600 Reisterstown Road
Suite 404
Baltimore, MD 21208
VOICE: (410)486-7430
FAX: (410)486-7478

President
David A. Kohlman
Truck Sales & Leasing

Vice President
Rolf Lockwood
Today's Trucking

Secretary-Treasurer
Bob-Deierlein
Freelancer

Directors
Paul Abelson
Super Driver

Jim Mele
Fleet Owner

D. Mike Pennington
Meritor Automotive

Denise Rondini
Successful Dealer/
Truck Parts & Service



April 1998 Vol. 10, No. 2

Election Results

 Elected to serve as TWNA officers for the next two years are:

President - David A. Kolman, Truck Sales & Leasing

Vice President - Rolf Lockwood, Today's Trucking

Secretary-Treasurer -Bob Deierlein, Freelancer

Directors -
Paul Abelson, Super Driver
Jim Mele, Fleet Owner
D. Mike Pennington, Meritor Automotive
Denise Rondini, Successful Dealer/Truck Parts & Service

Election results were announced at TWNA's Mid-America Trucking Show meeting. Approximately 20% of the membership voted. Overdrive fielded the most candidates - 4.

Incumbent president Kolman ran unopposed for a second time, while three candidates vied for the vice president position: Lockwood; incumbent VP Carol Birkland, Fleet Equipment/Transport Technology Today; Linda Longton, Overdrive. Birkland came in second; Longton, third.

Running against Deierlein for secretary-treasurer was Allison Hatfield, Overdrive.

A record number of candidates ran for the Full Director positions. Re-elected for a second term were Paul Abelson, Super Driver, and Jim Mele, Fleet Owner. Rondini was elected for the first time.

Others who ran, in order of their finish: Charles E. Wilson, Modern Bulk Transporter, Cathy Campbell, rpm Magazine; Deborah Lockridge, Overdrive, Carolyn Magner, Overdrive, and John G. Smith, Truck News & Truck West, tied.

Running against Pennington for Allied Director was Phillip J. Romba, Volvo Trucks North America.

MATS Meeting Report

 A capacity crowd attended TWNA's annual meeting held during the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY. The meeting was sponsored by Peterbilt Motors, which provided refreshments. Among the meeting highlights:

  1. The meeting began with a moment of silence for Leon Witconis, Owner Operator and Stewart Siegel, Fleet Owner, who died earlier this year. Said TWNA President Kolman: "The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. Both Leon and Stu did that through their work and their relationships.
  2. Carol Birkland presented an update on TWNA's new web page (see related article) The page is just about up and running.
  3. A status report on Technicians Unlimited was presented by Craig Fry, executive director (see press release). The organization is dedicated to addressing the shortage of skilled truck technicians. Fry can be reached at (847) 359-9804; fax: (847) 359-0250/
  4. Secretary-treasurer Bob Deierlein gave a state of the association address: 262 members, 96 haven't renewed for 1998. This is the last newsletter for those who have not re-upped.
  5. Tom Gelinas reported on TWNA's Events Clearing House, a service inteded to help avoid event conflicts by serving as the central scheduling agency for truck trade press functions.
  6. Nomination forms for the TWNA Excellence In Communications Awards were distributed. The award recognizes a Full or Associate Member for outstanding professional contributions to the trucking press. For more information, contact TWNA Director Jim Mele at (914) 287-6734; e-mail: jmele@fleetowner.com.
  7. The mock press conference originally set for MATS was postponed. Plans are to hold it during TWNA's annual meeting at ITS. For more information, contact Mike Pennington at (248) 435-1933; or e-mail: pennindm@meritorauto.com.
  8. A sponsor was sought to do a second "Press Conference & Truck Industry Journalists Survey." First done in 1994, it is an anonymous study of TWNA members on the various aspects of press events. If you are interested in being a sponsor, contact President Kolman.
  9. Discussion took place on whether the complete membership roster should be posted on TWNA's new web site. It was decided members who do not want to be listed on the site must notify TWNA's Keeper of the Membership Roster Frank Conte.
  10. Discussion also took place on asking MATS officials to limit the number of press conferences on Thursday and Firday of the show; perhaps not scheduling any events in the afternons. Tom Berg, Super Scribe, and Cathy Campbell, rpm Magazine, were to have met with show officials to see what could be worked out. Look for a report on their meeting in the next issue of The TWNA Dispatch.
  11. Tom Berg presented his proposal for establishing a retirement home for truck journalists, especially freelancers. A controversy was created when Bob Deierlein noted that the idea for such a home was hatched in the early 1980s.

Technical Achievement Award

 The TWNA Technical Achievement Award for calendar year 1997 went to Eaton for its Eaton Fuller Autoshift transmission. The award was presented by Award Committee Chairman Rolf Lockwood during the recent annual meeting of The Maintenance Council of the American Trucking Associations in Nashville, TN. Tim Morscheck, general manager, automated products, for Eaton Corporation's Truck Components Operations, accepted the award.

Lifetime Membership?

 There was some discussion during TWNA's annual meeting at the Mid-America Trucking Show about developing a Lifetime Membership. A number of members felt this would be an attractive alternative to paying annual dues.

The question is: How much should an annual membership cost - $175, $200, $225, $250, $275, $300 or more? Please make your thoughts known by contacting Bob Deierlein, TWNA secretary-treasurer, 41 Preston Ave,. White Plians, NJ 10604; (914) 946-1297.

TWNA.ORG

The new TWNA home page address, TWNA.ORG, is registered, but don't dial up just yet. There are one or two details yet to be finished and they require input from you, our members.

First of all, do you want to be listed on the Membership Database page? If so, you need not tell us. But if you don't want to be listed you must let us know by May 15. Call Frank Conte, Owner Operator at (610) 964-4263 or e-mail fconte@chilton.net.

Next, we have one last segment of hte page to assemble, which is the Member Links. This is a page that includes the names of journalist member's publiscation and associate member's companies with a datalink to each web page. We need you to supply the information as you wish it to appear. Frank Conte has volunteered to compile this information and send it on to our new webmaster, Michele Elder, Overdrive.

Once we have filled in thse final "blanks" we will be ready to go. We anticipate being online by June 1. If you have any questions, please call Carol Birkland, Fleet Equipment, at (216) 321-5755. After June 1, contact Denise Rondii, Kona Publications at (847) 48-3180. She is the new TWNA director who will be taking over the home page information coordination.

Special thanks for the development of the home page done by Beth Farho and Mike Debiak of Nucleus Communications 00 and for the financial support given to the project by Eaton Corportation as coordinated by Don Alles. The fee for our name registration is being paid by Meritor Automotive, so special thanks to Mike Pennington for this contribution.

-- Carol Birkland