Plans,
and Setbacks, for Ol'
Blue, USATM
Van Nuys, Calif.,
March 2006 - Due to a lack
of sponsorship and commitments,
Ol' Blue, USA (United Safety
Alliance, Inc.) has had to
scale back its 2006 cross-country
Safety Tour but has expanded
its “Ask The Law”™ program
and number of truck show
appearances.
The Ol' Blue,
USA “Safety Center”™,
an annual attraction for
more than a decade, will
not be displaying at the
2006 Mid-America Trucking
Show (MATS) in Louisville,
KY. The reason: The show's
management breached its 11-year
contract with Ol' Blue, USA,
which ran through 2010.
In a last ditch
effort to prevent this, Ol’ Blue,
USA’s team met with the show’s
management last September,
at which time show management
claimed that they never signed
a contract, much less even
had a Sponsorship Agreement.
Nevertheless, Ol’ Blue, USA
continued its attempts to
ensure its place at the 2006
MATS, but to no avail. Finally
in February, talks ended.
“It is very
disturbing and disheartening
that MATS show management
has acted in the manner they
have,” remarked RJ Taylor,
founder of Ol’ Blue, USA.
“Especially since we do have
a contract and MATS has been
a long-time supporter of
our organization and has
acknowledged over the years
that the Ol’ Blue, USA “Safety
Center”™ has helped bring
higher attendance to the
show. Show management has
even promoted the Safety
Center™ in its advertisements
and promotions.”
You can read
about the signing of the
11-year contract between
MATS and Ol’ Blue, USA in
the original August 1998
press release announcement,
from the MATS, on the Web
at http://www.olblueusa.org/news/sept1998.html .
“Ol’ Blue,
USA and its team would like
to deeply apologize to all
the attendees of MATS that
have depended on our Safety
Center™ for the last 12-years
to bring them information
about safety and the laws
that govern them,” Taylor
said.
Ol’ Blue, USA’s
Web Cam captured the activity
in the “Safety Center”™ at
the 2005 show. It can be
viewed at: http://www.olblueusa.org/video/mats2005.html .
The Safety
Center™ is Ol’ Blue, USA’s
antique 1951 tractor and
53-foot “rolling billboard”
trailer that showcases Supporter
logos. The rig serves as
the stage for mock truck
inspections and other safety
demonstrations
Due to MATS’
breach of its Sponsorship
Agreement with Ol’ Blue,
USA’s Safety Center™, Ol’
Blue is unable to attend
the North American Truck
Show (NATS) in Boston, MA,
in April because of the lack
of funding.
“Since 1995,
the NATS and its show manager,
Greg Coughlin, have hosted
the Safety Center™ without
asking anything in return
except to help their attendees,”
Taylor pointed out. “NATS
is truly a class act show.”
“Again, our
Ol’ Blue, USA team sincerely
apologizes to all the attendees
of the North American Truck
Show, and its management
team, for not being able
to attend this year. We will
miss you all.”
“Thanks to
the great support of Alcoa™
Wheel Products, Shell ROTELLA
T ™ and the Truck Show -
Las Vegas, Ol’ Blue, USA
will have its “Safety Center”™
at this year’s Truck Show
- Las Vegas, The Great American
Trucking Show in Dallas,
the International Trucking
Show in Los Angeles and the
Truck Show - Latino in Pomona,
CA,” noted Taylor
In the next
two weeks, complete details
about the Safety Center™
can be found on the Internet
at http://www.olblueusa.org/SafetyCenter.html .
“Ask
The Law”™
Ol’ Blue, USA
is broadening its Ask
The Law ™ program. An
ongoing educational effort
between Ol’ Blue, USA and
commercial law enforcement
agencies, Ask The Law ’s
specific purpose is to have
truckers call in during radio
programs or e-mail Ask
The Law and pose questions
to law enforcement officials
relating to safety and legal
issues concerning commercial
vehicles. You can visit the
program at www.AskTheLaw.org .
The Ask
The Law ™ radio program,
with Sr. Trooper Monty
Dial of the Texas Highway
Patrol, will be heard on
the Midnight Trucking Radio
Network and Sirius Satellite
Radio’s Open Road Cafe March
22 through 25. Show times
can be found at www.SafetyTour.org .
Starting in
April, Ask The Law ™
will have a regular column
in 10-4 Magazine , Movin’
Out and The Trucker .
The top questions from the Ask
The Law ™ e-mail bag
and radio programs will be
answered in these columns
by law enforcement agencies.
The April column can be viewed
at http://www.olblueusa.org/AskTheLaw/QA.html .
“ It is very
rare to find trucking publications
that will join together to
provide a public service,
for a common goal, educating
CDL drivers about safety
and the laws that govern
them,” Taylor said.
Founded in
1986, Ol’ Blue, USA is a
non-profit organization dedicated
to highway safety education,
and to improving relations
between the motoring public,
law enforcement and commercial
drivers. It works toward
these goals by conducting
free programs at truck industry
events, truck stops, community
events, public schools, and
radio programs around the
country.
For more information
on Ol’ Blue, USA and its
many programs, visit www.OlBlueUSA.org or
send an E-mail to info@olblueusa.org .
- end - |
is a registered
trademark.