In This Edition:
ITS
Press Schedule
Media Watch Report
Member News - Eric Berard
On The Lighter Side
Next Issue Due Out 7/8/02 - Deadline For
Materials 6/28/02!
ITS
Press Schedule
Due to a reduced schedule of press conferences, there will be
no TWNA meeting at this year's International Trucking Show in
Las Vegas. The show dates and schedule can be found at www.truckshow.com/pcon.html
Media-Watch
- BRIDGE MAY BEAR HERO'S NAME
By JEB PHILLIPS - Birmingham Post Herald
'... you know, we'd
rather have him home.'- Ann Dison, Tim Dison's mother
Part of Malfunction
Junction may be getting a new name, one that pays tribute to a
man who died there. The resolution to name the recently collapsed
and rebuilt part of
Interstate 65 ''Tim Dison Memorial Bridge'' has unanimously moved
through the Alabama House of Representatives and could do the
same in the Senate as
soon as today.
Dison, of Killen, was
driving a tractor-trailer truck on Jan. 5 when a car cut him off,
leading to an accident and an explosion. Witnesses said Dison,
34, did all he could to avoid hitting other vehicles in the accident,
and probably saved others' lives in the process. ''It's the most
fitting thing to name the bridge after him,'' said James Dison,
Tim Dison's brother. ''He did give his own life to save other
people.''
The tribute didn't
originate with the family or with the government, but on a morning
radio show. Kevin Miller, host of ''Miller in the Morning'' on
WERC (960 AM), had Dison's wife, Karen Dison, on last month to
talk about her husband. ''I asked her if she would like the bridge
named after her husband as a tribute,'' Miller said. ''She was
in favor. I told her I would try to make it happen.''
Miller called state
Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, who liked the idea. Rogers found
there were no conflicts with the federal government in the naming,
so he came up with a resolution. ''I was glad I could have a small
part of doing this,'' Rogers said. Attempts to reach Karen Dison
were unsuccessful.
The resolution reads
in part:
''It is most appropriate to recognize Tim Dison in an enduring
manner, a husband of almost 14 years and father of two preschool
sons, for his brave and selfless actions during this tragic event.''
Rogers said he came
up with a resolution because resolutions have an easier time in
the Legislature than a bill. A resolution can pass on a simple
voice vote instead of a roll call, and the governor does not have
to sign it, even though Gov. Don Siegelman is a supporter of the
tribute, Rogers said.
The Jan. 5 accident
happened where Interstate 20 and Interstate 59 meet with southbound
I-65. Torey Santos Tubbs, 18, moved into Dison's lane in an improper
lane change about 10:30 a.m., according to a police report. The
tail of Tubbs car hit the tractor-trailer, and Dison lost control.
He was able to avoid other vehicles before the truck flipped on
its side and hit a guard rail.
The accident ignited
nearly 10,000 gallons of gasoline that Dison was hauling. The
heat of the fire caused the I-65 bridge to collapse. ''He had
recently told his daddy that he would take the ditch before ever
hitting another vehicle,'' said his mother, Ann Dison. ''He had
sort of a premonition.'' Tubbs was not charged in the accident.
A quick construction
schedule had the bridge rebuilt and opened on Feb. 26. Rogers
said the Senate could approve the resolution as soon as today
and as late as Wednesday, the end of the legislative session.
He said the state highway department will then manufacture a sign
for the bridge, and a plaque will go to Karen Dison during a dedication
ceremony. Dison's mother said she is proud of her son, what he
did and the state's tribute. ''But you know, we'd rather have
him home,'' she said.
Jeb
Phillips can be reached at 325-3190 or jphillips@postherald.com
One of TWNA's missions
is to ensure that mass-media coverage of the trucking industry
is presented in a balanced, accurate manner. If you run across
news items -- either negative or positive -- please forward those
to Sherri's or Rene's attention.
smiddleton@vulcanpub.com
renet@landlinemag.com
L'echo
du transport Nominated as a Finalist for the 2002 Edition of the
National Magazine Awards Foundation.
The trucking industry magazine saw its series of articles entitled
"Combustion sous haute surveillance" (Combustion under
high surveillance) nominated for the Gold Medal in the Editorial
Package category. Written by Editor Eric Berard, the feature published
in October 2001 rounds-up the rivalry between the trucking and
the rail industries in terms of emission regulations, analyzing
each industry's position.
The National Magazine
Awards Foundation was created in 1977 (as was L'Echo du transport)
and recognizes the outstanding efforts of more written and visual
artists than any comparable organization on the continent. Contest
officials say participation was a record this year, with a total
of 72 magazines presenting pieces (information articles, photographs,
visual graphics, etc.), that number being of 58 last year.
"It is clear that
this nomination takes an even a greater value by the fact that
there was such a big number of entries and participants"
says Eric Berard, adding that "to be a finalist, on the same
level as such prestigious magazines is, in itself, a great personal
and professional satisfaction". Among other Quebec magazines
nominated are L'actualite, Chatelaine, Elle Quebec and Revue Commerce.
President and Publisher
of L'Echo du transport, Pierre Gravel commented on the nomination
of his magazine and its Editor with obvious pride. "Regarding
that nomination, it is a very pleasing surprise. Of course I always
insisted that my editorial staff works to observe the highest
standards to satisfy our readers, but I have to admit that such
a recognition from the industry certainly is an achievement I
did not expect. I have to say Eric Berard brought with him a degree
of journalistic rigor and a sense of news that greatly outperform
anything previous L'Echo editors had to offer. I am glad I hired
him four years ago and I hope we can continue this association
for years to come"
Based in Quebec, L'Echo
du transport (www.lechodutransport.com)
is the leading French language trucking magazine in North America,
with a CCAB-BPA audited circulation of 20,000 qualified subscribers.
It is published 10 times a year since 1977 and is aimed at fleet
managers, fleet maintenance managers and owner-operators.
On
The Lighter Side
Now that I'm 'older'
(but refuse to grow up), here's what I've discovered:
ONE - I started out with nothing, and I still
have most of it.
TWO - My wild oats have turned into prunes and All Bran.
THREE - I finally got my head together; now my body is falling
apart.
FOUR - Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...
FOUR - Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...
FIVE - All reports are in; life is now officially unfair.
SIX - If all is not lost, where is it?
SEVEN - It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.
EIGHT - Some days you're the dog; some days you're the hydrant.
NINE- I wish the buck stopped here; I sure could use a few...
TEN - Kids in the back seat cause accidents.
ELEVEN - Accidents in the back seat cause kids.
TWELVE - It's hard to make a comeback when you haven' been anywhere.
THIRTEEN - The only time the world beats a path to your door
is when you're in the bathroom.
FOURTEEN - If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have
put them on my knees.
FIFTEEN - When I'm finally holding all the cards, why does everyone
decide to play chess?
SIXTEEN - It's not hard to meet expenses... they're everywhere.
SEVENTEEN - I thought I had just finished number four.
EIGHTEEN - These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about
the hereafter...I go somewhere to get something and then wonder
what I'm hereafter.
