MATS then and now

My most vivid memory of the Mid-America Trucking Show in 2004 is a gigantic pair of woman's underpants. The bloated, billowing bloomers flew like a banner above a vendor stall in the North Wing Lobby.

No bloomers in 2015. I assume they were banned by management who realized just how tasteless, politically incorrect, and socially insensitive those bloomers were. I was glad I bought a pair in '04 when I had the chance.

Other things were different this year, too. There was more rush hour traffic outside in Louisville. Somebody built a Ferris wheel next door, and they added on to the exhibit halls. In 2004 the displays of flashy, bad-ass trucks and components seemed to go on forever. In 2015 they actually did go on forever.

The chrome was shinier this year. Door panels, saddle tanks and bumpers -- crystalline mirrors you could almost walk through -- projected the passing crowds back at themselves. 

Chrome on a Kenworth.

A lot of numbers at MATS were higher in 2015, like the fuel you were going to save and the return-on-investment you were going to enjoy. Buy this and your driver retention will go up. Other numbers were lower, like your driver turnover and how long it would take to realize that terrific ROI.

There was a lot more automation than there was in 2004. In 2015 they're not replacing drivers so much as driver functions. Computerized drive trains adjust speed for hills, and lift axles pull themselves up automatically to maximize fuel consumption.

Back in 2004, so-called collision avoidance systems warned drivers of an imminent crash. Buzzers buzzed, flashers flashed, dash screens ran horror film trailers, and maybe a little pink hammer descended from overhead to bonk the driver on the head. But that was pretty much it. Actual avoidance was still the driver's job.

The 2015 systems manage almost the entire emergency. Sure, warnings keep the driver in the loop (or at least scare the hell out of him or her). But it's all pro forma. The systems are fully prepared to slow or stop the truck. They'll do everything but steer, and they'll do that as soon as the market will bear the cost.

Back in 2004 they called them collision "avoidance" systems. In 2015 they're collision "mitigation" systems. Diminished expectations? Turning hellish catastrophes into mere disasters? You decide.

Some things at MATS haven’t changed at all –the social composition, for example. The big boys pour cash on their spacious South Wing displays, and neatly clad sales people rule the aisles and carpeted plazas. Bearded drivers in denim coveralls come to check things out, of course, and the sales guys would be happy to sell them a truck. But let's face it, the suits are really on the lookout for fleet buyers, engineers who do the spec'ing, and vice presidents who make the million dollar decisions. Sure, driver, help yourself to a piece of candy and a brochure.

In the West Wing, where the ceilings are lower and smaller displays tumble over one another, the crowded aisles are more democratic. It's great to take the kids through the big halls and ogle the new trucks, but the West Wing is a different kind of adventure. Look over there, a China Pavilion, stall after stall of small manufacturers, very proper people in business attire. And look at the young women at the Hooters display! Oops. Sorry, Mama; look away, Little Buddy.

The Far East in the West Wing.

Something else between 2004 and 2015 was unchanged, at least in essence -- the shortage of drivers willing to work for fleets that ask too much and pay too little. It was front and center in 2004. It was front and center again in 2015. Every media event staged by every major manufacturer included a prominent reference to the "driver shortage."

Kenworth General Manager Preston Feight put a kind of smiley face on it when he told his audience that the current driver turnover rate of 80 percent could be considered "normalized" because it had been much higher. "It's not a crisis at all," he said. "It's OK right now."

It's OK that a 1,000 driver fleet has 800 drivers leave each year either for greener pastures or to get out of the industry? It's OK the fleet has to hire 800 new drivers just to stay in place? Or has our industry's chronic, untreated disease grown so familiar we regard the pain as normal?

In any case, drivers had to feel wanted at MATS in 2015, especially in the West Wing. Celadon, NFI, Prime, Schneider, J.B. Hunt and more were all there recruiting drivers. We want you, Mr. Road Man.

One affable recruiter told me All State Express was signing up owner-operators. When I said I wasn't an owner operator, he said their lease purchase program could make me one. When I said I didn't have a CDL, he said they would help get me one – and then make me an owner operator.

Straight from unlicensed newbie to owner-operator without ever having experienced truckload life on the road?

Sure, he said, actually smiling.

Clearly since 2004 the "shortage" that troubles our industry hasn't changed at all. Sadly, neither have some of the terrible ideas for dealing with it.

Bestpass expands coverage, offers new transponder

Bestpass Inc. has introduced the new Horizon toll transponder that works with almost  all of the non-E-ZPass highway toll authorities in the United States. Now Bestpass users can access most of the toll highways in the U.S. with no more than two transponders -- one for E-ZPass in the Northeast and the new Horizon transponder for the rest.  At the same time, Bestpass announced that toll authorities in Kansas and Florida have become part of the Bestpass system.

Bestpass, which was launched in 2003 and is still owned by the New York Motor Truck Association, provides one-stop shopping for toll payers, offering a single source for billing and customer service, and toll discounts across many diverse authorities. The company is based in Albany, NY.

According to John Andrews, President and CEO of Bestpass, the addition of the Kansas Turnpike and Florida’s Turnpike, including the range of all other SunPass tolled facilities in Florida, will result in a significant increase in toll coverage for Bestpass customers.

The Bestpass solution includes E-ZPass coverage for the group’s 26 toll agencies in 15 states and the new Horizon transponder for the bulk of the authorities outside of the E-ZPass electronic toll collection network. Bestpass also works with toll authorities that use license plate reader systems. Maximizing benefits in those states, Bestpass can provide customers with toll discounts for plate reads that are generally not otherwise available.

According to Andrews, Bestpass is treated like a customer fleet by individual toll authorities, many of which offer volume discounts. For Bestpass, those discounts are easily triggered by the large volume of Bestpass users -- each of whom receives the benefit of a volume discount. That’s the case even for one-truck Bestpass users like OOIDA member John Wieczorek of Perry, Mo. John and his wife Carol run for Mercer Transportation and have been Bestpass customers since 2003.

John was a guest of Bestpass at the press conference announcing the new Horizon transponder.

“We found that the other toll authorities are just out of reach for us. They want you to post a bond or something that just costs too much. Bestpass doesn’t do that,” John said.

John said that besides tolls, Bestpass costs him $4.50 per month, which consists of a $1 service charge plus $3.50 per truck. Toll discounts help offset the cost of the Bestpass.

Andrews explained that a new customer must also open a  Bestpass account for a minimum $250 that tolls will be drawn from. But he pointed out that if a customer’s toll account is close to depletion or depleted, Bestpass will contact the customer first before simply shutting down the account -- as often happens with other toll authorities.

At the press conference, Andrews explained Bestpass plans to have toll discount and management programs in place with 99 percent of all U.S. tolled miles, excluding only a few bridges and HOV lanes (most of which prohibit trucks in any case). Bestpass, he said, is working to bring its services to Oklahoma and Texas before the end of 2015, and anticipates adding coast-to-coast toll coverage in Canada sometime in 2016.

Cobra Electronics debuts new power inverter line at 2015 MATS

Cobra Electronics showed the world a new line of inverters for truckers at MATS on Thursday. The AC to CD converters, all handsomely designed, range from the Cobra CPI 190 that provides 130 watts to the  CPI 2590 that serves up 2,500 watts, enough to run a household or small business, never mind a sleeper cab. Of course, inverters are the the convenient gizmos that turn the DC power in your truck into the AC power that runs almost everything else.

 The CPI 2590 serves up 2,500 watts and lists for $299.95.

“I could watch television, make supper in the microwave, and vacuum the sleeper at the same time,” said a trucker who stopped just long enough to comment, then moved back into the crowd.

“He’s right,” said Ramon Sandoval, Cobra’s Ramon Sandoval.

Of course the new line of Cobra inverters run the gamut between those two extremes. The two smallest inverters plug into your dashboard DC power source – or cigarette lighter if you prefer. The CPI 190 plugs in on one end and offers a three-prong outlet at the other. The next plug-in model up the line is the CPI 290CH, which resembles a coffee cup and is designed to sit on a coffee cup holder in your truck. It connects to the DC power through a wire and the three prong plug opening is on the top.

Cobra calls those two products its “recreational models.” The 130 watt CPI 190 lists for $39.95; the coffee-cup model, 200 watt CPI 290CH , lists for $49.95.

The 200 watt CPI 290CH coffee-cup model goes for $49.95.

The balance of the line, the “professional models,”  are built to be installed and linked to the battery. They range from the  400 Watt CPI 490 to that 2,500 watt CPI 2590 with three models in between offering 800, 1,000, and 1,500 watts of AC power respectively. They range in price from $49.95 to $299.95.

All the models are neatly designed and will look good installed even as they provide maximum convenience in the cab and sleeper.

Wreaths Across America say 'Thank You' to truckers at MATS

The folks from Wreaths Across America came to MATS, they say,  to thank the trucking industry for its support of their popular program to remember and honor America’s war dead by laying wreaths on the second Saturday in December wherever those heroes have been laid to rest.

“We want to thank the trucking companies that have helped over the years to bring wreaths to resting places across the country,” said Karen Worcester (pronounced like wooster), Executive Director of Wreaths Across America.

2005 photograph that brought WAA to national attention.

“We’re also distributing cards to drivers,” said her son, Rob, Transportation & Logistics Coordinator for the group. The cards urge drivers to “join our rolling ambassadors” and haul a “truckload of respect.”  Pictured on the card is the group’s annual convoy from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia where, last year, the group’s volunteers laid wreaths at all 227,000 graves there. Drivers are urged to sign up at the website

or by calling 877-385-9504.

The annual convoy is perhaps the most visible element of the Wreaths Across America’s 23-year-old project to honor our war dead. The official convoy consists of 12 trucks – as many as authorities will allow – and many escorts, including police cruisers from jurisdictions along the route. Two Maine State Police cruisers are part of the escort as are the motorcycles of the Patriot Guard, an organization that promotes “dignity and respect” at memorial services for fallen military and first responders, among other patriotic activities. The official convoy takes a winding route, stopping off to visit schools, veterans groups and civic organizations along the way.

Meanwhile, an unofficial convoy of 70 trucks carries the bulk of the wreaths that it takes to include all of the 227,000 fallen. Those truckers and many others are part of the Wreaths Across America story, according to Karen Worcester.  

That story began in 1992 when Morrill Worcester, Karen’s husband and owner of Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Me., found himself with many more Christmas wreaths than he would be able to sell and it occurred to him to donate them to the national cemetery at Arlington. With the help of then-Senator Olympia Snow of Maine, he received permission to place the wreaths on graves in an older, less-frequently visited part of the vast cemetery. Somehow,he had to get the fresh wreaths from Maine to Virginia, and that’s when trucking got involved.

James Prout, owner of a local carrier, volunteered to carry the wreaths, and thus launched what would become a tradition. According to Karen Worcester, the people who went on that first wreath-laying were deeply moved by the markers they encountered in the fields of Arlington.

“When you stand at the grave of a young man, only 19, who died in Korea, you have to think about that life,” she said.

“It took only two hours to lay the wreaths we had that year,” Karen recalled. But what began as a local tribute to national heroes grew year by year as more and more people asked to join the effort. The growth took a leap in 2005 when an Air Force photographer took pictures of the wreath ceremony at Arlington. They appeared in a Pentagon publication, said Karen, “and one of those pictures went viral.”  

The resulting media attention brought inquiries from around the country. “People wanted to help recognize those who were buried, not at Arlington but at other cemeteries in all kinds of places,” Karen explained. The Worcesters responded by sending seven wreaths to each state, one for each branch of the military and the seventh for those who went missing. In 2006 simultaneous wreath-laying ceremonies were held at 150 locations.  

Rob Worcester explained that by 2007 Wreaths Across America, now established as a nonprofit organization, was sending 17,000 wreaths to locations around the country. Volunteer trucking was an increasingly important part of the effort. While James Prout had been delivering wreaths to Arlington every year, a truly national program was beyond his reach. WAA approached Barry Pottle, owner of Pottle’s Transportation, a carrier based in Hermon, Maine. Barry put WAA in touch with many other carriers.

From left, WAA founder Morrill Worcester;  Karen Worcester, Executive Director; Rob Worcester, Transportation & Logistics Coordinator;  Wayne Hanson, Chairman of the Board; Ann Hanson, Board Member; and Tobin Slaven, Social Media Coordinator   

In 2014 those carriers numbered more than 150 and included some of the biggest in the nation. Their more than 260 trucks helped distribute on a volunteer basis what has become a virtual ocean of memorial wreaths to be laid on the graves of the fallen every 2nd Saturday in December. Most of the loads are multi-stop trips undertaken by volunteer drivers who cover the country. Wreaths are now laid by more than 600,000 WAA volunteers at more than 1,000 locations in 50 U.S. states, including all national cemeteries.

It could not happen without  the vital transportation donated by America’s carriers and drivers, said Karen Worcester.

“We’re  here at MATS to say thank you,” her son Rob said.

Thermo King Offers Dealership Yards for Truck Parking and Two Smart Phone Apps

Thermo King,the temperature control people, announced two new smartphone apps at MATS on Wednesday. One of those apps provides location and contact information for Thermo King dealers with drop lots where drivers may be able to pull off the road and park. Thermo King personnel said they could not be specific regarding possible charges, but said use of the drop yard service could involve a "nominal fee."

According to Gayatri Abbott, Director of Smart Products & Telematics for Thermo King, the service called Dealer Locator and Drop Yard Referral System provides alternatives for drivers who may be running short on hours and in need of a place to stop, for example.  The system might also serve a driver looking for an overnight stop close to an AM delivery location. In any case, the sheer number of dealer locations – 2,250 in all – provides possibilities to drivers, particularly in the densely populated East and Midwest.

Individual dealers are free to charge what Abbott called a "nominal fee" for the Drop Yard service, and not all facilities offer driver services, say food and showers, like those at a truck stop. However, she noted, it's something some dealers are working on. Considering that the system is new and that space at any one dealership might be limited, Abbott agreed it is best to call or text the dealership before showing up. To use the system, a driver must first download and install the Dealer Locator app from the Apple Store or from Google Play.

The second app announced Wednesday enables smartphone access to data sent from Thermo King's TracKing Telematics system that is available on the web. A driver need only download and install the app on his or her smartphone that will then be able to display critical information from a Thermo King unit on their truck. The driver who can be inside a truck stop or virtually anywhere remains able to monitor product temperature and other indicators.

To download either app, Abbott said, simply enter Thermo King in an Apple Store or Google Play search window to see a selection of Thermo King apps.