TCA Safety Managers Seek Greater Commitment From Truck Chiefs

CINCINNATI — Although Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater declined an invitation to speak at the Truckload Carriers Association Safety Council's annual meeting, more than 200 safety managers were ready to deliver a message to him: More regulation and tougher enforcement will not produce safer highways unless trucking management is fully committed to safety.

"We are instruments of Rodney Slater," said council president A.L. "Bud" Pierce, director of safety for Daymark Inc. in Russellville, Ark. "Every person in this room eats, sleeps and works with regulations. There's no tougher group in upholding the law and standards of safety. Or you don't stay in it.

"Safety is not a cost center," he said. "It's a way of life. As safety managers, we don't take our responsibility lightly."

Cultivating management support and increasing the effectiveness of safety programs were major themes of the conference, which ran from May 23 to 25. The Internet and paperless logs were two of the hot discussion topics.

Jeff Davis, vice president of safety and human resources at Jet Express in Dayton, Ohio, said the computer is a tool that can help safety directors do their jobs better. The Internet, for example, can be used to find information on federal, state and international trucking regulations.

Davis said he would like to develop a truck safety Internet library where safety managers can check on Web sites with information about everything from the National Sleep Foundation to the National Transportation Safety Board.

For the full story, see the May 31 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.