Quick-Thinking Highway Angel Saves Stricken Driver

David Webb Photo: TCA

The quick thinking and actions of truck driver David Webb saved the life of a dump truck driver suffering from heart failure on a Washington State highway. For his actions, the Truckload Carriers Association has named Webb a Highway Angel.

Webb and his wife were driving on State Route 2 in Wenatchee, Wash., when they noticed a local dump truck with a pup trailer suddenly swerve and rub against a Jersey barrier. Pulling alongside the still-moving vehicle, Webb noticed that the driver was slumped over the steering wheel.

He pulled his truck to the side of the road and chased after the dump truck on foot while his wife called 911. Catching up to it, Webb opened the door and brought the runaway vehicle to a stop.

Webb tried to get the driver's attention but noticed he wasn't breathing. He removed the driver from his seat and began administering CPR to the unconscious man with the help of two other people who had stopped to help. The driver was later taken to a local hospital and recovered.

Webb has been a professional truck driver for 22 years and works for Wilson Logistics of Springfield, Mo. He also served for ten years in the U.S. Army.

For his willingness to assist his fellow driver, TCA has presented Webb with a Highway Angel certificate, patch, lapel pin, and truck decals. Wilson Logistics also received a certificate acknowledging Webb as a Highway Angel.

Related: Highway Angel Makes Special Delivery at Truck Stop

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Five Years To Autonomous?

Autonmous vehicles will help move freignt more efficiently. But how engaged will drives have to be?

Earlier this week, the Governors' Highway Safety Association (GHSA) presented a webinar on emerging autonomous vehicle technology. The purpose of the event was two-fold: To raise awareness of the fast pace with which autonomous vehicle technology is moving and highlight the need, on the state level, to prepare for the eventual deployment of autonomous vehicles in terms of policy, legislation, and law enforcement.

Dr. James Hedlund is the primary consultant working with the GHSA on autonomous vehicles and I followed up with him after the webinar to expand on some of the themes that were discussed. Hedlund knows his stuff: He is principal, Highway Safety North, Ithaca, N.Y. He spent 22 years at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in various research and management positions, most recently as associate administrator for Traffic Safety Programs. From 2011 to 2015 he served as a consultant on management and data analysis for the SHRP 2 naturalistic driving study of the National Academy of Sciences. He has published over 60 research studies, conference summaries, research syntheses, and guides on a variety of behavioral traffic safety subjects.

Our discussion touched on several relevant points, including Hedlund's feeling that commercial vehicles will be the driving force in autonomous vehicle adoption nationwide and the fact that this “disruptive technology,” as he called it, has the potential to transform our society in ways we understand very little at the moment.

Jack Roberts: Give me some background on GHSA; its mission and goals.

Jim Hedlund: GHSA is the national organization representing the highway safety offices present in each state. These offices receive federal money from the United States Department of Transportation to use on traffic safety activities. The organization seeks to help members coordinate those efforts on a ...Read the rest of this story

Driver iQ Parent Firm Restructures and Rebrands under Cisive Name

Driver iQ, a provider of comprehensive background screening and driver monitoring services, has announced that its parent company, Carco Group, is changing its name to Cisive.

The name change to Cisive is intended to better communicate the company's focus on clear and accurate insights for HR solutions, security and insurance fraud prevention clients.

“Providing the trucking industry's most accurate solution for driver employment history and background screening needs will be even easier as part of the new Cisive family of brands,” said Lana Batts, co-president of Driver iQ. “The drive and innovative approach at Cisive will further strengthen the already formidable screening and investigation capabilities in place at Driver iQ.”

Cisive will house the Carco and Driver IQ brands and continue its mission to help clients identify fraud and reduce risk through innovative technology. The company said it is rebranding to keep pace with its growth and drive innovation across the human resource capital management market.

Driver iQ screens trucking industry employees and maintains a driver employment database with information on driving records, employment verification, criminal records and ongoing driver minoring. The Carco brand will focus exclusively on pre-insurance vehicle inspections and fraud prevention.

“Cisive stands for clear and accurate insights that give our clients confidence in their most critical decisions while protecting their brand and reputation,” said Jim Owens, CEO and president of Cisive. “It has become harder and more complex to separate fact from fiction in a world where instant information rules. Today's businesses demand an experience and perspective best delivered by technology integrated with human insight.”

Related: TCA Launches Accreditation Program to Foster Professional Development

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Phillips Industries Names Vice President of Sales

Rob Myers Photo: Phillips Industries

Phillips Industries has promoted Rob Myers to vice president of sales after having served as director of sales since 2015.

Myers joined Phillips Industries in September 2015. The company promoted him to the new position recognizing his contributions to the Phillips sales organization's improvements in supporting original equipment manufacturers, parts distributors and truck fleet operators.

“Rob has become a key component of the organizational structure we are building to be the most responsive component manufacturer serving the global commercial vehicle industry,” stated Rob Phillips, president and COO. “Rob's promotion is well deserved and we're all very excited about the future under his leadership.”

Philips Industries says it will announce additional organizational changes in the new future, aimed at strengthening the company's ability to meet the demands of the changing commercial vehicle industry.

Related: Phillips Industries Taps Tom Begin as Tech Leader

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Kenworth Names Dealer Council Members

Kenworth has named its 2017 Kenworth Dealer Council, featuring eight prominent executives representing more than 380 Kenworth dealerships in the U.S. and Canada.

Kenworth Council members are chairman – Will Bruser, Truckworx Kenworth, Birmingham, Ala.; Mike Clark, Wisconsin Kenworth, Madison, Wis.; Boyd McConnachie, Inland Kenworth, Burnaby, British Columbia; Mike Nagle, Bayview Kenworth, St. John, New Brunswick; Scott Oliphant, Kenworth of Louisiana, Gray, La.; Dan Penksa, Kenworth Northeast Group, Buffalo, N.Y.; and Tim Spurgeon, MHC Kenworth, Leawood, Kan.

Additionally, Tom Bertolino of NorCal Kenworth in Sacramento, Calif., serves as the Kenworth line representative for the American Truck Dealers.

The council works with Kenworth to help provide customer support throughout the dealer network with the Kenworth PremierCare and Kenworth PremierCare Gold Certified programs. PremierCare Gold is a superior level of service that offers extended dealer operating hours and expedited expert diagnostics, among other services, that assist customers in maximizing uptime and overtime performance.

Related: Inland Kenworth to Auction T680 to Fight Human Trafficking

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Ottawa driver killed by runaway wheel assembly

Kenworth unveils 2017 Service Council