Top Drivers Emphasize Safety as NTDC Begins in Minneapolis
By Daniel P. Bearth, Staff Writer
This story appears in the Aug. 27 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
MINNEAPOLIS — Some of the nation’s best truck drivers arrived here last week ahead of the 70th annual National Truck Driving Championships to discuss the importance of safety on the nation’s highways and to express their sympathies as the city recovers from the deadly bridge collapse earlier this month.
“We want the public to know how much we care,” said Larry Shelton, a driver for Old Dominion Freight Line. Shelton is a member of America’s Road Team, a group of drivers selected by American Trucking Associations to help educate the public about how to drive safely around big rigs.
On Aug. 1, the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge killed 13 people, including at least one truck driver, and injured dozens more. Also last week, floods in southeastern portion of the state washed away homes and damaged roads and rail lines.
President Bush visited Minneapolis on Aug. 21 and pledged to expedite federal aid to rebuild the I-35W bridge span and to assist residents and businesses affected by the flooding.
Meanwhile, Shelton and four other team members conducted driving demonstrations for news media representatives before the start of the NTDC at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
“Highway safety is a way of life,” said Wayne Crowder, a driver for FedEx Freight and a 2004 national champion. “The drivers competing here in Minneapolis have dedicated their lives to being safe professional drivers. I hope my years of experience behind the wheel of a truck can help the motoring public be a little safer out on our nation’s roads.”
Phil Gould, a Road Team member who has run 3 million miles without an accident in a 42-year career and drives for Jevic Transportation, said 12 people die in highway crashes on average each hour.
“We want to do what we can to cut that number down,” he said. “Trucks and cars will share the road from now to eternity, and if everyone did what they were supposed to do, there would be no need to be here because there would be no accidents.”
Manny Franco, a driver for UPS Freight, took reporters for a drive in a tractor-trailer along Interstate 94 to demonstrate his defensive driving skills, including leaving a six-second driving cushion around other vehicles and waiting for a count of three before pulling into an intersection to avoid red-light-running vehicles.
Tony Sifford of FedEx Ground pointed out the benefits of anti-splash tires and wide-base singles to minimize splash from big rigs during wet conditions. He also said using other safety technologies, such as anti-collision radar and rear-view cameras, can help drivers avoid dangerous situations and minimize blind spots around the vehicle.
“These are things not required by the Department of Transportation,” Sifford said, “but they are things that make a difference.”
By educating the public, Franco said he was hopeful of replacing fear of trucks with respect.
“How much does an elephant weigh?” he asked. “Whatever an elephant weighs, think of this [tractor-trailer] as a whole herd of elephants that you just cut off. We need to respect trucks. No fear is necessary.”
