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Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association
Arkansas Trucking Report is owned by the arkansas Trucking
association, inc. and is published bimonthly by matthews Publishing
group. For additional copies, to order reprints of individual articles or
to become a subscriber to ATR, contact Julia hamra at 501.372.3462.
publisher
JENNIFER mATTHEWS KIdd
matthews Publishing group, jennifer@matthewspublishing.com GET HomE wITH THE PrIzE
managing editor
KELLy CARgILL CRoW Ernest Hemingway’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Old Man and the Sea”
kellycrow@arkansastrucking.com
executive editor tells the story of Santiago, the lonely, old fisherman who after days
LANE KIdd
contributing writers of struggling, finally reels in a giant marlin off the Cuban coast. He
STEVE BRAWNER JENNIFER BARNETT REEd
brawnersteve@mac.com jbreed13@gmail.com straps it to his skiff, and starts for home to cash in on his record
SAm EIFLINg JoHN SCHULz
sameifling@gmail.com jdschulz@aol.com catch. But along the way, sharks swim up, one by one, biting chunks
ERIC FRANCIS Todd TRAUB
eric.francis@yahoo.com toddtraub@centurytel.net out of the fish until there is nothing left but bones.
CALLIE HoyT
calliehoyt@truckingalliance.org
art director Appointed officials in Washington can relate to Santiago’s struggles and to the desolation
JoN d. KENNEdy
The Freelance Co. LLC, freelanceco@comcast.net felt when their hard-won prizes are slowly torn away.
production editor
SHANNoN NEWToN
ad production Consider Anne Ferro, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
dEAH CHISENHALL, dUSTy ToWNSENd
illustrator administrator, a political appointee, nominated by President Obama in his first term and
BRENT BENNETT
brentdraw@att.net confirmed by Congress almost four years ago.
photographers
KELLy CARgILL CRoW, JoN d. KENNEdy, BoB oCKEN, JoHN dAVId PITTmAN
Her job is hers only until Obama or his successor decides it’s time for her to move on. In
the meantime, her job is to carry out the policies of the administration or implement the
www.arkansastrucking.com will of Congress. And she has demonstrated an uncanny ability to sell her objectives and
president
LANE KIdd manage a large number of new rules.
lanekidd@arkansastrucking.com
vice president
SHANNoN SAmPLES NEWToN But last summer, Congress handed Ferro what will be her two most prized catches. The first
shannonnewton@arkansastrucking.com
director of operations is the creation of a database that every trucking company will ping before hiring a driver
SARAH NEWmAN SHEETS
sarahsheets@arkansastrucking.com to check for past positive drug or alcohol tests. On this catch, Ferro is moving swiftly to
communications director
KELLy CARgILL CRoW implement the mandate.
kellycrow@arkansastrucking.com
public relations coordinator
JULIA HAmRA Congress also gave her an even more significant catch — a requirement that all commercial
juliahamra@arkansastrucking.com
executive assistant trucks install electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) to track the time a truck driver has
KATIE THomASoN
katiethomason@arkansastrucking.com stayed behind the wheel. No longer will the industry use antiquated and easily falsified
administrative assistant
STEPHANIE VERdELL paper log books. The recorders won’t lie. Compliance will go up. Accidents should go down.
stephanieverdell@arkansastrucking.com
CHAIRmAN oF THE BoARd
gARy SALISBURy
Fikes Truck Line So Ferro’s job is to get these two mandates through her agency and out to the marketplace.
President & CEo
BoARd oF dIRECToRS But she’s vulnerable to the same pressures other political appointees often experience.
mARR LyNN BEARdEN mARK moRRIS
marrlin Transit, Inc. morris Transportation, Inc.
President President
ALLEN BERRy dR. JoHN ozmENT Ferro isn’t up against sharks. She’s up against career government employees — bureaucrats
Central States manufacturing, Inc. U of A/Walton College of Business
Transportation director Chair of Transportation who were there before she arrived and will be there after she leaves. They run the show.
gREg CARmAN PAT REEd
Carman, Inc. FedEx Freight Those bureaucrats have the power to nip away at the mandates, tie them up in analysis,
President Executive Vice President & Coo
dAN CUSHmAN g.E. “BUTCH” RICE III
P.A.m. Transportation Services, Inc. Stallion Transportation group alter their impact, bog them down in the mind-numbing, tedious pace of policy making or
President & CEo President & CEo
CRAIg HARPER Roy SLAgLE to simply delay their implementation until a more convenient day.
J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. ABF Freight System, Inc.
Executive Vice President & Coo President & CEo
AL HERINgER IV JEFF SmITH The bureaucrats know no urgency. Ferro had to announce the agency would miss the
Star Transportation, Inc. Utility Tri-State, Inc.
Vice President President
BLUE KEENE WAyNE SmITH congressionally mandated October deadline to publish a final rule. But delay carries
Tyson Foods, Inc. Wayne Smith Trucking, Inc.
Transportation director President considerable risks: Congress could defund, delay or repeal the EOBR rule entirely. And if
SCoTT mANCHESTER VICKI JoNES STEPHENS
Truck Centers of Arkansas C.C. Jones, Inc.
Vice President, Truck Sales President that happens, the thousands of trucking companies installing the devices will be caught
mIKE mCNUTT CHRIS SULTEmEIER
distribution Solutions, Inc. Walmart Transportation midway through the tunnel.
CEo, owner Senior Vice President
RodNEy mILLS STEVE WILLIAmS
USA Truck, Inc. maverick USA
Vice President & general Counsel Chairman & CEo Ferro must exercise the political power given to her and push this EOBR rule through her
an affiliate of the american Trucking agency. If she allows the bureaucrats to do their thing, she runs the risk of seeing one of the
associations
Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) is an Arkansas corporation of trucking most progressive developments ever in trucking, slowly disintegrate into a great idea that
companies, private carrier fleets and businesses which serve or supply the
trucking industry. ATA serves these companies as a governmental affairs never happened.
representative before legislative, regulatory and executive branches of
government on issues that affect the trucking industry. The organization also
provides public relations services, workers’ compensation insurance, operational
services and serves as a forum for industry meetings and membership relations.
For information, contact ATA at:
1401 West Capitol, Suite 185 Lane Kidd
Post office Box 3476 (72203) Drivers Legal Plan
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 President, Arkansas Trucking Association
Phone 501.372.3462 Fax 501.376.1810
www.arkansastrucking.com lanekidd@arkansastrucking.com
Drivers Legal Plan
arkansas Trucking rePorT | issue 2 2013 7