Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Dec. 7, 2020:
Army veteran and Werner Enterprises trucker Ivan Hernandez won a new Kenworth T680 through the Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence Award.Army vet wins new Kenworth in military veteran trucking rookie award
A 20-year Army veteran is this year’s winner of the Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence Award. The award recognizes military veterans in their first year as truck drivers.
Ivan Hernandez, who drives for Werner Enterprises (CCJ Top 250, No. 11), won the award Friday, Dec. 4, along with a fully-loaded Kenworth T680. The presentation was made at the Kenworth plant in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Hernandez’s military career included four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He received two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart after being wounded in action. Originally from El Paso, Texas, he enlisted in the Army in 1998 and retired Dec. 21, 2018.
In January 2020, Hernandez graduated from the Roadmaster Drivers School and has been employed by Werner Enterprises since February. He has a safety record of more than 35,000 accident-free miles.
Ray Miller, a U.S. Army veteran and Stevens Transport driver, was this year’s runner-up. He was presented with a $10,000 check during the ceremony, while the other two finalists were presented with a $5,000 check. Gail Losee, U.S. Army veteran and Stevens Transport driver, and Shaun Mason, a U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army veteran and Prime Inc. driver, tied for third place.
“Each of the finalists recognized today embodies the skills and abilities instilled by the military and have applied these qualities to be successful in their new career field: the trucking industry,” said Lisa Berreth, Kenworth marketing director. “You are all role models. You are the everyday heroes that keep our country moving forward.”
NEW PETE STORE LOCATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA | The Peterbilt Store’s new facility in West Columbia, South Carolina replaces a prior location. Located on an 11-acre site just off I-26 at Exit 119, the new 40,000-square-foot facility has increased warehouse space by 300% and offers customers easy access straight from the interstate to one of the 19 air-conditioned service bays. Overall, the facility represented a $1.2 million investment by the dealer network.Phillips tech tip: Avoiding gladhand plug corrosion
This month’s edition of the Phillips company’s “Tech Tips” newsletter urges owners to consider corrosion as a possible result of the design of a stowage unit for plug and gladhand on the back of the cab. “Wet weather and de-icers are more prevalent than ever” this time of year, which can create a “perfect storm … for corrosion build-up on a vehicle. While the electrical connections of a plug and socket union are a primary location for corrosion build-up, there is another place that could be doing more damage to these connections than one might think – the plug and gladhand stowage on the back of the cab.”
Generally, the company recommends cleanage the plug stowage every six months or even more often, and using an angled, nonmetallic caddy with large drain holes rather than a straight-up-and-down, metallic design, for better results. Access all the company’s Tech Tips via this page.
