire Company. The article, “Recruiting
Basics” talks about the proper handling of phone calls, moving
qualified prospects quickly through the hiring process and executing
detailed follow-ups. To access the article click
here.
Look for next week’s
newsletter to read the real world examples from Kevin Burch, president
of Jet Express, Inc., Dayton, Ohio and Ray Haight, president and CEO
of MacKinnon Transport, Guelph, ON, Canada. If you have feedback or
ideas for the Real World Recruitment and Retention Basics please
contact Ginny DeRoze at 703-838-8880 or vderoze@truckload.org.
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Proposed
Rule on Event Data Recorders in Cars, Will Trucks Be Next?
The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
(NPRM) in the June 14, 2004, Federal Register, which proposes
standard requirements for Event Data Recorders (EDRs) that manufacturers
choose to install, in “light vehicles.” It is important
to note, however, that the proposed rule would not mandate the installation
of EDRs. NHTSA first began a study of EDRs after a 1997 recommendation
from the National Transportation Safety Board, and the agency’s
studies of the EDR records of more than 2000 crashes led to this NPRM.
Out of approximately 200 million light vehicles in the U.S., NHTSA estimates
that 15 percent of the vehicle fleet (30 million cars, pickups, vans,
sport utility vehicles and multi-purpose vehicles) are already equipped
with EDRs that can be easily read, and that between 65 and 90 percent
of new light vehicle models will be equipped with EDRs.
NHTSA is proposing,
beginning in September 2008, to:
1) require that
the EDRs voluntarily installed in light vehicles record a minimum
set of specified data elements useful for crash investigations;
2) specify requirements for that data;
3) increase the survivability of the EDRs and their data by requiring
that they function during and after front, side and rear crash tests;
4) require vehicle manufacturers to make available publicly information
that would enable crash investigators to retrieve data from the EDR;
and
5) require vehicle manufacturers to include a brief, standardized
statement in the owner’s manual indicating that the vehicle
is equipped with an EDR and describing the purposes of EDRs.
On January 9, 2003
the TCA joined with ATA and the Distribution and LTL Carriers Association
to file comments in response to the NHTSA October 11, 2002 Register
notice on EDRs. In that particular notice, NHTSA had requested industry
comments on a series of questions related to their use in assisting
in motor vehicle crash investigations, which were specifically divided
into the following sections:
1) safety benefits;
2) technical issues;
3) privacy issues; and
4) NHTSA’s role in this area.
In the filed comments,
the Associations “support the voluntary use of technology
and devices to enhance safety and productivity.” The group strongly
supported reliability performance standards for safety-related equipment,
regardless of whether the equipment is required or optional. To this
point, the group believed that the most important improvement needed
as EDRs evolve is the improvement of the quality and reliability of
the data provided to, and stored by, the EDR.
It should also be
noted that a proposed rule drafted by the Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA) on EDRs for locomotives has now been “cleared” by
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and should be published in
the Federal Register in the near future. The deadline for filing
of industry comments on the NHTSA proposal for light vehicles is August
13, 2004. A copy of the June 14, 2004 Register notice can be
found by clicking
here for an HTML and here
for a PDF. If you have any questions or comments, please contact
Rich Clemente at TCA at (703) 838-8847 or by email: rclemente@truckload.org.
Top
EPA
Urges In-Use Testing For Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles
The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
in the June 10, 2004 Federal Register, in which the agency
is proposing to establish a manufacturer-run, in-use emissions testing
program for 2007 and later model year heavy-duty diesel vehicles. This
proposed in-use program would require the engine manufacturers to measure
exhaust emissions from their diesel engines using portable emissions
measuring systems. Furthermore, for the first time, all manufacturers
will be regularly providing EPA with a significant quantity of emissions
data generated from engines used in regular service, which EPA will
evaluate to ensure the engines comply with the specified emissions requirements.
The proposed on-board tests
would begin in the year 2005 and measure hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide,
nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. The portable testing devices
would also track engine temperatures, exhaust flow rate, engine speed
and torque. The on-board testing requirements were originally slated
to begin in the year 2004, but were postponed until 2007 in a June 2003
agreement by EPA, the California Air Resources Board and the Engine
Manufacturers Association (EMA). The proposed pilot program would run
in 2005 and 2006 with new regulations commencing in 2007. Under the
pilot program, 2002 through 2006 model year vehicles may be tested.
Manufacturers would run the tests on fleet or customer-owned trucks
with EPA oversight.
Industry comments on this
NPRM must be filed with the EPA by August 16, 2004. In addition, the
agency will be holding one public hearing on this issue which will be
held on Thursday, July 15, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. at the following location:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1310 L Street, NW, Washington,
DC Phone #: (202) 343-9540.
A copy of the June
10, 2004 Federal Register notice can be accessed at one of
the following links by clicking
here for an HTML and here
for a PDF. For further questions or comments, contact TCA’s
Rich Clemente at (703) 838-8847 or by email: rclemente@truckload.org.
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