MacKinnon VP named chairman of TCA’s Open Deck Division

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SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Rick Miller, senior vice-president of operations for MacKinnon Transport, has taken up the post of chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) Open Deck Division. Miller took charge of the division during TCA’s annual convention at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront and San Diego Convention Center in California.

The Open Deck Division is a special TCA subgroup that allows member carriers who 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 CEO of Fikes Truck Line, of Hope, Ark.

“There’s no doubt I’ve got really big shoes to fill. No one knows flatbeds better than Gary and his team,” Miller said.

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 said. “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.”

At the same event, Bison Transport’s Rob Penner was named an at-large officer for the TCA executive board. Penner, who serves as vice-president of operations for the Winnipeg-based carrier, has been elected for the 2011/2012 term.

For a full list of elected officers, visit www.truckload.org.

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