Ol’
Blue, USA™ Keeps Movin’ On
August 2006 - Ol’ Blue, USA (United
Safety Alliance, Inc. ) has been busy, continuing
on with its mission to spread highway safety education
and to improve relations between the motoring public,
law enforcement and commercial drivers.
Vital HOS Survey On-Line: So many questions -- so few answers! Please respond to our Survey and we will assist you in every way possible. your honest responses will enable us to provide you with answers, and to better structure our programs to meet your needs, as a CDL driver. Your answers will be 100% confidential. Please take the survey at http://www.olblueusa.org/survey/
The Truck Show - Las Vegas
In June, the Ol’ Blue, USA “Safety
Center”™ participated in The Truck Show - Las Vegas.
The one-stop for highway safety
education, the Safety Center™ gives visitors
the opportunity to ask questions and voice their
concerns on safety and legal issues pertaining to
commercial motor vehicles to law enforcement officials. The
Safety Center™ also features logbook presentations
and simulated roadside vehicle inspections, conducted
with the assistance of state law enforcement officers,
to help educate truck drivers on important safety
procedures.
“The Truck Show - Las Vegas was
an excellent show, with great attendance - even with
fuel prices soaring,” commented RJ Taylor, founder
of Ol’ Blue, USA. “I think this was the best show
for them so far. ”
Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) participated
in the Safety Center™ and provided 2,500 “give-a-ways”
to the attendees. “The amount of visitors to the
Safety Center™ was so large that NHP ran out of these
goodies on the show’s third day,” Taylor noted.
Estimates are that some 5,000 show
attendees visited the Ol’ Blue, USA Safety Center™,
with a good many of them taking the time to ask safety
and law-related questions. “Safety and legal issues
concerning commercial motor vehicles are serious
business,” said Taylor, “but it is always discussed
in a non-confrontational and enjoyable atmosphere
thanks to our team members and law enforcement personnel.” Many
thanks to Sgt. Jim Brokaw (Nebraska
State Patrol) and Sgt. Roll, Trooper’s Elmer Johnson
and John Sherven (Nevada Highway Patrol).
Archived photos of the Safety Center™
at The Truck Show - Las Vegas can be viewed on the
Ol’ Blue, USA WebCam at http://www.olblueusa.org/video/tts2006.html.
The Great American Trucking Show (GATS)
By popular demand, the Ol’ Blue,
USA Safety Center™ is returning to the GATS after
a four-year absence. Ol’ Blue, USA will have the
distinction of being the only safety organization
to display with the Texas Highway Patrol. Logbook
presentations will be a highlight of this year’s
exhibit.
The Safety Center™ will be at booth’s
#9035 and #9040.
“Sr. Trooper Monty
Dial - who is one of Ol’ Blue, USA’s award-winning Ask
The Law™ radio and print column guru’s - and
a heck of a nice guy who has an answer for everything
- will be at the Safety Center™,” said Taylor.
As always, during the hourly vehicle
inspections, audience participants will be awarded
hats from Ol’ Blue, USA sponsors for correctly finding
the 12 vehicle violations on 'Ol’ Blue'™ -
an antique 1951 tractor and 53-foot trailer. “This
is always a popular part of our presentations,” said
Taylor. “You can see this for yourself by looking
at our 2001 archived WebCam photos, taken at the
GATS, at http://www.olblueusa.org/video/gats2001.html
The Great American Trucking Show
(GATS) Promotion
Ol’ Blue, USA is pleased to announce
that its Safety Center™ has been placed “center stage”
on the GATS’s website at www.gatsonline.com
And once again, three truck industry
publications - 10-4
Magazine, Movin’ Out and The Trucker -
will publish Ol’ Blue USA’s GATS PSA. These publications
will be available in the Safety Center™.
The Ol’ Blue, USA GATS PSA can viewed
online at http://www.olblueusa.org/images/GATS2006_print_LR.pdf.
Ol’ Blue, USA’s June PSA can be
found at http://www.olblueusa.org/images/TTS2006_print_LR.pdf.
Ol’ Blue, USA Praised For Making A Difference
Ol’ Blue, USA’s founder, RJ Taylor,
has been recognized as a person who makes a difference
within the trucking industry. So says Lyndon Finney,
editor of The Trucker.
In his “Eye on Trucking” column,
which appeared in the July 15 - 31, 2006, issue of The
Trucker (pages 81 and 82), Finney acknowledges
Taylor as one of four outstanding individuals who,
because of their passion for trucking, are continually
working for the betterment of trucking.
Finney recognized Taylor for his
Ol’ Blue, USA’s dedication to highway safety education
safety and the dedicated group of people who work
tirelessly with him, many of whom are law enforcement
personnel.
The article can also be found on
the Internet at http://www.thetrucker.com/features/715_eye_column.aspx.
Ask
The Law™ Q & A Column
The Ask The Law™ Q & A
column - which appears regularly in 10-4 Magazine, Movin’
Out and The Trucker - has been “a tremendous
success,” Taylor reported.
The monthly column is provided as
a public service by Alcoa Wheel Products.
The column is also archived on the
Ol’ Blue USA website at http://www.olblueusa.org/AskTheLaw/QA.html.
Ask The Law™ Radio Program
While in Dallas for the Great American
Trucking Show, Ol’ Blue, USA will be doing its Ask The Law™ radio programs live from
the studios of the Midnight
Radio Network and the Open
Road Cafe.
An ongoing educational effort between
Ol’ Blue, USA and commercial law enforcement agencies, Ask
The Law™’s specific purpose is to have truckers
call or e-mail Ol’ Blue, USA and pose questions to
law enforcement officials relating to safety and
legal issues concerning commercial vehicles.
Thanks to Ol’ Blue, USA sponsor
Alcoa, there will be three radio programs, totaling
11 hours of airtime. Dates and times for the programs
can be found online at www.SafetyTour.org.
Ol’ Blue, USA “Ask The Law” Radio Broadcasts
Can Be Heard “Anytime”
Past shows of Ol’ Blue, USA’s “Ask
The Law”™ radio program can now be heard via
the Internet.
To listen to the most recent recorded
broadcasts, from May 31, go to http://www.olblueusa.org/AskTheLaw/radio.
Emphasis On Safety
Too often, traffic and highway safety
initiatives to reduce the number and frequency of
traffic collisions take a back seat to other programs,
observed Taylor. “That has been the case for Ol’
Blue, USA, as well as other such organizations, as
sponsorships have dwindled over the past several
years.
“We are finding that many companies
are merely paying lip service to the importance of
highway safety,” he continued. “When it comes to
actually demonstrating their support by putting their
money where their mouth is - as that old saying goes,
there is always some excuse as to why they can’t
afford it.”
This is a very sad state of affairs,
affirmed Taylor.
Ol’ Blue, USA is the only non-profit
charitable organization dedicated to highway safety
education, and to improving relations between the
motoring public, law enforcement and commercial drivers,
Taylor explained. It works toward these goals by
conducting free programs at truck industry events,
truck stops, community events, public schools, publications
and radio programs around the country.
These programs take place during
Ol’ Blue, USA’s annual Safety Tour with its antique 1951 tractor
and 53-foot “rolling billboard” trailer that showcases
sponsor logos and serves as the stage for the Ol’
Blue team’s mock truck inspections and other safety
demonstrations. Among those sponsoring Ol’ Blue,
USA is Alcoa Wheel Products, Shell Rotella T, The
Truck Show - Las Vegas, and Michelin Tire Corp.
“The idea is to bring all parts
of the community together, creating a united group
committed to improved traffic and highway safety,”
said Taylor.
Among Ol’ Blue, USA’s many programs
are several that educate children and their families
about safety around large vehicles, “which helps
to encourage a new generation of more safety conscious
traffic practices,” he continued. Supporting the
school programs, once again with a generous grant,
is Truck Writers of
North America.
For more information on Ol’ Blue,
USA and its programs, visit www.OlBlueUSA.org or
send a Fax to 775-514-1930.
- end -
|
is a registered
trademark.