By Timothy Cama, Staff Reporter This story appears in the Aug. 9 print edition of Transport Topics.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood encouraged the nation’s safest truck drivers to play an active role in combating distracted driving.
“Distracted driving is an epidemic in America,” LaHood said in a speech Aug. 5 during the National Truck Driving Championships here. “We are trying to persuade Americans that if they put down their cell phones and their BlackBerrys while they’re driving, a lot of lives will be saved.”
LaHood suggested that truck drivers who see motorists talking on cell phones should “give them a honk or two. Or three.”
“You all are ahead of the curve on this; you all have set a standard. We appreciate that,” he said.
During his remarks at NTDC’s “Breakfast of Champions,” LaHood also praised the truckers for their commitment to highway safety.
“Thank you for making safety your No. 1 priority,” he said, addressing more than 400 drivers and their families and co-workers.
“I want you to know that at DOT, we appreciate what you all do and the fact that safety is your No. 1 priority,” LaHood said.
Following his speech, LaHood walked through the driving course on the convention center floor during a tour led by Mark Courter, NTDC chairman and manager of safety compliance for FedEx Freight.
NTDC, also known as the “Super Bowl of Safety,” tests the nation’s safest drivers on a wide range of skills and knowledge.
Competitors in all nine truck classes took written exams on Aug. 4 that tested drivers on safety rules, security, first aid and general trucking industry information.
Renée Evans, a Con-way Freight driver in the step van class, said she was pretty confident about her performance on the written test.
“I thought I did really well,” said Evans, who works out of Henderson, Colo.
Other questions on the exam covered such topics as fire safety and specifics about the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s upcoming CSA safety ratings system.
On Aug. 5, competitors in the 3-axle, 4-axle, tank-truck and flatbed classes completed their pre-trip inspections and driving skills tests. The step van, straight truck, 5-axle, twins and sleeper berth classes were set to take their tests on Aug. 6.
The event ended Aug. 7 with the selection of a Grand Champion, after Transport Topics went to press. Full results will be published in TT’s Aug. 16 edition.
