December 21, 1999 10:07 AM, EST

A.M. Executive Briefing - Dec. 21

Editor's Note: Transport Topics Online is proud to offer Executive Briefing - a quick read on the day's trucking news. These summaries are produced by Information, Inc., which scours over 1,200 publications - from local newspapers to trade publications - and summarizes what they dig up. The result is the most complete trucking coverage anywhere. And only TT Online has it!

This Morning's Headlines:

ul>

Rail Merger Faces Trip Down Regulatory Tracks; Truckers Watch With Interest

Truckers Unfazed By Merger

Manhattan Truck Driver Receives Heroism Award From Goodyear

Truckers on I-81 are Tired of No Place to Rest

Rail Merger Faces Trip Down Regulatory Tracks; Truckers Watch With Interest

The proposed merger of Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Canadian

ational Railway must go through several regulatory hoops before becoming official.

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board and the Canadian Competition Bureau will examine the deal, a process that could take as long as 15 months. Executives of the companies say they expect the merger to take 18-24 months to complete.

Trucking industry officials say they view the merger as an opportunity to forge closer cooperation between the two forms of transportation, noting that trucks and trains only compete on about 10% of the freight in Canada. Vancouver Sun (12/21/99) P. D1

Truckers Unfazed By Merger

Officials from the Canadian trucking industry are describing the proposed merger between Canadian National Railways and Burlington Northern Santa Fe as an opportunity to build closer ties with the rail industry.

Although the merger is meant to make railways more competitive with trucking, David Bradley, chief executive of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, says "Nobody in the trucking industry is losing any sleep...if they can improve their service and pricing, there will be a greater scope for {partnering]."

Trucks currently haul 67.3% of the total value of Canada-U.S. trade, compared with 17.5 % by the railways. Ottawa Citizen (12/21/99) P. C2; McCoy, Heath Jon

Manhattan Truck Driver Receives Heroism Award From Goodyear

Hector Lucas Cruz, a driver for Debrick Truck Line Co. of Paola, Kansas, recently received the 1999 Kansas Goodyear Highway Hero Award for helping remove injured victims from an overturned vehicle after a highway accident in Utah.

The award, presented by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., recognizes professional truck drivers in the United States and Canada for rescues and roadside assistance.

Cruz and truck driver Gene Cunningham, of Nevada, helped drag two passengers from an overturned vehicle. Topeka Capital-Journal Online (12/21/99) ; Hrenchir, Tim

Truckers on I-81 are Tired of No Place to Rest

A host of problems face truckers on stretches of Interstate-81 in Virginia, from automobile drivers who fail to understand proper safety, to the shortage of parking spaces for trucks, so that drivers can rest.

Dale Bennett of the Virginia Trucking Association notes that I-81 was built for 15% truck traffic, but it now handles 19 to 40% truck traffic. Although officials are considering widening the road at the request of truckers, the drivers still complain that most other drivers do not know how to drive near big rigs. Truckers see small cars darting around, and people driving and talking on cell phones, which can cause dangerous situations.

Compounding the problem on I-81, and many other roads, is a shortage of parking spaces for large trucks. Drivers are mandated to sleep 8 hours after a 10 hour shift, but Virginia is in need of over 1,300 parking spaces, leaving many without options. Truckers either have to lie in their log books or sleep until they are asked to leave a particular rest stop.

Several measures, including widening the road, providing spaces, and educating car drivers, are necessary to make I-81 safer for all drivers. Roanoke Times (12/20/99) P. A1; Murphy, C.S.