CHAIRMAN’S LETTER


Nebraska Trucker is owned by Truck Services, Inc., and is published bimonthly by Matthews Publishing Group. For additional copies, to order reprints of individual articles or to become a subscriber, contact Diana Garcia at 402.476.8504.


Matthews Publishing Group, LLC jennifer@matthewspublishing.com


executive editor Larry Johnson


production editor Sheila O’Connor


The Freelance Co., LLC freelanceco@comcast.net


brentdraw@cox.net


John David Pittman Mike Woodside


contributing writers Steve Brawner Kelly Cargill Crow Eric Francis Jim Harris


Jennifer Barnett Reed Todd Traub


Mary Lou Jay


www.nebtrucking.com president


ljohnson@nebtrucking.com soconnor@nebtrucking.com knesja@nebtrucking.com dgarcia@nebtrucking.com


director of operations Diana Garcia


controller Keith Nesja


vice president Sheila O’Connor


Larry Johnson


I now realize that the contents between the covers of the Nebraska Trucker ARE more than just words, pictures and advertisements and it’s important how we put those words together to tell our members’ successes, setbacks and sorrows. Te people that are nominated and win awards all have stories. For our Drivers of the month, it’s a story of doing the right thing, 100 % of the time, even when no one is looking, to earn those one-, two- or four-million miles safe driving awards. For a trucking company owner, who mortgaged everything they had 50 or 60 years ago to buy their first truck, ‘their’ story is more than just words and pictures. It is their passion, sleepless nights, blood, sweat and tears that built a company far beyond their wildest dreams that go into these stories; I can certainly understand their angst to ‘get it right.’ Despite MPG hiring some of the best transportation reporters/writers in the industry, the process of getting the story ‘just right’ takes time and can’t be rushed—and should not be rushed. Sometimes, it takes several re-writes to find just the ‘right’ words.


Trucking Associations (ATA). ATA serves and represents the trucking industry on a national level, influencing federal and state government actions, advancing a positive trucking industry image, providing education programs and industry research, and promoting highway safety and security.


For more information, contact Nebraska Trucking: 1701 K Street P.O. Box 81010 Lincoln, NE 68501 Phone 402.476.8504 Fax: 402.476.8570


Nebraska Trucking Association is a statewide trade association for commercial truck and bus operators and affiliated businesses. It is a not-for- profit association governed by a board of directors elected annually. Nebraska Trucking is an affiliate of the American


Let me end with a huge thank you to all of you that contribute to one of what will always be my favorite industry publications—the Nebraska Trucker—still going strong after all these years.


Bob Clark


General Manager, Chief Carriers, Inc. Chair, Nebraska Trucking Association


photographers Kristian Anderson Roger Holsinger Jon D. Kennedy Callie Knapp Bob Ocken


Brent Bennett illustrator Jon D. Kennedy art director Jennifer Matthews-Drake publisher GREETINGS FROM GRAND ISLAND!


It seems like I just did an article a week ago! I hope you, your co-workers, families and friends are having an outstanding summer! I would like to thank Jennifer and her staff at Mathews Publishing Group, Sheila, Larry, our advertisers and everyone who offers ‘their’ stories to be told in the Nebraska Trucker magazine for their work on trying to keep to our editorial schedule to meet our commitment to our members to publish six editions annually. Before I became your chairman, I was like most people, wondering ‘how tough is it to put out a 20 page’ magazine every other month? After all, aren’t those 20 pages just words, pictures and a few ads? With all of our members, there should be plenty of willing participants who have won awards, participated in the many events we hold or have been in business for a while that are celebrating some kind of an anniversary who are willing to share their stories of success, occasional setbacks or even sorrows. Well, I’ve learned as I enter into my third column just how difficult it can be to say something interesting, funny or meaningful in 400 words or less.


NEBRASKA TRUCKER — ISSUE 3, 2016 — www.nebtrucking.com


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