CON-WAY TRUCKLOAD CONTRIBUTES TO TORNADO RELIEF

Con-way Truckload has committed to a $100,000 charitable contribution to support disaster relief efforts in Joplin, Missouri, which was devastated by one of the most powerful tornados in recorded U.S. history.

Con-way Truckload (formerly Contract Freights, Inc.) has been part of the Joplin community for nearly 60 years. Con-way Truckload employs nearly 500 at its Joplin headquarters, and has some 2,800 professional truck drivers deployed over-the-road.

Con-Way employees felt the impact of the Joplin tornado directly. Con-Way reports that 47 local employees lost their homes completely or found them rendered uninhabitable from damage inflicted by the tornado. Con-Way has committed a second $100,000 contribution to a separate fund set up for its Joplin employees who suffered losses from the tornado.

The company has also established The Con-way Truckload Employee Tornado Relief Fund, providing a mechanism for Con-way employees across the nation to assist their fellow employees in Joplin. The monies will be distributed directly to local Joplin Con-way employees affected by the storm. Con-way employees have pledged nearly $100,000 in contributions, in addition to donations of household goods and supplies for disaster relief.

Thank you Con-Way and Con-Way employees for supporting the Joplin community!

OLD DOMINION RELOCATES ST. LOUIS FACILITY

Old Dominion Freight Line has relocated its St. Louis service center to a 25-acre site on 2880 Elm Point Industrial Drive in St. Charles, Mo. The new facility has 98-doors and employs more than 140 people. The facility will provide direct service to more than 15 cities surrounding St. Louis. Old Dominion operates 213 service centers in the United States.

BWS IS SAFE AND OPEN FOR BUSINESS

We are happy to report that BWS attorneys and staff are safe following the tornado that devastated Joplin on May 22nd. BWS attorneys and staff escaped the tornado unharmed with only minor damage to homes and property. Our office on 32nd Street in Joplin also escaped mostly undamaged. We were without power for a week, but power has been restored, and we are open for business. We were very, very lucky.

Unfortunately, many in Joplin were not so lucky. We have been part of the Joplin community for 30 years, and many of our attorneys and staff were born and raised in this community. The loss of life and utter devastation experienced by our community is heartbreaking. Our prayers go out to all those impacted by the tornado.

Yet, even with all this devastation, rays of hope shine through. The citizens of Joplin have shown tremendous resolve, and the stories of individual heroism displayed by so many in the face of unthinkable peril are truly inspiring. Joplin is down, but not out (not even close). Joplin has shown the world how to persevere in the face of seemingly overwhelming adversity. We are very proud to be citizens of Joplin.

Much work lies ahead in the coming months and years. There will be ups and downs to this recovery, but we know one thing with certainty: JOPLIN WILL REBUILD BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER. We intend to do our part. We will raise money, collect donations, clear brush, plant trees, volunteer legal services, and do whatever else we can to rebuild Joplin. We hope you will too. It will take all our efforts to rebuild Joplin.

Mayo Shuts Section of I-44

A section of Interstate 44 in Southwest Missouri near Springfield was closed for several hours after a tractor-trailer crashed and spilled its load of mayonnaise. Eastbound lanes of the interstate near U.S. 65 were closed for several hours Saturday night as crews cleaned up debris from the tractor-trailer crash, including about 40,000 pounds of mayonnaise.

Lt. Scott Leven told The Springfield News Leader that the truck driver lost control, taking the rig through a cable guard and into the median. He said walking on the spilled mayo was like walking on ice.

No injuries were reported, and other vehicles were re-routed before the cleanup was completed.

DOT BANS TRUCKERS TEXTING AND DRIVING

Last January, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a ban on truckers texting while driving. At the time of the announcement, it was only a regulatory guideline and not yet an official FMCSA rule. That changed at the end of October when a final rule banning texting by truck drivers took permanent effect.

The final rule specifically targets texting, not just talking, as studies have shown it to impair attention far more and thus making it more likely to result in a serious injury accident. Studues show texting results in crash rate 23 times higher than focused, undistracted driving.

The ban comes at a time when text messaging has exploded as a means of communication. The total number of text messages sent last year was 22 times higher than it was just four years ago.

DEADLY HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS INVOLVING TRACTOR TRAILERS DOWN

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) recently reported that deadly crashes involving semi trucks have decreased by almost half since 2005, from 173 to 88. MoDOT released a report about the decrease in fatal semi truck accidents in honor of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, Sept. 19 through 25.

MoDOT cites several reasons for this decline. MoDOT itself deserves some credit for engineering efforts like visibility improvements and rumble stripes that keep drivers in their own lanes. Fatal crashes caused by lane departure fell by more than half in the period under study -- from 136 to 62. There was a particularly steep decline in fatal crashes caused by vehicles crossing the median of a divided highway and veering into oncoming traffic. Those crashes declined by 85 percent, from 20 to 3.

The bad economy has also reduced deadly accidents involving tractor trailers because both passenger cars and commercial trucks are traveling less. When accidents do occur, emergency response personnel are doing a better job of responding to them. MoDOT says emergency response time has improved in both Kansas City and St. Louis.

Tom Crawford, president of the Missouri Trucking Association, added that credit also belongs to professional truck drivers who practice defensive driving and pay attention. Keep up the good work drivers!

TESTING TRUCKERS FOR SLEEP APNEA

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is engaged in ongoing talks focused on combating trucker health issues like sleep apnea, a major problem contributing to tractor trailer accidents.

Sleep apnea is a condition in which a narrowing or closure of the upper airway during sleep causes repeated sleep disturbances, and possible complete awakenings, leading to poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness.

This fatigue can lead to very serious truck accident injuries once the driver gets behind the wheel. Fatigue is a significant contributing factor in as many as one out of every seven tractor trailer crashes.

Sleep apnea is closely associated with being overweight. Truck drivers are particularly susceptible to being overweight because of the nature of their job. Trucking requires a driver to sit for eight hours or more each day with limited opportunities for exercise. As a result, as many as 40 percent of truck drivers are classified as significantly overweight.

Truck drivers receive medical exams every couple years, but it has never been required that they be tested for sleep apnea as part of the exam. That may change. The Medical Review Board of the FMCSA has recommended that CDL holders with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher be tested for sleep apnea. A BMI of 30 or greater – 220 pounds for a 6-foot-tall person – puts people at risk for developing obesity-related medical conditions such as sleep apnea. Nearly a third of Americans are clinically obese.