WattsMack

The associates of Averitt Express recently donated $500,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, one of the world's premier pediatric cancer research centers.View the full article

Tulsa-based Tenstreet named Kimberly Theken, a 13-year trucking industry veteran, implementation manager.View the full article

America's Best Truckstops (Ambest) recently announced the promotion of Tom Boutwell to vice president of purchasing and Tommy Davis to vice president of service centers.View the full article

SmartDrive Systems, a global driver safety and risk management company located in San Diego, recently appointed Jason Palmer to chief product officer.View the full article

Diesel prices are still falling, although the rate of decline has slowed. Energy Information Administration figures released Monday show the average price of a gallon of diesel to be $2.291, down 3.6 cents from last week.View the full article

BP has started production from the third and fourth wells at the Thunder Horse oil production field in the Gulf of Mexico, with production now in excess of 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, marking commencement of full operationView the full article

Gene Scoggins, transportation industry veteran and an executive with NationaLease for 10 years, has been named president of the North American full service truck leasing organization.View the full article

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Minneapolis, announced it's pleased with the inaugural year of its "Taking Responsibility" consumer programs.View the full article

Con-way Truckload has promoted Robert Darden of Spring, Texas, to director of sales responsible for the company's southern region, including Texas, Louisiana and Florida.View the full article

Barr-Nunn Transportation driver Keith Badtram recently reached a safety milestone of 2.5 million miles.View the full article

Navistar revenues for 2008 were up 20 percent compared to last year, and thanks largely to military sales, reported a profit for 2008 compared with a loss in fiscal 2007 -- but posted a loss for the fourth quarter.View the full article

Paccar Vice Chairman Thomas Plimpton will be a featured speaker at Heavy Duty Dialogue next month.View the full article

The Midnight Trucking Radio Network is no longer being aired on XM Satellite Radio, but will be available via live streaming on the iPhone sometime in the first quarter.View the full article

Iowa 80 TA Truckstop, located in Walcott, Iowa, will be celebrating its 45th year of serving America's professional drivers in 2009.View the full article

Maverick Transportation, Little Rock, Ark., was recently honored with Compliance Safety Systems' inaugural annual award for its dedication to safety and overall compliance to DOT regulations.View the full article

Date Added: Today, 12:55 PM Vehicle Owner: Pete View this new addition to the Garage

Isuzu Commercial Truck of America announced that it intends to use selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to achieve the 2010 standards for emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by diesel engines.View the full article

Online registration is now open for American Truck Dealers' 2009 Convention & Expo, themed "Moving America," to be held at the Gaylord National Hotel and Conference Center in Washington, D.C., April 18-20.View the full article

Cardinal Towing Service, Brooklyn Park, Minn., is the winner of the Zip's Owners Club 2008 Heavy Duty Truck of the Year Award.View the full article

Yokohama Tire Corp. announced several organizational changes, including Jim MacMaster being named to chief operating officer.View the full article

Schneider Logistics, Green Bay, Wis., was recognized for its exceptional service with the ArvinMeritor 2007 Supplier Diversity Tier 1 Supplier of the Year Award.View the full article

Con-way Truckload company driver Herb Mitchell of Joplin, Mo., has reached the elite career milestone of 3 million miles of safe driving.View the full article

CH Robinson Worldwide is holding a its first Southeast Carrier Appreciation Event in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 13.View the full article

So I'm sitting here thinking about what I can do to make 2009 a better that 2008 was. And I'm thinking of what the government and the new administration could do, realistically, to make the new year better than the old one. Can President Barack manage the "national attitude" and create some optimistic thinking in Americans? If so, then I think we can start to solve our own problems. We really don't want the government involved in fixing the problems anyway. When was the last time you saw the government, in any situation, do something that was efficient, effective and/or economical? Doesn't happen. Indeed, I just read that the government bean-counters have already lost control and lost accountability of the $700 billion dollars that the banking industry got! That didn't take long. I believe that we, as Americans, are the only ones who can solve our problems. Hopefully we can do that before the problems take over, and we are forced into very compromised lifestyles. We seem to be deaf, dumb and mute when it comes to controlling our own government. And just that issue has led to a series of unprecedented blunders by that government. We are not providing any oversight to our elected representatives. They just have free reign, as long as we let them. We sit back. Fat, Dumb and Happy. Our international position has plummeted, both socially and economically; we are fighting wars that we shouldn't be in; and the cost of government has skyrocketed as more and more "handouts" are made available to those in need (or not). More and more of our core industries, utilities and real estate are being bought by foreign interests, as we send more and more jobs away to cheaper producers. We are borrowing money from those countries that are now doing our jobs for us. And still our demands for energy and consumer goods keep spiraling upward. Seems like a one-way street to me. I think it's time for some really old-fashioned reasonable thinking. Simple things like "You can't spend more than you have, or more than you make" at any level, and you have to pay the debts, as quickly as possible. Stop trying to force our form of democracy on the world. It obviously doesn't work when we do. I think the quiet, tough kid on the block always gets the most respect. Be the quiet, tough kid, and mind your own business. When we can't hire a person because they make more on welfare than when they work, even though they are healthy and strong, something is wrong with that. Why can't there be a sliding scale for the amount of assistance you receive, based on the wage you make? If you could get more total income while working and collecting a fraction of the government's assistance, then why wouldn't you work? The government cost of welfare goes down, the people work, and can develop self-respect, and that puts the lower paying jobs back here in this country, where they belong. All good thoughts, and best wishes to everyone for a Happy and Prosperous New Year! Paul Van Scott View the full blog entry

Date Added: Today, 02:43 PM Vehicle Owner: Tractor Kid View this new addition to the Garage