ACCIDENT AWARENESS/PREVENTION TRAINING IS PLANNED
During the second and third quarters of 2005, members of the Safety Department will be visiting, in person, with all ATS Drivers, Contractors and Contractor Drivers. These meetings will be held in various locations throughout the country, and will be the quarterly training for the period of time from April 1, 2005 through September, 2005.

The topic we will be covering will be the number of accidents we have been experiencing in past few months and what we can do to prevent those accidents.

You may have noticed the Darrel Gilmore accident posters in the terminals. These meetings will inform you about that accident as well as others.

There is nothing more important in our transportation business than safe driving. Accidents threaten the security of our drivers, the motoring public, our cargo and the company itself. Because of that high level of importance we decided to do this training in person, with each member of our driving force.

I encourage you to do everything in your power to attend one of these sessions at your earliest opportunity, and to think seriously about the message that is presented.

In respect to Darrel’s family and in thanks for allowing us to share his accident throughout the company, a memorial fund has been established. ATS will match any donations to this fund. Contributions should be made payable to: Calvary Community Church. Please indicate on memo line of the check: Darrel Gilmore Memorial Fund. Checks can be mailed to ATS.

Scott Anderson, Director of Safety, Anderson Trucking Service, Inc.

TRUCKERS AND DRIVERS: TAKE STEPS TO HANDLE BLIND SPOTS
It's a fact: The bigger the truck, the larger the blind spots. Because many car drivers never learn how to drive safely around commercial trucks, truck drivers have to make allowances for cars. Car drivers initiate 70 percent of truck-related fatalities, according to the American Trucking Association in Alexandria, Va.

What truck drivers can do:
* If your truck does not have front fender mounted spotter mirrors, ask to have them installed.
* When making a lane change to the right, practice "lean and look". Lift yourself up and look over the dash to make sure that no cars are in the blind spot by your right front fender.
* Stay alert. Manage your time to avoid feeling fatigued or rushed.
* Plan your schedule to avoid rush-hour traffic.
* Don’t tailgate! It makes other drivers uneasy and sets you up for a preventable accident.
* When making a right turn triple check your mirrors. Car may try to sneak up on your right side.
* Signal long before changing lanes so the other motorists know what you doing.
* Take your time, don’t change lanes or turn too quickly.
* At 65 mph, you are going 100 fps. That means that you will cover a football field in 3 sec.
What car drivers can do:
*Know that commercial trucks have at least four blind spots, especially along the right side of the rig.
*Realize that a loaded truck going 55 miles an hour needs at least 290 feet to stop says the National Safety Council.
*Stay back from 4-way intersections when trucks across from you or to your side need to turn.

DOCKS ARE DANGEROUS PLACES
Loading and shipping docks are vital to the movement of product and resources but they are dangerous, too. Because of their potential for injury, safety is priority. Risks to be aware of include:

* Premature departure: Make sure that the forklift driver is not in your trailer or going back into your trailer before you pull away from the dock.
* Trailer creep: A second hazard occurs when the trailer “creeps” away from the dock from the forklift going in and out of the trailer. Make sure that you chock your trailer tires. Chocks should be placed in front of your trailer tandems so that the trailer cannot move forward.