Keith Tuttle, TCA chairman, gave the opening remarks at the annual convention, Mar. 7On Monday, March 7, Keith Tuttle quoted legendary automaker Henry Ford to describe his year serving as chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association.
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember: the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it,” said Tuttle, the founder of Toledo, Ohio-based Motor Carrier Service, during the TCA annual convention being held at the Wynn Las Vegas resort.
Selecting a new TCA president was among the many tasks that Tuttle oversaw during his chairmanship. This association will continue to face challenges, he said, “and how we view those challenges will define us for the future.”
“Do we see challenges as stepping stones or as obstacles,” he asked a packed audience during the general session. “If we view them as obstacles, the challenges we face will be problems.”
Without being specific, he cautioned TCA members that having a negative mindset towards challenges leads to stagnation.
“The association is not perfect, but with our new president — who is a good one — and with our great staff, greater heights will be met, and with it we will be a greater association. I assure you of this,” he said. “I am relentlessly positive about the bright future of this organization, and I seriously mean that.”
The TCA gave a past chairman award to Dan England, who served in that role from 1997-8. England is president and chairman of the board of Salt Lake City, Utah-based C.R. England, the largest refrigerated carrier in the nation that is currently run by third and fourth-generation family members.
Josh Grimaldi, a driver for Prime, Inc., receives the Highway Angel award for rescuing a motorist.“I’m very appreciative of this award,” England said, noting that C.R. England has been a TCA member for 38 years. “So much of our company is reflective of the things I learned here. It’s a wonderful industry to be associated with, and I am grateful for so many friendships.”
During the general session on Mar. 7, TCA also recognized Josh Grimaldi, a driver for Prime, Inc., as a Highway Angel. The Highway Angel program, sponsored by satellite TV service provider EpicVue, aims to improve the public image of the trucking industry by promoting positive stories of truck drivers that help fellow motorists on the road.
Grimaldi rescued a pregnant woman from a crushed car following a rollover incident on westbound I-80 near Donner Pass on Dec. 13, 2015. During an evening snowstorm, the driver hit the back of Grimaldi’s trailer, fishtailed, and overturned on the side of the road. He directed another motorist to call 9-1-1 while he lifted the lady out of the vehicle, assessed her injuries, and spoke to paramedics before they arrived about the severity of the situation.
“I would like to thank Prime for giving me the chance to drive and showing me what safety is all about,” he said. “I appreciate everyone in this audience for keeping trucks rolling and for everything you do.”
