Posts Tagged ‘Sep-2009’

September 1st, 2009

Recording History

The Purple Heart Museum documents soldiers' stories

By Chuck Miller

In 1782, barely six years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, General George Washington gave three members of his fighting troops a special “Badge of Military Merit,” a purple-colored heart-shaped award. Two hundred years later, the medal was resurrected in 1932 by Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur and today it remains a prestigious honor awarded to the brave soldiers and sailors, airmen and corpsmen wounded or killed in the protection and service of our count…

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September 1st, 2009

Mr. Smith Takes the Wheel

The theories behind the Smith System for safer truck travel

By Jim Kneiszel

Harold Smith may not be a household name, but he made a huge contribution toward making American roadways safer. He ran a driver training school following his service in World War II, basing his behind-the-wheel tactics on collision avoidance. When students didn’t get his approach to safety, he set out to clarify his ideas on paper. Smith believed safe driving had more to do with seeing than reacting. Working with an ophthalmologist, he developed a theory that human beings were designed …

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September 1st, 2009

Quick Fix

Trucks brought in to the Denton TA shop get rolling again in no time

The crew at the Denton TA shop is helpful and friendly, but that doesn’t mean that drivers want to spend a whole lot of time with them. “I’ve been in this business for a lot of years, and I know what drivers want and what they expect,” says shop general manager Robert Carlos. “We try to service every customer as fast as we can so they can get back on the road.” That attention to the need for speed has jumped even higher with the addition of four service bays t…

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September 1st, 2009

Having It All

What you get by coming to TA

By Tom O'Brien, President and CEO

Whoever started the saying “time is money” could have been thinking of truck drivers. Every minute counts and is accounted for on the road, and wasting precious minutes off-road hurts. So why go one place to fuel, another to eat and another to stock up on supplies? When you stop to really think about how you manage your time, that makes no sense.At TA, a driver can make one stop and take care of everything.Fuel? Check. Plus, become a member of the Road King Club, and every time you…

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September 1st, 2009

Time for Cake

Walcott Iowa 80 TA serves up a delicious way to celebrate

More than ten thousand drivers and their families were wowed by a lot at this year’s Truckers Jamboree at the Walcott Iowa 80 TA. A concert by Aaron Tippin, fireworks, a truck beauty contest with more than 80 vehicles, more than 200 antique trucks, games, pork chops and lots of exhibits were all part of the fun. But one particular moment took the cake. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Jamboree, and the 45th anniversary of the location itself, an incredible truck-shaped desse…

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