" SAFETY
TOUR© 2001
"
YEAR - END
REPORT
October 2000 - September 2001
Ol' Blue,
USA (United Safety Alliance, Inc. a Non-Profit 501
(c)(3) organization) recently concluded its 2001
National Highway Safety Tour. It attracted
an estimated audience and impressions of 20,049,297..
During
The 2001 Tour, 'Ol' Blue'® and the Rolling
Billboard traveled 10,610 miles through 18
states and held 19 events, some of which were 3 days
long. Overnight or break stops were made in 73 cities,
including 70 truck-stops (1,073.75 total hours spent
at them). Each of these stops generated interest from
both truckers and the public. On-the road exposure
was 1,150,000 impressions (where trailer was viewed
while driving).
'Ol
'Blue'® and its 53-foot Rolling Billboard
trailer, complete with Sponsor's and law enforcement
logos, has proven to be an asset in attracting attention
to its safety programs and their supporters. To date,
Ol' Blue, USA has the only non-governmental vehicle
in the country permitted to carry law enforcement
logos.
This
attraction to 'Ol' Blue' and its sponsor-logoed
Rolling Billboard has enabled RJ Taylor, president
of Ol' Blue, USA, to expand on the programs and the
organization's goal: to develop a cooperative working
relationship between motor carriers, commercial motor
vehicle drivers, the enforcement community and other
users of the National Highway System.
With 'Ol' Blue' and its
Rolling Billboard, Ol' Blue, USA's team, along
with federal agencies from NHTSA, USDOT/FMCSA, USDOT/RSPA
and state/city law enforcement officers from California,
Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, Ohio and Texas,
were able to conduct the following for the corporate
and industrial communities:
-
Safety Center © (Trade Shows)
-
Safety Minute © with Ol'
Blue USA (Radio Program & Web page)
-
Ask The Law © with Ol' Blue,
USA (Radio Program)
-
Ask The Law © at Ol' Blue,
USA (Web page and E-mail)
-
Hands-on safety workshops
-
Demonstrations for preventive
maintenance
-
Simulated roadside inspections
-
Safety seminars on large vehicles
and cars sharing the highways
-
Big Wheels, Little Kids ©
(School visit program & Educational Web site)
Safety Center ©
The
Ol' Blue, USA "Safety Center 2001" was center stage
at four major trade shows: Mid-America Trucking Show
in Louisville, Kentucky; North American Truck Show
in Boston, Massachusetts; International Trucking Show
in Las Vegas, Nevada; and The Great American Trucking
Show in Dallas, Texas. “Mid-America has long been
a staunch supporter of the safety programs brought
to our show,” said Tim Young, President of the Mid-America
Trucking Show. These shows attracted a combined audience
of more than 163,514 attendees.
School
Program
Big Wheels, Little Kids© -
Large
Vehicle Traffic Safety demonstrations were created
for 4,098 students and adults in programs at 8 schools.
The Big Wheels, Little Kids programs were hosted
by Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement, City of Houston Police
Department (TX), Shell Rotella T, Truck.Net, Hampton
Bays New York Fire and Police Departments, The Layman
Family, Warren County (KY), Triad Local School District
(OH), Ed & Carol Ropp Trucking, Executive West Hotel
Employees, and the Toy Convoy
"Shell
ROTELLA® T has a long history in promoting safety,
and sponsoring Ol' Blue, USA is a wonderful way to
continue ensuring that children and their parents
can be as safe as possible on the road and around
large vehicles." This is the statement of Earl
Blanchette, Manager Commercial Products for Shell
Rotella T, who during the Mid-America Trucking Show
presented a check in the amount of $10,000 to the
Big Wheels, Little Kids© safety programs of Ol' Blue,
USA.
Radio
Programs
A Safety Minute © with Ol’
Blue, USA promotes highway safety over the airwaves
throughout North America. A Safety Minute is featured
nightly on the Midnight Cowboy Trucking Network, which
has a listenership of over 2 million per month. Safety
Minute is hosted by David “Cabover” Kolman and is
sponsored, in part, by Shell Rotella® T. These
tips can also be viewed on Ol’ Blue, USA’s Web site
at www.olblueusa.org/radio.
Ask
The Law© with Ol’ Blue USA is
featured twice a year (March and August) on the Midnight
Cowboy Trucking Network. The network has a listenership
of more than sixty-six thousand nightly. Featured
on this program is Sergeant Kennis Miles and Sr. Trooper
Monty Dial from the Texas Department of Public Safety
(DPS) “License & Weight Division”. Listeners have
the opportunity to call in from midnight till 4 a.m.
on the Shell Rotella T’s 800-phone line and ask law
and safety related questions. Listeners on the Internet
can E-mail askthelaw@olblueusa.org
and ask questions also. "In
the three years that we've been airing the Ask The
Law with Ol’ Blue, USA feature on the Midnight Cowboy
Trucking Network, we have continually heard from our
listeners what a wonderful program it is," said
Mindy Baker, Marketing Director of the network.
"They say it's always informative and they get some
nice insight into law enforcement and its activities."
Our
Website: www.olblueusa.org
In
January of 1998, Ol’ Blue, USA was a one-page web
site. Today, the site has over 100 pages. This is
in great thanks to our Webmasters, Deborah Layman
and Gerry Kissell along with our story editors, Kathy
Harders, Gary Bricken and David “Cabover” Kolman.
The site now includes information
on pre-trip inspections, updated news, live and archived
pictures from Web-Cam broadcasts of trades shows and
programs. Along with information on sponsors, our
National Highway Safety Tour schedule, our Big Wheels,
Little Kids School Program along with our online storybook.
Also included is Streaming Video©,
and MP3© along with the history of Ol’ Blue, USA,
financial statements, insurance coverage explanation
and much more.
Presently, there are over 142 outside
websites linked to the Ol’ Blue, USA site along with
401 search engines allowing access to our site. This
site generated 275, 410 hits in the month of September,
2001.
With over 6 million websites on
the Internet today, The Ol’ Blue, USA website is among
the most frequently visited, according to Alexa, (www.alexa.com)
an Internet company that tracks website "hits.
"Alexa's most recent ranking shows, as of October
15th, that www.olblueusa.org is among the top 5% of
sites in terms of traffic," said Alexis Rossi,
Editorial Director of Alexa.com.
Several websites, in particular, need to be recognized
for their extra coverage of Ol' Blue, USA’s safety
tips with “A Safety Minute” Ad Banner as a PSA, on
their home page. They are:
Community
Events
Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement, Houston Police Department
and Warren County Kentucky, hosted community events,
truck and rest stop events and assemblies, with an
estimated audience of 6,275. Other county, city and
state agencies that played a big roll in these and
other events were California Highway Patrol; Champaign
County Ohio Fire & Sheriff’s Department; Dallas Police
Department; Hampton Bays New York Fire and Police
Departments; Indiana State Police; Kentucky State
Police; Louisville Police Department; Mechanicsburg
Ohio Sheriff’s Department; Ohio State Highway Patrol;
Texas DPS License & Weight; Texas DPS Motor Vehicle
Theft; City of Vandalia Ohio Police Department and
Warren County Kentucky Sheriff’s Department.
Media
Once again the media has been supportive of Ol' Blue,
USA and its activities. We have had coverage of, among
other things, our National Highway Safety Tour, Safety
Center, School Programs and Community Events.
Several of the media, in particular,
need to be recognized for their coverage of Ol' Blue,
USA. They are:
-
Television: Trade Show Television
Network (cable TV) and WBKO-TV (ABC)
-
Radio: WLW-Radio, WBAP-Radio,
WBVR-Radio, WKTC-Radio, WDNS-Radio and XM Radio
-
Print: RoadKing Magazine, The
Trucker, Movin' Out, rpm Magazine, RoadStar, Daily
News (Bowling Green KY) and Northeast News
(Houston, TX)
-
Internet: Layover.com, TruckNet.com,
LOADS.org, The Trucker.com, RoadKing.com, Movinout.com,
TWNA.org and Truckpoint.com
These media attracted a combined audience of more
than 1,431,768.
Since the media figures quoted represent
known coverage of Ol' Blue, USA, there could still
be a significant unknown coverage by media. A full
spectrum of trade, print, TV and radio was represented.
Reports continue to come in daily. A media report
on coverage of the Ol' Blue, USA “National Highway
Safety Tour” is handled in a separate attachment
Sponsors,
What Was In It For You?
Sponsorship
of Ol' Blue, USA demonstrates your company’s commitment
to highway safety. And let’s face it, perceptions
are critical when it comes to a company’s “public”
image and the sale of its products.
Consider further, that with growing
traffic congestion and road rage, highway safety is
becoming an ever-growing concern for motorists and
truckers alike.
Michelin has been with Ol’ Blue,
USA since our first event, in 1986. "Ol' Blue,
USA represents the best in the trucking industry when
it comes to promoting safety. In these times of challenges
and multiple demands, it pays to keep safety at the
top of mind. Our company is proud to have been Ol'
Blue's longest term sponsor," said Randy Clark,
Vice President of Marketing for Michelin Americas
Truck Tires.
You can take great pride that your
organization is one of the select companies doing
something for highway safety. Ol Blue's new brochure
can be viewed at:
http://www.olblueusa.org/brochure/index.html
Funding
www.olblueusa.org/sponsors.html
Ol' Blue,
USA's funding comes from its Sponsors; Shell
Oil Company, Michelin
Americas Truck Tires, Alcoa
Wheel Corp.,
Webb Wheel Corp., Mid-America
Trucking Show,
International Trucking Show and The
Great American Trucking Show. In addition, $10,000
Grant Donations to the “Big Wheels, Little Kids” school
programs came in from Shell
Rotella T and Truck.Net
and additional cash donations came in from LOADS.org,
TWNA.org, NetTrans.com
and Warren County Kentucky. Ol’ Blue, USA also received
"in-kind" donations from
Michelin Americas Truck Tires, (New Brochure),
Peterson
Manufacturing (LED lights), Espar
Heater Systems (Trailer Heater) and Truck.Net
(Hosting our Website). You can view our IRS Tax Report
for 2001 at
http://www.olblueusa.org/tax/forms/2001/page01.html.
Exposure
As detailed elsewhere, having your logo on Ol' Blue,
USA's Rolling Billboard this year alone has
meant that some 2.8 million people have seen your
company name, and seen it in conjunction with highway
safety.
Divide
the "investment” of your Ol' Blue, USA sponsorship
into 2.8 million, and you will see that the cost to
reach these people
is quite a bargain.
Program
Overview
During
trade shows, Ol' Blue, USA conducts simulated road-side
inspections with state law enforcement to educate
drivers on procedures. By placement of mirrors underneath
'Ol' Blue'®, the vintage 1951 tractor, drivers
can watch the officer making the inspection. During
other safety events, these inspections are normally
conducted with RJ sitting behind the wheel of the
truck.
Watching officers actually conduct
a road-side inspection gives drivers and mechanics
a better idea of what to expect during such an inspection.
Furthermore, they get a good idea of what they should
check during their own safety inspections. Question
and answer sessions are held after each demonstration
Another benefit of these simulated
inspections is that it provides drivers and law enforcement
the opportunity to get to know each other and get
an appreciation for each other’s duties, responsibilities
and challenges. The relationship between the two is
typically adversarial. Through the Ol' Blue, USA inspections,
drivers and law enforcement get a feel for what each
goes through. To spark the interaction, Ol' Blue,
USA gives sponsor's caps to those whom ask questions
This unique traffic safety program
has already reached thousands of people in its efforts
to educate and build unity among truck drivers, law
enforcement and the public at large. Response continues
to be rewarding. Schools and truck stops have asked
about making this an annual event. And the program's
value was not lost on those in the states who benefited
from this program. Requests to join the program were
made from many sources. (Copies available upon request).
Our office is receiving calls from
all over the nation asking that the Ol' Blue, USA
Safety Tour pay a visit during next year's
program. The Safety Tour©, Safety Center©
and Big Wheels, Little Kids© safety programs
continue to expand in their quest for safer roads
and safer highways across the nation.
Ol' Blue, USA's President and Board
of Directors want to sincerely thank each and every
one of our sponsors, donors, law enforcement and volunteers.
Were it not for all of you, we would not be able to
carry on what we all believe to be a most worthy and
valuable goal: "People Working Together For Highway
Safety"®.
And finally, we want to recognize
some very special people who have devoted considerable,
time, effort and dedication in support of Ol' Blue,
USA and its projects. We couldn’t have had such a
successful year had it not been for Sam Eichenberger,
Pam Hagen, Cliff McHenry, Sharon & Monty Rhoades,
Beverly Steele, Robert Harders & Family, Terry Layman
& Family, Claudia Graser & Family, Ofc. Greg Hardin,
Bill Elmore MCS 1, Ofc. Harold Barthe’ and Bob Conrad
& Family. Photos by Stan Holtzman, Deborah Layman,
Larry Long & Don Rector.
Again, thank you for your support.
is a registered
trademark.