Behind the Wheel
Volume XXIX Number 1
M a i n e P ro f e s s i o n a l D r i v e r s A s s o c i a t i o n
“Committed to Safety, Courtesy, and Professionalism” August 2019
The newsletter for the professional driver since 1989
This Championships Edition of Behind the Wheel
Sponsored by the
Maine Motor Transport Association
Message from the President - Jim Costa
Today I sit at my computer thinking of all the things we do in the name of the Maine Professional Drivers Association. It blows my mind that we are into so much while most of us are also working full time jobs.
I look back on my time with this great organization and think about the things that Mona and I have been involved in and the people we have worked with while doing so many different things. Wow, it has been a life-changing ride. I can’t begin to list the things I have done or the things I have watched other members doing at those times that I was not available to help out. I have also been fortunate enough to learn so many things from our great members who have done so much more than I have.
Let me share a short list of the most recent events Mona and I have been lucky enough to help with. The Student
Compe-tition, held in Augusta each year, helping to set up the competition course and helping out. Watching these young students
driving the course and doing unbelievable pre-trip inspections. And watching the relationships that the instructors have with the students. A class act is an understatement.
Being involved with the Maine State Truck Driving Competition at Dysart’s every year. Watching the drivers from so many different companies competing against each other and at the end of the banquet seeing drivers congratulating the winners showing what good sports they all are. Another Class Act!!
Having the pleasure of working with the staff of MMTA any time we have questions or concerns. They are always a phone call away. The support they give MPDA is awesome.
Working with all the volunteers at the Trucking for Kids Convoy that raises money for Camp Sunshine and Camp POST-CARD. These people are amazing just working so hard to make it a great event.
Working with the staff of the Northeast Charity Challenge that raises money for St Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Over 100 drivers from all over the eastern part of the US come to be part of this event that raised more than $40,000 last year for St Jude’s.
Last December, thanks to the owner of Brown Dog Carriers, Mona and I got the chance to do the Wreaths Across
Ameri-ca. We loaded the MPDA Trailer in Columbia Falls, Maine and took the trailer load to Arlington National Cemetery. It was an
experience and an honor that I will never forget. We both were able to put about 50 wreaths out. It was a very emotional trip that this Viet Nam Veteran will never forget. Hopefully I will get to do it again this year.
I can go on and on but there is not enough room in this newsletter to do that. Now I also have been able to serve two years as Vice President and going on two years as President of MPDA. This has been a great experience and a privilege to be able to do this.
I can’t wait to see all our members attend our 30th Anniversary Banquet this coming October 26th. It’s going to be well
worth taking the time to join us for a fun evening.
Safe Travels,
2019 Maine State Professional Truck Driving Champions
Straight Truck Class
Dennis Hagner - Walmart Transportation Step Van Class
Robert Cochran - FedEx Express Tank Class
Wayne Devoe – H.A. Mapes Sleeper Class
Joe Smith – Pottle’s Transportation
Twin Trailer Class
Matt Richardson – Performance Foodservice 3-Axle Van Class
Alan Paradis – A&A Trucking
4-Axle Van Class Clifford Gibbs – FedEx Freight
5-Axle Van Class
Kenneth Duncan - Walmart Transportation
Flatbed Class
Ronald Round – Pottle’s Transportation
Special Awards
Grand Champion – Joe Smith – Pottle’s Transportation Pre-Trip Inspection Award – Josh White – Lynch Logistics Written Test Award – Ronald Round – Pottle’s Transportation
Rookie of the Year – Michael Ward – H.O. Bouchard Team Award – Pottle’s Transportation
Student Drivers
5-Axle Van Student Driver – Seth Woodward – Tri-County Technical Center Straight Truck Student Driver – Michael Barriault – Tri-County Technical Center
Student Team Award – Tri-County Technical Center
The Maine Motor Transport Association Congratulates the Following
Award-Winning Drivers at the
Maine State Truck Driving Championships
Maine Motor Transport Association
P.O. Box 857, 142 Whitten Road, Augusta, ME 04332
www.mmta.com
Student Driving Competition and Other Student News
Thanks to all who helped out with the annual Dick Dolloff Student Driving Competition this Spring. It was a very successful day as the competition went like clockwork. And that was due to all the volunteers who showed up and lent a hand. The list of members from MPDA who were there to help with this event was impressive and we hope that we haven’t missed anyone.
They were Janet and Lawrence McNeil, Craig Gagne, Andre, Rob Fernald, Jim Costa, Vicki and Kenny Kimball, Eddy Naples, Denis Litalien, Warren Lewis, Mark Morrow, Fern Richard, Josh and Shiyla and Har-old White, Dick Brown, Mike and Debbie Best, Jack Roussel, Ron Round, Hank Jewett, Ken Duncan, Mike Coulombe, Jon Brockway with America’s Road Team and Randy DeVault with the Maine Motor Transport Association.
Vicki Kimball, the organizer of the event, was happy with the results and was glad to see the win-ners go on to compete at the Future Truck Driver Championships, held in conjunction with the State Truck Driving Championships in May. She was also very happy with all the support and thanks all those in the trucking industry and its supporters for their help with equipment and personnel for this event. Results were as follows:
Class A vehicle
1st - Seth Woodard - NRHS
2nd - Merle Hayes - Penquis
3rd - Cameron Bagley - NRHS
Pre-Trip - Isaiah Crocker - NRHS Class B vehicle-
1st - Michael Barriault - Penquis
2nd - Grady Berry - NRHS
Pre-trip(tie) - Grady Berry & Michael Barriault
The event generated a lot of good publicity for our profession as Ron Round did an interview with two of the student drivers at WVOM Radio in the morning before the start of the competition; America’s Road Team members, including Jon Brockway, were there with the ATA’s Interstate One Tractor Trailer, and a WABI TV reporter was at the site for most of the competition and you can see that report at the fol-lowing link:
https://www.wabi.tv/content/news/Students-show-off-driving-skills-at-annual-competition-508399901.html
MPDA Vice-President Rob Fernald shared the following on MPDA’s Facebook page recently: “I just have a quick thought to share about the student drivers’ event. Most of you know that the students in this competition are in a random drug testing pool.
Also, I have always known these kids are dedicated, but that was reinforced again in my mind today when I was speaking with a young man from Oxford who has to arrive at school an hour before his class-mates to board a bus to travel an hour to Mexico to attend his truck driving class. And I’m sure he is not the exception when we think about the large area most of our Maine technical schools cover. So, my hat is off to the students and all the instructors for their dedication. Thanks to all for allowing the Maine Professional Drivers Association to assist with the competition.” (You can check the MPDA facebook page anytime)
Randy DeVault giving course instructions to the drivers while Denis Litalien sharing a laugh with State Trooper Judges.
And in other student driver news, Vicki Kimball, the instructor at the Tri-County Technical Center in
Dexter, reports that all students in the program driving program, high school and adult, have earned their CDL-B minimum. And thus far, 2 of the 3 high school students that have yet tested for their CDL-A license have earned their CDL-A license. These young drivers have great potential in this industry, they absolutely know how to represent themselves and this program in an impressive way. We're very proud of the hard work and the success they have managed to make happen for themselves this school year.
Pictured is the first trip for the selected CTD students with their logging instructor, Weyerhaeuser employee Mark Nile, hauling some pine logs from Kennebec Lumber to Hancock lumber on the log trailer loaned to us from EJ Carrier. They received a tour of both facilities. Everyone involved in this venture sees the in-creasing value of this option for our CDL students.
Tri-County Technical Center truck hauling first load of logs on April 17.
ADUSA Transportation Driving Competition
Thanks to all the MPDA members who showed up at the ADUSA Transportation (Hannaford) driv-ing competition on Sunday, April 30. The organizer of the event, Dick Brown, reports that the event went off like clockwork thanks to the crew from MPDA and equipment from MPDA and MMTA. The crew put on a challenging driving course, an educational pre-trip inspection and Randy DeVault provided a written test for the drivers who came from ADUSA's South Portland, Maine and Schodack Landing, New York fa-cilities.
While taking a chance on missing someone, special thanks to the following, who were on hand to help out: Jim Costa, Jack Roussel, Hank Jewett, Denis Litalien, Eddy Naples, Rob Fernald and Randy DeVault.
Ron Round, MPDA Publicity Officer, and School Advisory Board Member for the Northern Penobscot Tech
Region III School, pictured with students in the SkillsUSA
student competition along with the State License Examiners, who assisted with the judging for the event.
New Hampshire
Charles Putnam – Step Van George Treantafel – Sleeper Robert Fair – Twins
Richard Hill – Tank
Daniel Crim – Flat Kerry Jenkins – 5 Axle Nicole Davis – 4 Axle Peter Borges – 3 Axle Neil Nogues – Straight Peter Borges – Grand Champ
Richard Hill – Written
Neil Nogues – Pre-trip George Treantafel – Rookie Team - FedEx
Vermont
Daryl Fowler – Step Van Jeremiah Jarvis – Tank Prisli Salkic – Flat
David Doucette – Straight Matthew Ketcham – 3 Axle Christopher Goddard – 4 Axle Christopher Novak – 5 Axle Jeremiah Jarvis – Grand Champ John Foran - Written
Christopher Novak – Pre-Trip Team - FedEx
Massachusetts
Bill Oakes – Twins Brian Singelais – Sleeper Rich Sweeney – Tank Andrew Barilone – Flatbed Roland Bolduc – 5 Axle Jeremy Paulsen – 4 Axle Gerry Dube – 3 Axle Bill Colantuone – Straight Bob Ledoux – Step Van Rich Sweeney – Grand Champ Roland Bolduc – Written Test Thomas Westgate – Pre-Trip FedEx – Team
Other New England States Driving Competition Winners
Winners at Messer Competition. L to R: Lyle Willey, Messer Group Photo from their Kittery Northeast Driving Competition Selkirk Driver; Mark Morrow, Kittery Driver and 1st Place
Winner; Soo Jung, Area Transport Manager; Stephane L’heureux, Magog Driver and 2nd Place Winner and Scott Douglas, Selkirk driver and 3rd Place Winner.
Messer, LLC Driving Competition
Messer’s Kittery Transportation Manager, Barry Mullen, reports that their competition was a
great success, bringing their drivers from various locations to their Kittery facility and was very appreciative of the help he received from our MPDA members and use of our equipment. He relates, “I would like to thank all involved from the MPDA for the time and assistance given to us for our Driving Championship held in Kittery. It was a huge success thanks to you and your team. I have lobbied heavily to hold our first Na-tional event in Kittery but no promises have been made as of yet. Needless to say, we are all impressed with the positive attitudes and willingness to support our event.” On hand to help were Hank Jewett, Jim
Costa and Denis Litalien. A number of MPDA members from Messer were also on hand to either compete
or help out.
New Membership Application
If you are reading this newsletter and are not a member, joining MPDA is very simple. Simply go online at www.mpda.org, click on the Member Information tab then click on New Member Application to bring up the screen to fill out. After filling out vital name address info, click on submit and it takes you to the PayPal site to pay your dues with a credit card.
2019 Maine StateTruck Driving Championship Results
Twin Trailers
290 Matt Richardson North Center Food/PPG 232 Mark Scaplen FedEx Freight
212 Jeremy Muth UPS
Straight Truck
308 Dennis Hagner Walmart Transportation LLC
303 Scott Nickerson FedEx Freight
245 Jeff Granholm Pottle’s Transportation *5
Jamie Wiles Dysart’s Transportation
John “Jack” Ayer Dysart’s Transportation
Three Axle Van
385 Alan Paradis A&A Trucking
271 David Shnur Walmart Transportation LLC
256 Lester Lord FedEx Freight Roger Scott FedEx Freight
Nelson Girard XPO Logistics
Four Axle Van
371 Clifford Gibbs FedEx Freight 284 Vince Cote ADUSA
258 Jack Roussel PAF Transport
David Roberts Walmart Transportation LLC
Michael Chabot BSP Trans Inc Robert Libby FedEx Freight
Tony Archambault Walmart Transportation LLC
Five Axle Van
376 Ken Duncan Walmart Transportation LLC
339 David Merriman Hartt Transportation Systems
298 John Weerden Pottle’s Transportation *5
Dwayne Desjardins ADUSA
Bruce Seymore H.O. Bouchard, Inc Joshua White *2 Lynch Logistics Robbie Chamberland RF Chamberland, Inc Chad Roy NRF Distributors
Five Axle Flatbed
353 Ronald Round *3 Pottle’s Transportation *5
326 David Soule Bayside Transport, Inc 320 Michael Ward *4 H.O. Bouchard, Inc
Jon Sawyer Walmart Transportation LLC
Kraig Kramer Bayside Transport Lee MacHenry Chapman Trucking Daniel Duncan Bayside Transport Aaron Libby RF Chamberland, Inc Keith Bailey Bayside Transport Michael Jodoin Dysart’s Transportation
Donny Newcomb Walmart Transportation LLC
Alfred Grubb Chapman Trucking
_________________________________________________________ *1 Grand Champion
*2 Pre-trip Inspection Award Winner *3 Written Test Award Winner *4 Rookie of the Year *5 Team Award
Five Axle Sleeper
362 Joseph Smith *1 Pottle’s Transportation *5
313 Tom Pooler ADUSA
275 Larry Wadsworth Hartt Transportation Systems
Chris Frandsen Walmart Transportation LLC
Ronnie Plourde Dysart’s Transportation
Russell Harvey FedEx Freight Steven Raymond RF Chamberland, Inc Frank Pietlock Pottle’s Transportation *5
Five Axle Tank
318 Wayne Devoe H.A. Mapes, Inc 310 Mark Morrow Messer, LLC
279 Brent Theriault H.O. Bouchard, Inc
Kevin Bennett Messer, LLC
David Gerding Irving Oil Terminals, Inc
Ryan Profenno C.N. Brown
Rodney Moore Nestle Water of North America
Richard Michaud Messer, LLC
Alan Grindle Irving Oil Terminals, Inc Paul Rumery ADUSA
Allen Bryant Irving Oil Terminals, Inc
Eric Daniello Irving Oil Terminals, Inc
Jamie Ryder H.O. Bouchard, Inc
Step Van
376 Robert Cochran FedEx 305 Jason Brooks FedEx Ground 240 Jeff Thoms FedEx Ground
Student Drivers
Straight Truck
302 Michael Barriault Tri-County Tech Center
233 Maranda Mason Northern Penobscot Tech 222 Grady Berry Tri-County Tech Center
Isaiah Crocker Tri-County Tech Center
Five Axle Van
284 Seth Woodard Tri-County Tech Center
274 Maverick Rice Tri-County Tech Center
208 Nolan Hanson Northern Penobscot Tech Merle Hayes Tri-County Tech Center
Nicholas Leighton Tri-County Tech Center
Grady S. Osgood Northern Penobscot Tech Student Team Award Tri-County Tech Center
_____________________________________________________
Bolded names are members of the Maine Professional Drivers
Association.
Note: All contestants are listed in order of finish. Anyone wanting their individual scores should contact:
Vice-President’s Report
– Rob Fernald
It is with great honor and a huge source of pride that I am writing this …. after the state truck driving championships. So of course, first off, I would like to congratulate all of this year‘s competitors for their com-mitment to safety in our industry. And then next, would be a huge congratulations to all of those who brought home the hardware! Our state champions all make it look so effortless. Congratulations to you all and may your safe careers continue.
The next group of people I would like to thank is the unsung heroes, the judges and Maine State Po-lice Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement officers, the group of folks who manned the food booth at the TDC, the MPDA members and spouses who manned the information and raffle table, and of course everyone else involved with putting on the entire event also deserve our kudos. It wouldn’t exist without all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
The Drivers Association is an evolving organization, always changing, always trying to meet the needs of our members and our supporting members. The organization could definitely use some help from time to time with our events. We have a few coming up and we would love to see some new faces. If you have the time please check the calendar of events and contact the person listed if you feel that you may have a few minutes to give the organization and represent the industry.
Rob
MMTA Driver of the Year
Congratulations to member Ron Round, who was named Maine Driver of the Year by the Maine Mo-tor Transport Association. Ron was presented this award by Col. John Cote at the MMTA Annual Banquet after the 2018 Drivers of the Month were recognized.
Ron, who drives for Pottle's Transportation, has been involved in almost every aspect of the Maine Professional Drivers Association's activities, from the State Championships, the American Lung Association Bike Trek, and many other things. Ron takes special pleasure in working with the high school kids in the truck driving classes and competitions and has been requested to be on the Advisory Boards of two different schools. Ron has won the State Driving Championships a number of times and twice has been named Grand Champion at the competition. Ron is also currently serving as the MPDA Publicity Officer and can often be heard on local radio stations discussing sharing the road with trucks.
Also, at that banquet, the following drivers were recognized for being the Drivers of the Month throughout the year.
January Ronald Round, Pottle’s Transportation February Shawn Roy, Savage Safe Handling March Neil Chadbourne, H O Bouchard April Dave Bradford, UPS
May Edward Simmons, Hartt Transportation June Stephen Weaver, H O Bouchard
July Mark Tripp, Ed Thayer Inc
August Peter Drucker, W T Rand Transportation September John Zimmerman, Hartt Transportation October Scott Edwards, Nestle Waters NA November Clair Moreau, Irving Oil Terminals December Randy Henley, C N Brown
Splitshifting – Denis Litalien
It is with sad news that we report that the Annual Professional Truck Drivers Challenge (St. Jude Fund-raiser) has been cancelled for this year. The main issue was the site availability and the insurance issue that surrounded that as well as a few other minor glitches. You can read all the details at http://mpda.org/2020-northeast-charity-challenge.html. We are hoping to get drivers and sponsors to continue their annual dona-tion so that St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital doesn’t miss a beat.
Shifting into another gear, this year’s Trucking for Kids Convoy will again be held at Scarborough Downs! There have been many questions about that location in the past year since it is undergoing major changes, but we have been assured that we will be able to stage the event there at least for 2019. We hope to see all of you there to support this great fundraiser for Camp Sunshine and Camp POSTCARD. They count on us for this support!
And downshifting once more, we will be holding the election of officers this year and would like to give anyone the opportunity to nominate themselves or someone else for a position on the Board of Direc-tors. Simply send an email to [email protected] and we will hold elections through the next mailing to all members.
And splitshifting again, we are excited to announce our 30th Anniversary Banquet, to be held at DiMil-lo’s in Portland with Barry Pottle as our featured speaker and Juston McKinney at the comedian for the en-tertainment. More information is available at http://mpda.org/30th-anniversary-banquet.html. In this issue of your newsletter is a form to submit your nominations for the various awards to be presented at the ban-quet. Please take the time to send these in to help us recognize some of the great people in our industry. The enclosed (or attached) form gives you all the details. Also, if you have any great old photos of some of
MPDA’s activities, please send a copy or email a pic to Dave Littlefield or Pete Mortensen, who will be putting together a slide show for the banquet.
And with one last upshift, I thank all who sent kind words upon my retirement from driving. I am still planning to be active as the Executive Director of MPDA, I just won’t have the day-to-day experiences to share with all of you going forward.
Denis
PS – We got a really neat note through the MPDA mail from Brent Theriault from H.O. Bouchard after the State Truck Driving Championships stating, “Yesterday was my first time attending the TDC as a contestant. I wanted to say, great job and thank you to all the volunteers, troopers, judges, drivers and everyone else who made this a fun day. The support by drivers who have been attending these for years and the "good lucks" as they called your name to head to one of the stations is one of the many reasons after 22 years in this profes-sion I still enjoy going to work. See you all next year!
Membership Officer
Pete Mortensen and
President Jim Costa ready for blind spot demonstrations at Owl’s Head Transportation Museum.
MPDA members at “Demo Day”, Camp POSTCARD
From left to right:
Dick Brown, Paulie Rumery, Jim Costa, Phil Patry, Pete Mortensen, Leroy Ayer, Dave Littlefield
Sun Safety by “Truckin’ Bob” Cyr
Most of us are aware that overexposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays is potentially dangerous, and that a gradu-al tanning routine — as the summer season progresses — is the only commonsense approach to sunbathing.
Here are six principles of Slow Sun to keep you sun-safe.
1) Be Mindful: Know your limits and practice moderation. The best sun protection is awareness and common sense.
Even after properly applying a high SPF sunscreen, and then reapplying often, it’s still possible to get too much sun! That's because no sunscreen can block 100% of the sun's rays, and the sun can be very powerful. You need to know your limit and seek shade when you've reached it. The sun's strength varies depending on the time of day, the time of year, and where you are, so keeping this in mind is a great way to be moderate and enjoy the sun respectfully.
2) Practice Simplicity: Cover up with proper clothing when outside. Why not make a fashion statement by wearing a
floppy hat! Add a stylish, long-sleeved shirt. Additional protective clothing means less skin is exposed. Less exposed skin means less sunscreen is needed--and that can save you and your family big bucks.
3) Seek Shade: Especially during the peak sun hours of 10am-2pm.
4) Apply Enough Sunscreen! Take time to apply your sunscreen correctly! While the amount varies from person to
person, the rule of thumb is about two tablespoons to cover the adult body from head to toe. Don’t forget to reapply sunscreen at least every two hours and after sweating, swimming, or toweling off.
Good sunscreen application is an art that takes time to do right! Studies show most people do not apply enough sun-screen to get the protection they think they're getting (1). Did you know that applying half of the recommended amount of an SPF 30 results in an SPF of only 6?! Mineral sunscreens work as a physical barrier between your skin and sun's radiation so you need to get a good even coat to be fully protected. Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body and what you put on your skin will often end up in your body?
5) Choose Wholesome Solutions: Use organic or natural mineral-based sunscreens, with antioxidant ingredients and
avoid any questionable chemicals or potentially harmful ingredients. A recent study shows that 97% of Americans have oxybenzone in their blood. This is one of the most common and most toxic chemicals found in conventional sun-screens. You can avoid this ingredient and other chemicals by choosing a natural sunscreen that protects with zinc ox-ide or titanium dioxox-ide and is rich in antioxidant ingredients. Antioxidants can help to mitigate overexposure to the sun’s rays while providing vital food for your skin and body. It's less well known, however, that you can augment your body's natural sun protection systems if you increase your consumption of C and B vitamins, all of which are depleted when your body is regularly exposed to solar rays. Summer's delicious harvests of fresh cantaloupe, strawberries, to-matoes, green peppers, broccoli and collard greens provide, as do citrus fruits and juices, excellent sources of vitamin C. Foods rich in vitamin B include eggs, liver, poultry, wheat germ, unrefined cereals, milk, bananas, tuna, salmon, spinach, peas.
6) Fortify with Food: In the summertime we crave foods that act as a sort of internal sunscreen. Fresh fruits and
vege-tables -- watermelon, pineapple, raspberries, and brightly hued bell peppers -- are rich in antioxidants, protective mol-ecules that help fight off free-radical damage triggered by sun exposure. Left unchecked, free radicals can cause in-flammation in the body, which may eventually harm DNA and lead to skin and other cancers.
A study in the Journal of Nutrition showed that a mix of carotenoids -- a group of antioxidants including lycopene (found in tomatoes and watermelon), lutein (in spinach and other dark-green veggies), and beta-carotene (in orange, red, and yellow produce) -- reduced skin's susceptibility to ultraviolet damage.
Other studies have produced similar results with green tea and ferulic acid (an antioxidant found in pineapple, orang-es, applorang-es, and coffee).
7) Eat the Rainbow: As a rule, the richer and darker the color of your produce, the better. Aim for a mix of yellows,
reds, greens, and purples. "You'll get a variety of antioxidants, which is important because they all protect cells in different ways.”
Be smart about sun protection. Remember to “Go slow. Be mindful. A day in the sun is great, but a lifetime of healthy skin is even better.”
Robert E Cyr “Truckin Bob” CHHC, AADP, FSP, DOS Certified Holistic Health Coach, Chef, Organic Farmer,
Producer & Host of the TV health & Wellness show “CYRIOUSLY FIT” Author of the self-help health book “ZOMBIE TRUCKERS”
National Championships Results
2019 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
3-Axle: Brian Walker UPS Freight North Carolina
4-Axle: Adam Heim FedEx Freight Idaho
5-Axle: David Hall ABF Freight Arkansas
Flatbed: Basher Pierce FedEx Freight North Carolina
Sleeper Berth: Mike White Walmart Transportation, LLC Indiana
Straight Truck: Jason Imhoff Walmart Transportation, LLC Ohio
Tank Truck: Paul Brandon FedEx Freight Connecticut
Twins: Scott Woodrome FedEx Freight Ohio
Step Van: Adam Stroup FedEx Express Nebraska
SPECIAL AWARDS
National Grand Champion: Scott Woodrome FedEx Freight Ohio
Rookie of the Year: John Sanderson FedEx Express Oregon
Team Champions: Pennsylvania
Vehicle Condition: Jason Imhoff Walmart Transportation , LLC Ohio
Highest Written Exam Award: (nine drivers, all perfect scores!) Paul Brandon, Miguel Corral, Ina Daly, Brent Glasenapp, Julie Hjelle, Barry Kraemer, Jottyn Santos, Jimmy Wisley, and Scott Woodrome
Neill Darmstadter Professional Excellence Award: Robert Dolan XPO Logistics Pennsylvania
Sam Gillette Volunteer of the Year Award: James Wilcox
Maine Drivers Results at the Nationals
Step Van Class: Robert Cochran FedEx Express 14 Straight Truck Class: Dennis Hagner Walmart Transportation 41
Tank Class: Wayne Devoe H.A. Mapes 29
Sleeper Class: Joseph Smith Pottle’s Transportation 13 Twin Trailer Class: Matt Richardson Performance Food Service 20 3-Axle Van Class: Dave Shnur Walmart Transportation 19 4-Axle Van Class: Clifford Gibbs FedEx Freight 24* 5-Axle Van Class: Ken Duncan Walmart Transportation 9 Flatbed Class: Ron Round Pottle’s Transportation 12 * Pending confirmation by ATA
Cordially invites you to our
30
thanniversary celebration.
A banquet will be held at:
DiMillo’s on the Water Portland, Maine
Saturday, October 26, 2019 at 6:00pm.
There will be a cash bar from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.
Dinner will be a buffet including dessert and coffee.
American Trucking Associations Past Chairman Barry Pottle
will be our guest speaker.
Entertainment will be comedian Juston McKinney
The cost is $20.00 per person or $40.00 per couple.
We hope you will join us in celebrating this important milestone. It is a great
op-portunity to treat your spouse to a night out while you mix and mingle with other
members.
Please pay online at www.mpda.org/banquetreservations
Or make your check out to: MPDA
Mail to: MPDA, 27 West Beech Ridge Road Scarborough, Me.04074
Payment required by October 10th
Maine Professional Drivers Association 2019
Award Nominations
This year, as part of our 30th Anniversary celebration, we will honor some individuals who have made a significant contri-bution in our profession through their leadership, commitment, hard work and accomplishments. Whether you attend or not, please take the time to fill out and return the nomination form on this page and list your selections for our awards. Please include as much information as possible. Feel free to include attachments if by email or extra pages if by snail mail. Please return your nomination form by October 10, 2019 to: Alan Paradis, MPDA, 27 W. Beech Ridge RD, Scarborough, ME 04074 or email to:
[email protected]. These awards present an opportunity to put some of our finest people on display.
Driver of the Year Award
A driver who stands above the crowd in the trucking industry through his/her driving record, attitude, industry activities and/or recog-nition for special achievement. Provide as much information as possible: _______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nominated by: ___________________
John Labonte Good Samaritan Award
Any person who has demonstrated the qualities of a good samaritan, especially where it comes to helping motorists or drivers who are stranded or otherwise need help on the highways. Provide as much information as possible:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nominated by: ___________________
Cliff Gray Service Award
A person who has donated their time and talent, demonstrating outstanding service towards the Association and/or towards the trucking industry in general. An opportunity to recognize our unsung heroes! Provide as much information as possible:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nominated by: ___________________
Harry Stiffler Lifetime Achievement Award
An individual who not only has dedicated his/her career to trucking and safe driving in general, but who has shown a deep commit-ment to involvecommit-ment in industry activities and community service. This driver should serve as an example to others in representing the values that our Association promotes, which include courtesy, integrity and professionalism. Provide as much information as pos-sible: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nominated by: ___________________
FMCSA OKs New Camera/Mirror System.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently reported that it has issued a five-year exemption to Stoneridge Inc. to allow its aftermarket MirrorEye mirrorless digital camera and sensor system to be installed on trucks and motor coaches as an alternative to traditional mirrors.
Under current law, trucks and buses must have two outside mirrors positioned to show the driver a view of the highway to the rear, and the area along both sides of the commercial motor vehicle.
The new system works with five cameras, sensors and three digital displays. Along the right and left A-pillars are two 12.2-inch high-definition monitors, and another 7-inch display that is mounted high in the center of the cab. The displays are positioned within the driver’s line of sight to improve their reaction time as they scan their panel.
The exemption will allow trucks and buses to operate with the new system and without mirrors. FMCSA officials also agreed with Stoneridge’s assertion that the all-weather cameras and sensors perform better than mirrors in rain, snow and ice, and low-vision conditions. Tests have shown that the mirrorless system decreases drivers’ head movement and the need to looking outside of the cab.
The big change isn’t going to be day-to-day driving in good weather conditions, but it’s going to be in those lousy conditions, it’s going to be at night, and it’s going to be in tight quarters when they realize you can always see the back end of the trailer. Three national companies have logged more than 2 million miles using the mirrorless system and their findings concerning the improvement in a driver’s overall situational awareness were included in the application submitted to FMCSA.
- By
John Sommers II of Transport Topics
Augusta News
Motor Carrier Review Board News
Mark Hutchins and Bruce Gray are retiring from the Motor Carrier Review Board. Dick Brown had been appointed by the Governor as the representative from the Maine Professional Drivers Association formerly filled by David Littlefield, who will now represent Mo-tor Carriers with over 10 Commercial MoMo-tor Vehicles. Casey Gray has been named to replace Bruce Gray as the representative with under 10 Commercial Motor Vehicles. For more information on what the Board does and how these gentlemen serve on the Board, feel free to contact Dick at [email protected] or Dave at [email protected]. The next meeting of the Board will be on November 14, 2019.
Past Member Donald Thompson, Sr. passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 22,
2019. He was born in Portland on Feb. 7, 1937 and drove for a number of
years for Canada Dry, Getty Oil and Shaw's Supermarkets. Don was State
Champion in the Tank Class in 1975 while driving for Getty Oil. That year, he
was also named Rookie of the Year.
Obituaries
Donna Spaulding, a long-time Convoy Committee member who helped organize the
Trucking for Kids Convoy passed away last March after a short battle with lung cancer. A
member of the Lions Club, she was at all the meetings of the event and spent much time
working behind the scenes to help make the event a success. She was 62 years young.
Mike Katz, Executive Director at Camp Sunshine, reports, “We are very appreciative of
all the time and support that Donna has given to Camp Sunshine over the years.” MPDA
Pres-ident and Convoy Committee Chair Jim Costa adds, “It is very difficult to hear about Donna.
She has been such a great help on the committee of the Trucking for Kids Convoy for so many
years. She also has been a good friend. Mona and I will miss her. We had so much respect for
her. She always had a positive attitude. The last thing she said was she was looking forward to
seeing us when we got back home and was excited to be at our first meeting in April. We pray
that she is at peace with no more pain.”
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President and Chief Executive Officer
Jim Johnston, 78, passed away in January, following a battle with cancer. He led the
organi-zation for more than four decades. After completing his military service, Jim started his
truck-ing career as a driver and an owner-operator. In 1969, Jim's trucktruck-ing career brought him to
Grain Valley, Mo. where he and others realized they needed an association that could
com-municate their concerns to lawmakers. As a small business trucker himself, in 1973, Jim with
the help of others, formed Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, OOIDA. Jim was
elected president of OOIDA in 1974. A title he held up until his passing at which time he was
serving his ninth term. Anyone that knew Jim knew of his unrelenting commitment to small
business truckers. It was his passion.
2018-2019 MPDA Board of Directors
President: James Costa - Brown Dog Carriers &
Logistics
[email protected] 207-420-1816
Vice President: Rob Fernald - Messer, LLC
[email protected] 207-838-1074
Treasurer: Alan Paradis - A&A Trucking
[email protected] 207-289-0328
Secretary: Graig Morin - Brown Dog Carriers &
Logistics
[email protected] 207-294-2075
Membership Officer: Pete Mortensen - Walmart Transportation
[email protected] 207-229-4983
T.D.C. Officer: Randy DeVault - Maine Motor Transport Assn.
[email protected] 207-240-2073
Legislative Officer: David Littlefield –Walmart Transportation
[email protected] 207-939-7639
Publicity Officer: Ron Round - Pottle’s Transportation
[email protected] 207-732-3993
All Past Presidents: Denis Litalien, George Colby, Dave Stuart, Dick Brown, Fred Thompson, Alan Paradis, Doug Pickard, Ron Hutchins, John Waisanen and Rob Fernald
Executive Director: Denis Litalien
[email protected] 207-468-7373
MPDA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting
courtesy, safety and professionalism in the field of commercial driving
“Behind the Wheel”
Editor: Denis Litalien
Layout, Design: Pete Mortensen
Production & Distribution: Pete Mortensen, Denis Litalien
Contributors: Randy DeVault, Alan Paradis, Mickey Rafael, Fred Schenk, Barry Mullen, Vicki Kimball, Eddy Naples, Rob Fernald, Jim Costa, Ron Round, Bob Cochran, Clifford Gibbs, Dave Littlefield, Matt Richardson and Ken Duncan.
Our newsletter is published quarterly for our members and advertisers. Articles of interest to members, advertising copy, inquires, payments, change of address, comments, and newsletter submissions should be mailed to:
Maine Professional Drivers Association P.O. Box 5672 / Augusta, Maine / 04332-5672
E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.mpda.org
If you have email capability and are receiving this newsletter by regular mail, please contact us so we can email the newsletter to you, saving postage, paper, folding, etc.
Send an email to: [email protected]
MPDA Calendar of Events – 2019
(As of 8/19/19)
August
24 Ride for Camp POSTCARD – Hannaford Office, South
Portland – contact Dick Brown at 415-4734 or email at
September
8 (Cancelled to next year) Annual Northeast Professional Truck Drivers Charity Challenge - contact Fred Schenk at
781-469-5988 or [email protected] (www.necharitychallenge.org)
8-14 National Truck Driver Appreciation Week 9 Trucker Appreciation Day – Maine Turnpike Scale
Facility, York/Kittery - 11:00am to 4:00pm – contact Rob Fernald at 838-1074 or [email protected] (www.mpda.org)
13-15 IFDA National Truck Driving Championship –
Or-lando, FL – contact ifdaonline.org/events
15 MPDA Members Meeting – Hannaford/ADUSA
Trans-portation Office, South Portland – 8:00am – contact Jim Costa at [email protected] or 420-1816
(www.mpda.org)
21 Trucking for Kids Convoy Set-up Day – Scarborough
Downs - contact Jim Costa at [email protected] or 420-1816 (www.mpda.org)
22 21st Maine Trucking 4 Kids Convoy, 8:00am to
4:00pm – Scarborough Downs - contact Jim Costa at [email protected] or 420-1816 – (www.mpda.org/ trucking4kids)
October
10 Deadline for Award Nominations and 30th Anniver-sary Banquet Reservations
26 MPDA Officers Meeting- DiMillo’s on the Water,
Port-land 4:30pm - contact Jim Costa at [email protected] or 420-1816
26 MPDA 30th Anniversary Banquet- DiMillo’s on the
Wa-ter, Portland 6:00pm – contact Alan Paradis at 289-0328 or [email protected]
December
14 National Wreaths Across America Day –
ArlingtonNational Cemetery – contact Graig Morin at 294-2075 or [email protected] or
Maine Professional Drivers Association PO Box 5672 Augusta, Me 04332-5672
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