'No Zone' Draws LTL, Union Leaders

Four executives from major trucking companies and Teamsters' President James P. Hoffa joined with politicians and senior Department of Transportation officials May 20 in a conspicuous show of support for efforts to educate the public about sharing the road with trucks.

"In many ways, this is a ground-breaking event," said Michael Wickham, chairman of Roadway Express of Akron, Ohio, who noted the appearance of six No-Zone-emblazoned tractor-trailers at the U.S. Capitol was "not in protest, but to demonstrate our commitment to safety."

The joint press conference and safety demonstration also signaled a new commitment by unionized general freight carriers to work closely with the Teamsters on a variety of safety and business issues.

According to Wickham, a list of "shared initiatives" will be forthcoming from the Motor Freight Carriers Association, an organization formed in 1997 to represent the interests of six unionized general freight carriers -- ABF Freight System, A-P-A Transport Corp., Consolidated Freightways, New Penn Motor Express, Roadway Express and Yellow Freight System.

ABF President David Stubblefield said he is hopeful that the focus on highway safety will be a "starting point" for cooperation with the union on other issues, including truck size and weight and driver hours of service.

"We have a lot of common interests," he said.

Pat Blake, the new president of Consolidated Freightways, Menlo Park, Calif., and William Zollars, president of Yellow Freight System, Overland Park, Kan., also attended the No-Zone event.

For the full story, see the May 24 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.