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Attention
Amateur Photographers
Give
TEA Your Best Shot
and Win $1000!
CONTEST DEADLINE
JUNE 16, 2006
TCA's Truck Driver Photo
Contest is open to any truck driver who is currently employed with or
leased to a trucking company.
Photographs from
professional photographers will not be accepted. No more than three
photos may be submitted per driver. The photos should capture life on
the road and portray trucking in a positive light. Digital photos are
accepted as long as you include a print out of the photo and the
digital file is 300 dpi or larger to ensure a high enough resolution.
Applicants
should clearly label each photo
with their name, address, telephone number, and company name, address,
and telephone number. Please do not write on the back of the photo,
use an address label or separate piece of paper affixed to the back.
Any information you can provide on where you took the photo and the
subject of the photo is appreciated.
Contest Prizes!
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The grand
prizewinner will receive $1,000.
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The 2nd place
winner will receive $750.
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The 3rd place
winner will receive $500.
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4th through 6th
place winners will each receive $100.
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Honorable
mentions will receive $50 each.
Thank you to
S-Line, Inc. and
American Graphics Group,
the generous sponsors of this contest. Visit
www.truckload.org
for more details. E-mail
noliddy@truckload.org
or call 703-838-1950 with any questions.
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Roadcheck 2006
Set for June 6-8
Roadcheck, the annual international truck
and bus safety and security event, will be held June 6-8 throughout
the United States, Canada and Mexico. Inspectors will focus on
security measures, cargo tanks and motor coach safety, as well as
encourage commercial vehicle drivers to wear their safety belts.
For the month of April
fuel purchased at the terminal was 36.3%. Be mindful
that there is a $.21 p/gal difference between a TA and our own
fuel tanks. Plan you fuel purchases such that you can get as much in
Mounds View or at the Pilot in Oak Creek as possible.
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Highway Traffic Deaths
Called a National Tragedy
JJ Keller - Safety
Clicks
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Secretary Norman Y. Mineta recently declared highway traffic deaths a
"national tragedy" and called on all Americans to respond by wearing
safety belts, using motorcycle helmets and driving sober. According to
a preliminary report from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA), 43,200 died on the nation's highways in 2005,
up from 42,636 in 2004. Injuries dropped from 2.79 million in 2004 to
2.68 million in 2005, a decline of 4.1 percent. Fifty-five percent of
passenger vehicle occupants who died in 2005 were unbelted.
"Every year this country experiences a
national tragedy that is as preventable as it is devastating," said
Mineta. "We have the tools to prevent this tragedy every car has a
safety belt, every motorcycle rider should have a helmet and everyone
should have enough sense to never drive while impaired".
NHTSA's report projects a fatality rate of 1.46 deaths per 100
million vehicle miles traveled, up from the record low of 1.44 in
2004. NHTSA also found safety belt use is at 82 percent nationwide.
The report also projects the eighth straight increase in motorcycle
fatalities. In 2005, 4315 motorcyclists died, a 7.7 percent increase.
In 2004, there were 4,008 motorcycle fatalities, the report said.
Mineta added that the majority of passenger
vehicle occupants who died in 2005 were unbelted, despite the fact
that safety belt use is at an historic high of 82 percent nationwide.
Traffic crashes come at an enormous
cost to society. NHTSA estimates show that highway crashes cost
society $230.6 billion a year, about $820 per person.
NHTSA also is projecting the
following changes between 2004 and 2005:
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Overall alcohol-related fatalities
increased 1.7 percent from 16,694 to 16,972.
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Passenger car fatalities dropped
1.8 percent while light truck occupants killed increased by
4.3 percent.
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Pedestrian deaths increased
slightly, from 4641 to 4674.
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Fatalities from large truck
crashes increased slightly from 5190 to 5226.
Vehicle miles traveled are projected to
increase slightly to 2.964 trillion, up from 2.963 trillion in 2004,
according to the DOT Federal Highway Administration. The number of
registered vehicles increased from 238 million in 2004 to 243 million
in 2005.
NHTSA collects the crash statistics from 50
states and the District of Columbia to produce the annual report on
traffic fatality trends. The final 2005 report, pending completion of
data collection and quality control verification, will be available in
late summer 2006.