Nominations Sought For Technical Achievement Award

There is still time to get your nomination in for TWNA's Technical Achievement Award for calendar-year 1998. The annual award recognizes significant new products and services offered to the trucking industry.

Nominations should be directed to Rolf Lockwood, editor, Today's Trucking, and TWNA vice president and chairperson of the Technical Achievement Award committee. Phone: (416) 614-2200; fax: (416) 614-8861; e-mail: rolftruck@aol.com.

TWNA's Technical Achievement Award is presented each year at The Maintenance Council's March meeting.

As usual, ever since it won the first Technical Achievement Award eight years ago, Grote Industries is demonstrating its generosity by providing the winner's trophy.

The report on TWNA's second survey gauging journalist (Full) members' feelings about press conferences and events is being readied for the presses. Like the initial 1994 survey, this survey was also designed to provide companies and communicators involved in the trucking industry with guidelines on how to hold more successful press events and conferences.

A news release announcing the survey is being prepared. A press mailing list is also being prepared.

One area where assistance is greatly needed is in getting the report into the hands of manufacturers and suppliers to the trucking industry. TWNA needs mailing labels or contact lists of OEs and suppliers. Perhaps your organization would be willing to mail the survey report to its "promo" or VIP list.

Please contact TWNA President David A. Kolman to volunteer or for additional information. Phone: (410) 486-7430.

First, let me wish everyone all the very best of the Holiday Season and for the New Year. May all your dreams be realized in 1999.

Second, I want to make you aware that your board of directors recently voted to increase TWNA membership dues. Beginning with 1999 dues, membership goes from $25 to $35.

The dues increase was necessary because 1998 has been an expensive year for TWNA. We incurred large expenditures for creating and maintaining our new Web site. The costs involved in producing The TWNA Dispatch increased. The June issue of our newsletter, destined to be a collector's item, was particularly expensive because of its color photocopies.

TWNA had unexpected costs for flowers and donations for members who were ill, underwent surgery or died. There were - and will be - expenses for the press relations survey project. And next year there will be a postage increase.

I would hope that the dues increases will not prompt anyone to not renew their membership.

I also hope that you will make a resolution to become involved in your association. Only through an involved membership can TWNA evolve and become more useful and effective. TWNA has the talent and resources to make things happen.

David A. Kolman

Treasurer's Report - .As of December 15, TWNA had 174 members. The treasury has a balance of $508.

Reference Listings -.TWNA will be listed in the:

• 1999 edition of the National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States.
• American Trucking Associations' TruckSource '99: Sources of Trucking Information.
• Gale Research's Associations Unlimited.

10th Anniversary -. TWNA celebrated its 10th anniversary in November. Four of the founding fathers remain members: Tom Berg, Bob Deierlein, Tom Gelinas, David A. Kolman. .

Members since November 1988: Ken Kelley, Buck Luetscher, Paul Richards, Steve Sturgess, Jim Winsor. .

Members since December 1988: Julie Candler, Marvin Gordon, Rolf Lockwood, Andrew Ryder. .

Members since February 1989: Frank Conte.. Members since March 1989: Jim Bald.

Why is it, that no matter at what stage you apologize to your spouse, the reply is always: "It's too late now."

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Kolman's Law #43: You're not late until you get there.

Tom Berg, SuperScribe, earned the Flying Folder Award during Transmission Technologies' recent press event. It seems his press kit flew off the roof of a car and blew all over the highway. (For the complete story, ask Tom.)

Raymond Craig, vice president/account supervisor, DFM/Tatham Advertising, has retired.

Bob Deierlein, freelancer and TWNA secretary-treasurer, has been awarded The Maintenance Council's 1998 Study Group Leadership Award. The award was created to honor those TMC members who provide strong leadership at the Study Group level and who, through that leadership, go above and beyond in accomplishing TMC goals. There have only been seven other TMC members so honored since the inception of the award in 1986. (See TMC's news release elsewhere this issue.)

Paul Dybro, formerly senior editor of Equipment Today, has joined Snap-On Tools as electronic communications coordinator for the sales communications department.

Bette Garber, photojournalist, was the subject of a feature article, "Can You See Stars Without Looking Up At The Sky?", in a recent issue (Vol. 3, Issue 3)of Real Questions, Real Answers, The Tire Topic Magazine from Bridgestone.

David A. Kolman, TWNA president and editor in chief, Truck Sales & Leasing, can be seen - as an extra - in several upcoming episodes of the Baltimore, MD-based TV show, "Homicide."

Deborah & Evan Lockridge, the wife-husband journalism team, have joined the staff of Newport Communications. Deborah becomes senior and contributing editor at various Newport media, including, Heavy Duty Trucking, Truck Sales & Leasing, RoadStar, Truckstop Travel Plaza and Camiones. Evan will produce an all-new radio news show.

Andrew Ryder, Heavy Duty Trucking, was awarded the Dead Cone Award during Transmission Technologies' a recent press event. (What exactly is a Dead Cone Award? It has something to do win driving ability. For the details, you'll have to ask Drew.)

M.D. Morgan, producer/director of Video Production Associates, reports his company was honored at the WorldFest Film Festival awards dinner held in Flagstaff, AZ, in late November with the Silver Award for the documentary, A Mistress Called the Road, in the Independent Video/Film and Video Production category, as well as a Finalist Award for Advertising & Promotion/Film and Video Production. The Finalist Award was for a marketing piece, Three World Records, produced for another local company, Inter-Cal Corporation.

Transport Topics, has ceased publication of Go-West, a monthly magazine targeted to Western trucking interests.

Dan Vnuk, formerly senior editor at Northbrook Publications (KW's World's Best and Peterbilt's First Class), is the new senior editor at Equipment Today.

Neal Zipser, formerly with Hedge & Company, is now the communications manager of DP & Company, a marketing communications agency in Southfield, MI. He will still handle communications for the Michigan Truck Safety Commission.

Jim Beach, editor, Truckers News, Roseville, CA.

Mary Bolan, marketing communications associate, Horton, Minneapolis, MN.

Harold R. Brink, engineer/freelance writer, Smith, Stephens, Reed & Phillips, Northampton, PA.

Scott Jacobs, manager-corporate communications, Henkel Corporation, Cincinnati, OH.

Kate Miller, senior account executive, Leistra O'Neill Public Relations, Grand Rapids, MI.

Tom Moore, editor, Fleet Owner, Stamford, CT.

Debbie Parker, vice president-marketing, Event Logistics, Hendersonville, TN.

Shirley Sponholtz, editor, Wheels of Time/American Truck Historical Society, Lancaster, SC.

Founded in November 1988, the Truck Writers of North America is an organization of professionals involved in generating, gathering, writing and reporting news and information about trucks, trucking and the trucking industry. Among TWNA's objectives:

• Improve the quality of trucking journalism.
• Promote a positive image for the trucking industry.
• Continually improve relationships between the truck trade press and manufacturers and suppliers.
• Serve as an information source and referral service for the non-truck trade media as it reports on the trucking industry.
• Function as a watchdog over the non-truck trade media and respond to inaccurate, incorrect or biased reporting on trucking industry-related matters.