The Truckload Carriers Association’s Open Deck Division has a new chairman: Rick Miller, senior vice president of operations for MacKinnon Transport Inc., of Guelph, Ontario. Miller took charge of the division on Wednesday, March 16, during TCA’s Annual Convention at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront and San Diego Convention Center.
The Open Deck Division is a special TCA subgroup that allows member carriers that operate open haul equipment to meet with their peers to discuss problems, share ideas and seek solutions unique to their specialized area of operations. In addition to Open Deck, TCA maintains three other divisions: Independent Contractor, Refrigerated and Safety & Security.
Miller, who served as the division’s vice chairman last year, takes the reins from Gary Salisbury, president and chief executive officer of Fikes Truck Line Inc., of Hope, Ark. Salisbury, who helped found the division and served as its acting chairman as well as first chairman, had to step down as division chair in order to fulfill his obligations as TCA’s newly elected chairman for 2011-12. “I am passionate about the Open Deck Division and am glad to be able to pass the torch to a trusted colleague,” Salisbury says.
According to Miller, the Open Deck Division will be busy this year as it addresses numerous issues affecting the efficiency and profitability of its members. “We’ll be rallying to get the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to recognize that special provisions need to be considered for open deck carriers under the new CSA rulings,” he says. “Another focus will be training drivers on how to prevent workplace injuries and making sure they use three points of contact and can recognize unsafe situations. Also, statistics show that the ages of flatbed drivers are steadily increasing. We’ll need to contribute to TCA’s initiatives to improve overall industry image as the catalyst for finding new ways to bring in younger drivers.”
Joining Miller as officers of the Open Deck Division will be the following:
• Vice Chairman: Aaron Tennant, president, Tennant Truck Lines Inc., Orion, Ill.;
• Secretary/Treasurer: Diann Barnes, president and chief operating officer, Fairfield Trucking Inc., Hamburg, Ark.;
• Regional Vice Chairman: Richard Bailey, president, Boyd Bros. Transportation Inc., Clayton, Ala.;
• Regional Vice Chairman: Daniel Doran, president, Ace Doran Hauling & Rigging, Cincinnati; and
• Regional Vice Chairman: Thomas Witt, president, Roehl Flatbed & Specialized, Roehl Transport, Marshfield, Wis.
