2010 Lifeliner Magazine (Issue 1)

Lifeliner IOWA MOTOR TRUCK ASSOCIATION Spring 2010

Is the Recovery r e a l l y

Happening?

INSIDE: Safety Update: CSA 2010 Legal Update: Unemployment Appeals Carrier Spotlight: Te Slaa Trucking Ltd. Iowa Truck Services

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Hire Safe. Hire Smart. HireRight.

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© 2009 HireRight, Inc. All rights reserved.

For a listing of state Private Investigation licensing information for Altegrity, Inc. companies, go to www.altegrity.com/compliance.

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In this Issue

IMTA Staff

40

Brenda Neville, CAE President

Don Egli

Director of Safety and Security

Amanda Madison

Administrative Assistant

DeAnn Moody

Executive Assistant

Holly Mueggenberg

Communications & Education Manager

Mike Spalla

Membership Manager

Articles Chairman’s Message............................. 5 President’s Message............................... 7 Labor Update.....................................8-9

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Legislators with Trucking Background...10-11 Safety Update...................................... 12 Legislative Update................................ 13 Carrier Spotlight.............................14-16 2010 Leadership Class........................ 17 Feature Article................................18-21 New Member Service........................... 22 Strategic Planning Update.................... 23 Business Enivronment........................... 24 National Update.................................. 25 CSA 2010........................................... 27 Iowa Truck Services.........................28-29 IMTA Education Department................. 31 Members in the News.....................32-33 Volunteer Recognition........................... 34 IMTA..............................................35-38 IMTA Boxing Night..........................40-41

Our Supporters Iowa Soybean Association.............. 2 HireRight....................................... 2 Great West Casualty...................... 4 Central Trailer Service.................... 6 Northland Insurance...................... 6 Des Moines Truck Brokers, Inc...... 11 Quality Services Corp.................. 24 JJ Keller...................................... 26

Education Seminars..................... 30 Cummins Central Power.............. 39 Crouse Transportation Services..... 39 Reilly Construction....................... 39 Oldcastle.................................... 39 Mark the Date............................. 43.

Midwest Wheel Companies.......... 44

The Final Word.................................... 42 Spring 2010

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Joe Morten & Son dba Motor-Ways Urbandale, IA 515-266-1113

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Reback Truck Ins. Sioux City, IA 800-383-4848

Spring 2010

Reynolds & Reynolds Des Moines, IA 515-243-1724

Donaghy-Kempton Des Moines, IA 515-288-8545

Edwards-Brandt Mason City, IA 641-423-0675

Odebolt Insurance Mel Foster Odebolt, IA Davenport, IA 712-668-2283 563-359-5446

Millhiser Smith Ins. Peoples Insurance Cedar Rapids, IA Waverly, IA 319-365-8611 319-352-6327

Chairman’s Message Bob Kohlwes, BTI Special Commodities, Inc. When I took this job a few months ago, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I had been on enough of the committees for long enough that I knew what IMTA was all about. Since I first joined the association, I knew that the lobbying work was a top priority. It wasn’t however, until I really got involved as an officer of the association that I saw first hand the importance of having someone look out for our interests at the Capitol.

We had a huge victory when the antiindemnification bill passed out of both the house and senate with no opposing votes. This one was a no-brainer in my opinion. Once we explained what we were after to the legislators, they signed off immediately. It is pretty straight forward, as a trucker, I am more than willing to take responsibility for my stuff and the shipper needs to take responsibility for their stuff. We provided the model language, some valuable support material and we are able to score a home run on this important legislation.

IMTA members should be very happy about this legislation and as a side note, we should also be very appreciative because passing legislation is a huge task and this is a big feather in our cap. As I write this column, our legislation is awaiting the Governor’s approval and we are cautiously optimistic that there will be no issues with this since the legislation came out of two Democratic chambers with no opposing votes.

IMTA members should be very happy about the anti-indemnification legislation.

Last year during the session I got involved with some of the work because they needed a trucker to come and provide some insight on some issues, namely the biodiesel mandate. I went to several committee meetings and expressed our concerns with mandates in general. Unfortunately, despite our efforts, the Iowa Senate passed the mandate bill last session and we knew it would be alive for the House to consider this year.

Prior to this year’s session, I attended all but one of our member outreach events and at these meetings, we highlighted what we thought would be the big issues at the Capitol. Most importantly, we told the members what was going on and what the issues would be and got them thinking about these things before the session started. As I figured, we were pretty accurate in our predictions and this session has been very active and I have made numerous visits to our Capitol on behalf of the trucking industry.

I have attended several committee meetings where we have discussed anti-indemnification, biodiesel and truck size and weights. I am pleased to say that so far, we have been successful in most of these areas. But, the session isn’t over yet and this magazine won’t be distributed until the session is about over, so I reserve the right to restate my comments if things change between now and then.

There isn’t enough room on this page for me to highlight all the “bad” business proposals we are monitoring but again through the efforts of many of our members, some of this legislation is simply not going to pass. I urge you to stay the course on these issues because there is nothing coming out of any labor committee that is good for our business.

As I sat down and started to think about what I was going to write, I realized that the main message I wanted to convey is that IMTA’s lobbying efforts are extremely valuable. While I always thought that, I now really believe it BECAUSE I have seen firsthand what our opponents will do. And I shutter to think about what would happen if Iowa’s trucking industry did not have good representation at the Capitol. As far as I am concerned, every dues check I have written has been the best investment I have ever made for my business…and I hope you feel the same way. If for some reason, you don’t feel that way or question the value of your dues, I urge you to give me a call or drop me an email. I would love to talk!

Bob Kohlwes (515) 288-2675 While legislative leaders say that the bkohlwes@btisci.com biodiesel mandate is dead, like Brenda has stated, nothing is dead until the lawmakers gavel out for the year. And given all the different tactics that the supporters of a mandate have implemented over the last several weeks, this is one we will continue to watch closely. The trucking industry has always been opposed to mandates and I believe we have made a very strong case as to why we are opposed to this type of legislation. IMTA members have played a crucial role in this effort and I thank you all for your help.

This is just bad public Tim Burns, Decker Truck Line, Inc. and Bob Kohlwes, BTI Special policy and I consider Commodities, Inc., discussing issues at the State house. this a huge victory as well.

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ON THE ROAD

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CLAIMS

I was four hours from home when my trailer caught on fire. After the Fire Department put it out, I limped the truck and trailer two miles to the next exit and called Northland. They took control of everything, from arranging the repairs to unloading the ruined cargo.

Before too long I was on the road again.

— Owner-Operator

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St. Paul, MN • Hartford, CT www.truckinsurance.com

President’s Message Brenda Neville, Iowa Motor Truck Association When I started at the IMTA over 20 years ago, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into and figured it would be a two year stint before I really found something I liked. However, that 2 year job has now turned into a 24 year job and I can’t imagine doing anything else than working for Iowa’s trucking industry. I think one of the major factors in my desire to stay in the same job for so long is because I have continued to gain valuable learning experiences throughout my time with the association.

When I first started, I knew my trucking background was minimal. I felt that my experience of growing up on a farm and being around trucks was valuable, I still realized that I knew very little about the trucking industry.

Through some very comical experiences in my early days at IMTA, I found new meaning for words such “escort services” and “dollies”. I quickly learned about the regulations impacting the industry and was stunned to see the mountain of paperwork that was required to operate one truck. I eventually learned about salesmanship by collecting dues and receivables and early on figured out how to “close” the sale. I also learned about accounting and finances as I worked on budgets and continue to have great appreciation for accountants.

Over the years, I have learned that common sense and hard work can go a long way and that high heels and a business suit are not always that appropriate when calling on a bull hauler that works out of his shed. I learned the value of communications and marketing as I worked with volunteers and trucking leaders and saw how much they believed in their association. I learned that honesty and integrity are never compromised and that tenacity and courage can be one in the same. I have learned that I am never too old or too “seasoned” to try something new and there is never any excuse to treat people badly UNLESS it is a reporter chasing a bad lead on slow news day. And finally, I have learned that when you quit having the desire to learn, you need to quit your job.

So having said that, I felt it was only appropriate that I share with you how much I have learned over the last several weeks through my involvement with our legislative efforts. I thought that I had a pretty good handle on our work at the capitol. Over the years, I have always been involved with it but this year was without question, the greatest learning experience I have had. I have learned more in the last 10 weeks than I ever did in the previous 20 years in regard to our legislative work. I have always understood that our main objective as an association is to provide oversight and direction for our legislative efforts. I had always been very proud to highlight the benefits of our advocacy work to the membership and I had developed a

deep respect and appreciation for the overall process. But this session provided even more opportunities for me to get involved with the day to day process and because of that, I now have an even deeper appreciation and sense of pride in representing Iowa’s trucking industry at the Capitol.

It was because of this latest learning experience that I decided to share the Good, the Bad and the Ugly side of my work at the Capitol. The “Good” is seeing IMTA members get engaged in the process and making a BIG difference. On so many occasions, IMTA members provide the collective and unified voice that truly moves an issue in the right direction. Differences and competitive natures are set aside and IMTA members rally around the task at hand. It was with that same pride, I watched IMTA members speak at committee meetings on a specific issue, call on lawmakers and present their insight or provide the valuable data we needed to strengthen our case. I never hesitate to pick up the phone and call a member and ask for help on a legislative issue because I have yet to have a member turn me down. IMTA members demonstrate leadership time and again through our legislative efforts and that involvement makes a big difference.

IMTA members recognize the importance of staying informed and engaged. Over the last several years, we have noticed an even higher level of involvement and that is very important.

IMTA is highly respected at Iowa’s Capitol because of YOU. I also could not highlight the GOOD of our legislative efforts without mentioning our lobbyist Dave Scott. He is VERY GOOD and we are VERY LUCKY to have him working on our behalf. His professionalism, his commitment to our issues, his work ethic and the tremendous pride he takes in doing a good job for Iowa’s truckers is evident in everything he does as our lobbyist. I have enjoyed working with him and look forward to our continued work together.

The “Bad” is seeing the mountains of legislation introduced that hinders our ability to do business in the State of Iowa. I never cease to be amazed at the barrage of legislative proposals that are churned out by lawmakers that have never spent a day as an owner of a business. While I certainly want to take care of my employees and believe that we all must have some degree of empathy, it has almost become laughable at the proposals that emerge from our elected leaders. Mandated sick days? Insurance mandates designed to cover every imaginable and unimaginable ailment? The list is far too long for this column but I often wonder if the lawmakers have ever considered how this will all be paid for when there are no more businesses to foot that bill.

The “Ugly” is accepting defeat after a long, fought battle on an issue of importance. I have come to realize that I am much more competitive than I thought and losing is never an enjoyable experience.

This year’s session provided us with several opportunities for a good fight. Some we won and unfortunately, some we lost. It seemed as though Iowa’s trucking industry was assaulted on several fronts and in some cases, it was completely out of the blue. Through my time at the Capitol, I have learned that there is an organization and a study for about everything imaginable and an even more interesting observation….how completely different conclusions can be drawn from the same data.

It is easy to get consumed with the process and while you don’t want to make it personal, it is. But I have learned that the folks that make it personal are also the lobbyists that are the most effective. These are the same lobbyists that represent an issue in an honest, ethical and professional manner, probably the reason they are effective. And as hard as it is to accept, sometimes, regardless of all the hard work and effort that goes into fighting the battle, we come up short and that is the ugly side of our legislative efforts. It is especially hard to accept when I have seen so many of the members get involved with the issue and work on defending our positions but it is a reality that accompanies our work at the Capitol.

And while this session is drawing to a close, I could never reflect upon it without recognizing the many members that contributed in many valuable ways. Regardless of the outcomes, the involvement of membership is at an all time high and that is the GOOD side of this work and will undoubtedly be the one factor that enables Iowa’s trucking industry to be a powerful and effective force at the Capitol.

Brenda Neville, IMTA and Dave Scott, IMTA Lobbyist

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Labor Update John F. Fatino, a 1991 graduate of Drake Law School, formerly served as chair of Whitfield & Eddy’s Employment Practice Group. In addition to advising clients and litigating employment matters, Mr. Fatino has extensively lectured and written on employment matters.

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John F. Fatino Whitfield & Eddy, PLC

Unemployment Appeals: 11 Steps to Success by: John F. Fatino

1

Engage counsel at the outset of the process.

While many larger companies use human resources professionals to prosecute such matters, many employers do not do so until too late in the process.

Unfortunately, consultation with counsel, only after an unfavorable result has been received, is too late in the process.

The die is cast once the record has been made. Nonetheless, this presentation will be of assistance to human resource professionals as well.

2

Document, document, document.

Employers that successfully litigate unemployment claims do so by carefully documenting what happens to their employees and what their employees do (or fail to do). As a result, a file (and, therefore, evidence) has already been created by the time a decision to terminate has been made. The decision to terminate rests, in part, upon what is documented.

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Be aware that you may have to appeal to an Iowa District Court to obtain relief.

Unemployment appeals are heard before an administrative agency: Iowa Workforce Development (by an employee of the Department [not the Department of Inspections and Appeals like other administrative hearings]) and are appealed to the Iowa Employment Appeal Board. As the process is one of agency action, an appeal will lie to an Iowa District Court pursuant to Iowa Code Chapter 17A with subsequent appeals being to the Iowa appellate courts. Face the fact at the outset, you may not win before the agency or the Board, but you do have other avenues of relief. However, a determination to drop an appeal midstream because intermediate relief was not satisfactorily obtained, harms the employer’s interest by wasting staff time, resources, and has placed individuals under oath with respect to the employee’s termination and the employer’s operations (which could come back to haunt you).

See Rule 7, below. Furthermore, unrepresented employees are more likely to miss critical deadlines which would cause their claim to procedurally default.

4

Know the statutory grounds for disqualification.

The statute provides multiple grounds for disqualification from benefits. Some of the statutory disqualifications are set out below. The three most commonly litigated ones are: voluntary quit, misconduct, or failure to accept work.

Those are outlined at Iowa Code section 96.5 (2009) (available at www.legis. state.ia.us and click on the “Iowa Law” button).

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Terminate accordingly.

Successful employers terminate their employees based upon statutory definitions when it is possible to do so.

6

Face the fact that what you think is “cause” may not be “misconduct.”

As set out above, an employee must have committed misconduct to be disqualified from benefits. The term has a unique regulatory meaning. As such, just cause may not necessarily constitute misconduct. The term is discussed below at Rule 9 in more detail.

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Decide at the time of termination whether you will contest the application for benefits.

See Rule 3, above. However, you should know that your contribution rates are related to claims experience. Iowa Code section 96.7(2). A finding of a voluntary quit or misconduct will result in the employer’s account not being charged.

Iowa Code § 96.7(2)(a)(2). Know that the findings of fact and conclusions of law are not binding beyond this process (albeit all statements are under oath and may be used in other proceedings). See Iowa Code section 96.4(4).

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Know where you are at in the process.

The process is statutory and is outlined in the legislation. The employer must be cognizant of whether the claim is at the initial determination stage, appeal, or before the Employment Appeal Board.

Labor Update Failure to understand the nature of each stage of the proceeding and executing accordingly can result in substantial harm being done to the employer’s position. Iowa Code section 96.6(1)-(3) outlines the process.

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Review the administrative definitions and be prepared to cite to the agency’s rules.

In years past, the agency merely had propositions of law in the agency’s rules.

Since the mid-1990s, the agency has set out to provide specific examples of what constitutes an availability disqualification, voluntary quit without good cause, and voluntary quit with good cause attributable to the employer. Iowa Admin. Code. r. 871-24.23 to 24.26 (2010). Misconduct, on the other hand, is still the product of litigation before the agency, the Employment Appeal Board, and the courts. Nonetheless, the regulations regarding misconduct are set out at. 871—24.32 of the Iowa Administrative Code (available at www. legis.state.ia.us and click on the “Iowa Law” button).

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employer.

Gather your evidence and have it ready for the CONCLUSION initial determination.

By understanding the statutory and

Obviously, you will also need to reintroduce the evidence at the hearing.

Once the evidence is in the record, it can be reviewed by the Employment Appeal Board and the district court.

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Your first comment to the representative (at what ever stage) must be the basis for disqualification.

regulatory framework for unemployment proceedings, employers and their representatives can gain an explicit tactical advantage over claimants.

Further, by being alert to the nuances of the regulations, an employer can intelligently decide at the outset whether to contest the claim. The employer will have been well served by the initial determination of whether it is worth the resources to contest the claim in the first instance.

E.g., Bob Jones was terminated for drinking beer from the beer spigot while on the job which is misconduct.

Thereafter, supporting evidence should be offered which supports this conclusion. All arguments should be consistent with the particular theme offered by the

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Legislators with Trucking Background Why did you make the decision to run for office?

I made my decision to run for office for several reasons. One reason is that politics have always been of interest to me. I had been asked to run for the Iowa Senate in the mid 80’s by then retiring Senator Dale Tieden. I would have considered it then but I had a very young family, had just started a new job position and I was just starting Mike Breitbach Trans Star Trucking Co. I also had Trans Star Trucking Co. concerns about our family and of the IMTA Member time commitment away from home.

I enjoy what I have been doing and leaving the safety of my business positions in Trans Star Trucking, Smith Insurance and Swales Precast Inc can be a little overwhelming. I, like many others, had the attitude of “they can’t screw things up that badly can they”? Watching the last 2 legislative sessions has taught me that thinking this way can be very dangerous. I also feel that we all have a responsibility to provide leadership for our state.

What are your biggest priorities if you are elected?

The current state of our budget is my biggest concern at the present time. Our legislature had the opportunity to make specific cuts during the last legislative year but did not. Instead our governor encouraged a wait and see attitude that ended up requiring a 10% across the board cut in September of 2009.

This decision will end up as a property tax increase as contracts were signed, employee’s hired and obligations were made that locked in spending, especially for our school system. I also don’t feel “across the board” budget cuts are appropriate as they encourage departments to inflate their budgets during “good times” to provide a cushion for when when budgets get tight. It penalizes departments that have been fiscally responsible in the past. Next years budget predictions give even greater cause for concern.

How many years have you served in the legislature? 8 years Committees that you serve on?

As the House Republican Leader I only serve on Legislative Council

House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen

What committees would you like to serve on if elected?

With my 26 years of experience in the trucking industry and involvement in the construction industry I think I would make a good candidate for the transportation committee. My degree in accounting and experience in business also lends itself well to any of the finance related areas.

Brief perspective on the 2010 session?

The 2010 session is not yet complete. I am still concerned that some of the proposed labor bills that did not make it through the funnel process could still be brought to the floor. The 2010 2011 fiscal year will be very difficult. Our budget outlook looks even bleaker than our current year. Great care must be taken to use our resources wisely as we move forward. We need to do more to reduce state spending.

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My most important job is to represent my constituents and make sure their state government meets their needs.

Brief perspective on the 2010 session

I believe Iowans will remember the 2010 session as one that significantly increased their property taxes. Regrettably, Iowans will soon experience for themselves an additional hardship imposed on them by the decisions of Gov. Culver and his democrat-controlled legislator.

Trucking Connection

General Counsel CRST, Inc.

How many years have you served in the legislature?

This is my fourth year in the Legislature.

Committees that you serve on?

I serve on Transportation, Agriculture, Public Safety, and I am the Ranking Member on the Justice Budget Subcommittee.

In our business and private lives we prioritize based on “wants vs needs”. Our government needs to do the same.

I was particularly concerned about the governors proposal to raid $50,000,000 from the Road Use Tax Fund to pay state trooper salaries. We need to keep this fund intact in order to repair, maintain and replace our highway system.

What do you consider to be your most important role as a legislator?

Representative Gary Worthan

What do you consider to be you most important role as a legislator?

I strive to use my knowledge in the areas of agriculture and the trucking industry to educate my colleagues when legislation in these areas comes up. Beyond that, I attempt to keep in touch with my home district and represent their interests to the best of my ability.

Brief perspective on the 2010 session

The budget problems are driving 90% of what happens here this year. If it costs money, it is dead on arrival. This also seems to be pushing a lot of small inconsequential actions that are being used to give the appearance of action by the Legislature.

Trucking Connection

Owns and operates small trucking operation.

Legislators with Trucking Background How many years have you served in the legislature?

How many years have you served in the legislature?

Committees that you serve on?

Committees that you serve on?

I was first elected in November of 2000 so this would be my 10th year in the Iowa Senate.

I have served in the Iowa Legislature for 16 years and currently seeking re-election.

Representative Richard Arnold

Committees I serve on are Transportation, Local government and Natural Resources.

What do you consider to be your most important role as a legislator?

I consider my role as legislator to be one that serves the people of my district. I am committed to the principals of limited government, the primacy of the individual over the state and a commitment to personal responsibility.

Brief perspective on the 2010 session

Republicans in the House of Representatives laid out the following plan for the 2010 legislative session. They are common sense, conservative solutions to a very challenging time in our state’s history. Some of the problems we are facing have been made worse by irresponsible spending and reckless borrowing by state government. Other problems have been ignored and pushed off in hopes that they will solve themselves.

The House Republican Agenda begins by creating a favorable climate for job growth; end the assault on employers, stop property tax increase headed for families and businesses and ensure tax credit reviews don’t result in tax increases.

Protect Iowa family budgets by creating a Constitutional limit on State spending that requires a supermajority vote to approve new state debt and sunset authorizations for every state program.

Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley

As the Republican Leader of the Iowa Senate, I am the Ranking Member of the Rules and Andministration Committee.

I also serve on the Senate Education Committee.

What do you consider to be your most important role as a legislator?

My most important role as a legislator is to listen carefully to all Iowans and work hard to make it easier for current and future generations of Iowans to find prosperity and success in our state.

Brief perspective on the 2010 session

I believe the 2010 session should be about making it easier for private sector jobs to be created, helping to protect the taxpayer from burdensome tax increases and ending the unsustainable spending practices of the last three years that have given us record deficits and generational debt. Unfortunately, Governor Culver and legislative Democrats have not focused on making it easier for private sector jobs to be created and instead have pushed an anti-jobs agenda that only adds more barriers to job creation. In addition, the same irresponsible spending practices of the last three years have not subsided and the current party in power has pushed hundreds of millions of property tax increases onto the backs of local property taxpayers. Iowans have grown increasingly upset with the direction the state is headed because Iowa’s leaders have not been listening and have not focused on the priorities that Iowans care most about.

Trucking Connection

Former Founder/owner of McKinley, Inc. a specialty goods company and member of IMTA

Put Iowa children’s education first by setting core academic standards, empower local teaching professionals and requiring exit exams for graduating students and entrance exams for new teachers.

Iowa health care reform doesn’t have to rely on Washington, we can and must implement meaningful medical malpractice reform, expand health insurance tax deductibility to individuals and small businesses. Implement prevention credits, putting a premium on wellness, and insisting on no pre-existing exclusions when changing plans with the same provider.

Trucking Connection

Owns and operates small trucking operation.

800-247-2514 515-981-5115 (Fax) 515-981-0923 PO Box 337 Norwalk, IA 50211

www.dmtb.com Spring 2010

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Safety Update Don Egli, Director of Safety and Security of the Iowa Motor Truck Association. Don has been with IMTA since February 2005, and spends much of his time working on compliance and regulatory issues with our members, FMCSA, Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement, and other regulatory agencies.

Don Egli, CSS IMTA Director Safety & Security

CSA 2010 IS COMING!

As just about everyone in the trucking industry has already heard, the Federal Motor Carrier Administration is changing their operating model on the way that carriers are rated. Everywhere you turn carriers, drivers, and enforcement personnel are talking about CSA 2010.

A lot of the information is good, sound information, but a lot of rumors are flying around. Let’s put a few of those rumors to rest.

What is changing? In the current operating model, carriers receive a safety fitness determination through a labor-intensive compliance review.

The focus is largely on carriers and the number of carriers rated is severely limited due to the number of Federal and State investigators available to complete a compliance review compared to the number of carriers in the United States.

CSA 2010 will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of FMCSA’s enforcement and compliance program by focusing on unsafe driver and carrier behaviors that lead to crashes. This data will be determined by using all safetybased roadside inspection violations.

By using roadside inspection violations, FMCSA can evaluate specific driver performance, unsafe driver behaviors, and root cause.

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Also changing is the way that FMCSA addresses the safety issues. In today’s process the roadside inspection violations and Safety Evaluations is just one of the ways that FMCSA identifies a carrier for a compliance review.

In CSA 2010, FMCSA will review roadside inspection violations on a monthly basis. If a carrier is determined to have a specific amount of unsafe violations or behaviors they will issue a warning letter, or letter of intervention, to the carrier. This letter will basically tell the carrier that they have a problem and need to develop a corrective action plan to reduce or eliminate their problem violations. Other options for FMCSA include an on-site focused compliance review or a full compliance review.

data will follow the driver for at least 3 years. By following the driver, I do not mean that a carrier hiring this driver will inherit the driver’s violations, as was misunderstood early into the CSA 2010 testing process, but it will stay on the driver’s record in the Driver Information Resource database, which carriers and the public will soon be able to access.

The CSA 2010 Safety Measurement System will focus on seven behaviors which have proven to be linked to crash risk. Those behaviors are; Unsafe driving (Parts 392 and 397), Fatigued driving (Parts 392 and 395 Hours of Service), Driver fitness (Parts 383 and 391), Controlled substances and alcohol (Parts 382 and 392), Vehicle maintenance (Parts 393 and 396), Cargo related (Parts 392, 397, and Hazmat), and the Crash indicator. The more serious the violation and/or contributing factor to crashes the higher the numerical weighting of the violation.

So, when is CSA 2010 going to be implemented? The published date was July 2010. The latest timeline from FMCSA tells us that CSA 2010 will be implemented sometime between July and December 2010. With that implementation carriers could notice a significant change in the assessment of their violations and safety fitness determination. Will you be ready?

“CSA 2010 will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of FMCSA’s enforcement and compliance program.”

Spring 2010

Many rumors have been flying around about this numerical weighting. Drivers have been hearing that these violation “points” will go against their CDL. That is not true. The weighting of violations will not only affect the carrier, it will be tracked by driver in a Driver Information Resource database. A driver with consistent violations will be on the “radar”, so to speak. This violation

The CSA 2010 website is a wealth of information. You can find training material, PowerPoint presentations, driver handouts, warning letter samples, and a 68-page book explaining the violation weighting methodology and the points assigned to each type violation. You can access that website at www.csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov. Iowa Motor Truck Association has on-going training concerning CSA 2010, including seminars, newsletter updates, and monthly webinars beginning in April 2010.

IMTA also offers a service where we can come in and compare your current safety status and then look at that same information as if CSA2010 was in effect. This proactive approach will be very valuable because once this goes into effect, the profiles of many carriers will change overnight. Call IMTA for further information about our CSA 2010 services.

Legislative Update Since 1942, the Iowa Motor Truck Association has made advocacy its top priority. Having a voice at the Capitol was the main objective that our founders had when they formed the association. Now over 60 years later, that voice remains strong and effective as battles continue to ensue at the golden dome in Des Moines.

When the 83rd legislative session in Iowa began in January, IMTA leaders were prepared for another challenging session but with the issues surrounding the state’s financial woes, there was hope that the emphasis would be on resolving that issue versus initiatives that would be damaging to an already faltering economy and business in general. Added to that hopeful equation was the fact that the session was going to be shortened by 20 days. The general theory was that a shortened session would mean a shorter list of priorities. That theory proved incorrect and as in years past, the trucking industry was facing another challenging session.

“We knew that we were going to be facing legislation calling for a biodiesel mandate and the normal array of insurance

mandates and bad business bills. We also were introducing legislation for antiindemnification clauses in contracts, so we were prepared for a very busy and challenging session,” said IMTA lobbyist Dave Scott.

Tim Burns, Decker Truck Line, Inc. assisted Brenda Neville with a Before we even went presentation to the House Transportation Committee on the results of a into the 2010 session, biodiesel study they participated in. we had a number of bills “alive” from last year, Doctor shopping by injured employees, A laundry list of insurance mandates (mental health, drug abuse, etc), the so called “fair share” legislation for the unions, Biodiesel Mandate, Independent contractor legislation, “Bicyclist rights” requiring vehicles to maintain at least a five foot distance from bike while passing and restrictions of the use of lead weights on tires. IMTA members weighed in all of these issues and the collective Kevin Gass - PDI, Ltd. and Steve Schuster - Schuster Co. efforts of IMTA members were felt.

Jeff Wangsness - JMT Trucking Co., Murry Fitzer - Florilli Transportation, LLC and Senator Tom Rielly discussing transportation issues.

spent an afternoon at the Capitol on behalf of IMTA.

Unanimous passage of anti idemnification in both houses was a HUGE victory for the trucking industry.

This has been on our wish list for the past decade and we are very pleased with the passage of this legislation.

Over the years shippers have become increasingly more aggressive in their contracts and trucking companies were being asked to sign contracts that waive liability for the negligence of others. There is a nationwide effort to get anti-indemnification legislation passed and twenty two states have been successful. Fortunately through the efforts of many IMTA members, we were able to tell a compelling story here in Iowa and a major victory was obtained with the passage of this model language in both the House and Senate.

At the printing of this magazine the bill is waiting for the Governor’s signature.

For the second year, Iowa’s trucking industry waged an aggressive battle in defending their right to CHOICE in killing numerous legislative proposals for a biodiesel mandate. At the printing of this magazine however, the session is not adjourned and this proposal is still considered “alive” until they gavel out. But the efforts of IMTA members successfully killed or stalled the proposal in numerous House subcommittees; Transportation, Environmental Protection and Ag. A message resonated with legislators when we reminded them that as an industry we are not opposed to biodiesel but our opposition is to mandates. Now more than ever, we cannot absorb the extra costs that are associated with biodiesel. This however, is going to be an issue that may be around for a long time especially in an agricultural state like Iowa.

Upon adjournment a full summary of the session will be distributed to the membership. But a special note of thanks goes out to the IMTA officers and the entire membership for all their help during the session.

Brenda Neville making a presentation to the House Transportation Committee expressing opposition to biodiesel mandates.

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Carrier Spotlight

By: Travis Scott Contributing Writer

Te Slaa Trucking Ltd. Going the Extra Mile

Te Slaa Trucking, headquartered in Hull, Iowa, has grown with its customer’s needs since opening its doors in 1965. It was at that time, that John Te Slaa bought his first truck and hired just two employees. Today the company boasts approximately 50 trucks – operating throughout all 48 contiguous states. Company officials credit hard work, dedicated employees and a commitment to punctual deliveries as the backbone of its success.

“We pride ourselves on our employees.

They always go the extra mile, and help our organization go the extra mile. Because of that we think our service is second to none and we pride ourselves on our on-time deliveries,” said Dave Te Slaa, Dispatcher at Te Slaa Trucking.

Dave would know about going the extra mile. He himself worked on the road for 14 years before coming off the road and into the office.

“Trucking is what we grew up knowing and it was a natural progression for me to get involved,” remarked Dave.

When Dave first joined the office his was in the company of his father, who still serves as president, as well as his mother who worked the books. Today, Dave’s brother, Steve Kruger also works in the shop as shop manager.

In addition to the Te Slaa family, a fleet of dedicated drivers, is a valuable part of the company. Dave is also quick to point out the tireless efforts of two women who are the life force of the 14

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Steve Kruger - Shop Manager, Dave Te Slaa - Dispatcher and John Te Slaa - President.

“Trucking is what we grew up knowing and it was a natural progression for me to get involved”.

Dave Te Slaa

Carrier Spotlight day-to-day office work – Heidi Dokter and Kim Sheppard.

During the company’s formative years, John focused his fleet on exclusively hauling cattle. This business served as the company’s bread-and-butter through the late 1970’s.

“Because that work [cattle hauling] can be slow my dad bought into the authority to buy and ship meat,” said Dave.

the company’s biggest boom decade.

The addition of such clients as Sioux Preme Packing Company and Wells Diary, Inc. helped Te Slaa Trucking grow into the organization it is today.

“We have to give a lot of credit to the IMTA,” said Dave. “They have been continuously beneficial to us on a number of levels. It is absolutely essential to have someone who can go to bat for us in this industry. ”

Also around the time the organization expanded its service lines it also became involved in the IMTA. Since the early 80’s Dave says the association has been a great resource for the Te Slaa firm.

This proved to be a wise decision for the company, the 80’s proved to be

Company officials credit hard work, dedicated employees and a commitment to punctual deliveries as the backbone of its success.

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Carrier Spotlight Specifically, Dave worries that the continued hindrances facing drivers will push veterans out of the business and deter new truckers from getting involved.

“They just seem to keep making it harder and harder for drivers to do their job and for us to go about the business of delivering our goods across the country. “ Dave feels that IMTA’s services, such as continued education for business owners and truckers as well as a strong legislative presence, are vital forces in improving the industry and keeping Te Slaa Trucking in the business of doing quality business.

Like many IMTA members, Te Slaa Trucking is a multi generational family operation that represents the strong foundation that Iowa’s trucking industry is built upon. And because of the strong family ties Te Slaa will be providing a valuable service for many years to come.

“We have to give a lot of credit to the IMTA,” said Dave. “They have been continuously beneficial to us on a number of levels.

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2010 Leadership Class Since the early 1990’s, IMTA has offered a leadership program to the up and coming leaders in the trucking industry. The objective of the program is to provide a forum for the next generation of leaders to come together and participate in valuable personal and professional development programs.

This year the program is packed full of value and offers a variety of sessions ranging from communications and business writing to time management and dressing for success. There are ten participants in the 2010 IMTA Leadership Class.

The planning stage of a group activity during an opening session of the Leadership Class shown here are; Tyler Pontier – World Wide Export & Equipment Sales, Inc., Adam Clark – Midwest Wheel Companies and Brad Gehring – Ruan Transportation Management Systems.

“I believe this is one of the most important programs we offer at the IMTA. It is a positive program that encourages members of the trucking community to step outside their comfort zone to improve their personal and professional leadership skills.

Many of the leadership class graduates continue to be involved in not only IMTA activities but community activities as well after they have completed the class,” commented Brenda Neville, IMTA President.

Leadership Class participants pose with lunch speaker Mark Reed, Special Olympics Iowa President/CEO. Nick Wylie – J. Pettiecord, Inc., Craig Brandt – O’Halloran International, Mark Reed – Special Olympics Iowa President/ CEO and Nathan Schmidt – Ruan Transportation Management Systems.

2010 Participants

Craig Brandt O’Halloran International

Adam Clark Midwest Wheel Companies

Matt DeSchepper Great West Casualty Company

Brad Gehring Ruan Transportation Management Systems

Tyler Pontier World Wide Export & Equipment Sales, Inc.

Bryan Schafer Bridgestone Americas

Nathan Schmidt Ruan Transportation Management Systems

Diana Upton Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC

Delwin VanWyk Interstate PowerSystems

Nick Wylie J. Pettiecord, Inc.

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FE ATU R E 18

Is the Recovery really

By: Kori Heuss

Contributing Writer

Happening?

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Is the Recovery Really Happening?

Is there really an economic recovery underway?

Is the trucking industry finally seeing some relief after spending the last two years in a virtual freefall? This is the million dollar question and with probably just as many different answers. All eyes are on the trucking industry as to whether the economic recovery is real or not.

Historically, the trucking industry has been an accurate barometer for the overall economic health of our nation. Experts in all walks of business, continue to watch with a wary eye as to the health of the trucking industry. “Is the trucking industry on the rebound?”

Some History

Soaring diesel prices amid continued weakness in freight volume made 2008 one of the worst years ever for the US trucking industry. Unfortunately, 2009 brought no relief, in fact the trends continued and volumes fell over 20% in the first 6 months of 2009. Nationally, as reported by the American Trucking Association, more than 2,000 trucking companies went out of business in the first six months of last year (2009). Some industry experts believe that the trend for trucking failures will continue throughout at least the third Bob Costello American Trucking quarter of 2010 Association as well.

“Obviously, the well-being and success of the trucking industry is directly tied to the health and strength of the overall economy. I think there is reason for cautious optimism. This is evidenced by an uptick in freight volumes. While the recovery is far from robust, both economic indicators and anecdotal evidence seems to show that we are on the upswing. The one caveat is that I believe the economy is still very fragile and any stumbling in the

overall economy will stall any recovery in the trucking industry,” said Clayton Fisk, Vice President at Warren Transport in Waterloo.

In 2008 freight volumes were around 10.2 billion tons but are projected to increase to about 11.5 billion tons in 2014. According to the US Department of Transportations’ Bureaus of Transportation Statistics, in the fourth quarter of 2009, the Freight Transportation Services Index was up .5 percent, a boost after five consecutive quarterly declines that started in 2008. The TransCore Freight Index shows December of 2009 up 103 percent over December of 2008. This index measures the changes in services including trucking, rail, waterways and air freight. Freight volume was up 11 percent on the North American market from November. Although December is typically one of the weaker months for spot freight, it was the strongest month in 2009, surpassing even June and September.

Is this cause for celebration?

is no longer a drag on freight volumes.”

“I think the increase in demand is primarily due to the inventory levels and I am not sure we have seen the true demand yet,” added Ralph Arthur.

Clayton Fisk Warren Transport, Inc.

The businesses that are set up to be the most successful have spent the past 24 months looking at all aspects of their business. Costello says; “Trucking companies that are surviving have made very tough decisions, like laying off employees. In fact, industry employment fell more than 11% during the recession,

All predictions are that 2010 will be a better year than 2009 but given what a horrible year 2009 was, predicting better times ahead is pretty easy to do.

All predictions are that 2010 will be a better year than 2009 but given what a horrible year 2009 was, predicting better times ahead is pretty easy to do. “I think there are some signs of recovery but I see no real signs of a strong recovery trend and that is what needs to emerge in order to evaluate this recovery,” said Ralph Arthur, President of the East Division for the Ruan Companies.

However, the road back to profitability is going to be painfully slow. Bob Costello, chief economist with the American Trucking Association said that the recovery will be moderate and choppy with ups and downs but a modest upward trend.

When asked how quickly he anticipates the trucking industry recovering, Costello answered; “This is the first time in my memory that trucking did not lead this economic recovery. Because of an unprecedented increase in inventories (relative to sales) through the supply chain, trucking is slower to rebound.

Luckily, this inventory cycle is over and it

which is more than twice that of total employment. In past recoveries, carriers could forget about those tough decisions and focus on growth. This time, however, they won’t have that luxury. This will be a slow going recovery for the next year or so and carriers will have to be very cost conscious.”

“I think we are in the very early stages of some recovery.

Asset utilization is certainly improving but pricing is still very soft and I think it will remain soft until all assets are back to work and carrier fall out finally exceeds Ralph Arthur demand,” said Ruan Companies Ralph Arthur.

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Is the Recovery Really Happening?

IMTA recently surveyed 75 trucking companies.

These trucking members represented a number of different types and sizes of operations throughout the Mike Sullivan State of Iowa.

Kenworth Mid-Iowa, Inc. The smallest operation surveyed had 28 power units and the largest one that responded was in the top category of over 500 trucks. Out of those 75 companies, 64 responded to the survey. The survey consisted of 5 simple questions specific to the economy

and the perceived recovery. Of the 64 that responded 48 answered that “our company is experiencing a small increase in freight movement” while the remaining 16 answered in the following manner; 15 companies reported “no substantial increase in freight movement” and 1 reported “unable to recover, considering liquidation”.

Some of the comments that were shared on the survey are very insightful as to what the broader feedback continues to be at the IMTA office. “While we are seeing an increase in freight movement, our balance sheet clearly states that we are not out of the woods yet. I am not sure when we will be making any money and I am fearful this recovery is going to be much longer

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and harder than we anticipated,” wrote one IMTA member.

“I cannot believe that I am excited over such small gains but given the last two years, I have learned to take my victories where I can. We certainly have made some dramatic changes to our operation and I am convinced that the way I used to do business will never happen again.

I believe most truckers will emerge from this period in time doing business in a much different way,” stated another IMTA member.

“I am still amazed the erratic nature of how the economy is moving and its impact on our business. One month, things seem to pick up and then it continues into the next month. I see that happen and I think we are finally moving in the right direction AND then it totally drops off and we are back at the bottom. I have never seen anything like it, “reported one IMTA member. “I sometimes wonder if I will be able to survive.”

In our quest to find an answer to the recovery question, we decided to call upon suppliers to the industry and get their read on the health of the industry.

Mike Sullivan, with Kenworth Mid-Iowa wasn’t sure the recovery was that strong just yet. Mike reported that Kenworth has seen a small spurt in truck purchases in the last quarter of 2009 mostly related to a pre-buy of trucks with pre-2010 emission engines.

“As a supplier to the trucking industry, I have seen many changes in the last several years. Most of these relate to changes in technology. We have more aerodynamic trucks, electronic engines, satellite communications, lighter weight components, more fuel efficient tires, anti-idling devices, roll stability controls, on board diagnostics, and last but not least filters, coolers, sensors and valves that have been added to our trucks to

reduce emissions. While there is a natural anxiety over change and new technology, most of the things I have mentioned are improvements which can help trucking companies gain efficiency and increase profitability but because they have all been challenged Jeff Peterson tremendously Sioux City Truck Sales, Inc. over the last two years, they couldn’t make an investment in equipment if they wanted to,” said Mike. He predicted increased challenges from government regulation as well and predicted that factor would also slow down the recovery.

Jeff Peterson, Sioux City Truck Sales echoed Mike’s conclusions and felt that the addition of the 2010 engines and emission standards was going to prevent any noticeable recovery anytime soon.

“There are still a lot of unknown factors out there in regard to these new engines and the emission standards. I believe that trucking companies are being forced to evaluate every aspect of their operation and continue to see decreases in their profitability so their tolerance for risk is not as strong either and that will be a determining factor moving forward for the industry as a whole,” said Jeff.

Both truck dealers however felt that the industry needed to approach these significant technological advances with optimism because the one strength of the trucking industry is its ability to deal with change and the ability to persevere.

Dan Schwarz, CPA/ABV with McGowan, Hurst, Clark & Smith, an accounting firm that works with many trucking companies believes that the industry is seeing some improvement but it is slow. “I think the road ahead will have a few bumps but there seems to be some momentum building in certain sectors but overall the recovery is still uneven.” Dan has been in the industry for decades and continues to remain “cautiously optimistic.”

Is the Recovery Really Happening?

“I think overall, carriers feel like the bottom has been realized and now the question is when and to what extent will a recovery be felt in the operation.

I think carriers have had to Dan Schwarz make several McGowen, Hurst, Clark difficult & Smith, P.C. decisions regarding operations, fleet size, costs, overhead, etc. to get through the downturn but the long-term implications of these decisions should be increased profitability when freight volumes increase,” said Dan. Bob Sturgeon, owner of Barr-Nunn Transportation, Inc. has been in the trucking industry since 1982 and when asked his opinion on the current condition of the industry, he quickly responded it is getting “better” and added “As we speak, we are seeing demand pick up.

We are anxiously waiting to see if this will persist or if it is just the result of pent up demand due to the hard winter and of the disruptive snowstorms in the east and south a few weeks ago. More generally the leading economic indicators have been good lately. We are optimistic about the second half of 2010 and 2011.” He believes that the supply and demand for trucking services has been out of balance in favor of the shippers for more than 3 years.

As he looks ahead, two main factors that he believes will have the most significant impact on the industry will be fuel and drivers. “Fuel prices can spike overnight due to real or perceived supply disruptions and many major producers are located in some of the most unstable parts of the world. Crude oil peaked at $145/barrel in 2009 and now is around $80. As the economy recovers oil prices are very likely to rise.”

The number of drivers is also likely to decline as the construction jobs become more plentiful and when the new rules such CSA 2010 take effect.

Tim Annett with Worldwide logistics has been in the trucking industry his entire

life and feels this particular downturn in the industry has created a much different industry as a result. “The condition of trucking has deteriorated significantly over the past 18 months. Most companies who we work with will spend the next 2-3 years building equity back into their company and not focusing so much on growth.

Previous recessions, when the worm started to turn, would see significant truck purchases to grow the net fleet. I do not believe this will occur as we come out of this last recession,” said Tim. Like others in the industry, Tim believes there are some key factors to watch as the industry continues to recover. “I think the weakened balance sheets and the emphasis to collect accounts receivable to pay license money will be a short term factor. And in the long term, I feel there will be significant capacity constraints leading to higher rates leading to higher inflation. I also believe that oil prices remain a huge X factor.”

“The only thing that seems certain is uncertainty. Uncertainty regarding the overall economy, uncertainty with fuel costs, uncertainty because of an unpredictable regulatory climate, and uncertainty with CSA 2010, I think these factors are also impacting the overall trucking industry and its ability to rebound,” added Clayton Fisk.

Among the IMTA members surveyed as noted earlier in this article, the number one concern on the horizon reported on the survey is the potential for a major driver shortage. Historically as the economy improves the demand for drivers will increase. This may not be the case with this recovery and statistics support that things are different this time around. As one member said in the survey comment section, “We think the last two years were bad for the trucking industry, I think the upcoming driver shortage is going to be far worse than we have ever experienced and will be a major setback to our ability to recover.”

Another theme that emerged among Iowa carriers was a genuine concern regarding the political environment. With a new Administration just barely over its first anniversary, many business owners have been forced to monitor things at the national level.

“Our industry is very directly affected by the economic and regulatory policies and requirements that come out of Washington, D.C. and everyone must stay informed on what is going on out there because now more than ever, it is impacting the way we do business.

We must stay tuned, stay engaged, and participate in the process,” urged Clayton.

In light of everything however, the one factor that hasn’t been added into this equation is the extremely vital role that trucking plays to our nation’s economy.

Trucks are always going to be the most efficient mode of transportation and folks in the industry are highly resilient and adaptable.

Bob Sturgeon

As Tim Annett Barr-Nunn Transportation summarized, “There is a new paradigm in trucking evolving… cash is king, profit is paramount and growth can take a back seat.”

Although trucking companies are the first to feel it as the economy slows down, they usually are among the first to come back up as the economy improves. As Tim Annett Bob Sturgeon Worldwide Logistics so eloquently concluded; “Change equals opportunity, and I see a new generation of truckers that are more than up to the tasks that lie ahead. There will be a place for trucking for a very long time – to cover the last few miles, you have to put it on a truck. Trucking is a competitive business, and we like to compete. It’s in our blood. Our industry will survive and actually come back even stronger and smarter as a result of the lessons we have learned over the last several years.”

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New Member Service-Credit Card Program Victor Storkel, is a Business Consultant for over 25 years and Payments Specialist for Heartland Payment Systems. Specializing in Customized Payment Solutions for Iowa Business who want to gain a competitive edge by adding the efficiency of technology to become more profitable.

6

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On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, howTechnology high would ]you rate your [ Business company on how effectively it is making use of Use the Latest This has proven invaluable for the service today’s technology Paymentindustry Technology where wireless terminals have for your business typically been very costly, and thus, to Enhance Your Operations and customers? In prohibited the service provider from offering today’s information with Efficiency and Security their customers the convenience and security age, state-of-theof on-the-spot card processing. Some art technology cutting edge service organizations are can provide

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an automated program to recover funds from returned checks. Any NSF check not collected through this automated system is automatically filed with your prosecuting attorney; in select counties, for efficient and effective handling.

Add e-commerce to your business and offer secure, online payments processing.

Perhaps you’re considering expanding your business to include e-commerce. Maybe you would like to accept payments over the web, via mail, or telephone orders. The technology you select should provide you and your customers with a secure payment process that’s easy to use. Some credit card processing companies offer a “virtual terminal” that can quickly processes credit and debit card transactions (as well as recurring billings) over the internet using any PC or laptop. One of the great benefits of this is the authorizations are done very quickly, usually within a few seconds.

Keep in mind, that some internet payment providers charge extra fees for this service.

They may be using a third-party platform that they cannot control and that may be suspect for it’s security to you and your customers. The internet has the highest percentage of fraud of any type of transaction, so security should be a top priority. Ask your processor questions like: How will my customers’ transactions be protected? What level of software security is used? Will my transactions be processed directly by you or someone else? Are you PCI Compliant? Will my card number be encrypted from start to end? Your provider should give you satisfactory answers for all these questions.

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IMTA is in the process of launching this new service as well as having the ability to accept credit card payments for dues, educational sessions and other IMTA products and services.

Strategic Planning Update Mike Riggan, TanTara Transportation, IMTA’s 1st Vice Chairman and Chairman of IMTA’s Strategic Planning Committee

The Future of Your Association

In 2008, the IMTA strategic planning committee held its first meeting.

Like many of Mike Riggan you, I often TanTara Transportation Corp. wonder about anything that has the words “strategic planning” associated with it. Only because through my experience it ends up being a lot of time spent on creating a plan that eventually ends up collecting dust somewhere. This however, was different because we had just been through a major transition within the association management team and everyone on the committee actually wanted to be there.

The objective of the committee was to explore viable options for non-dues revenue. Like any other business, IMTA operates in the same business model.

While IMTA is a trade association, it is also a business that has to generate revenue in order to keep the doors open.

Over the years, the association has been very fortunate and lucky to have some great programs that produce substantial revenue. But our objective was to explore and create programs that offered long-term stability and revenue to the association. Ideally, we wanted to create programs that complimented what IMTA did. For the past two years, we have done just that.

In beginning of this discussion however, we identified the two major factors that come into play when we discuss non-dues revenue.

1. Non-dues revenue allows the

membership dues to stay at relatively consistent rate from year to year. If IMTA loses substantial non-dues revenue…. guess what? Our dues are going to go up and as a member and a business owner, while I support everything that IMTA does,

I certainly don’t want my dues to increase A LOT each year. Right now, I have a hard enough time making my bottom line attractive so any increased costs are just not in the plan.

2. Non-dues revenue also allows the

association to carry out its mission in an even more effective way. While you may not always like to pay for that seminar that IMTA is putting on, remember this, there is cost to the association for putting on that seminar. So at the very least there needs to be a charge to cover the costs and additionally, if the association is making any money, they are using that profit to support the efforts of representing us at the Capitol or with regulators.

Once we established the meaning of nondues revenue, we got to the task at hand and I believe that we have made some tremendous progress in creating a strong foundation in regard to IMTA’s non-dues revenue. As a committee, our first task was to create a list of what we felt were viable options to explore. In this process, we looked at some of the things that IMTA was already doing successfully and wondered if there was a way we could capitalize on those activities. As a result of that work, we have or will be launching the following:

Iowa Truck Services

Over the years, IMTA members have come to rely upon the association for regulatory and compliance assistance.

The safety and compliance services that are offered are being heavily utilized by IMTA members. It made perfect sense to expand this outreach even more and the creation of Iowa Truck Services is now a specific and NEW branch of the association that will focus on compliance and regulatory services. Over the next six months there will be an expansion to the types of services offered to include not only CSA2010 training but to also include permitting and licensing services as well.

Through these efforts not only will we be providing some valuable services, we will also be attracting potential members especially those that are lacking in this expertise. With the pace at which this

compliance environment is changing, we are certain that this will be a very successful and effective addition to our association efforts. We believe the opportunities are endless in this area and look forward to really ramping up our offerings through this complimenting service.

Credit Card Association Plan/ Program

After surveying the membership, especially our allied members, it became very apparent that there was a need to collectively negotiate a plan that would provide a savings to everyone. After spending a substantial amount of time exploring different programs, IMTA has entered into an agreement with Heartland Payment Systems. Through Heartland, IMTA members will be able to take advantage of three different services; credit card processing, Point of Sales (POS) program and Remote Deposit Capture (RDC) programs. There are many other potential programs that could result from this partnership as well but initially these were the three identified by the membership as being a priority so we will be launching this program by April 1.

What do these two programs have in common? They will offer the association some non-dues revenue. Neither one is expected to bring in thousands of dollars at the onset but combined, they will provide some additional revenue to the association and provide some important value added services to the membership.

So in summary, the strategic planning committee has done some good work and we aren’t done yet. We are looking at other potential programs as well; voluntary benefits, potential research grants and advance education programs.

We welcome any ideas you may have and encourage you to take advantage of the programs we have up and running as well. IMTA is only as strong as its membership and we will continue to pursue programs that will help the members.

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Business Environment William C. Brown, BrownWinick, Des Moines. William has practiced law in the areas of taxation, securities, business planning, estate planning and banking for over 3 years. William is currently the Chair of the ABI Board of Directors.

As Chair of the Board of Directors of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, I follow Iowa’s business environment closely. ABI is Iowa’s oldest and largest William C. Brown statewide BrownWinick business organization with 1,400 member companies located all over our state. Many IMTA members, as well as IMTA itself, are ABI members too (thank you!). Our organization is grateful for the opportunity to partner with IMTA on issues when possible.

A number of proposals are worrisome.

Proposals that would alter Iowa’s status as a Right to Work state, tax proposals, regulatory proposals, and others are all under consideration by some legislators.

Many of these proposals would be harmful to Iowa and especially to Iowa businesses.

ABI is a business organization, not a partisan political one. We take seriously our charge to work with all legislators regardless of party. The good news is that many legislators, both Democrats and Republicans, know that strong businesses are good for Iowa and they realize the harm these bad-for-business bills would do to Iowa’s economy. Majority party leaders in both chambers are reaching out to business and we look forward to working with them and continuing to

The outlook for Iowa business is positive.

As have you, ABI member companies have weathered a difficult economic cycle in the past 18 months. However, things look brighter for 2010. ABI manufacturers say that orders are up, employment levels have stabilized (some are even hiring), and a return to normal appears to be underway.

That’s good news for those companies and for IMTA members. Our members are some of your best customers.

IMTA members are a key partner for Iowa businesses when it comes to getting their products out and their manufacturing materials in. Thank you for your help in making all Iowa businesses stronger.

While it seems a recovery is underway, a number of factors could stall an improving business climate.

Perhaps chief among those is action by the Iowa General Assembly.

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Get legislators into your facilities, help them understand that their ideas really do help you grow… or can hurt your company’s future.

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• •

work with Republican leaders to craft legislation to help Iowa businesses grow, add employees, and invest in their communities.

As does IMTA, ABI has a long history of strong public policy advocacy with grass roots involvement from our members.

Perhaps more than ever, that involvement is critical. I encourage you to continue to work with your staff and lobbyists to ensure that legislators know the impact of their proposals on business. Get legislators into your facilities, help them understand that their ideas really do help you grow… or can hurt your company’s future.

Working together, we can ensure that the months ahead are good for business and good for Iowa.

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National Update Safe Truckers Act of 2009

One of the federal legislative issues of importance to the trucking industry, particularly those IMTA members that transport hazardous materials, is the Safe Truckers Act of 2009. Fortunately the folks at the American Trucking Associations (ATA) continue to work on this important issue on the industry’s behalf.

Background

Since 2004, the trucking industry has sought an amendment to address redundant security background checks and duplicative security credentials.

Since that time, truck drivers have incurred significant costs and financial burdens to undergo these multiple checks and security credentials. Adoption of the Safe Truckers Act as part of the TSA Reauthorization will eliminate the cost to America’s truck drivers, help preserve scarce government resources, and maintain the highest standards of security.

Current Law

Duplicative background checks and redundant credentials have imposed an unacceptable burden upon drivers that transport hazardous materials. For instance, currently drivers transporting hazardous materials must submit to a fingerprint-based background check – an out of pocket expense of approximately $100 - in order to obtain the required hazardous materials endorsement for their commercial drivers license.

It is not uncommon for these HAZMAT drivers to access port facilities but before doing so, drivers are required to obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC); an additional cost of $105.25 for this second credential. This is particularly noteworthy considering the background checks for both credentials are identical. The Safe Truckers Act was created to reduce this kind of redundancy.

The major provisions of the Safe Truckers Act are: Recognition that not all hazardous materials are security sensitive; For

example paint and food coloring are not weapons of mass destruction.

This legislation would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to work with the U.S. DOT to identify a list of security sensitive hazardous materials (SSHM) that are truly potential threats to national security; Requires individuals transporting SSHM to undergo a fingerprint-based background check and obtain a TWIC in order to transport these hazardous materials of concern; Would designate the TWIC to be the only security credential required for transportation workers and preempts other state and local background checks and credentials when applied to drivers transporting hazardous materials.

Objectives:

Eliminate duplicative & redundant background checks – drivers would be required to submit to a single robust federal background check and obtain a single credential (TWIC). This would immediately reduce the financial burden on drivers.

Establishes real security measures by requiring fingerprint background checks for drivers transporting security sensitive materials (e.g. explosives, poison inhalation materials, etc.) while continuing periodic, name-based background checks for other types of hazmat.

Helps reduce the burden on drivers that must obtain the TWIC by allowing for the following: •Flexible operating hours at enrollment locations; •Increases the number of such locations;

background check requirements as U.S. drivers. *Establishes a task force to address the issue of whether the current list of disqualifications is an accurate assessment of what could be deemed as a terrorism security risk. (needs rewording because it’s unclear)

The Problem:

Things at the Federal level move very slowly. The House of Representatives approved the Transportation Security Administration Reauthorization propose (H.R. 2200) on June 4, 2009. Included in the legislation was The Safe Truckers Act language and the bill currently awaits further action in the Senate Commerce Committee. As a part of this legislation an amendment was added clarifying that unless a state can prove it has a unique security issue requiring a separate background check, no state would be granted a waiver to opt out of the of Homeland Security requirements.

Unfortunately the bill is on hold in the Senate, because TSA has yet to weigh in on the matter, and members of the Commerce Committee are not comfortable moving forward with a reauthorization without TSA input. This has been even further delayed by the withdrawal of Errol Southers nomination to the post of TSA Administrator.

However, ATA has received word this bill will move in 2010 but it is unknown whether it will move as a stand alone or be added to a larger package such as the Homeland Security Reauthorization.

Solution:

Patience, patience, patience and continued support for ATA as they continue to work on getting this passed.

•Permits individuals applying for a TWIC to use fingerprinting locations outside their state of residence; •The card can be received at a driver’s place of residence and can be activated at any enrollment center.

Requires Canadian and Mexican truck drivers to meet the same security

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The FMCSA is rolling out its new Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010, a major initiative intended to improve safety and reduce crashes.

Every company with a U.S. DOT number and operating in interstate commerce will be affected by CSA 2010.

Under the new system, 24 months of all safety-based inspection violations will be used to rank and target carriers for new FMCSA enforcement interventions.

Now more than ever, you need to make sure your company is addressing the 7 Behavior Analysis & Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) of CSA 2010: • Unsafe driving • Fatigued driving • Driver fitness • Controlled substances/alcohol • Vehicle maintenance • Cargo related • Crash indicator.

Rest assured, J. J. Keller’s experienced regulatory experts are here to help you understand and prepare for CSA 2010. We offer a wide range of transportation safety and compliance solutions, including: • Compliance manuals • Software • Online services • Training programs • Forms and supplies • Compliance services and consulting.

Get the reliable info you need to survive under CSA 2010 at

jjkeller.com/27735 or call us at

800-327-6868 today!

You Benefit From This Partnership A portion of the revenue from your purchase supports your State Trucking Association.

AC 27735

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Spring 2010

CSA 2010

How are IMTA Members preparing for CSA 2010?

First Denise Northrop and I participated in the seminars offered by the IMTA so that we are up to speed on CSA 2010.

There is a lot of misinformation floating around out there regarding CSA 2010 and we HAVE to be right.

With our operation a class room type sitting is not possible, so we are talking to each driver individually. Trying to get the right information into their hands whether it’s in the form of handouts, website info or just answering questions.

Dan Gardner Safety Manager Walmart Transportation, LLC

Gary F. Handley Safety Director BTI Special Commodities, Inc.

At Walmart we understand the importance of CSA 2010 and how it will not only impact the carrier but the driver also. We had 10 different class schedules throughout January and February to educate our 175 drivers how CSA 2010 will affect us as a carrier and how it will affect them as drivers. I spent 2 1/2 to 3 hours per group explaining how CSA 2010 works and the importance of doing a quality pre-trip inspection and routine en-route inspections. It’s that important and Walmart took the time to inform our driver group. I would encourage all carriers to some how inform their drivers on the new CSA 2010 protocol, it will be money well spent.

We are preparing for CSA 2010 by providing our drivers with information about CSA 2010 and giving them a quiz to ensure they understand the information. We pulled our information from the FMCSA website and the IMTA. In the future we will be able to pull up our drivers’ safety and show them how they rate based on CSA 2010. CSA 2010 will also be a valuable tool we can use for our hiring Andrea Huse process. Director of Safety Des Moines Transportation Co.

Most of our involvement as far as Safety Managers with Con-way has been education and communication with both the Manager and Driver groups.

Meetings Presentations Handouts Morning Communication Groups

Training is taking place for operations, management, and maintenance. This is important in building a consistent strategy for dealing with all aspects of CSA 2010.

Rodney Glassner Manager of Safety Con-Way Freight Sid Carroll Senior Safety & Loss Control Representative Great West Casualty Company

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Iowa Truck Services What Can Iowa Truck Services Do For You?

The safety department at Iowa Motor Truck Association is dedicated to providing the highest quality of assistance and guidance to the membership. Through this valuable support, IMTA members are able to improve their safety and regulatory programs and more importantly, have the peace of mind, in knowing that they are in compliance. IMTA has specialized in offering these types of programs and services but surprisingly, many members are not taking full advantage of these services. So here is some additional information on what YOUR association can do to help you navigate through the challenges of keeping up with all of the changing regulatory and compliance issues. IMTA is also very pleased to be able to offer services that can be tailored to a carrier’s specific needs. Here is an outline of our core services package.

Iowa Truck Services is a part of IMTA’s revenue producing program, so there are minimal charges for these valuable services.

Mock Regulatory Compliance Audits

Mock audit options include a half-day audit and a full-day audit. In the halfday audit we go over the carrier’s Safer Report with them, looking for patterns or indications of problems.

In addition, IMTA safety staff will go over processes with the carrier, such as their hiring standards and how the carrier tracks driver file expirations, hours of service, and compliance with the drug and alcohol testing program. In the full-day mock audit we go over the same basics as the half-day audit, but also include more in-depth review of driver qualification files, driver logs and hours of service, and vehicle maintenance files. Both audit options can be a learning experience for IMTA members. Many members have found this service to be especially valuable because it provides an “outside set of eyes” and a subjective opinion as to how the carrier is doing with these

compliance processes.

Safety and Regulatory Training

Safety and Regulatory training has become increasingly popular over the last year. This training can be directed either towards management and operations personnel or drivers. Our Director of Safety spends a considerable amount of time performing training for our members and takes great pride in being recognized as one of the top trainers in the State. Frequently requested topics include; Supervisor’s drug and alcohol training, compliance seminars, CSA2010, hours of service, winter driving, roadside inspection, Safer reports and how they affect the carrier, driver qualification, and vehicle inspection. This is a very popular service that IMTA provides so members are urged to consider advance notice since the calendar fills up quickly for this training.

Regulatory Assistance

Our expertise and relationships with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Enforcement, Iowa Highway Patrol, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, as well as all other regulatory agencies, gives us an advantage in assisting our members with this valuable assistance in

We have many years of experience in assisting carriers with corrective action plans.

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regulatory issues they may encounter. We have been successful in assisting several motor carriers in recent years in their efforts to upgrade their Safety Rating.

Through our work with FMCSA by means of an “administrative upgrade”, IMTA is able to help carriers secure this valuable improvement in their overall safety rating and performance.

In an administrative upgrade, we can review your safety process and note improvement in those processes since your original rating assessment, and

through a joint relationship we are able create the request, exhibit, and necessary supporting documentation to FMCSA in order to get an upgrade in your rating.

Through this program, the processes are in place to make this improvement without FMCSA ever setting foot into your offices. We have frequently worked with carriers in implementing safety and compliance processes to ensure that they have the best possible practices and policies in place and because of our relationship with the FMCSA, we are a reliable and trusted partner in this process.

Corrective Action Plans

Another area that has grown simply by member requests is assistance in helping a carrier create a corrective action plans. Corrective action plans are a requirement by the FMCSA as a result of a recent compliance review. As most carriers know, the corrective action plan can be the one tool that will help a carrier recover from a less than stellar compliance review. In many cases, the corrective action plan is a requirement for the carrier to be allowed to remain operational on the highways. We have many years of experience in assisting carriers with corrective action plans and take great pride in helping our members through what could be very difficult process.

CSA2010

The big news of the year is CSA2010. We began familiarizing ourselves with this new program almost two years ago, and have the insight and the experience in working with this new program. We have done a considerable amount of training with both management personnel and drivers, and continue to get requests for training.We also have the ability to work with carriers during the transition to CSA2010 and to assist them in determining how the company profile will look under the new measurement provisions of CSA 2010.

A big part of CSA2010 is the Intervention process. In CSA2010 carriers will be assessed monthly from data collected

Iowa Truck Services on ALL roadside inspections. If a carrier is found to be deficient in one of the seven BASICS areas, FMCSA will issue that carrier a letter of intervention. Once a carrier receives that notification, they will be required to submit a corrective action plan to work with FMCSA in ensuring that processes are in place to reduce the number of violations of this type. With our expertise in regulatory compliance, processes, and working with FMCSA, choosing ITS to assist you in this intervention process is your most logical choice.

Without question, CSA2010 is potentially one of the most dramatic changes the trucking industry has seen in decades and because of that, components of this new program are changing regularly.

Again, because of our relationship with the Federal agencies, we are able to get the information in a timely manner and also determine if the changes are actually indeed “real” or just “industry talk”. The FMCSA officials are relying upon the state associations to help with the process of converting over to CSA2010 and through those partnerships, our Federal regulators are hopeful that the process goes smoothly.

Licensing and Permitting

Iowa Truck Services has enlisted the assistance of retired Iowa DOT licensing specialist, Ruth Skluzacek. This partnership has proven to be a win-win for our members, as Ruth has over 20 years of experience in truck licensing, permitting, and IFTA recordkeeping.

requests, IFTA applications, renewals, recordkeeping, and filing, temporary trip and fuel permits, UCR filing and renewal assistance, assistance with obtaining FMCSA operating authority (DOT number) both interstate and intrastate, MCS150 updates, assistance with

IMTA has specialized in offering these types of programs and services but surprisingly, many members are not taking full advantage of these services.

Our list of services in this area is virtually limitless. Services performed include; IRP licensing assistance (both new vehicles and renewals), title work, name changes, prorate refund requests, weight increase

heavy use tax for 2290, KYU Kentucky application, New Mexico ID Tax cards, Oregon motor carrier permit application, annual overweigh/over-dimensional permits, as well as special needs of motor carriers.

Iowa Motor Truck Association/Iowa Truck Services has a strong working relationship with our friends at the Iowa Department of Transportation, and therefore are fully prepared to meet the needs of our members and customers.

As the result of numerous requests from our members for assistance in this area, IMTA determined it was a complimentary extension to the many other services we provide to the membership and we look forward to becoming even a more full-service, one-stop service provider for IMTA members.

Contact IMTA/ITS Today!

(515) 244-5193

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Upcoming

Education Seminars April 8, 2010—Full Day Compliance Seminar

Iowa Motor Truck Association—Des Moines

9:00 AM—3:00 PM

$100/Member $125/Non-Member April 10 – 13, 2010 – WreckMaster Training

Crow Tow – Des Moines

April 10 – 11 Level 2/3 - $445/person

April 12 – 13 Level 4/5 - $495/person April 22, 2010—CSA 2010 Update Webinar

10:00 AM—11:00 AM $15/Person April 27, 2010—Half Day Compliance Seminar

Iowa Western Community College—Council Bluffs

9:00 AM—Noon

$50/Member $75/Non-Member

Mark Your Calendars - Registration Coming Soon!

May 2010—Load Securement & Vehicle Inspection—May 12

CSA 2010 Update Webinar—May 18 June 2010— CSA 2010 Update Webinar—June 24 July 2010— CSA 2010 Update Webinar—July 22 August 2010—CSA 2010 Update Webinar—August 17

Full Day Compliance (Dubuque)—August 19 For More Information Visit www.iowamotortruck.com 30

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Spring 2010

IMTA Education Department Holly Mueggenberg is the Communications & Education Manager at the Iowa Motor Truck Association. Holly has been with the IMTA since March 2004. Holly has been the Education Manager since December 2009.

Holly Mueggenberg Communication & Education Manager Iowa Motor Truck Association

The Iowa Motor Truck Association (IMTA) is midway through our education calendar for the year.

IMTA strives to offer the highest quality seminars with the most relevant and timely topics to our members. Speakers are selected for their knowledge of not only the topic but also for their knowledge of the trucking industry as it relates to the topic being presented. Our seminars are designed to benefit ALL our members large and small.

It is our ongoing goal to offer the most up-to-date information to allow our members to stay informed and trained in all areas of interest and importance.

Members attended a Drug & Alcohol Regulations with Supervisor Training and Background Check Services Seminar presented by preferred partner HireRight.

Pictured are Mark Crall, Panama Transfer, Inc. - Justin Reed, HireRight and Heath Richards, Panama Transfer, Inc.

This year we have offered some staple education seminars which are well received and requested by our members time and time again. To complement these staple seminars we have also added some very timely seminars focusing on issues that will be becoming reality and affecting our members in the upcoming months.

IMTA is also joining others by taking advantage of the new age of technology by hosting webinar seminars in the upcoming months on the very timely topic of CSA 2010. These seminars will be an hour in length and will be an opportunity for our members to get a monthly update on the new information available about CSA 2010. We are excited to be offering members another option for obtaining valuable information from the IMTA.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is always ready and willing to assist with speakers for IMTA education seminars. Attendees here just completed a CSA 2010 Update seminar. Pictured are Dan Hannasch – FarnerBocken Co., Shirley McGuire – FMCSA, Denise Northrop – BTI Special Commodities, Inc., Gary Handley – BTI Special Commodities, Inc. and Dave Holdsworth – Farner-Bocken Co.

We have had some hurdles to overcome this year regarding postponing seminars due to the weather but in the end it seemed to work out better for everyone involved. On average despite the hurdles IMTA has recorded above average numbers in many of the seminars offered, we hope to continue this trend heading into our spring calendar.

If you have a seminar topic you are interested in that the IMTA has not offered or is not on the current calendar, please forward that information to Holly Mueggenberg – holly@ iowamotortruck.com. For more information on upcoming education seminars please watch your InfoFlash and Event Updates. The education information can also always be found on the IMTA website, www.iowamotortruck.com.

Requested year after year with Iowa DOT presenters is the popular General Hazmat Compliance Seminar. Pictured are Brent VanderLeest – Sully Transport, Inc., Dave Drummond – Iowa DOT, Captain Dean House – Iowa DOT and Rick Wilson – Van Diest Supply Company.

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Members in the News ASA Tire Offers Rebates to Dealers Committed to “Going Green”

ASA Tire Systems announced recently that they will offer rebates towards the purchase of ASA business technology that will enable tire dealers to “Go Green” within their businesses.

ASA Tire is rewarding independent tire dealers who show a commitment to reduce their carbon footprint by using greener technology with a rebate towards the purchase of greener technology.

The less impact a tire dealer creates on the environment by adopting greener technology, the larger rebate they will qualify for. Beyond saving paper, adopting green technology can help tire dealers reduce their carbon footprint in strides.

Leveraging electronic communication and modern technology speeds up operations, streamlines workflow, and reduces many physical carbon‐intensive emissions their business creates.

To learn more, dealers can try the carbon footprint reduction calculators at www. asatire.com/green, and learn how existing technology can affect the environmental impact their business creates. Best of all, dealers can qualify for a rebate from ASA towards the purchase of greener business systems.

ASA Tire Systems develops and builds enterprise‐wide software solutions, delivers support and services, and enables leading independent tire dealers to achieve a maximum return on their information technology investment.

Brooke Willey has accepted the position of Vice President – Human Resources for CRST International, Inc. She will assume her new role on March 8, 2010. Brooke has been employed at Yellowbook in Cedar Rapids since March 2001, where she currently is Associate Vice President - Employee Relations/Corporate Staffing/Admin & Facilities. Prior to Yellowbook, Brooke was employed by Target Corporation for 11 years and held the roles Training, Development and Recruitment Director and Store Team Leader.

Please join in welcoming Brooke to CRST and wishing Ron success in his new position.

Des Moines Truck Brokers Named Broker of the Year by Trucking Group

Des Moines Truck Brokers (DMTB) has been named 2009 Broker of the Year by the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC). The organization is comprised of some 2,600 trucking companies representing 50,000 trucks.

NASTC has accepted less than 5% of the nation’s transportation intermediaries as associate members. These are known as NASTC Best Brokers, based on highest credit worthiness, reputation and professional integrity. Of these, only one is chosen as Broker of the Year. DMTB is the tenth broker to win this national recognition.

CRST International Organizational Announcement CRST announced that Ron Corbett will be moving to a new position with CRST International.

Beginning February 15th, Ron Corbett assumed the role of Manager – Special Projects.

Ron Corbett CRST

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CRST also announced that

Spring 2010

Jimmy DeMatteis Des Moines Truck Brokers

“To be selected by the carriers we work with as Broker of the Year is an amazing tribute to our team here at Des Moines Truck Brokers,” stated President Jimmy DeMatteis.

In addition to this prestigious award Des Moines Truck Brokers also received the 2009 Norwalk Chamber Business of the Year.

DMTB was founded in 1969 and has just celebrated its 40th anniversary handling shipments throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Peterbilt Motors General Manager listens to Iowa Fleet Owners

Peterbilt Motors General Manager Bill Jackson discusses trucks with fleet owners recently at Peterbilt of Sioux City. The photo includes (l-r) Bill Jackson; Barry Dittmer, Weinrich Truck Line of Hinton; and Dave Van Wyk, Van Wyk, Inc. of Sheldon.

(NOTE: The unidentified persons are Peterbilt engineers who accompanied Jackson during the dealer visit)

Several fleet owners in northwest Iowa took advantage of a recent opportunity to discuss the heavy-duty truck business with Peterbilt Motors General Manager Bill Jackson. Mr. Jackson met with fleet representatives at the Peterbilt of Sioux City conference room.

The fleet managers candidly answered questions about their preferences and experiences. Topics ranged widely from engine emissions systems to cab interiors.

Other topics discussed were truck-based GPS systems, powertrains, handling, ride and air-conditioning.

“We continuously meet with customers and do extensive research to drive product improvements and product development efforts to meet the needs of drivers, fleets and the environment,” Jackson said.

Jackson announced Peterbilt is a partner in the recently announced DOE “SuperTruck” project. United States Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu recently awarded Cummins $39 million in funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop their SuperTruck project in conjunction with Peterbilt Motors Company. The goal of the SuperTruck program is to improve long-haul Class 8 vehicle freight efficiency through advanced and highly-efficient engine systems and vehicle technologies that also meet prevailing emissions and Class 8 tractor-trailer vehicle safety and regulatory requirements.

Peterbilt of Sioux City is one of four fullservice Peterbilt dealerships operated by Sioux City Truck Sales (SCTS). Founded in 1954 and still family-owned, SCTS operates new/used truck sales, parts and service facilities in Sioux City, Des Moines, Council Bluffs and Norfolk, Neb.

Members in the News Tower Receives National Award Des Moines Two Men and a Warren Transport, Inc. Names T.J. Newberry owner and Truck® Receives “Outstanding 2008 Driver of the Year! operator of Transport, Inc. (WTI) has announced Newberry, Inc. in Customer Service Award 2009” Warren that Wesley L. Sommer, of Waterloo, IA, Keokuk accepted the award the Order of the Towman which honors individuals for their dedication to the towing trade and the communities T.J. Newberry they serve. T.J. Newberry, Inc. was recently honored at a ceremony of passage when he received the Cross of Order, awarded at the American Towman Exposition in Baltimore, Maryland.

Congratulations to T.J. on this tremendous achievement and testament to his ongoing commitment and dedication to the towing industry.

The Outstanding Customer Service Award is given in recognition for consistently exceeding customer’s expectations.

The Des Moines location received no valid complaints or “How’s My Driving” complaints during 2009. “We are honored to accept this award on behalf of all the staff at Two Men and a Truck®,” said owners John & Cindy Tometich.

The local Two Men and a Truck® is located at 3934 NW Urbandale Drive in Urbandale, and provides home or business moving and packing services in the Des Moines area, the entire state of Iowa, and all surrounding states. The Two Men and a Truck® Des Moines location is celebrating its 14th Anniversary.

I M TA’ s N e w e s t M e m b e r s “These new members are excited to be on board with IMTA. Make a point to say hello when you see them at our meetings, seminars, and events.

They too realize how important YOUR association is!”

Mike Spalla, Membership Manager

Mike Spalla, IMTA Membership Manager

Welcome New Members!

Akins Brothers Trucking, Baxter, IA Beeline and Blue, Des Moines, IA

a 2nd generation operator with WTI, has received the prestigious honor of being named Warren’s 2008 Driver of the Year.

The announcement and award presentation was made in December at Warren’s annual Safety Award and Recognition Banquet in Waterloo, Iowa, by company president and CEO, Robert J. Molinaro.

To be considered for this award, Sommer had been previously selected as Warren’s driver of the month by his fellow Wesley L. Sommer independent Warren Transport, Inc. contractors, and drivers, as well as Warren employees, based on his on-time deliveries, clean, well-maintained equipment, helpfulness and cooperation and, most importantly, his safety record.

Sommer has been associated with Warren since 1996 and had been honored as Driver of the Month for May 2002 and again October 2008. When not on the road, he enjoys watching race cars on TV and going to the races. He also loves to go camping.

Warren, headquartered in Waterloo, IA., is a specialized commercial motor carrier operating in all forty-eight contiguous United States, Canada and providing through-trailer service to and from Mexico.

Boer & Sons, Inc., Boyden, IA Martin Brothers Distributing, Cedar Falls, IA

Pratt Industries, Inc., Bridgman, MI

White Glove Movers, Hiawatha, IA

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Volunteer Recognition Iowa’s Trucking Industry at the State Capitol

IMTA leaders and members once again spent time at the Capitol waving the flag on behalf of Iowa’s trucking industry.

This session has allowed for many opportunities for Iowa’s trucking industry to rally the troops and fight pending legislation.

In addition to the member visits to the Capitol, several members have made presentations and provided data in opposition of several issues, such as the biodiesel mandate and the pending size and weight issue. IMTA Chairman of the Board Bob Kohlwes has been present at numerous sub-committee meetings and has presented valuable information on behalf of Iowa’s trucking industry.

“It is always very valuable to have folks from the industry talk directly to the legislators on specific issues.

While IMTA has a presence there every day through our lobbying efforts, having the members participate in those efforts are extremely valuable as well and makes an incredible impact on the issue,” said IMTA President Brenda Neville.

“It is always very valuable to have folks from the industry talk directly to the legislators on specific issues.

With the final funnel dates now behind us, many issues are dead but there are still several other issues that remain alive and well…and will do so until the session is adjourned. Thus the reason IMTA members are “on call” until the very end.

Senator Tom Rielly speaks with IMTA Members during a capitol visit.

Tim Burns – Decker Truck Line, Inc., Jackie Johnsrud – Johnsrud Transport, Inc., Mike Bagg – Central Trailer Service, Ltd., Dave Dickey – Harold Dickey Transport, Inc., Kevin Gass – PDI, Ltd., Steve Schuster – Schuster Co., Mark Olson – Olson Explosives, Auditor David Vaudt, Bob Kohlwes – BTI Special Commodities, Inc. and Mark Zieman – Cherry Valley Enterprises, Inc.

Dave Dickey – Harold Dickey Transport, Inc., Bob Kohlwes – BTI Special Commodities, Inc., Mike Bagg – Central Trailer Service, Ltd., Jackie Johnsrud – Johnsrud Transport, Inc., Senator Tom Rielly, Kevin Gass – PDI, Ltd., Dave Scott – IMTA Lobbyist, Brenda Neville – IMTA President, Tim Burns – Decker Truck Line, Inc. and Mark Olson – Olson Explosives.

Tim Burns – Decker Truck Line, Inc., Kevin Gass – PDI, Ltd., Steve Schuster – Schuster Co., Mike Bagg – Central Trailer Service, Ltd., Jackie Johnsrud – Johnsrud Transport, Inc., Dave Dickey – Harold Dickey Transport, Inc., Mark Olson – Olson Explosives, Mark Zieman – Cherry Valley Enterprises, Inc., Senator Steve Kettering, Senator Paul McKinley and Bob Kohlwes – BTI Special Commodities, Inc.

Brian Ellis – Loffredo Fresh Produce Co., Inc., Darrell Whitehead – ARGEE Transport, Russ Cerniglia – Ruan Transportation Management Systems, Sid Carroll – Great West Casualty Company, Brenda Neville – IMTA President, Rodney Glassner – Con-Way Freight, Inc., Dan Gardner – Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC, Andrea Huse – Des Moines Transportation Co., Gary Handley – BTI Special Commodities, Inc.

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IMTA Leadership 2010 Truck PAC Iowa Golf Outing Thursday, May 27, 2010 Beaver Creek Golf Course, Grimes

Clark Bannister Central Trailer, Ltd.

Chair: Clark Bannister, Central Trailer Service, Ltd. “Not only is this a great networking opportunity for IMTA members, I think the Spring Golf Outing is a great chance for our members to enjoy a relaxing day with each other while raising money for Truck PAC Iowa.”

Chair: Eric Aspengren, Truck Leasing, Inc “I think the spring golf outing is a great way to forge new business relationships and strengthen existing ones in an informal, relaxed setting.”

Eric Aspengren Truck Leasing, Inc.

2010 Truck Driving Championships June 11 & 12, 2010 Iowa Speedway, Newton

Bridget Nixon Solar Transport

Chair: Bridget Nixon, Solar Transport “I think the championships are a tremendous opportunity for us to highlight and showcase the professional drivers that truly are the foundation of the trucking industry.”

Co-Chair: Dan Gardner, Wal-Mart Transportation “I have been involved with the championships for over 20 years and I believe our event is the best in the country. We make the championships all about the drivers and it really is a tribute to the fine work they do each and every day.”

IMTA Members Provide Valuable Leadership

IMTA holds a number of events throughout the year and the purpose of these events is to reach out to the large variety of members that the association serves. It is the hope of organizers that these events provide some value added benefits to the members and ultimately support the overall mission of the Iowa Motor Truck Association. Volunteers are critically important to success of these activities, and IMTA is always very fortunate to have a tremendous pool of volunteer leaders that are willing to donate their time and talent.

These volunteer leaders provide a great service to our organization!

Because of these volunteer leaders, IMTA members are able to participate in high quality, first class events and activities. Unlike, many other associations, IMTA actually has a “waiting list” of folks that have stepped forward and offered to invest in these important opportunities. A special thanks to the 2010 volunteer leaders.

“These volunteer leaders provide a great service to our organization and because of their willingness to step up and work on an event, we are able to serve our membership on all different levels,” said IMTA Chairman of the Board, Bob Kohlwes.

Dan Gardner Wal-Mart Transportation

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IMTA Leadership 2010 Iowa Truck Show June 11&12, 2010 Iowa Speedway, Newton

John Minor Midwest Wheel Companies

Chair: John Minor, Midwest Wheel Companies “I think this is a venue that has been needed for some time and while this is only the second year we have offered this show, I think it has great potential and reaches out to a very important segment of our membership.

2010 Truck PAC Iowa Motorcycle Ride August 24, 2010 Eastern Iowa

Delwin Van Wyk Interstate Power Systems

Chair: Jim Farr, Farr Transport , Inc. “As a small member, I think it is important that IMTA provides a show like this that allows us to see the exhibits and also have access to some good education. I want to help make this a valuable and well attended show.”

Jim Farr Farr Transport, Inc.

Chair: Greg Ollinger, Manatt’s Inc. “I am happy to be able to help with an event that is for a good cause and brings IMTA members together.”

Greg Ollinger Manatt’s Inc.

2010 IMTA Management Conference September 22 & 23, 2010 Arrowwood Resort, Lake Okoboji

Pat Storey Motor-Ways, Inc.

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Chair: Delwin Van Wyk, Interstate Power Systems “I have been very pleased to see this event grow each year and we have already begun to work on this year’s event and it promises to be another good time for everyone involved.”

Chair: Pat Storey, Motor-Ways, Inc. “I have been involved with IMTA for over 30 years and I look forward to planning a great event in a great location. I understand and appreciate the value of this meeting and I think each year, we continue to improve it and create something that the members will benefit a great deal from.”

Iowa Road Team Iowa’s Road Team

The 2010 IMTA Road Team went through its orientation session in January and has already been dispatched to provide some valuable public relations assistance. For two days in March they met with various groups and launched IMTA’s 2010 public outreach activities.

Iowa’s road team once again represents the “best of the best” and will no doubt leave a valuable mark on IMTA’s effort to remind people from all walks of life that “without trucks…America stops!”

IMTA is embarking on more of a broad based campaign this year and spending time and resources reaching out to the general public.

“We actually stole the idea from the broad based campaign that simply says “Farmers Feed America”. After seeing that, we realized that we too have a very simple yet powerful message, “Truckers MOVE America” and we decided to implement that message in our outreach efforts this

David Towne – Wal-mart Transportation, LLC visits with Ankeny, IA residents about truck safety

The 2010 Road Team makes their first trip to the Iowa State Capitol to showcase the trucking industry. (back row – L to R) Kelly Richards – Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC, Brian Gardner – Fed-Ex Freight, James Dacus – Perishable Distributors of Iowa, Ltd., Jim Stinemates – Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC (2nd row – L to R) Scott Marnin – Con-Way Freight, Inc., Glen Frick – Perishable Distributors of Iowa, Ltd., Jimmy McKinney – Solar Transport, (Front Row – L to R) Richard Barre – Con-Way Freight, Inc., David Towne – Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC.

year and in doing so, we are going to do more with the general public and just remind them of the how they get all the products they depend upon,” said IMTA President Brenda Neville.

of the display and people were genuinely very impressed and interested in what we had to say,” said IMTA Membership manager and road team coordinator, Mike Spalla.

As part of that campaign, the road team spent time at the Ankeny Super Wal-Mart and HyVee store to see if this type of a campaign would be worthwhile and the results were very positive.

The Road Team typically spends 8 to 10 days throughout the year participating in special events on behalf of IMTA. All members of the Road Team are actively driving as well for various companies, so this is valuable time they put in for IMTA.

“We had a tremendous amount of traffic and we were located right at the entrances of the store. The show trailer was also part

“They are the greatest advocates we have and they are very effective because they are truck drivers. I think it is always very interesting to see how people react when they find out that these guys are truck drivers. They truly represent the tremendous amount of professionalism that is in the industry and they do a great job in conveying a positive image about the industry,” said IMTA Chairman of the Board, Bob Kohlwes.

The Road Team does a presentation on sharing the road with trucks to Johnston High School drivers ED students. Each student got a chance to sit behind the wheel of the truck and see what a driver sees. Many of them did not notice the vehicles we placed in “no zone” sections around the truck.

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Iowa Road Team

At the statehouse the team visits with House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen (L to R) Richard Barre – Con-Way Freight, Inc., Kelly Richards – Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC, David Towne – Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC, James Dacus – Perishable Distributors of Iowa, Ltd., Glen Frick – Perishable Distributors of Iowa, Ltd., Brian Gardner – Fed-Ex Freight, Representative Kraig Paulsen, Scott Marnin – Con-Way Freight, Jim Stinemates – WalMart Transportation, LLC, Jimmy McKinney – Solar Transport

Seen here, the Road Team is challenged to work as a team. The mission of the Road Team, public speaking, and team building exercises were all part of this year’s orientation.

Iowa’s road team once again represents the “best of the best” and will no doubt leave a valuable mark on IMTA’s effort to remind people from all walks of life that “without trucks…America stops!”

While at the statehouse Senator Larry Noble (District 35) takes the Road Team into the Senate Chambers and visits about the current legislative issues at hand.

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Glen Frick – Perishable Distributors of Iowa, Ltd. and James Dacus – Perishable Distributors of Iowa, Ltd. brought one of their fleet trucks to pull the IMTA show trailer and park it in front of the Ankeny Hy-Vee. The Road Team spent the afternoon serving coffee to customers and reminding them “If You’ve Got It…A Truck Brought It.”

Richard Barre – Con-Way Freight, Inc. helps a family check out the inside of the truck. We had many curious “up and coming” drivers who wanted to see what it was like to sit in a big rig.

Road Team members after completing orientation (L to R) Jim Stinemates – Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC, Kelly Richards – Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC, Richard Barre – Con-Way Freight, Inc., Scott Marnin – Con-Way Freight, Inc., Brian Gardner – Fed-Ex Freight, Jimmy McKinney – Solar Transport

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IMTA - Boxing Night “A special thanks to all the members who supported this event by attending, the sponsors who helped us get it kicked off and the PAC committee for making the decision to do something like this and then supporting it,” said IMTA President Brenda Neville.

IMTA Members enjoy a ring side view of boxing bouts at Truck PAC Iowa Boxing Night at a sponsored table.

“We had been exploring alternative fundraisers and were looking for something that would be suitable in the winter months and once we heard about this event, we felt it had some legitimate potential,” said PAC Committee Chairman Mark Zieman, Cherry Valley Enterprises, Inc.

IMTA Hosts New PAC Fundraiser – Boxing Night Over 120 IMTA members turned out for the inaugural IMTA Boxing Night.

The event was organized by the Truck PAC Iowa committee in an effort to raise additional funds for the trucking industry’s political action committee. Jeff Wangsness, JMT Trucking Company and Dave Nelsen, Freightliner of Des Moines were the designated chairs of the event.

IMTA leaders got the idea for the event from their neighbors to the east. The Illinois Trucking Association has hosted an event of this nature for several years and each year this successful event attracts more members and raises more money.

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IMTA contracted with the same promoter from the Chicago Golden Gloves organization that Illinois used, found a good location at Prairie Meadows in Altoona and began to promote the event.

Fortunately members responded and it was a great success for its first year. Over $10,000 was raised for Truck PAC Iowa and all the members in attendance gave the event glowing reviews.

“We were able to raise additional money for our PAC and given the upcoming elections, this is a top priority and this certainly helped our cause,” she added.

Over $10,000 was raised for Truck PAC Iowa and all members in attendance gave the event glowing reviews

“We certainly learned a lot and will be able to make numerous improvements next year but we are very pleased with the outcome of the event and believe it is something that we can continue to pursue and offer in the future,” said IMTA Chairman of the Board Bob Kohlwes, BTI Special Commodities, Inc. In addition to watching six Golden Glove Amateur Boxing bouts, guests also enjoyed a dinner buffet and networking with other IMTA members.

DeAnn Moody, IMTA (far left) and Dave Nelsen, Freightliner of Des Moines (far right) pose with boxers before the bouts began for the evening.

IMTA - Boxing Night “A special thanks to all the members who supported this event by attending, the sponsors who helped us get it kicked off and the PAC committee for making the decision to do something like this and then supporting it,” said IMTA President Brenda Neville.

Ryan Fisk, Clayton Fisk – Warren Transport, Inc. and Ben Caughron – Warren Transport, Inc. enjoyed an evening of boxing.

Truck PAC IOWA Boxing Night Sponsors Beverage Sponsors Cummins Central Power, LLC Oldcastle® IMTA Chairman of the Board Bob Kohlwes - BTI Special Commodities, Inc., IMTA President Brenda Neville and IMTA 1st Vice Chairman Mike Riggan, TanTara Transportation

Boxing Bout Sponsors Interstate PowerSystems Midwest Wheel Companies Iowa Council of Safety Management Association & Legislative Resources Dinner Sponsors Crouse Transportation Services, LLC Reilly Construction Co. Inc.

Jeff Wangsness JMT Trucking Company

Dave Nelsen Freightliner of Des Moines

Special Thanks to Boxing Night Chairs Jeff Wangsness, JMT Trucking Company Dave Nelsen, Freightliner of Des Moines, Inc.

Gold Table Sponsors BTI Special Commodities, Inc. Cherry Valley Enterprises, Inc. Freightliner of Des Moines, Inc. JMT Trucking Company Manatt’s Inc. Midwest Wheel Companies TanTara Transportation Corp.

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The Final Word

Copy of an editorial that appeared in the Des Moines Register and Transport Topics in Recognition and Appreciation for John Ruan’s contribution to IMTA.

Iowa’s Trucking Industry Recognizes A True Leader!

Iowa’s trucking industry lost a dear friend and valued leader this past week. John Ruan was one of the three founders of the Iowa Motor Truck Association. In 1942, Mr. Ruan felt that the industry needed a voice at the Capitol and within weeks he had other trucking leaders on board and the association became a reality.

Almost immediately, the association became the respected voice of the industry in no small part due to the involvement

by Mr. John Ruan.

He personally directed the efforts with legislators and regulators and made it his personal goal to navigate the young organization through its early years. His hard work, leadership and unwavering commitment to the trucking industry enabled him to quickly build a strong membership and a united organization.

His tremendous dedication to IMTA was always present in those early decades, he personally provided the financial support to pay the bills and cover the payroll expenses as the association faced some difficult times in the 1940s and 1950s.

Over the years, the trucking industry faced numerous challenges and Mr.

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Ruan’s leadership was always present through his involvement with IMTA. It was always known that the association could rely upon the Mr. Ruan’s organizations for whatever resources were needed to get the job done…and for that support, we are eternally grateful. A unique supporter like Mr. Ruan enabled the association to prosper and flourish and even more importantly, provide services, support and leadership to an industry that employs 1 in every 11 people in the State of Iowa.

With time, his direct involvement was minimal but the Ruan presence and the philosophies that Mr. Ruan instilled have always been the one constant that proved to be a valuable anchor to an industry and an association that faces continual change. Even today, Iowa’s trucking industry holds great respect and appreciation to Mr. John Ruan. Not only did he have the foresight and the vision to create an association that has been able to serve the trucking industry for over 65 years, but more importantly, he set the standard through which an industry continually aspires to uphold.

Without question, Mr. Ruan’s scope of influence is much larger than most and his achievements and accolades span far beyond the trucking industry. But it

is with great pride that many truckers recall and remember Mr. Ruan’s roots in the trucking industry and his widespread influence on the trucking industry in the past and yet today. It is because of his tremendous influence, that Iowa’s trucking industry expresses its sincere thanks and appreciation to a man that left a footprint on an industry and an association that will be felt forever.

Brenda Neville President & CEO Iowa Motor Truck Association

Mark the Date!

Iowa Truck Driving Championships Iowa Truck Show Iowa Tow Show June 11—12, 2010 Iowa Speedway—Newton, IA

IMTA Management Conference September 22-23, 2010 Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center Okoboji, IA Spring 2010

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