Cat Scale

Posts Tagged ‘May-2008’

Return to Glory

A classic fire engine is restored to serve as a final ride for fallen firefighters

When a firefighter dies in the line of duty, tradition in most departments is for an engine to serve as the hearse, with six or eight uniformed pallbearers accompanying the casket. That ritual presented problems for the Detroit Fire Department. Its engines stay busy with an average of 10 calls per day. Vehicles have gotten larger, so maneuvering from funerals to cemeteries was often challenging. And there was Detroit’s often brutal weather. All of the difficulties of using an in-servic…

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Driver News

Missouri’s Top Driver William Girdler of Pomona, Mo., was named the 2007 Missouri Driver of the year by Missouri Motor Carriers Association (MMCA). A 33-year veteran of the road, Girdler drives for Prime and has never had a chargeable accident in the more than 4.5 million miles he’s driven throughout his career. Girdler received a trophy and a certificate noting his new title. Millions of Safe Miles Johnny Thompson of El Dorado, Ark., who has driven for CalArk Internati…

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Bangs, Bangs, You’re Dead

Or at least likely to drive badly due to your chic haircut

Do the Fashion Police have a highway patrol? A survey by Sheila’s Wheel, a British car insurer, found that nearly 190,000 female drivers have had an accident, a near miss or swerved suddenly due to their hair obscuring their ability to see. “With the latest trends requiring styling around the face and eyes, it’s essential that female motorists are aware of this safety issue,” says Jacky Brown of Sheila’s Wheel. The solution: a headband.

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Easy Does It

International's MaxxForce engine makes driving a breeze

I must admit that I am not the world’s greatest truck driver, nor even second best behind you, my current reader. I will agree that my driving skills are commensurate with my experience. After all, I drive big rigs as much every year as many of my friends do in a week, especially a week with a holiday in it. Why do I bring up my relative inexperience? Because I found International’s new MaxxForce 13, the subject of my test drive earlier this year, to be a versatile, forgiving eng…

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Four Decades of Service

The Clayton, Ind. TA has given drivers a respite from the road since 1969

Growing up, Don Thompson learned the truckstop business firsthand. His father owned one, and Thompson worked there during high school. In 1958, he followed in his dad’s footsteps and became a truckstop operator, and in 1969, he opened the Indianapolis West Travel Center in Clayton, Ind., which became a TA in 1997. “My dad eventually sold his truckstop and went into the motel business,” Thompson says with a laugh. “But I stuck with it.” Nearly 50 years later,…

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