L.A. Xpress Enters CTA 1997 Profesional Truck Driving Championship
by Rene' Peters-AVP

L. A. Xpress was represented at the 1997 Truck Driving Championship by owner operators, Sal Farias and Larry Velasco. The Southern Regional finals took place at the National Orange Show Grounds in San Bernardino, CA.

This type of contest was the first for both Sal and Larry, so the anticipation from the sign up date to the contest day was great. They received tutoring from a past championship winner, our very own, Gene Stephens, L.A. Terminal Manager.

The obstacle course involved the testing of 6 different driving skills. The first and second skill was to test the driver at starting and stopping. They used a designated line and lined up the nose and the rear of the truck as close to the line as possible. The third skill involved lining up the rear tire of a straight truck (bobtail) dead center between two lines. The fourth skill involved making a right turn and lining up the right rear tire axle 18 inches away from a stationary post. The fifth skill tested was driving the straight truck through a series of plastic tennis balls, which were held in place by giant sized golf tees. The object was to go through this pass without any of the balls falling off the tee or being run over. The last obstacle course had them driving through a set of parallel bars made of plastic pipe. They were 4 feet high and about the width of the truck. After clearing the first set, the driver had to make a sharp turn so that he could align the truck to begin to go through the second set of parallel bars, which were strategically unaligned and distanced from the first set. This obstacle seemed to make or break the participants involved in the contest. I believe the distance between the two sets of bars were about the length of the truck, which made the difficulty of this skill very high. This section of the skill testing had everyone sitting on the edge of their seats. It was very exciting and tense. Total possible points for the obstacle course was 240.

The second section of the event involved the pre-trip inspection. There were a number of infractions strategically placed throughout the truck. They had to be identified by each driver and, upon successful completion, the driver would have earned a total of 60 points.

Sal Farias and Larry Velasco participated in the Straight Truck Division and, for the first time out, they ended up in the upper third of the total participants for this category. Here are the names and scores for the winners:

First Place:		J.Linares/TMOD		295 points
Second Place:		R. Quesada/CWX		293 points
Third Place:		C.Swisher/REDIPAK		282 points

Farias ended up with a total score of 265 points and, as we later learned, aced the pre trip inspection earning the total possible 60 points. He placed ninth in his division. Velasco landed 223 points overall and was heard in the driver break area saying that he was headed back next year to claim first place!

California will be represented at the Nationals in Minneapolis MN in August by first place winner of the State Championship Straight Truck Division, Mr. Mark Foster of ERX Logistics. Mark was second place winner in the Northern Regional finals.

Special Congratulations to Sal and Larry, they did a great job and we are all proud of them. Congratulations to all the men and women who participated. It was truly an exciting day for the drivers and their families and friends.

Letter From Casual Male Big And Tall
by Rene' Peters-AVP

When Casual Male Big and Tall switched routings from Roadway to L.A. Xpress some of the stores were concerned about the new delivery arrangements and especially delivery times.

On a couple of occasions, Andrew Goebel, Modesto California store manager, required customer service assistance and connected with Crystal Servers, CSR at our South Gate terminal. Crystal was there for the Casual Male Big and Tall manager.

Andy wrote in a letter to us, "I am writing to let you know how helpful and courteous Crystal is in your distribution office. Whenever I call she is quick in her responses and in any problem solving. She is a real asset to your company."

We wish to thank Andrew Goebel for sending his kind letter of appreciation. It's feedback like this that reminds us of the commitment all of our employees have made to provide Quality Service each and everyday to all of our customers.

Thank you Andrew!!! Thank you Crystal!!!

Transportation leaders kick off California's "No-Zone" campaign
By Jay Van Rein
Caltrux Editor

More than a dozen private firms, trade associations and public agencies from California and Nevada teamed up at an I-80 rest area , to kick off an International Highway Transportation Safety Week campaign. The collective effort was designed to help motorists drive more safely around commercial trucks and buses. The educational program identifies "No-Zones" or blind spots that should be avoided by passenger cars sharing the road with these larger vehicles.

The Federal Highway Administration's Office of Motor Carriers (FHWA-OMC) recently announced results of its own research showing that 72 percent of all crashes involving autos and commercial trucks are caused by the driver of the automobile. "We need to educate motorists how to share the road with larger vehicles, and how to avoid driving in the blind spots, or "No-Zones", near these vehicles," said OMC California State Director Glenn Beck.

A press conference at Gold Run Rest Area on northbound I-80 near Colfax, delivered that message to the press and the public. California Highway Patrol Assistant Commissioner John Menzmer, Nevada Highway Patrol Chief Michael Hood and Department of Transportation representative Rose McMurray each delivered formal presentations to the press. America's Road Team driver Michael Cehand of Viking Freight also spoke to reporters.

Roadway Express Road Team driver Dave Benson and his colleagues brought out their "No-Zone" truck, an 18-wheeler decked out with decals and information panels on all sides, to provide a striking visual teaching tool for the media and the public. A tour bus and other vehicles provided by the trucking and bus industries and the two states' highway patrols were used to conduct additional safety demonstrations throughout the two-day event.

"The California Trucking Association is proud to participate in this event," said CTA Executive Vice President Joel D. Anderson. "Our drivers are hard at work when they're on the road, and it's our industry's reaponsibility to make their work environment as safe as we can."

Special guests for the event also incluced Vince and Larry the Crash Test Dummies, who entertained motorists with seat belt success stories and other safety messages; the costumed No-Zone representative known as the Zone Ranger; and the Albany, CA Police Department's Safety-singing duo Elvis & the Lawman.

CTA members and staff spent the two days workingside-by-side with representatives of several agencies, including DOT, FHWA, the Califronia and Nevada Highway Patrols, Caltrans, The California Office of Traffic Safety, the Nevada Office of Highway Safety and AAA.

Special thanks to the following CTA members who supported the event by providing equipment, refreshments and personnel: Bob Milling of Vecta Transportation, Inc.; Ted Dunn of D.E.F. Express, Inc., Kim Marvin of Con-Way Western Express; Michael Cehand of Viking Freight; and Steve McMurray and his Road Team from Roadway Express, Inc.