ATA Marks NTDAW With Truck Show

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — American Trucking Associations celebrated National Truck Driver Appreciation Week with a cookout and truck show.

	Michael James - Transport Topics
	Shiny examples of trucking's past and present were on display at ATA headquarters. (See more cookout photos on Truckline.)

ATA President Walter B. McCormick Jr. said the weeklong celebration gives the industry a chance to put some humanity behind the drivers who represent trucking to the public.

He said Tuesday’s truck exhibit, which featured models ranging from a 1932 Dodge with a crank for the motor to 1999 big rigs, showcased advances in trucking technology and safety.

"It gives you a real sense of how far the industry has come in so short a time," said McCormick.

red Craig and John Vannatta, members of the American Truck Historical Society, were among those who brought antique trucks to the event.

Vannatta said the modern-day trucks have more safety features than the vintage models that he restores.

"Visibility in old trucks was awful — especially with those small spot mirrors," he said. "There weren’t any antilock brakes, seat belts, air bags either."

Another advance is engines with increased horsepower that enable truckers to maneuver better and keep themselves out of harm’s way, said Vannatta.

Craig said the 1999 model trucks — with their air-conditioning, air-ride suspensions, comfortable seats and cabs like hotel suites — don’t create worn-out truckers with frayed nerves like the rigs of the past.

"You drive that old crackerbox for six hours and you’re exhausted just from the ride," he said, pointing to his 1968 GMC cabover. "But you ride in one of those new ones and you hardly even feel it."