Scam alert

Jeff Cook from Future Truckers reports that a gentleman claiming to represent Boyd Brothers called yesterday claiming to need drivers now.  He went by James.  Jeff adds “We know Boyd Brothers does not hire students and when questioned further he simply hung up.  We contacted Boyd Brothers and verified they do not have a recruiter named James and they do not hire without 3 months experience.”

The scammers do not take a rest even during the holiday season.  Please be cautious.

Calling all fans

BUMPERTOBUMPER® now has a Facebook Fan page.

Newsflash from CVTA Fall Conference 2009

We are so proud, but not at all surprised, that our Education Coordinator, John Rojas, earned First Place in the Commercial Vehicle Training Association Fall Conference 2009 Fishing Tournament. On John’s team were also Gary Strube of International Schools, Larry Marsh of JTL Truck Driver Training and Kevin Burch of the Truckload Carriers Association and President of Jet Express. Congratulations, all!

Something to celebrate

Hearing Health Magazine, a publication of the Deafness Research Foundation, has won an Apex Award of Excellence in health writing for the article “More Road Work Ahead: Driving Down the EHDI Highway” by Karl White, Ph.D. The story appeared in the Summer 2008 issue. This same article has won honorable mention in the Magnum Opus awards. We serve as Art Director/Senior Designer for Hearing Health Magazine and so are justifiably proud. You can sign up for a free subscription at www.drf.org.

Feeling stimulated yet? Part Two…

Ray LaHood has been confirmed as transportation secretary by the U.S. Senate. A former Republican congressman from Illinois, he has voiced support for tolls on new highways and higher vehicle-mileage standards. President Barack Obama’s administration seeks to push through fuel-efficiency rules and funds to repair the nation’s infrastructure. As we commented earlier, it will be some time before actual construction begins. However, the trend toward focusing on this area is worth noting, and should be taken into account when looking for opportunties to thrive, or at least survive, in these tough economic times.

Truck driving instructors

We’re pleased to announce that Transport Topics will be running an Op-Ed piece that we wrote. In it, we relate what we learned last year through our Instructor of the Month program. The story is scheduled to run in Transport Topics’ February 9, 2009 issue.

Feeling stimulated yet?

We’ll leave coverage of today’s Presidential inauguration to the gazillions of others who will be blogging on it, except for one comment. It’s fairly easy to lose sight of the fact that in the US, our transitions of power are regular and come about not as the result of violence, but of the democratic process. Now that is something to treasure!
Congress is readying a billion-dollar stimulus plan of tax cuts and spending for roads, bridges, schools, electric grids and other projects. True, we might not see activity in our cities and neighborhoods until the end of next year. But now is the time to prepare to take advantage of the opportunities that may be presented. Infrastructure-building means the transport of supplies, equipment and so forth. It means earthmoving and paving. And it means the manufacture and maintenance of machines and materials. Think about how you want to participate in this remaking of America. What skills will you need? Act now to be ready so that when opportunity knocks, you’ll be able to open the door!

Happy New Year!

OK, today isn’t the first business day of 2009 but I guess Friday was just a warm-up for a lot of people. It sure was quiet so we had plenty of time to work on our new year’s resolutions. We’re going to help even more people meet their career goals in 2009!
Did you make resolutions? Leave a comment and let us know what they are.
By the way, happy anniversary to us. It was 22 years ago today that we first hung out our shingle. If you were around back then and used any of our publications to launch your career, we’d love to hear from you.

Scam alert!

The Commercial Vehicle Training Association tells us that they received a call from Dean Cochran of TransAm Trucking. There is a gentleman using different names and numbers: Chris Taylor, Greg Davis, who falsely indicates he is a representative from Trans Am out of Dallas. He tells the schools or the students that he has jobs. This is especially insidious as he is convincing students that he can hire them over the phone that day. He is quite knowledgeable of the industry and uses all familiar “buzz” words. He instructs students to wire him $200 and one of his drivers will come to pick them up. When questioned he tells the students that the $200 is a deposit to cover the cost of “pulling one of his drivers off their route.” This is also incentive for the student to not back out. He convinces the student that it protects the driver coming to get them as fuel costs must be covered. The student is told that the money will be returned when they reach the terminal.

Job-seekers, never wire money to hold a job. If you have come across this gentleman please call the CVTA office 703-6423-9444. We want to be sure we get the news out as quickly as possible two students have already been scammed. Thank you for your assistance.