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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 katie thomason at
501.372.3462. THe year of THe DrIver
publisher
JENNIFER MATThEWS kIdd Over the past several years it seems like all we have talked about,
Matthews Publishing Group, jennifer@matthewspublishing.com
looked at, pointed at and cussed about has been regulations and the
contributing writers
STEVE BRAWNER JOhN SChULz re-regulation of our industry: From CSA and electronic logs to EPA
brawnersteve@mac.com jdschulz@aol.com
ERIC FRANCIS SPENCER WATSON standards and the California Air Resource Board, just to name the
eric.francis@yahoo.com sswatson@gmail.com
JENNIFER BARNETT REEd SCOTT TRAVIS big ones. If only we didn’t have all of these rules and regulations we
jbreed13@gmail.com stravis@gmail.com
could make some money. Oh, and don’t forget those high fuel prices.
art director
JON d. kENNEdy
The Freelance Co. LLC, freelanceco@comcast.net
production editor But guess what? We have taken our eye off of the real solution to our problems. It all goes
ShANNON NEWTON
ad production back to the Golden Rule of trucking, at least according to my uncle who drove and retired
dEAh ChISENhALL, MARIA TEETER-WALkER, dUSTy TOWNSENd
illustrator from Yellow Freight: “The driver, he will either make ya or break ya.”
BRENT BENNETT
brentdraw@att.net
photographers
JON d. kENNEdy, BOB OCkEN, JOhN dAVId PITTMAN A few weeks ago I attended the Truckload Carriers Association annual conference and
discovered the top three reasons we continue to struggle. Reason No. 1? Drivers. Reason
No. 2? Drivers. Reason No. 3? You guessed, it—drivers. My uncle was right.
We have been so busy running here and running there that we took our eyes off the
ball…the one resource that keeps America moving, the Driver, yes Mr. and Mrs. Trucker.
www.arkansastrucking.com
As chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association in 2012, my primary goal was to
vice president
ShANNON SAMPLES NEWTON
shannonnewton@arkansastrucking.com improve the driver’s image. As chairman of the Arkansas Trucking Association, I have
director of operations
SARAh NEWMAN ShEETS repeatedly stressed the importance of being proactive in improving our image and the
sarahsheets@arkansastrucking.com
executive assistant perception the motoring public has of our drivers. Not how our trucks look, not how slow
kATIE ThOMASON
katiethomason@arkansastrucking.com we go, not how closely we follow other vehicles or how many breaks we take. It’s the driver.
special projects assistant
TAMARA ROBINSON It’s the driver because we can’t do it ourselves. It’s the driver because all of the technology
tamararobinson@arkansastrucking.com
ChAIRMAN OF ThE BOARd in the world can’t get a load of chickens from Arkansas to California without them.
GARy SALISBURy
Fikes Truck Line
Chairman & CEO
BOARd OF dIRECTORS
It’s really simple: drivers have to be restored to the status of our number one asset. Hug
MARR LyNN BEARdEN dR. JOhN OzMENT
Marrlin Transit, Inc. U of A/Walton College of Business them. Thank them. Respect them. And, most of all, listen to them. As our industry giants
President Chair of Transportation
ALLEN BERRy PAT REEd have predicted, the driver shortage is here and if you are going to make it through the next
Central States Manufacturing, Inc. FedEx Freight
Transportation director Executive Vice President & COO five years, you better figure out real quick that our answer is sitting in a $100,000 truck, in
GREG CARMAN G.E. “BUTCh” RICE III
Carman, Inc. Stallion Transportation Group
President President & CEO front of an 80-foot long, 80,000-pound trailer traveling 63.4 miles per hour down I-30.
dAN CUShMAN TRACy ROSSER
P.A.M. Transportation Services, Inc. Walmart Transportation
President & CEO Senior Vice President
CRAIG hARPER ROy SLAGLE
J.B. hunt Transport, Inc. ABF Freight System, Inc. Sign-on bonuses of $5,000+, referrals and about anything else you can think of is not
Executive Vice President & COO President & CEO
AL hERINGER IV JEFF SMITh going to cure this shortage. I’ll let you in on a secret, your driving force knows if you
Star Transportation, Inc. Utility Tri-State, Inc.
Vice President President respect them or not. As an ex-driver and ex-contractor, I can tell you this: just one call
BLUE kEENE WAyNE SMITh
Tyson Foods, Inc. Wayne Smith Trucking, Inc.
Transportation director President to your safety department and every driver from Florida to Washington will know what
SCOTT MANChESTER VICkI JONES STEPhENS
Truck Centers of Arkansas C.C. Jones, Inc. kind of mood the office is in. Listen to, cherish, respect and appreciate your drivers and
Vice President, Truck Sales President

MIkE MCNUTT STEVE WILLIAMS you will start to see a change in your turnover. It takes time. It won’t change overnight,
distribution Solutions, Inc. Maverick USA
CEO, Owner Chairman & CEO
MARk MORRIS but as their opinions of your company change, so will the stories they tell their friends—
Morris Transportation, Inc.
potential drivers.
President
Our culture has to become driver-friendly; through our equipment, shippers, dispatchers
an affiliate of the american trucking
associations and those in the corner offices. It’s the year of the driver…if you want to stay in business.
Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) is an Arkansas corporation of trucking
companies, private carrier fleets and businesses which serve or supply the
trucking industry. ATA serves these companies as a governmental affairs
representative before legislative, regulatory and executive branches of Drivers, they will make ya or break ya.
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. Gary Salisbury
For information, contact ATA at:
1401 West Capitol, Suite 185 Chairman & CEO, Fikes Truck Line
Post Office Box 3476 (72203) Drivers Legal Plan
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 Chairman, Arkansas Trucking Association
Phone 501.372.3462 Fax 501.376.1810
www.arkansastrucking.com
Drivers Legal Plan
aRkaNSaS tRuckiNg RepoRt | issue 2 2014 7