Trucking news and briefs for Friday, June 19, 2020:
Landstar to honor drivers at All-Star Truck Giveaway event
Landstar System will hold its 2020 All-Star Truck Giveaway on Wednesday, July 8, in an online Zoom video conference. During the event, the company will give away a 2020 Freightliner Cascadia to one of four owner-operator finalists.
The four finalists are:
- Jacob Bons, of Elk Grove Village, Illinois – 1 Million Mile Safe Driver
- Almir Ferhatbegovic, of Knoxville, Tennessee – 1 Million Mile Safe Driver new inductee
- Robert Jordan, of Soso, Mississippi – 1 Million Mile Safe Driver and Landstar Roadstar
- Bill Williamson, of Atoka, Tennessee – 1 Million Mile Safe Driver
The Freightliner up for grabs is Viper Blue and features a Detroit DD15 with a Detroit DT12 automated transmission.
This year’s finalists were randomly drawn from a pool of Landstar’s 1,086 active 1 Million Mile, 2 Million Mile and 3 Million Mile Safe Drivers and Roadstars. The Roadstar designation is the company’s highest honor for owner-operators awarded to the “best of the best” based on their high levels of safety, productivity and excellence in customer service.
Trucker named Highway Angel for helping stranded elderly woman
An ABF Freight driver based in Mount Airy, North Carolina, has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association for stopping to help an elderly woman stranded on the road.
Greg Truitt was driving on Highway 460 on his way from Roanoke, Virginia, to Charleston, West Virginia, when he hit a deer and noticed a car up ahead backed into a ditch with the front end of the car sticking out into the right travel lane. As he got closer, he could see a white-haired lady in the driver’s seat, and there was a handicap placard hanging from the mirror.
Truitt then pulled over and positioned his truck to partially block the right lane.
“Her vehicle was turned sideways, you couldn’t see her headlights, and she didn’t have her four-ways on,” he said. “Someone could have come by and caught the front end of the car.”
He grabbed his flashlight and went over to check on the woman, who told him she thought she was out of gas.
“She said she was in her ‘90s and had come from her sister’s, which was a pretty good way from where she was,” Truitt said. He figured that she may have made a wrong turn and just kept driving.
He called 911 to get the woman help and stayed with her until two sheriff’s patrol cars arrived. Truitt was able to get in touch with the woman’s son a few days later to make sure she was safe.
For his willingness to help, TCA has presented Truitt with a certificate, patch, lapel pin and truck decals. ABF Freight also received a certificate acknowledging their driver as a Highway Angel. EpicVue sponsors the Highway Angel program.
Love’s opens new Georgia location with 97 truck parking spaces
Love’s Travel Stops this week opened a new location in Ellabell, Georgia, just west of Savannah on U.S. Highway 280.
The new store offers 97 truck parking spaces, an Arby’s restaurant, nine diesel lanes, seven showers, a Love’s Truck Care with on-site Speedco and more.
The Ellabell location is the company’s 13th in Georgia.
Kenworth launches video campaign to thank truckers
Kenworth has rolled out a video campaign to salute truck drivers for their efforts to supply and support communities throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The “Trucker Hat Tip” social media campaign encourages people to submit short videos tipping their hats to truckers.