News
State Trucking Association Teams With Government Agencies to Enhance Highway Safety
Raleigh, NC – The North Carolina Trucking Association has teamed with the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program to spearhead a new state initiative aimed at enhancing commercial vehicle safety. The program is unique in that it not only seeks to educate passenger vehicle drivers about how to drive safely near trucks, but it also focuses on maximizing the trucking industry’s understanding and compliance with safety laws and regulations. The general public outreach effort centers on a highly visible “No Zone” campaign which features a dozen wrapped trailers, including one tank trailer, and the distribution of “No Zone” brochures.
In addition to the wrapped truck trailers, at least one thousand back door decals and one thousand sets of mud flaps emblazoned with the “Be Safe-Share the Space” logo will be distributed throughout North Carolina’s trucking industry to help keep the message in the public eye. 150,000 sixty-page NC Commercial Motor Vehicle Information Guides have been printed as a comprehensive tool to help motor carriers and truck drivers stay abreast of current operating requirements. Addressed issues include registration requirements, inspections, weights and dimensions, hazardous materials, and insurance requirements, among others. Additionally, the truck wraps and the printed materials direct truckers to visit NCTA’s website, www.nctrucking.com, to access safety information.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, The NC State Highway Patrol, and the NC Department of Transportation and its Division of Motor Vehicles are also vital partners in this project. They and NCTA are frequent partners on safety initiatives. This cooperative teamwork is evidenced in NCTA having been deemed by the American Trucking Associations to have the nation’s top state trucking association safety program twice in the past three years.
“From advocacy efforts to information services and more, NCTA engages in a great deal of activity on behalf of the industry,” said NCTA President Charlie Diehl. “However, our members believe that the effort to maximize highway safety is this association’s most noble endeavor. We are very proud of the work NCTA and its Safety Management Council are doing to promote this exciting and unique program. We are proud also to have our association logo and web address prominently displayed on the trailer wraps and other materials, right there with the logos of those fine governmental agencies.”
Under the program, NCTA is responsible for managing the distribution of promotional materials to the trucking industry. In addition to trailer wraps, mud flaps, and pamphlets, additional logo materials include pens, pencils, front license plates, shirts, and hats. The North Carolina Road Team will be distributing “No-Zone” brochures in all of their general public interactions.
A kick-off press conference was held November 29 at the Volvo North America headquarters in Greensboro, NC, which featured media contact and ride along opportunities with current and past members of the North Carolina Road Team, two of whom currently serve on America’s Road Team. Speakers included NC DOT Deputy Secretary Susan Coward, NCGHSP Director Darrell Jernigan, and NCTA Director of Safety & Security Rick Cates.
The educational trailer wraps will be visible in North Carolina and across the nation, thanks to NCTA members Swing Transport, Epes Carriers, Old Dominion Freight Line, Eagle Transport, Con-Way Freight, Cargo Transporters, Smithfield Foods, West Brothers Transportation, Wilson Trucking, Cable Transporters, and the NC Truck Driver Training School.
We're # 1 AGAIN! NCTA Receives 2007 Excellence In Safety Award
The North Carolina Trucking Association has once again been recognized as the nation's leader in highway safety! The organization received the following message from the American Trucking Associations and the ATA Safety & Loss Prevention Management Council in August:
North Carolina Trucking Association. Congratulations!
NCTA was judged to have the most outstanding state safety program among the Summa Cum Laude Award winners based upon exhibits presented for the 2007 State Association Recognition Program. As you may know, each of the State Trucking Associations exhibits (containing 2006 information) are examined thoroughly by a team of safety experts and representatives from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and law enforcement. To win this award, your programs must be and were exceptional.
This award is our way of saying thank you for all you and your staff do to advance safety within the industry and on our highways. You and your staff's unwavering commitment and contributions to safety make North Carolina Trucking Association more than deserving of this award. We salute your association for all that it has achieved.
This makes twice in three years that NCTA has received this award (see 2005 story below). Of all the many important functions of this association, its commitment to maximize highway safety is paramount.
Congratulations to the many dedicated members of the NCTA Safety Management Council, and the companies that support their efforts. Also, this achievement could not be possible without the strong working relationship that this association has with the NC State Highway Patrol, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the NC Department of Transportation, its Division of Motor Vehicles, and the Governor's Highway Safety Program among others. This high level of focused teamwork among private industry and governmental and law enforcement agencies is unusual if not unparalleled in our nation, and it is producing results in North Carolina.
78th NCTA Annual Management Conference Highlights
NCTAs annual conference in Pinehurst featured helpful information and networking, fun entertainment, great golf and impressive speakers. Those speakers included: Bill Graves, CEO and President of the American Trucking Association and former Governor of Kansas; Beverly Perdue, North Carolina's Lt. Governor and candidate for Governor in 2008; Bill Daughtridge, NCTA member, member of NC House of Representatives, and candidate for North Carolina Treasurer in 2008; and Bill Goldston, 1972 NCTA President (now called Chairman) and former state Senator.
Many, many rounds of golf were enjoyed on some of the nation's best courses. Nightly entertainment included the hilarious hypnotist Doc Holiday, and the high-energy musical group Band of Oz! The ladies luncheon included a new feature this year, as one of the Pinehurst Resort chefs prepared and explained the details of an elegant poultry meal, and then that same meal was served to all attendees.
The membership also elected officers and directors to lead the association through the 2008 Annual Conference (Grove Park Inn & Resort - Asheville, NC Sept. 7-9, 2008). Congratulations to NCTA's newly-elected Chairman, Bill George of Eagle Transport.
Thank you to all of our Conference Sponsors for making it all possible!
2006 NCTA SAFETY AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT 2007 SAFETY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL ANNUAL MEETING
To view the list of winning companies click here.
Jeff Barbee of Family Dollar Trucking Named NCTA Safety Director of the Year
Jeff Barbee, Outbound Manager for Family Dollar Trucking of Matthews, NC, was awarded Safety Director of the Year 2006, by the North Carolina Trucking Association Safety Management Council.
Mr. Barbee has a long history in the trucking industry, starting in the LTL industry at a regional level, and progressing through the ranks into the corporate environment. Mr. Barbee has been a strong mentor for countless drivers, helping to ensure safety on our state's highways. He is a graduate of Pfeiffer University, holds a National Certification from NATMI as a Certified Safey Supervisor, and is a member of the ATA and NCTA. The Safety Management Council is a council of the North Carolina Trucking Association, a trade association of trucking companies. Its membership is comprised of carrier safety officials as well as allied members who serve the trucking industry. The council meets monthly and serves as a means of promoting safer highways among truck drivers and other motorists.
We're # 1! NCTA Receives Excellence In Safety Award
The North Carolina Trucking Association was singled out October 16th at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition in Boston for having the nation's top safety program. For many years, the highest honor a state trucking association could earn for its safety programs was the Summa Cum Laude award. Each year some - but not all - state trucking associations achieve this designation. NCTA has earned this Summa Cum Laude award each year without exception for nearly 30 years running.
In just the last few years, ATA has begun selecting the "Best of the Best" from among the Summa Cum Laude winners. For the year 2005, the "Best of the Best" in safety programs was the North Carolina Trucking Association. Prior to the Boston event, NCTA was first recognized as the Award recipient at Safety & Loss Prevention Management Council's National Conference in Miami on October 6th.
The award is a testament to the hard work of the members of the NCTA Safety Management Council, the NCTA Foundation, NCTA's Director of Safety and Security, and the NCTA member companies that support the Safety Council's efforts. Additionally, the award reflects the close and productive working relationships that the NCTA enjoys with a number of highway safety partners, including the NC State Highway Patrol and its Motor Carrier Enforcement Section, the state office of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the NC Department of Transportation, the NC Division of Motor Vehicles, and the Governor's Highway Safety Program, among others.