CARTHAGE, Texas — TravelCenters of America Inc., operator of the TA, Petro Stopping Centers and TA Express travel-center network, has opened a new TA Express in Carthage, Texas. The new TA Express franchise, operated by Brian Hatchett, is at the former Gateway Travel Plaza site on Interstate 20 and U.S. 59. “We’ve spent many years working hard to build a network of businesses that our customers can trust and rely on,” Hatchett said. “It’s been a pleasure being a franchisee of TravelCenters of America, and we look forward to continuing our growth with the company.” This is the third travel center The Gateway Group has converted to a TA Express in 2020. The team opened a TA Express in Kilgore, Texas, in January and another in Nacogdoches, Texas, in June. The group plans to open a TA travel center in Fairfield, Texas, next year. The new TA Express in Carthage offers: Five diesel fueling positions with RFID and DEF on all lanes; 16 Exxon gasoline fueling lanes; 50 truck parking spaces; 100 auto parking spaces; Four private showers; Laundry facilities; A travel store; Dining options, including Denny’s and an on-site deli; A gaming room; and Transflo scanning. “With the highest concentration of truck traffic in the nation, we’re pleased to bring more travel centers to the state of Texas,” said Barry Richards, president of TA. “The Gateway Team has a strong, established reputation with professional drivers and we’re proud they chose to align with us as we continue growing our footprint through franchising.” The opening of TA Express Carthage brings the company’s total nationwide network of travel centers to 271.

The Trucker

New TA Express adds truck parking, fuel lanes, more to Carthage, Texas

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bridgestone Americas Inc. last week introduced the FuelTech Drive retread for the drive wheel position, the newest addition to the tire manufacturer’s Bandag MaxTread line. The MaxTread FuelTech Drive is a SmartWay-verified, closed-shoulder retread engineered for fleets operating in over-the-road hauling services. The retread, which uses a special tread compound to lower rolling resistance and deliver excellent mileage performance, is also California Air Resources Board (CARB) compliant. “The new MaxTread FuelTech Drive retread is a fuel-efficient tire solution that maximizes mileage and performance,” said Keith Iwinski, director of marketing, Bandag, U.S. and Canada, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “Ideal for fleets operating in truckload and less-than-truckload applications, this drive tire position retread delivers reliable and sustainable tire performance positively impacting a fleet’s bottom line.” The MaxTread FuelTech Drive tire is engineered to reduce energy loss by lowering rolling resistance for optimum fuel efficiency. The tire is designed for long, even tread wear and features advanced technology that controls the movement of the tire’s ribs and tread blocks during rotation, according to a statement from Bridgestone. The MaxTread FuelTech Drive tire also provides multiple gripping edges and a siped tread design to provide trusted traction on wet and dry surfaces. Earlier this year, Bridgestone introduced the Bandag MaxTread line designed to deliver reliability comparable to new tires, featuring quality Bandag retreads as a stand-alone, single-unit tire solution rather than a traditional tire cap and casing offering. The line includes trailer, drive and all-position fitments for light truck, waste, long haul, severe service, and pickup and delivery applications. The Bandag MaxTread line includes nine popular Bandag retread patterns outlined below: Drive position: BDM, BDLT, BDV, DR5.3, DR4.3, FuelTech Drive; Trailer position:1, Eclipse SST; and All-position: Each Bandag MaxTread tire is locally retreaded and backed by a lifetime limited warranty that features 100% coverage for the life of the tread, according to Bridgestone.

Bridgestone adds SmartWay-verified, CARB-compliant FuelTech Drive retread to Bandag MaxTread lineup

LAFAYETTE, La. — Dupré Logistics was recently recognized for its outstanding safety record by National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC), an industry champion for transportation safety on America’s highways. Dupré, which is categorized into NTTC’s 40-90 Million Miles class, was honored with the Merit Award in the Competitive Safety Contest for 2019. Additionally, the company earned the Grant Award in the Personnel Safety Contest for 2019. “These awards magnify the ongoing efforts of our team to make Dupré an industry leader in safety,” said Al Lacombe, vice president of safety and risk management. “Dupré provides quality service while promoting and maintaining a culture of safety at every level.” For more than 30 years, NTTC has honored carriers and fleets for meeting safety goals. In his congratulatory letter to Dupré, the organization’s chairman, Kevin Jackson, said the company’s achievements are even more meaningful during the current pandemic. “The restrictions brought on by COVID-19 have highlighted the essential work and critical role that tank trucks play in our nation’s economy,” said Jackson. “The industry has kept North America moving, and companies like Dupré have kept the roads safe while making sure that the needs of Americans are met.”

Dupré Logistics’ safety record receives recognition from NTTC with two awards

Click here for more issues of The Trucker Jobs Magazine online. The Trucker Jobs Magazine – November 2020 Digital Edition: Labor of Love – Daniel and Phyllis Snow remodeled their 1996 Freightliner into a showpiece, Tying up loose ends, Cat in the cab, Owning the wheel

The Trucker Jobs Magazine - November 2020 Digital Edition

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia officials announced a $101.3 million settlement Friday, October 30, in an antitrust suit against 11 asphalt and paving companies the state accused of cornering the market and driving up project costs. “We’re ending sweetheart deals all across West Virginia,” Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said at a news conference with Gov. Jim Justice. He called it the state’s largest antitrust settlement and said the savings can be directed to road rebuilding, in a state with no shortage of roads in need of repair and unfinished projects. Three companies, West Virginia Paving, Kelly Paving and American Asphalt, will make a $30.3 million payment upfront to the state and local governments, which includes five cities and Kanawha County. The settlement says West Virginia Paving will give an additional $71 million in credits that the state can apply to its currently unpaid projects or for work in the next seven years. When filed in 2016, the complaint alleged that West Virginia Paving Inc. and its sister companies violated the state’s Antitrust Act. The companies took control of at least 15 asphalt plants and created a scheme that caused the municipalities to pay at least 40% more for asphalt, according to the lawsuit. The companies had denied the charges and admitted no wrongdoing as part of the settlement. “Our roads didn’t get into this shape overnight,” Justice said about the state of infrastructure in West Virginia. “It took decades of neglect.”

West Virginia settles with road paving companies for $101.3M

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The owner of a now-defunct commercial trucking company admitted to a federal court judge in Providence that he altered thousands of electronic entries in service logbooks for approximately 20 drivers to conceal the drivers’ actual drive time and on-duty time, according to an Oct. 28 announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Damir Sisic, 29, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, owner of now-defunct Sisic Transport Service LLC (STS), admitted that he routinely altered data collected by onboard electronic data-gathering devices installed in his trucks that reflected the actual number of hours his drivers operated the vehicles. U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) regulations, enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a division of the USDOT, require accurate record keeping and operational requirements, including records related to drivers’ actual hours of service. Sisic owned approximately 11 commercial truck tractors and ten box-style commercial trailers, and employed between seven and 10 drivers at a time. Each vehicle was equipped with an electronic logging device (ELD) that recorded the location of each truck, and the start and stop time of each vehicle. Sisic admitted that he accessed and altered that data on thousands of occasions. He admitted that he routinely concealed from the USDOT and FMCSA that his drivers were routinely exceeding the maximum number of driving hours and on-duty hours without the required off-duty hours. According to court documents, Sisic provided altered driving records to a state trooper who was investigating the crash of an STS truck that occurred in Oklahoma on April 22, 2018, resulting in the death of the driver. In addition, Sisic provided altered driving records for numerous STS drivers to an FMCSA investigator during a compliance review. Sisic pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence to conspiracy to falsify records, announced U.S. Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Special Agent in Charge Douglas Shoemaker, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Northeast Region. Sisic is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy on Jan. 7, 2021. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ly T. Chin.

After driver fatality, owner of Rhode Island trucking company admits to falsifying drivers’ ELD records

On this edition of the Dart Network Podcast, you’ll meet Scott Draper, the new driver behind the wheel of Dart’s Breast Cancer Awareness Truck. As you’ll hear, Scott felt a strong call to submit an application to fill the open seat of this special truck within the Dart company fleet. Scott’s new ride features decals of the iconic pink ribbon that has become the symbol of American Cancer Society’s ongoing Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. For Scott, the opportunity to drive this truck provides him with a rolling tribute to his mother and his sister. As you’ll hear Scott tell PodWheels Network Executive Producer Greg Thompson during our interview, Scott lost both his mother and his sister to breast cancer in recent years. And while the pain of those losses is still present, Scott shares with Greg how driving across the nation’s highways these days has also allowed him to the feel hope and inspiration his new truck delivers with every mile. This podcast is brought to you by PodWheelsNetwork.com

Meet Dart's Scott Draper & How He Honors His Family With Every Mile He Drives

On this edition of the Dart Network Podcast, you’ll meet Scott Draper, the new driver behind the wheel of Dart’s Breast Cancer Awareness Truck. As you’ll hear, Scott felt a strong call to submit an application to fill the open seat of this special truck within the Dart company fleet. Scott’s new ride features decals of the iconic pink ribbon that has become the symbol of American Cancer Society’s ongoing Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. For Scott, the opportunity to drive this truck provides him with a rolling tribute to his mother and his sister. As you’ll hear Scott tell PodWheels Network Executive Producer Greg Thompson during our interview, Scott lost both his mother and his sister to breast cancer in recent years. And while the pain of those losses is still present, Scott shares with Greg how driving across the nation’s highways these days has also allowed him to the feel hope and inspiration his new truck delivers with every mile. This podcast is brought to you by PodWheelsNetwork.com Listen to more podcasts. Read the podcast transcript Announcer: Coming up next on the Dart Network Podcast, you’ll meet Scott Draper, a company driver in the Dart fleet who recently was given the opportunity to honor his mother and sister with every mile he drives. As you’ll hear in this preview. Scott is now the proud driver of Dart’s breast cancer awareness truck. Scott Draper: To finally do something for my mother and my sister... Now, I’m starting to recognize more people out there that have dealt with this horrible disease. The response that I get, I didn’t realize that, before I was seated in the truck, makes me feel good for the people that come up and shake my hand. The people that come up and want to take pictures. I know my mom and my sister recognizing that also makes me feel even better. Announcer: Welcome back to the Dart Network Podcast. Thanks for connecting with us again on the PodWheels Network. In this edition of the podcast you’ll meet Scott Draper, the new driver behind the wheel of Dart’s breast cancer awareness truck. As you’ll hear during our interview, Scott felt a strong call to submit an application to fill the open seat of the jet-black truck in the Dart company fleet featuring decals of the iconic pink ribbon that has become the symbol of the American Cancer Society’s ongoing breast cancer awareness campaign. Dart’s breast cancer awareness truck also offers encouraging words for those afflicted with breast cancer and their families. As many of you in the Dart Network know, “Drive Like A Boss” has been a slogan associated with Dart for many years. With the breast cancer awareness truck, Dart placed an inspirational twist within those words, by displaying a “Fight Like A Boss” decal on the big rig. For Scott Draper, his new ride provides him with a rolling tribute to his mother and his sister. As you’ll hear Scott tell PodWheels Network Executive Producer Greg Thompson during our interview, Scott lost both his mother and his sister to breast cancer in recent years. While the pain of those losses is still present, Scott shares with Greg how driving across the nation’s highways these days has also allowed him to feel the hope and inspiration his new truck delivers with every mile. Greg Thompson: It’s our pleasure to welcome in Scott Draper to the Dart Network Podcast. Scott was recently seated in the breast cancer awareness truck that is in the Dart fleet. Scott, welcome to the Dart Network Podcast, and congratulations on your new ride. Scott Draper: Thank you, Greg. I greatly appreciate it. I’ve been really enjoying the response that I’m getting from driving this truck. Greg Thompson: Scott, speaking of your ride, the breast cancer awareness truck is one of the specially badged trucks in the Dart fleet. It’s got the pink bows on both sides of it as well as on the front of it, and it says, “Fight Like A Boss.” It’s much like the military trucks in the Dart Network fleet in that it ...

S.H.E. Trucking founder discovers common bond with her father as she pursues a career as a professional truck driver . CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — “I can’t change my past, so I decided to change my future.” This statement by Sharae Moore, founder of S.H.E. Trucking, touches a resonant chord with many people, and it reflects h...

S.H.E. Trucking founder discovers common bond with her father as she pursues a career as a professional truck driver

GREELEY, Colo. — “The worst of times can bring about the best of changes.” That may sound like a line from a Charles Dickens book, but it’s actually an observation from longtime driver Mark Salcedo. Delivering food in a time of crisis, he has witnessed an attitude change for the better toward truckers as the nation realizes just how essential they are. “It reminds me of the old days,” said Salcedo. “My grandpa started a truck line in the ’60s, and growing up, I spent a lot of summers on the road with my dad. Back then, people had enormous respect for drivers, but much of that’s been lost. These days, people see us as more of an annoyance, but this situation has helped open their eyes.” Salcedo described the outpouring of support he’s seen through acts of kindness coming from complete strangers, such as those giving out care packages at rest stops. However, even more support has come from the people Salcedo regularly interacts with — those at truck stops and restaurants, docks and receiving departments, and especially, his own company, JBS Carriers. “JBS is great. I originally planned to work here just one year. Now, I’m about to start my fifth, and I even mentor trainees,” he laughed. “This company takes care of its own — always, but even more right now,” Salcedo continued. “They’re paying for cleaning supplies, providing masks and gloves, and doing lots of things that make their jobs harder, but keep us safer.” That’s not to say that driving during a pandemic has been a cruise down Easy Street. Along with extra health precautions and risks, there have been logistical challenges. “Traffic is down on the road, but up at distribution centers,” Salcedo said. “They’re working hard, but some are pretty jammed.” Basic things such as parking, getting meals and taking a shower have also been harder as closures or restrictions reduce access. But the most difficult part for Salcedo has been the isolation. “I usually stop at home on every trip to visit my dad and son, but I’ve had to keep my distance. Not getting to be with them has been tough,” he said. That’s why the support Salcedo has received on the road is so critical, and why he’s hopeful it’ll be a turning point in how drivers are viewed and treated. “Our work automatically puts us at social distance from family and friends, but that’s what it takes to provide for them and for everyone,” he said. “I think that’s a good lesson that’s come out of a bad time. One that will be remembered long after this is past.” Story by Dave Ballew.

Trucking through COVID-19: Driver sees a good change coming out of a bad time

Mack produces personal protective equipment at truck-manufacturing facility . ALLENTOWN, Pa. — In response to sustained demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) as a result of COVID-19, Mack Trucks donated about 500 pieces of personal protective equipment that were manufac...

Mack produces personal protective equipment at truck-manufacturing facility

Polite protesting truckers get results in Washington . WASHINGTON — Naysayers had been at it since before the start of the May 1 “mayday” protest by small trucking business owner-operators. It seemed that no one, perhaps not even the protesters themselves,...

Polite protesting truckers get results in Washington

End in sight as protesters prepare for White House meeting . WASHINGTON — As protesting truckers wind down Day 19 of their Washington D.C. protest on May 19, they are on the cusp of realizing their biggest protest goal — a meeting at the White House. Selected in...

End in sight as protesters prepare for White House meeting

U.S. Border Patrol foils three human-smuggling attempts in a single day, two involving tractor-trailers . LAREDO, Texas — May 14 was a busy day for agents of the U.S. Border Patrol near the Laredo, Texas, crossing between the U.S. and Mexico. In three separate incidents, agents discovered a total of 62 peo...

U.S. Border Patrol foils three human-smuggling attempts in a single day, two involving tractor-trailers

United States Transportation Alliance joins DC protest; aims to help provide a common voice . The problem with a grass-roots movement is often determining which blade of “grass” will speak for the group. That’s been a visible issue with the small trucking business protest, now in its third week...

United States Transportation Alliance joins DC protest; aims to help provide a common voice

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