$1,000 Winner
The eTrucker.com Money for Miles program’s most recent winner was Rachel Hebert of Alvin, Texas. For more information about the sweepstakes, visit www.eTrucker.com.

Pilot Buys Giant
Pilot Travel Centers purchased one of the largest travel centers in the United States – the Giant Travel Center in Gallup, N.M. Located 120 miles east of Albuquerque on I-40, this 65-acre facility is Pilot’s third travel center in New Mexico.

Clower Joins Truckstop.net
Dewey Clower has joined Truckstop.net as director of industry relations. He will work with industry leaders to ensure that the wireless Internet access service is as accessible in as many regions in North America as possible. He previously served as the president of NATSO, a truckstop trade organization, for 15 years.

Songwriting Contest
Howes Lubricator has teamed up with the Truckin’ Bozo Radio Network to launch its annual songwriting contest for CDL holders. The winner will receive a free trip to Nashville, Tenn. The contest ends Aug. 31. For more information, call (800) GET Howes or visit www.howeslube.com.

Driving Simulator
ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants will sponsor the Texas Motor Transport Association’s Mobile Classroom and Driver Simulator through 2005. This full-motion simulator can be moved to a fleet’s headquarters and allows drivers to experience various driving scenarios. More information about the TMTA simulator is available at www.tmta.com.

Interest Rate Cut
The Federal Reserve decided June 25 to lower its key lending rate a quarter point to 1 percent, the lowest level since 1958. Rate cuts by the Fed can lead to reductions in consumer and business interest rates, including truck loans.

Roadcheck 2003
Roadcheck 2003, held June 3-5 and sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, resulted in 55,784 inspections performed by state and provincial personnel on commercial vehicles. That’s 6,405 more than last year and 43.5 percent more than the 38,864 completed in 1999.

CF Pension Plan
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. has taken over employee and retiree pensions for the bankrupt Consolidated Freightways. PBGC, a federal corporation, guarantees payment of basic benefits to workers and retirees in 32,500 pension plans. The Washington-based carrier declared bankruptcy in September. PBGC estimated the carrier’s pension plan has about $228 million in assets to pay for $504 million in promised benefits.

Partner Insights
Information to advance your business from industry suppliers

Young Driver Plan Axed
The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration denied the Truckload Carriers Association’s petition for a pilot program using drivers ages 18 to 20.

The program would have allowed younger drivers to drive trucks in interstate commerce under certain conditions.

The agency stated it received 1,634 comments, and at least 90 percent of the comments were against the program.

Cell Phone Ban
The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended new drivers be prohibited from using cell phones while driving and 33 states should add wireless phone use to their accident investigation forms under the driver distraction section.

Fair Pay Bill
A lobbyist is seeking truckers’ support for a bill to be reintroduced to Congress that would require carriers to pay truckers at least minimum wage for all hours worked.

Eric Zephyr, founder and chief operating officer of the American Reform Association, said the bill, An Hour’s Pay for an Hour’s Work Act, “would not require motor carriers to compensate drivers per hour, just that their wages would need to average out to at least the minimum.”

More information is available by calling ARA at (605) 333-9248 or visiting its website at www.americanreform.com

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