April 2013 - Challenge Magazine

APRIL 2013

Julie Roberts Strength in Adversity

Road Dog Trucking Voices of the Highway SECURITY Protecting Cargo www.ptcchallenge.com

CAL RIPKEN JR.

After Baseball

COVER PHOTO: RIPKEN BASEBALL Photo: RIPKEN BASEBALL

cover & features

contents april 2013 • volume 9 issue 4

16 24 32

TEST TRACK DISNEY

Walt Disney Imagineers are always thinking of the next big attraction for Disney theme parks. This time around, they’ve decided to bring the world of cars to life.

CAL RIPKEN JR.

It goes without saying the “Iron Man” of baseball has a hard time calling it quits. So it’s not surprising Cal Ripken Jr.’s life after baseball keeps him on the go and in the game.

Going the Distance

When famed Mount Everest climber George Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb the tallest mountain in the world, he famously answered, “Because it’s there.”

If you were to ask Mike Morton why he would run for 24 hours straight he’d probably answer, “Because I can.”

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JULIE ROBERTS

What would country music be without tales of tragedy and triumph?

It wouldn’t be country music. Country singer Julie Roberts shares her story of life imitating art.

Cargo SECURITY

Cargo theft is a multimillion-dollar business, and believe it or not food is stolen more than any other type of freight. Prevention of thefts is an ongoing challenge and drivers play a big role.

ROAD DOG TRUCKING

When out on the road, a truck driver’s main source of entertainment and information is the radio. SiriusXM offers a host of shows devoted to the knights of the highways.

RV Journey

Mac and the Big Cheese wonder why they’re still friends but find time to offer a spicy Cajun dish recipe straight from the Bayou, and Chad checks out the Bronze Age of dinosaurs. sponsored by:

Challenge Magazine’s QR Code

Download a free QR reader and scan this QR Code to get a direct link to our website where you’ll find a full electronic version of the magazine and links to our Facebook and Twitter pages.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 5

contents in every issue

april 2013 • volume 9 issue 4

51

HEALTHY CHOICES

53

gettin’ outdoors

54

around the track

56

driving thrU d.c.

57

CHEW ON THIS

Linda offers a plethora of options for smart, healthy snacking while on

the road.

Brenda warns of a “ticking” time bomb.

Claire dishes up a buffet of NASCAR stories that take you behind the

scenes.

Mike feels encouraged but realistic about the new National Freight Advisory Committee.

10 12

Charles is tired, hungry and a bit muddy.

from the editor Reliability.

letters to the editor

Readers share their thoughts and opinions on industry issues and stories from Challenge Magazine.

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SHORT RUNS

Broadening the mind with the interesting and inane.

Truck Driver Challenge

Jeff Seaberg, winner of the 2006 and 2010 TDC, shares his thoughts about working in racing and how his prize winnings led him to a new career.

58

The Unique U.S.

60

truckers’ corner

Spring is here, so it’s time to get out of the house (and the cab) and check out this country’s national scenic and historic pathways.

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The creative side of truck drivers. sponsored by:

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Games

Sudoku, word search and crossword puzzles. Some clues for the puzzle come from this issue of Challenge Magazine.

garmin gallery

Pictures from the road. Send in your photos and see them published in Challenge Magazine and you may be a winner.

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sponsored by:

pilot flying j stars

Drivers recognize these STAR employees who make Pilot Flying J a place you can rely on.

what’s happening

PFJ gives thanks from MATS and it’s not too early to register for October’s Truck Driver Social Media Convention.

pilot flying j directory

The comprehensive Pilot Flying J directory lists everything from location addresses to services available.

LOYALTY

The $10,000 sweepstakes winner; wandering Wi-Fi; and a loyal customer. w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

april 2013

reliability

volume 9 issue 4

editorial staff EDITORIAL OFFICE

655 SE BROAD STREET SOUTHERN PINES, NC 28387 PHONE: (910) 695-0077 FAX: (910) 695-0020 e-mail: editor@ptcchallenge.com www.ptcchallenge.com

PILOT FLYING J CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-877-866-7378

EDITOR

GREG GIRARD - ggirard@ptcchallenge.com

GRAPHICS EDITOR

BRAD BEARD - bbeard@ptcchallenge.com

Assistant Editor

AMANDA JAKL - ajakl@ptcchallenge.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

SCOTT YANCEY - syancey@ptcchallenge.com

PROOFREADER JENNIFER KIRBY

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

CHAD BLAKE, MIKE HOWE, CHARLES POPE, CLAIRE B. LANG, Linda McGirr, BRENDA POTTS, JOAN TUPPONCE, Marion Kelly, Jennifer Pencek

advertising staff ADVERTISING SALES (910) 695-0077

ACCOUNTS MANAGER / INVOICING ANNE HUBERTH - ahuberth@ptcchallenge.com

victory 500 publishing PUBLISHER

KATHY VIRTUE - kvirtue@ptcchallenge.com

by greg girard

re you reliable? Can I trust you? I’m surprised these questions aren’t asked more. They seem pretty relevant to most aspects of life. Granted, it’s probably not the best thing to ask a new friend or loved one, and even unreliable people would probably answer yes – they can’t be trusted, after all. But if we did ask those questions, we’d probably be much better off in life and avoid those nasty betrayals of trust most of us have experienced at some point along the way.

I normally don’t choose to hang around unreliable people. I know, a real shock, but every so often a wolf in sheep’s clothing will sneak into my sphere of life. But I don’t ask and often I won’t know a person’s reliability until it becomes necessary that I do. The Roman philosopher Cicero said, “The shifts of fortune test the reliability of friends.” Cicero should know, having lived during one of the more infamous betrayals in history, when Brutus, a senator of Rome, killed the dictator of Rome, Julius Caesar. Cicero himself was eventually assassinated – tests of reliability to the extreme.

But relying on others is essential. Try doing your job without relying on someone – for most of us it’s virtually impossible. Soldiers rely on each other to stay alive. Children rely on parents to help them grow in life and stature. Families rely on each other to cope with loss. Co-workers rely on each other to get work done. And many of us rely on God to see us through our lives. Trust and reliance evolve into friendships, respect, love – all those human experiences we can’t live well without.

This month, we have several stories that touch on the question of reliability. Companies in the U.S. lose billions of dollars in stolen cargo each year and the vast majority of the thefts come from stolen trailers and containers. Our story on cargo security (Page 40) looks at what the industry has done to stem the flow of cargo theft and touches on more that could be done if only we had a bit more trust.

Cal Ripken Jr. can certainly be described as reliable (Page 24). Starting 2,632 straight games in Major League Baseball will earn you that.

His teammates trusted him and, now out of the league for more than a decade, Ripken is still his old self, proving reliability is a sustaining trait.

Can I trust you or not? Well, I’m not going to ask you, so I guess I’ll just have to wait and find out.

Safe driving.

A

SUBSCRIPTION RATES - $25 for one year in the United States. Subscriptions can be started or renewed by calling Challenge Magazine at (910) 695-0077 with your name, mailing address and credit card information; or write to Challenge Magazine: 655 SE Broad Street, Southern Pines, NC 28387, along with a check or credit card information. BACK ISSUES of Challenge Magazine can be purchased for $3 per issue to cover mailing and handling. Follow the same procedures as subscriptions to purchase a back issue of the magazine.

Challenge Magazine is published monthly by Victory Publishing, Inc. Copyright © 2013, all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Challenge Magazine is a registered trademark of Victory Publishing, Inc. All advertisers for Challenge Magazine are accepted and published by Victory Publishing, Inc. on the representation that the advertiser and/or advertising agency as well as a supplier of editorial content are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency or supplier of editorial content will defend, indemnify and hold Victory Publishing, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses or other liability resulting from any claims or suits for libel violations of right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark, infringement and any other claims or suits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement or editorial.

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[Sandi], you don’t look a day over 40 – you go, girl! What a great inspiration for all of us. God bless you.

Tina Shadden Via Facebook

Hemingway House Women in Trucking Great article on women in trucking. Grace Beals is part of my extended family. She’s tough just like my wife, who is a nurse turned president of a hospital. Never ever tell her she can’t do something. Keep up the good work.

Dan Shaw New Hampton, Iowa Your story on women in trucking was a good read. I’ve worked with some great women drivers over the years and also with some pretty bad ones. Seems those with a thicker skin tend to survive and those that act like a victim move on pretty quick. Like it or not, truck driving is still a male-dominated job. Things are changing but it won’t be overnight, so women looking to drive need to understand what they’re getting into. Hold your own and the chauvinists will back down.

Tom Willerby Phoenix I want to thank you personally for the wonderful article you wrote for Challenge Magazine in February. My daughter read the article and thanks you for a well-written piece. Also, as a founding member of Women Truckers Network, I thank you for the great coverage of our group.

Sandi Talbott Avery, Texas

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The real life “Most Interesting Man in the World.”

Mike Singleton Via Facebook Now I want to go to Key West and see the house. I love Hemingway. Thanks for the article.

Long Haul Magazine Via Facebook

Swamp People “Swamp People” is one of my favorite shows. Love watching the teams as they hunt down them gators, especially Troy Landry when he says “Choot ’em.” Makes me laugh every time. Life on the bayou has to be pretty interesting. I wouldn’t mind spending some time on a boat with one of these teams. Wonder if they do fish-alongs?

Thanks for the great article.

George Lasatar Philadelphia

SUBMIT A LETTER: Question, comment or criticism? Drop us a note or email us with your opinion. We want to hear from you.

Note: Letters may be edited for clarity or space.

Although we try to respond to all communications, emails get first priority. Written letters take more time to process and edit.

MAIL COMMENTS TO Challenge Magazine P.O. Box 2300 Southern Pines, NC 28388 EMAIL editor@ptcchallenge.com

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SHORT

RUNS We Asked,

You Answered!

Q What can’t you be without while on the road?

Food, fuel and clean showers. - Steve Van Dine

My map. - Crystal Lace

A Closer Look: The Boston Marathon This year marks the 117th running of the Boston Marathon, the oldest annual marathon in the world. The race is held the third Monday in April, which in Massachusetts is also Patriots’ Day, a day honoring two of the first battles of the Revolutionary War. Let’s take a closer look:

My iPhone! - Tina Shadden

Good, non-greasy, healthy food. - Letha L. Martin

27,000 runners participate and 500,000 people show up to watch, making it New England’s most viewed sporting event.

Although the race started in 1897, prize money for top finishers wasn’t awarded until 1986, when John Hancock Financial Services came onboard as a sponsor.

Runners from every U.S. state and more than 90 countries are represented.

Women were not officially allowed to run until 1972, although Katherine Switzer, who registered as K.V. Switzer, ran in 1967.

Beer maker Samuel Adams created a special “Boston 26.2 Brew” for the famous race and makes it available for a limited time at race-related events, as well as taverns and bars along the race route.

At mile 13, the students of Wellesley College create what’s called the “scream tunnel,” to encourage the runners, especially amateurs and first-timers.

A tradition since 1903, the Boston Red Sox play a game at Fenway Park at 11:05 and after the game ends, the baseball fans converge on Kenmore Square to cheer on the runners for the final mile.

Regular Contributor to Truckers’ Corner Honored Poet Sanchez Gardner (right) got the shock of his life in February when he was honored for his work published in Challenge Magazine. Gardner was presented with a certificate from the South Carolina State House of Representatives lauding his literary accomplishments.

The certificate said, in part, “We, the members of the House of Representatives, are proud to honor Sanchez M. Gardner during Black History Month for his many contributions to the literary world through his writings and poetry.” Congrats to Sanchez!

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Music. - Cindy Cosce Sorensen

My photography gear. - Eric Blacker

My daily dose of mocha/Pilot house coffee, and a blueberry Chobani or Flying J’s biscuits and gravy. - Tina Lakin-Wheeler

My best friend, my dog. - J.D. Hanadarko

Water! - Doug Thompson

My electronics. GPS (not relied upon, but helpful in planning), laptop with WiFi hot spot and XM radio! - Todd Ray

Q

What is your biggest on-the-road pet peeve?

Post your answers on our Facebook page or send them to editor@ptcchallenge.com by April 30, 2013.

All answers are subject to edits.

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April Tour Dates

Pilot Flying J Driver Michael Annett hangs out with DAT director Charles Pope.

Date

City, State

22-Apr PM 23-Apr PM 24-Apr PM 25-Apr PM 26-Apr PM

Gulfport, MS Mobile, AL Hope Hull, AL LaGrange, GA Newnan, GA Atlanta, GA Cartersville, GA Resaca, GA Dalton, GA Dalton, GA

Type Store FJ P FJ P P P P FJ P P

676 302 604 69 422 331 67 632 421 319

Annett joined the DAT in St. Augustine in February to sign autographs and chat with fans.

Dates subject to change.

Check www.facebook.com/DriverAppreciationTour for changes and updates.

GET HEALTHY It’s National Stress Awareness Month and if anybody knows about stress, it’s truck drivers, who constantly deal with rush-hour traffic, frustrating dispatchers, strict delivery deadlines and missing important home time. Long-term stress has been linked to an increase in heart disease, sleep disorders, obesity and depression. That’s why it’s important to keep the stressors in check – and when you can’t avoid the stress, learn to manage it. Here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic.

Exercise It’s not just good for your body, it’s good for your mind too. Exercise can help refocus your mind from the day’s problems. Even a brisk 20-minute walk can help.

Meditate Meditation isn’t just for new-age hippies. It’s all about tuning out the outside world and tuning in to your inner calm. Your inner calm exists, but it’s usually drowned out by negative voices.

Next time you feel yourself getting aggravated, close your eyes and imagine yourself with a cool drink in your hand, on a beach surrounded by palm trees. Always makes us feel better.

Laugh They say laughter is the best medicine and that’s true when it comes to stress. Laughing produces good feelings in the body, overriding the stress response. So pop in an Adam Sandler

(or any other comedian you like) movie and let the chuckles loose.

Connect Don’t retreat from the world when you’re grumpy.

Reach out to your friends and family. With today’s social networks and technology, it’s easier than ever to connect with loved ones. Send your spouse an email or a text that you’re thinking of him or her, meet up for coffee with an old friend or pick up the phone and have a good chat with someone.

Sleep We’ve talked about the importance of sleep in regard to health in several issues. That’s because lack of sleep is tied to so many health problems.

We’re not just talking about quantity either; we all need to catch good, quality ZZZs. When you’re tempted to stay up and solve the world’s problems, remind yourself they’ll be there in the morning. You can play Superman tomorrow; tonight you need to get some sleep.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 15

PHOTO: Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort

test track disney by: joan tupponce

rom the lovable world of the animated Disney/Pixar “Cars” films to the design showrooms of Test Track Presented by Chevrolet, Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort are bringing the world of cars to life. In 2012, both resorts debuted attractions that focus on the country’s love affair with cars.

Disneyland made the first splash this past summer when it opened its highly imaginative Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park. Bringing that 12-acre attraction to life was no easy feat. Not only did Walt Disney Imagineers need to be loyal to the beloved “Cars” films but they also had to bring realism to the landscapes that are often seen along the famous Route 66.

Disney began brainstorming the idea of expanding Disney California Adventure Park in 2004. One of their early concepts was

F

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to feature California’s love of cars. That idea took an abrupt turn in 2006 when Imagineers heard that their partners at Disney/ Pixar were working on the original animated “Cars” film featuring the voices of a variety of stars, including Owen Wilson, Paul Newman and Larry the Cable Guy. After seeing the film and the lively town of Radiator Springs, they felt it was the perfect fit for the new attraction.

“We had been struggling with what the land would look like,” recalls Frank Reifsnyder, communications manager for Walt Disney Imagineering. “Cars Land is a faithful duplication of the land in the film.”

The Disney Imagineering team that spearheads these types of projects is made up of more than 140 disciplines, everything from painters to rocket scientists. “The Cars Land team had someone from all the disci-

plines we have,” Reifsnyder says. “As Imagineers we have to work on a team and come together to tell a great story.”

To create the authenticity needed, eight Imagineers and two of their Pixar colleagues set off for a road trip along Route 66, following in the footsteps of the animators that developed the film. “They went to the places that inspired the film,” Reifsnyder says, adding that Imagineers looked at everything from rock samples to roadside diners. “We had landscape architects that would take pictures of plants and interior designers who went into restaurants and stores. We wanted to include the feel [of Route 66] in the interiors.”

The trip included a stop at the aptly named Mid Point Cafe in Adrian, Texas, which sits mid-point on Route 66. “They talked with the owners and a lot of their personality is reflected in the characters in the film,” Reifsnyder says, noting that Cars Land also reflects some of those same personalities.

One of the tasks before the Imagineers was duplicating Cadillac Range, which surrounds Radiator Springs in the film. Their end result is so realistic that photos of the mountain range are often mistaken for real mountain terrain in the western states.

“There are certain places where you stand on the mountain range and you can’t see the park,” Reifsnyder says. “You forget you are in the middle of Anaheim. It really is aweinspiring when you see it.”

The rockwork that created the mountain range is the second largest rockwork created

by Disney – the first can be found in Tokyo Disney. At 280,000 square feet with more than 4,000 tons of steel, it is Disney’s largest rockwork in the U.S. In the design phase of the mountain range, Imagineers took digital files of the rockwork created for the “Cars” films. They carved a series of models, including a warehouse-size model that took up to 10 months to build. The model was scanned piece by piece by a laser scanner and then sent to a steel manufacturer that cut the steel beams.

“It was like a 3-D puzzle,” Reifsnyder says.

“Each [piece] was numbered and welded together to make a cage.”

Imagineers devoted more than 28,000 hours to designing the structural steel system for the rockwork and the Radiator Springs Racers show building. After it was built, the cage was covered with a base coat of cement and plaster. “Everything was hand sculpted,” Reifsnyder says of the intricate design.

The range, which is approximately 125 feet at its highest point, has six peaks that include fins of classic cars from 1957 to 1962.

Buttes in the formation resemble hood ornaw w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

ments. Construction on Cadillac Range and Cars Land began in 2009 and took about two and a half years to complete. “Most of that time was spent on building the mountain range,” Reifsnyder says.

Radiator Springs Racers, the main ride in Cars Land, travels through the mountains of Ornament Valley, stopping at either Luigi’s Casa Della Tires with its leaning tower of tires or Ramone’s House of Body Art, home to car artist Ramone. After getting racing tips from Doc Hudson (a retired race car voiced by Paul Newman in the film), cars resembling the characters in the film zoom off for a nose-to-nose race through hairpin turns and twists.

Other rides and attractions include Luigi’s Flying Tires with floating bumper cars that ride on air, a ride reminiscent of Disneyland’s Flying Saucers attraction from the 1960s, and Flo’s V8 Cafe, a recreation of a classic diner along Route 66 with a view of Cadillac Mountain Range and the vehicles zooming by in Radiator Springs Racers. “It was fun putting it together,” Reifsnyder says, noting that Imagineers created Flo’s story. “She was a Motorama girl.” Her gold records and touring posters are displayed on one side of the restaurant.

While Cars Land was a massive project for the Imagineers, it wasn’t the only project

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in the works. This past December Walt Disney World Resort in Florida debuted its reimagined Test Track Presented by Chevrolet.

On this project Imagineers collaborated with the folks at Chevrolet.

“As storytellers, to be able to tell Chevrolet’s design story was fun for our Imagineers,” says Eric Jacobson, senior vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering.

“Chevrolet designers come from the same creative roots as Imagineers.”

Test Track continues a 30-year relationship between General Motors and Disney at Epcot dating back to the opening of the park in 1982 with World of Motion. Imagineers from Disney traveled to GM’s Tech Center in Warren, Mich., before starting the process.

Jeff Mylenek, design manager for global industrial design at General Motors, and his team wanted to give the Imagineers a good understanding of what goes on in a professional design studio. “That is where the collaboration began,” he says. “We talked about our vision. Everyone was focused and energized.”

The revamped Test Track was to focus on design. “We shared our vision for Chevrolet,” Mylenek says. “Disney had to figure out how to tell the story. It was a beautiful collaborative back-and-forth effort.”

Test Track gives each rider the chance

PHOTO: Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort

Ornament Valley is the setting for Radiator Springs Racers, an adventure ride through the town of Radiator Springs.

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PHOTO: Ali Nasser, photographer

Test Track Presented by Chevrolet invites guests to create their own virtual custom-concept vehicle.

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to design his or her own virtual car, truck or crossover and learn how those choices perform against the four performance attributes – capability, efficiency, responsiveness and power – that guide Chevrolet designers.

Riders get to see how their car handles the roughest roads and extreme weather conditions, how it saves on fuel and how it maneuvers through the tightest turns.

The touch screens at the design kiosks in the ride’s pre-show area allow riders to virtually draw – stretch and shape their vehicle design by length, width, height and engine size – and decide which performance attribute is most important to them. They also can design everything from an expressive front grille to tailored wheels. “The pre-show tells the story of what a professional designer does during the day,” Mylenek says. “It was meant to spark creativity.”

Images of the designs are stored on a radio frequency identification card, which is taken into the ride.

“Your vehicle gets tested virtually on the ride track against the four

design attributes,” Mylenek says.

“Each of these four sectors has test courses within the ride experience.”

Riders experience challenging hills, switchbacks and straightaways on the Test Track circuit at speeds of up to 65 mph. Each rider’s design results are posted after the ride. “That is a more personalized moment,” says Melissa Jaselnick, assistant project manager for Walt Disney Imagineering, adding, “An important part of our process was to make sure it was true to automotive design enthusiasts and to add some whimsical elements as well.

We wanted to return to the original vision of Epcot – to bring in industry and tell the story.”

All of the elements of the design center are updatable. “We didn’t want to design it for now and in five years be dated,” Mylenek says. “We wanted to keep it fresh and current so we built that into this attraction.”

The partnership was a success, says Erin Youngs, vice president of Epcot. “The Chevrolet team learned about storytelling and we had a blast learning about car design.”

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PhotoS: courtesy of Ripken Baseball

by: joan tupponce

aseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. surveyed the crowd as he stood alongside Gov. John Baldacci of Maine in September 2007 to announce the start of the Badges for Baseball program with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Waterville.

Part of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, the program pairs police officers with at-risk kids in a baseball setting.

Even though it was only September, the day was bitterly cold and the drenching rain made it even more unbearable. “It was miserable,” recalls the foundation’s president and executive director, Steve Salem. “The entire town of 2,000 in Oakland, Maine, was there in the pouring rain.”

After the ceremonies, most attendees were eager to find refuge from the rain, but not Ripken. The kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs had come to play ball with the former Baltimore Orioles star and he was eager to accommodate them. “Everyone wanted to leave but didn’t because Cal said, ‘As long as the kids stay I will stay,’” Salem says, adding that Ripken played ball in the rain

B

for about an hour. “The kids stayed, Cal stayed and it made their day. It’s something I will never forget about commitment.”

Cal Ripken Jr. may be a little grayer around the temples than he was 12 years ago when he retired from Major League Baseball, but he’s still as active and as dedicated to the game as he was when he took the field for the Orioles. “Who he is today is very consistent with who he was when he played the game,” says Glenn Tilley, president and CEO of Ripken Baseball.

“It’s about values and the commitment to whatever he does. He’s transferred that to his role in business. When he retired he didn’t stop, he took the next step.”

Ripken retired from baseball in October 2001 after 21 seasons with the Orioles. His history with the sport is legendary. In 1995, he was labeled the “Iron Man” after breaking Lou Gehrig’s Major League record for consecutive games played (2,130), a record that many thought would remain intact forever. He is a World Series cham-

pion (1983) and a two-time American League Most Valuable Player as well as a 19-time All Star, a two-time Gold Glove Award recipient and an eighttime Silver Slugger Award winner. In 2007, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ripken’s life today is even busier than it was when he was playing the sport. He is the chairman and founder of Ripken Baseball Inc., one of the family founders of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, a special public diplomacy envoy to the U. S. State Department, a sought-after speaker, a spokesman, a radio personality, a member of the TBS broadcast team during baseball’s postseason and a best-selling author.

And, if that wasn’t enough, he is a devoted family man, dedicated to his wife, Kelly, and their children, Rachel and Ryan. He finds time to serve as assistant baseball coach at Gilman High School in Maryland where Ryan, who is now in college, played baseball.

The move from the field to the boardroom was a natural progression, says John Maroon, president of Ma-

roon PR in Columbia, Md., and former public relations director of the Orioles. “Baseball is in Cal’s blood,” he says. “I knew whatever he did would be baseball-related and something with kids. That is something his dad instilled.”

Ripken’s professional baseball career got its start in 1978 after the young rookie graduated from high school. He took the field with the Orioles in 1981, playing third base before moving to shortstop in 1983. At the time his 6-foot-4-inch frame was an anomaly in the shortstop position but it paved the way for the larger shortstops of today.

His father, Cal Ripken Sr., had been involved in the game since 1957, serving as a player, coach and manager in the Orioles organization. The elder Ripken was a strong, decisive man and the lessons Ripken learned from him went far beyond the baseball field.

“They come back stronger now than when he was here,” Ripken says.

Ripken’s father was a problem solver and that “sort of inspired me to figure things out and to find solutions,” Ripken says. His father also showed him the importance of the old adage “actions speak louder than words.” “I learned just by him being a doer.

That is how you teach work ethic. You show your kids. In the end it’s the doing, not the saying, that matters most.”

In 1987 the Ripken family made history when Cal Sr., who was coaching the Orioles, managed his two sons – Cal Jr. and Bill – at the same time. “It was very special,” Ripken says. “We only realized that in hindsight. When we went through it that was our normal environment. We didn’t see it so much as a family thing at the time.”

His father often downplayed the family aspect when he talked to the media by saying that he looked at all of the players on the team as his sons. Those candid comments bothered Ripken. “I would want to stand up and scream, ‘They are not your sons, we are your sons,’” he says. “A lot of my motivation was to please my dad and make him proud of me.”

The work ethic that was ingrained in Ripken was evident on Sept. 6, 1995, when he broke Lou Gehrig’s Major League record in a game against the California Angels and capped the night with a home run in the sixth inning. The more than 45,000 fans in the stadium were on their feet, clapping and cheering when they saw the number 2,131 flash on the stadium screens. Off the field, Ripken looked at the moment in a different way from most. In many people’s eyes, it was a “great accomplishment of perseverance,” he says. “I was a player looking at the challenge of each day.”

Ripken never played for the purpose of beating the streak. He likens his accomplishment to someone who hasn’t missed a day of work on the job, “which is far more great than I was able to accomplish,” he says. “Because of that I didn’t know how to celebrate it.

I was hoping we would be in a pennant race and the focus would be on wins and losses.”

Maroon remembers the intense media attention that breaking the record garnered. “It was one of those things that gained momentum over the season,” he says. “As it got close, it took a toll on Cal.” The night Ripken broke the record, President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore came into the locker room before the game. Maroon noticed that Ripken was sweating when he was signing autographs. “People thought he was nervous, but he was sick. He had a fever,” Maroon says, referencing Ripken’s dedication to his commitments.

Having his family, especially his father, at the game that night was special for Ripken. His father’s history with the team ended on a sour note when the elder Ripken was fired from his coaching job in 1988. “Cal took it hard for a while,” Maroon says. “He felt like his dad didn’t get a fair shake. Had it been later in the year he

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probably would not have been an Oriole.

He was that upset, but it was early in the year and he ended up being an Oriole for the rest of his career.”

Ripken’s record-breaking streak came just a few months after the end of the 1994-1995 baseball strike, which had frustrated and angered fans. “A lot of people were looking for something good in baseball,” Ripken says. “It was the only time in the whole streak that I felt pressure to get to a number.” The outpouring of love when he took a celebratory lap around the field was surreal, he adds. “I saw people I knew and faces I knew but didn’t know the name. That was my best human moment on the baseball field.” His best “moment” in baseball, he adds, was

catching the last out of the 1983 World Series. “There was a sense of fulfillment, a completion of that goal.”

The night of Sept. 20, 1998, when Ripken decided to end the streak at 2,632 consecutive games, was memorable, as well.

Maroon got a call to come to the locker room before the game. “That was a little unusual,” he says. “When the door closed [manager] Ray Miller looked like he had seen a ghost. Cal was sitting next to him smiling and he said, ‘This is it.’ He wanted to make sure it unfolded as naturally as possible.”

The same sentiment holds true for the next chapter in his life. Ripken started Ripken Baseball in 2001 with the goal “to be an ambassador to the sport, to talk

Ripken’s Badges for Baseball program has built 13 ball fields in disadvantaged areas around the country. They hope to reach 50 fields by 2016. w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 27

about how great the game is and to get kids to play the game,” Ripken says.

The Baltimore-based company, which Ripken runs with his brother, Bill, encompasses four different businesses – youth baseball; professional baseball, with two minor league teams, The Aberdeen IronBirds and The Charlotte Stone Crabs; field design and endorsement; and public speaking.

Ripken’s first business endeavor was the construction of a baseball complex in his hometown of Aberdeen, Md. “I was committed to building a stadium,” he says. “I didn’t think about it, I just went to work.” Later, the company built a second complex, the Ripken Experience, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. “Moving forward, our focus is to expand our youth business across the country,” Tilley says.

“We are launching large-scale tournament complexes similar to Aberdeen and Myrtle Beach.” The company is looking at areas in Texas as well as San Diego, Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and the Chicago area.

Each August, Ripken carves out time from his schedule to take an active role in the Cal Ripken World Series, featuring elite 12-yearold players. Cal Ripken Baseball is a subdivision of Babe Ruth League, Inc. The competition features both national and international teams – last year’s winner was Japan. “It’s a great event,” Ripken says. “The kids get a

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The “Iron Man” of baseball is very hands-on with his organizations and hopes to instill the love of the game in the next generation.

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cultural experience and a competitive experience.”

Ripken’s efforts with youth around the world include serving as a special public diplomacy envoy to the U.S. State Department. He has traveled to China, Nicaragua and Japan since he was tapped for that role in 2007. “The whole idea is to spread good will through baseball,” Ripken says, adding that it was very special to visit Japan after the tsunami. “Because of what happened we wanted to bring attention to areas in need of help. Their community loves baseball almost more than the U.S. By going in there and using baseball as a distraction we could put smiles on their faces and give them a glimpse of our hearts. It was a moving trip.”

Because they are so young, many of the baseball players in other countries are unaware of Ripken’s baseball legacy. When they ask him, he’s very humble, Maroon says. “He’ll say ‘Yeah, I played baseball for a while.’”

Youth also are the focus of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, started by the Ripken family after Cal Sr.’s death in 1999. “We tried to figure out how to capture the legacy of Dad helping kids,” Ripken says. “His real secret was that he reached out to kids that didn’t have the same advantages by doing baseball clinics. … He wanted to show them

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a different side of life and he used baseball as the hook.”

The foundation project that Ripken is most proud of is the Badges for Baseball program, a juvenile crime prevention effort in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice. “Law enforcement officers are often seen as the bad guys,” Ripken says.

The program gives police officers the chance to form relationships with kids through baseball. The foundation has built 13 baseball fields in disadvantaged areas from Baltimore to Florida and west to Houston. It plans to build another 10 around the country this year with a total goal of 50 by 2016. “We realized that kids need safe places to play,” Ripken says. “We are building parks in communities and helping transform those communities and create a safe place where kids have a chance.”

Salem is impressed by Ripken’s thoughtful approach to business. “He thinks everything through,” he says. “He analyzes it carefully.”

Both Ripkin brothers are actively involved in the foundation. “They are so passionate about helping kids,” Salem says.

“They use baseball to help build kids to be whatever they want to become.”

Baseball is, in Ripken’s eyes, “an extension of life” that offers a great many lessons.

“I was a beneficiary of that and I got to enjoy the game,” he says. “I want to expose kids to the feeling I had and the principles I learned through baseball so they can enjoy baseball and have the meaningful life we have.”

Ripken’s life became more challenging last year after his 74-year-old mother, Violet, was abducted from her home during the summer and released. Her captor has yet to be caught. “It was odd,” Maroon says. “It was bizarre and scary and it rattled Cal. The family is grateful that [her captor] didn’t hurt her.”

At 52, Ripken is shy about being labeled a baseball star, even among friends. That became obvious to Tilley when his son, Matt, had knee surgery and couldn’t play baseball. The teen was feeling low and Ripken wanted to help cheer him up. “I told him to give Matt an autograph, but he didn’t think that was special enough,” Tilley says. “He said it wasn’t worthy.” Ripken visited Matt and gave him a bat with a special message on it. “That energized my son,” Tilley says.

“Cal doesn’t realize the impact he has.”

Ripken is still the same humble person he was when he started playing baseball, Maroon says. “He has never changed. He’s kept his perspective. He is just a kid from Aberdeen that likes crabs and beer. He’s a regular kind of guy.”

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PHOTOS: Mike Morton

going the distance by: amanda jakl

ltramarathoners are like NASCAR drivers. They have pit crews that monitor them, making sure the runners eat at the right times, change shoes, take a quick nap, receive updates on where they are in the race. They race on tracks for incredibly long distances and they rely on keeping their motor in optimum shape.

In Mike Morton’s case, the motor is every muscle and vital organ in his body. Morton is the International Association of Ultrarunners’ ninth annual 24-hour world champion, running an incredible 172.4 miles in 24 hours, and setting the American record in the process. Even more impressive is that he won it in his first attempt. Part of the 24-hour U.S. national team, Morton took the men’s individual gold as well as the bronze in the men’s team division.

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Morton is no stranger to records. A mere two months before the 24-Hour World Run, he took first place at the Badwater Ultramarathon, a grueling, nonstop 135-mile race that starts in Death Valley and ends at Mount Whitney, Calif. – the equivalent of climbing 13,000 feet – and nabbing the fastest American time (just over 22 hours) and the second fastest time ever.

An ultramarathon is any race or run longer than a standard 26.2-mile marathon.

Common distance events include 50 and 100 kilometers as well as 50 and 100 miles.

Time-based events include six-, 12- and 24hour races as well as multi-day events that cover three, six and even 10 days of running.

Courses vary from paved roads to forest trails to mountain paths.

For timed races, the venues can be surprising. “A lot of people hit me up and say,

‘Hey, what’s the course like when you do something like [a 24-hour run]?’ They react funny when you tell them it was less than a mile loop,” Morton explains. “Most people would hate that, but ironically, it lends itself to making the task at hand easier because there’s no logistics. Anything you’re going to need is seven or eight minutes away at the worst case.” Essential things like a portapotty and aid station.

Each race, no matter the distance, offers aid stations that provide services and food to support the runners. Sports therapist Denise Martin has served the ultra community for the last three years, using massage and acupressure techniques to help runners achieve their best times. “Because I am usually at a longer race, like an overnight or a 24-hour race, I’ve developed what I call ‘shake ’em out, stretch ’em out and get ’em back out there,’” she says. “I do a technique called Traeger, which is a rocking motion. That helps because it’s not what their bodies have been doing for the last several hours. It helps break those muscle patterns that they’ve been using and lets things loosen up and then I stretch them and get them back out there.”

Since ultramarathoners, also known as ultrarunners, are incredible athletes, most people would expect the food at an ultra event to only be healthy. Not so, says Martin.

“There’s a lot of junk food,” like soda pop, chips and candy. One staple at these longdistance runs, oddly enough, is boiled potatoes, which help prevent cramping. She adds that runners crave “either something sweet or something salty.” All food is in bite-sized pieces for easy eating, like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut in quarters and bananas cut in thirds. Getting runners back on the course is the main idea behind the aid stations.

After a runner has stopped at an aid station and maybe the bathroom, the next important stop is his or her own pit crew. The team, which can number from a couple to more than a dozen depending on the athlete, manages all the logistics for the runner, including checking hydration and carbohydrate levels, providing anti-chafing products and even deciding how long a nap should be.

For multi-day events, some runners might sleep in 45- to 90-minute increments. For a 24-hour race, a couple of five- or 10-minute naps can help battle mid-race drowsiness.

Morton relies on Mike Spinnler, director of the JFK 50 Mile, for his pit crew. “I kept Mike apprised during the [run] as to where he was in relation to the other top contenders,” Spinnler says. “Constantly letting him know who was close – Mike led from the first mile – and what the time-gaps were behind him.” He also helps Morton by moniw w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

toring the competition, telling Morton “who looked good and who didn’t.”

When Morton runs he thinks of everything but the other runners. “I think about everything under the sun,” he says. “I’m not thinking about running. I’m not thinking about where I’m at, but I go to weird places mentally. It’s like I’m not even [there]. You have out-of-body experiences; you actually feel like you’re somewhere else.”

He’s not making playlists for an iPod either. “I’ve tried to use headphones in training,” he says. “But I felt like I was giving up 50 percent of my situational awareness. And then it became annoying. I wore them in one 24-hour run. I found the music to be annoying my thoughts so I quit wearing them. I haven’t worn them in years.”

As imagined, running 172.4 miles takes some planning. Morton started training in December 2011 to prepare for the September 2012 24-hour race in Poland. His daily regimen included two 12- to 15-mile runs,

one at lunch and one after work. On weekends, he’d aim for one longer 20-mile run each day.

Beyond his daily short runs, Morton ran 100-mile races in January, March and May as well as the Badwater 135-mile ultramarathon in July. Even though he ran several 100-mile races in advance of the 24-hour race, Morton insists that excessive distance and time training isn’t necessary.

“You’re going to break yourself if once a month you’re running 24 hours in preparation,” he says. “There’s no need to do it.

Quality training with good quality mileage builds that base, gets the body efficient where it needs to be. Most of it’s mental and having confidence.”

Morton credits his age with the amazing strides he’s made in his running career.

“In the ’90s, when I was really competitive, I had speed and talent on my side, but I was weak mentally,” he says. Inclement weather or an off day could cause him to quit. Now, at the age of 41, he knows it’s

The 2012 24-Hour World Championship Was held in Poland. The 2013 race will be in the Netherlands where Morton hopes to defend his title.

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Morton follows an atypical diet high in saturated fat called Nutritional Keytosis, which consists mainly of“quality cuts of meat and good dairy.” mind over matter. “I’m older. I don’t have speed, but I have maturity and stronger mental perseverance.”

That perseverance showed in his performance at the 24-hour race. “I had a lot of confidence going in,” he says. “I knew I had the fitness, all I had to do was have good weather and not make any mental errors.” Even with sky-high confidence, Morton’s goal wasn’t to take the championship – he was after a different record.

“Winning the world championships for the year was the cake,” he says. “I would have been content coming in third in the world competition if I still had the American record. To be the first American ever to win an international 24-hour run was icing on the cake.”

In addition to the IAU World 24-Hour Run and Badwater records, Morton won and set course records at all three of the 100mile races he ran in 2012. After so many records set, what goals does he have for this year? He’d like to clinch a second individual gold at the 24-Hour World Championships as well as a team gold.

“I think I can do more,” he says. “Last year I think I ran conservative because my goal was to set the American record. So I think now that I have the record, I can run a little more reckless and get 178 [miles], 180 even.” w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 35

ing, “Just don’t tell him it’s me unless he likes it.” So a few days later, with Roberts sitting outside Lewis’ office listening to the muffled sounds of her demo through the walls, Rowan made his pitch.

When Lewis stopped the CD halfway through the first song, Roberts could feel her heart sinking. “I knew Luke well enough that when he stops it right in the middle of a song he might not like it,” Roberts remembers. “I couldn’t hear what they were saying [through the walls] but then they started playing it again and they went through a few songs.”

Rowan then left, simply telling Roberts to call him. Bursting at the seams, Rob-

Photo: Courtesy of Conway Entertainment Group

Julie Roberts by: greg girard

ulie Roberts is a traditionalist, at least in the musical sense. Accompanied by a steel guitar and stand-up bass, her “blues soaked” voice takes center stage and doesn’t disappoint on songs that take listeners back in time.

She’s a traditionalist and she’s proud of it.

“I was raised listening to Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton,” Roberts says with a clear sense of admiration. “And that’s what I love.

The more traditional country just always spoke to me – telling stories about life. They were stories about my mom, about people I knew. I’ve just always been drawn to that.”

Roberts can relate to those old-time stories of heartbreak and struggle. Her life offers a tale of tragedy and triumph, pain and strength – a story of life imitating art, and one that would have given Tammy Wynette another chart-topping ballad.

Roberts grew up in Lancaster, S.C., and has been singing for as long as she can remember. She honed her classic voice at beau-

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ty pageants, school musicals, summer festivals and theme parks – any place that would let her get on stage. In college she studied business at Belmont University in Nashville and performed at local clubs and restaurants. She was focused and driven with the singular goal of landing a record deal.

Her start in the music business could have come straight from a movie script.

Working as an assistant for Luke Lewis, then chairman of Universal Music Group in Nashville, Roberts was answering phones for a music executive by day and singing at local clubs by night. She was also working with producer Brent Rowan on a demo.

But when Rowan wanted to bring the demo to Lewis, Roberts was hesitant to say yes.

“I was always against Brent taking it to [Lewis] because when I was hired they said if you sing don’t tell us because we don’t want to know. You’re here to work,” Roberts recalls.

But Rowan kept asking and finally Roberts relented but not before say-

“

The more traditional country just always spoke to me - telling stories about life.

”

erts had enough willpower to wait until Lewis left his office and then she called.

“Brent said, ‘Well, he loved it,’” Roberts recalls. “He stopped [the demo] to ask, ‘Who is this girl, I want to meet her.’ And Brent said, ‘It’s the girl sitting right outside your office.’”

From there, Roberts’ career resembled a Texas tornado, starting with a development deal and radio tour, moving to the release of her 2004 self-titled debut album with hits “Break Down Here” and “Wake Up Older” and culminating in a flurry of award nominations, including two Horizon Award nominations from the Country Music Association, top new artist and top new female vocalists nominations from the Academy of Country Music and a breakthrough artist nomination from the CMT Awards. Suddenly she was singing her songs on “The Tonight Show” and “Good Morning America,” and performing at the Grand Ole Opry and the White House.

“It was just so much, so many opportunities I was able to do,” she says. “I’ve had a lot of those [special] moments. I remember taking a napkin from the bathroom in the White House for my mom.”

Riding a wave of success off her debut, Roberts was quickly ushered back into the studio to record her sophomore effort. But even before she laid down her first track, she felt something wasn’t quite right.

“I’d be in the middle of a show and couldn’t hold my microphone anymore,” w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

Photo: Courtesy of Conway Entertainment Group

Roberts plans several performances in 2013. For her schedule, visit www.julieroberts.com.

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Roberts wrote in a revealing 2011 blog.

“I’d have to switch the microphone between my hands, back and forth, to get through the song.” After shows, she would be signing autographs but couldn’t see what she was writing, and she was suffering from daily headaches.

So instead of focusing all of her energy on her next album, she found herself juggling studio time and doctors’ appointments. Then “one day, all of the executives of the label were going to come listen to what I had recorded so far,” she recalled in her blog. “I was so excited to see what they thought but I got called away by a neurologist to speak with me about my brain scan.

So as my label listened to my new music, I listened to this doctor tell me I have 11 lesions on my brain and that I have MS.” Roberts was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Fearful of stigma and the unknown, Roberts struggled to keep her career in focus while working hard to manage her health.

She changed her diet, steadied her sleeping habits and kept up with routine doctors’ appointments. She admitted later that one of the most difficult parts of learning about her illness was keeping it hidden.

“It was kind of a darker time period,” she says. “There was so much going on in my life and that was something that I was holding inside. And it’s hard to do when

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 37

you’re naturally so open and honest.”

For long periods, she couldn’t even listen to or perform songs from her second album, “Men and Mascara,” because it reminded her too much of that time in her life.

From recording songs that she initially felt weren’t really her style to worrying about her health, Roberts was a candle burning at both ends. “All I remember is watching my phone for a call from my doctor,” she wrote. “It was a time of my life that I think I was trying to forget. Because it wasn’t fun.”

But with time comes perspective and on a drive from Nashville to Charlotte, N.C., five years after her second album was released, Roberts listened and, as she put it, “a huge wall came down.” She realized no matter the hardship, it was part of her life and something she could not hide anymore.

“At first you just don’t know what your life is going to end up like,” she says. “But there’s a misconception that if you have MS, you can’t do this and you can’t do that. And I’m ready to prove that you can. I’m ready to move forward.”

And move forward she has, even after facing more adversity when her home was destroyed during the Nashville flood in 2010.

Her third album, “Alive,” was released in 2011 and it was her first as an independent artist.

She’s working with Tom Rickman, the awardwinning screenwriter of “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” on a screenplay about her life and she

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PHOTO: David J. Griffin/Icon SMI 953/David J. Griffin/Icon SMI/Newscom

A diagnosis of MS isn’t slowing Roberts down - she’s working on a movie about her life and plans to release her next album later this year. plans to release her next album this summer.

In her song “Stronger” Roberts sings “I fall sometimes, I crawl sometimes, I lose it all sometimes, and it makes me stronger.”

Her strength defines her spirit. “I came from a small town and I always knew I wanted to sing country music and my goal was to figure

out how to get to Nashville. I figured it out,” she says. “Then I got a record deal and I sang at the Grand Ole Opry and I’ve done all these things. That’s really what my mission has become. To prove that just because you have whatever diagnosis you have, you can live your life.”

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 39

cargo security by: greg girard

t’s a hot, humid day on the outskirts of Miami and no one at the distribution center notices the car with the dark-tinted windows on the street. The car is parked at a point with a clear view of the loading dock and it’s been there for a few days now but has seemingly melted into the concrete landscape. Trucks pull in, bump the docks and after being loaded with millions of dollars’ worth of flat-screen TVs and other electronics, hit the road for destinations across the Southeast.

Those inside the car have been patient, learning the flow and patterns of traffic in and out of the warehouse. And this day is much the same – trucks arriving empty and leaving with a full load. Just before noon, another truck pulls out, packed with high-end cargo, but this time the car on the street follows. It’s a guessing game for the men inside

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the car, as they don’t know the truck’s destination or when it will next stop. But it’s a game they’ve played many times before, and they don’t care what the load’s final destination is because they know it will never arrive.

“They don’t care if it goes 20 miles, 200 miles or 400 miles,” says JJ Coughlin, vice president of the Supply Chain Information Sharing and Analysis Center (SC-ISAC). “At some point in time [the truck] has to stop.

And when it does, they’ll steal the whole rig within 90 seconds and are gone.”

Cargo crime accounts for an estimated $20 billion a year in losses in the United States. It is big business for organized crime.

Anything that can be sold or “fenced” is a potential target, including electronics, metals, beverages, food and clothing. Food, on average, is the most stolen commodity on

the road.

“Food is easy to fence. There are no serial numbers and no way to track or trace it,” Coughlin says. “And a lot of times [the thieves] have buyers ahead of time that are willing to take the product. Anything people can consume.”

Cargo in hand, the thieves have one more step before fencing the merchandise. “Because of covert tracking we do in the trailer, what they’ll do is steal it, move it 10 or 20 miles to an area where it’s not out of place – behind a mall, at a truck stop – and they’ll set it there and do surveillance on it to see if the police come,” says Coughlin. “Then if the police don’t come, they’ll put [their own] tractor on the trailer and take off.

And every moment that ticks by, the likelihood increases the cargo will never be found. “If you don’t get that cargo recovered in 16 hours of the theft, you’ll probably never see it again,” adds Coughlin.

Inherently, the supply chain – the path a product takes from production to the consumer – is rife with opportunities for criminals. The television in most of America’s homes has potentially crossed an ocean on a ship, made stops at several warehouses and transfer yards managed by several different companies, been pulled by three or four tractors owned by different carriers, and taken a train ride before anyone pushes the “On” button. It only takes one wrong move somewhere during those exchanges for a vulnerability to present itself to opportunistic thieves.

“So when you think about the complexity of that and all the opportunity or gaps in that supply chain, and those gaps being taken advantage of by thieves, your first reaction is to let your eyes roll in the back of your head,” says Walt Fountain, director of security at Schneider National. “But your second reaction is to say we need to get coordinated and synchronized to make sure that cargo is safe.”

For the past eight years, Fountain has been working with Schneider’s customers in finding proactive solutions to cargo theft.

And he says it simply comes down to communication and understanding.

“It’s about how do we create better security in the supply chain, which is good for everybody,” he says. “We’re not talking about whiz-bang technology and additions to people’s equipment. We’re generally not talking about hard dollar investments either.

We really find that 85 to 90 percent of what needs to get done is no- or low-cost procedural changes and adjustments.”

So before a load gets moved, Schneider brings together the driver, the driver’s leader and the customer service representative for a five-minute talk about the load, what w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

the customer expects and any details that can mitigate unexpected problems. Fountain says they simply “have conversations upfront.

It’s no big deal and everyone gets on the same page.” Then the customer is notified of who the driver is and when the load will arrive.

An essential element of this process, of course, is providing the driver with as much information as he or she needs to safely deliver the cargo, something Fountain says is not the norm for the industry yet.

“We provide our drivers with the information we believe they need to be able to operate safely and securely,” he says. “I know some in our industry like to hold back information and they don’t tell their drivers what they’re hauling because there’s some concern about collusion or inside job. [But] if I can’t trust my driver with that information, then I need to find a different driver.”

According to FreightWatch International’s annual cargo theft report, there are a number of ways thieves steal cargo, from hijackings to deceptive pickups (where thieves pose as drivers for legitimate companies) to drivers stealing the load. But the most common type of theft, by an overwhelming 85 percent, is the theft of vulnerable loaded trailers and containers. It makes sense, then, to give drivers the necessary information to protect the load.

“Having the awareness of what the targets are gives you a much better chance of knowing if you’re going to be a target,” explains Coughlin. “If you’re carrying hay in Texas and there’s no drought, you probably don’t have to worry, but if you’re carrying flat-screen TVs, you probably need to have a better idea about leaving your stuff unattended.”

Along with having the proper information, drivers also need to be aware of their surroundings. “The main thing is if you’re carrying high-value loads and you’re going to leave your rig unat-

According to the Supply Chain ISAC, California, Texas, Illinois, New Jersey and Florida are the states that consistently report the most theft each year.

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High Value Load Security Tips • Arrive fully fueled and plan to drive at least 200 miles before stopping.

• Always padlock the trailer.

• Stay with the truck at all times where feasible. In all cases, avoid extended times away from the truck and trailer.

• Loads moving with team drivers must have one driver in the truck with the load at all times.

• Park load up against a wall or other stationary object.

When intending to be away from load for more than 30 minutes, disconnect from the trailer, park tractor in front of trailer, and use king pin lock.

• Toll routes may be used on high value loads following coordination and approval from your leader/dispatcher.

• Relay the load only at approved high value locations.

• No high value load may be taken through the house.

• Check trailer doors for intact seal and padlock before you depart any location where you made a stop (for any reason).

• Immediately report any load issues, break of seal, missing seal, or loss.

• Report any suspicious behavior (loiterers, tailing, etc.) to police.

Personal Safety and Protection: • When visiting a travel center, lock your doors when leaving your tractor. When in your truck, weave seat belt through inside door handles and lock your doors.

• Always use your mirrors to check inside and outside your tractor before exiting.

• Look out your windows to make sure there are no surprises waiting for you when you leave.

• Avoid walking between parked trucks, which provide ample hiding space for those wishing to prey on the unsuspecting.

• Carry a flashlight to light your way.

• Always have your keys out when returning to your truck.

• Watch out for potential hijacking risks. If you think you are being followed, call 911.

• Don’t share information about your load or destina tion with strangers. Be careful to not be overheard on the phone or talking to your teammate.

• Pay attention to surroundings. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it – report to your leader.

• Trust your instincts!

• Trip plan all your stops in advance, avoid theft hot spots, and keep your leader informed.

Courtesy of Schneider National

tended, put your immobilization and security devices in place,” Coughlin says. “Have the awareness of how thieves operate and what to do.” Running in to go to the bathroom and grab something to drink provides all the time thieves need to steal the cargo. “I’ve seen them do it in less than 30 seconds,” he adds.

There’s an understanding by the industry that completely eliminating cargo theft is virtually impossible with 3 million trucks on the road, but the idea is to work as an industry to make it as difficult as possible for thieves to take the cargo. Communication within the supply chain, situational awareness of the drivers and following security procedures will go a long way toward that effort. w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 43

Photo: Dave Nemo/ courtesy of Road Dog Trucking

road dog trucking by: jennifer pencek

isteners tuning in to Road Dog Trucking, a talk radio channel on SiriusXM Radio, are getting an education about what life on the road is really like.

Even the channel’s hosts admit being a part of the channel has opened their eyes to the life of the professional truck driver.

“I really got into trucking when I realized how much economic news is reflected in trucking,” says Meredith Ochs, co-host of “Freewheelin’ with Meredith Ochs and Chris T.,” a Road Dog Trucking show airing weekdays at 11 a.m. EST. “Then I got into the stories of truckers themselves. I recently did a man-on-the-street piece where I went outside our studio and asked people what the first thing they thought of was when it came to truck drivers. People said hardworking, loyal and honest. I want to show how the image of truck driving is changing.”

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And that’s what “Freewheelin’” is about – a show that looks at truck driving as a lifestyle and culture, as well as one of the most important jobs in the country. Celebrity guests – from actors and politicians to major recording artists and authors – visit the New York City studio often, but truck drivers are always the focus.

Hosts of the nine shows on Road Dog Trucking cover the plethora of subjects relevant to the trucking community, whether it’s politics, economics, social issues or funny situations from the road. While geared toward the professional driver, hosts encounter people with no ties to the trucking community who are nevertheless drawn to the channel.

“We get a lot of calls from people who have become regular listeners and follow us on Facebook and Twitter,” says Chris Tsakis,

co-host with Ochs. “People stay with us the entire three hours. Some people still have the idea of the truck driver being from a small Midwestern town, but the show opens their eyes that everything they’re into has ties to trucking and it’s not a small-town thing.”

Before becoming on-air partners, Tsakis and Ochs admit they never really took the time to think about issues impacting truck drivers. In fact, they sometimes considered professional drivers annoying, with those big rigs taking up space on the road and passing cars. That all changed when they were given the chance to host the show after years in professional radio.

While Ochs and Tsakis cover serious topics, they also have a lot of fun and try to give listeners some light-hearted entertainment.

Part of that involves interviews with people some would not think had ties to truck driving, including “Jersey Shore’s” own Snooki.

“A lot of our guests know more about trucking than you’d think,” Ochs says. “Snooki’s dad was a truck driver.”

Attracting both celebrities and “regular folk” is part of the appeal of Road Dog Trucking. In 2003, Sirius launched its dedicated truckers channel Sirius Trucking Network, which retained its name until March 2006, when the channel was renamed Road Dog Trucking. In 2009, the Sirius channel’s programming merged with the programs heard on XM Radio’s Open Road to offer listeners one-stop shopping for trucking-related news and issues. Because the channel is part of a subscriber service, there is no breakdown of listeners or ratings per channel or show. However, Sirius is the world’s largest radio broadcaster measured by revenue and has 23.9 million subscribers.

One of the radio personalities on the channel credited with drawing in a diverse set of listeners is Dave Nemo, who hosts his own live call-in program from his Nashville studio weekdays at 7 a.m. EST. Featured segments include financial and business advice, equipment issues and health. Practical advice aside, what listeners hear when they tune into Nemo’s show is a man passionate about truck driving, a love he developed in the 1960s.

It was then that Nemo and his high school friend Sydney Schraeder were on a road trip in Nemo’s 1958 VW Beetle from New Orleans to visit Schraeder’s home in Beaumont, Texas, and they found themselves stranded.

“We were a couple of high school kids out on the road for the first time so naturally we ran out of gas,” Nemo recalls. “The very first trucker to come down the road stopped and gave me a lift to the nearest gas station.

It was impressive climbing up into that cab and I don’t think he or I realized that his A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 45

kindness would make such an impression in my life.”

In his senior year in college, Nemo landed a part-time job at WWL radio in New Orleans. After graduation, Nemo enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Seoul, South Korea, assigned to the Armed Forces Korea Network at Radio Gypsy.

“It was incredible,” Nemo recalls. “My show was on from 6 p.m. to midnight. We called it ‘Nemo’s Nitebeat.’ The guys working at Radio Gypsy were all seasoned radio disc jockeys and we ate, drank, and slept radio, radio, radio. I learned so much there that I’m still using bits of knowledge that I picked up in the Army.”

While Nemo was in the Army, Charlie Douglas, with the help of WWL program director John Pela, started the “Road Gang,” the first radio program aimed directly and solely to the over-the-road professional truck driver. When Nemo returned to WWL, he and Douglas hit it off.

“This was the early 1970s, and country music was almost nonexistent at that time in New Orleans,” Nemo says. “I had listened to country music as a kid and played drums in a local band playing both rock and country. Charlie needed a second host for the show and as they say, the rest is history.”

Thirty years later, Nemo continues the same tradition of service, friendship and camaraderie.

“Like everyone and everything else, we’ve had our ups and downs,” he says. “The drivers have always been there for us.”

Now Road Dog Trucking hosts are trying to return the favor.

Take Tim Ridley, for example. He says his father first piqued his interest in truck driving when he accompanied his father on trips and got a glimpse of what life as a truck driver really entailed.

Photo: Tim Ridley

Tim Ridley relies on his professional truck driving background and his doctorate in Christian education to connect with drivers.

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Photo: Courtesy of Road Dog Trucking

Meredith Ochs and Chris Tsakis address the serious issues of trucking on their show while still trying to have a little fun.

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Now many years later, Ridley, a former trucking professional, aims to “bring back the unity and camaraderie” of truck driving. “The Tim Ridley Show” – featuring both fun tidbits and newsworthy topics – airs from Nashville weekdays at 5 a.m. EST. “My goal is to bring people together and to motivate,” he says.

Ridley is not your typical radio host. Since the 1980s, when he received his chauffeur’s license and started driving a truck professionally, he has worked as a company driver, an owner-operator, a small fleet owner, a recruiter and a terminal manager. His background also includes studies in Christian education.

He has a bachelor of science degree in biblical science, a master’s degree in divinity, and recently earned his doctorate in Christian education.

“The two go hand-in-hand,” Ridley says of his Christian and trucking-related interests. “With my Christian education, it helps me to be able to go further with motivating and people feel no matter what they’re going through, it’s going to be all right, and there is a sense of peace just because of the calmness in my voice.”

While the show is not about Christianity, Ridley says his background helps give him the ability to counsel and help people cope with various situations.

“Sometimes people don’t realize what drivers deal with on a day-to-day basis,” he says. “I feel my education helps me to help them cope with what they’re going through.”

Tune in yourself on SiriusXM, channel 106. www.siriusxm.com/roadogtrucking.

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 47

Outdoor cooking

Cajun Apple Pork INGREDIENTS: 2 3/4-inch boneless pork chops 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning 1 tablespoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon ground pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 apple, thinly sliced

Cajun Apple Pork

DIRECTIONS: Mix together Old Bay Seasoning, Cajun seasoning, garlic salt and pepper. Mix sliced apples with lemon juice.

BY: Mac and the Big cheese

Mike: Sweet and spicy, kinda like the relationship I have with my cooking partner, Mac.

er, because it’s the perfect glaze to top this recipe off with as you plate it for feasting.

MaC: More like sweet and sour!

your mouth like it’s going out of style. I’m surprised that you don’t just tie the plate to your face and use it like a feedbag.

Mike: This cinnamon apple Cajun pork

MaC: Feasting? You shovel this food in

recipe is savory and delicious, like our live shows with a little touch of class and sophistication.

Mike: I’m trying to be elegant here, with a touch of class. Why do you ruin everything?

MaC: There is nothing sophisticated about you. In fact, you are a filthy animal and should be caged next to the orangutans.

MaC: You’re not fooling anyone. Folks, make this meal and find some new friends, because sometimes you have to get rid of the old ones.

Mike: The one thing that we can agree on is the sweetness and the spiciness complement each other perfectly in this great Dutch oven outdoor recipe for any tailgate or campfire meal with friends and family. Make sure to save the sauce that is created when these two ingredients cook evenly with each oth-

Mike: We were never friends.

MaC: See what I mean? Try this recipe; you will love it.

Coat boneless pork with olive oil and rub with seasoning mix on both sides, completely covering the pork chop. In a saute pan, sear both sides of the pork chop on a high heat, about 2 minutes each side, and remove.

Lay apple slices on the bottom of the pie tin and lay pork chops on top of apples. Place pie tin inside the Dutch oven. Place 8 coals on the bottom of the Dutch oven and 16 coals on top and bake for 30 minutes.

If you are baking at home, prepare in a glass baking dish and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.

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A P R. 2013

The Bronzing of T-Rex R

V travel offers up so many pleasant experiences and exciting places to visit that they are almost too numerous to write about. The key word there is of course “almost.” In our travels over the years, Cassie and I have found so many unique destinations and one in particular we discovered quite by accident in Tucumcari, N.M. – a name that just seems to roll off the tongue.

Tucumcari is located on the old Main Street of America, Route 66, and has the rich history of this country oozing from its asphalt streets. We were looking for a local mom-and-pop restaurant for lunch when Cassie, our scout, said, “I wonder what that is,” pointing to a small green sign that read “Dinosaur Museum.” Just a block off Main Street, we figured anything dinosaur-related trumps food, so we found a nice place to park the RV and headed to the museum. Having seen fossils around the country, usually through glass or otherwise untouchable, I was expecting the same in Tucumcari.

One step into this museum and I knew it was different. The museum is a part of Mesalands Community College, which has the mission of promoting the paleontological history of the area. What is remarkable about this museum, and what hits you the moment you enter, is the skeletons and fossils are entirely bronzed. Yep, full-size replicas of everyone’s favorite dinosaurs, every bone, rib, joint, tooth and claw, all

BY: CHAD BLAKE

done in bronze. This is so neat for kids because they can touch and feel the skeletons without damaging the fossils. And it’s pretty neat for us big kids too.

The college has its own foundry and they teach students how to use the “lost wax process” to create the molds used to cast the bronze replicas from bones dug out of the nearby mountains. The process involves pouring molten metal into a wax mold of the bones. The wax mold then melts away, leaving an exact shape of the object in metal.

And let me tell you, this method of preservation makes the skeletons look eerily alive. One look at those shiny teeth

Bronze cast of Postosuchus, which lived 210-215 million years ago, and was named for the area in which it was originally found, around Post, Texas.

and claws, and I guarantee there will be hair moving along the nape of your neck.

The fact that you can touch these skeletons adds a whole new dimension to the viewing experience. You are no longer just walking by and reading the description of the animal, but also rubbing your hands over the bones, giving you a much more intimate connection with the natural history of our country.

There is only one way to feel this connection, though, so be sure to put Tucumcari on your bucket list of towns and visit the Mesalands Community College Dinosaur Museum. The Tucumcari Chamber of Commerce will give you a warm welcome to the neighborhood.

A bronze cast of a Triceratops horridus skull from South Dakota.

FACT - There does not have to be a negative link between snacking and your weight. Weight is affected by calories in versus calories out. Snacking sensibly can actually help you to avoid weight gain by curbing overeating at meals.

Myth - To snack healthfully, you have to give up the foods you like to snack on.

FACT - Most foods can be incorporated into a healthy snack. If chips or sweets are your thing, make sure to combine them with nutritious foods and keep portion sizes in check.

Healthy Snacks

healthy snack attacks by: linda mcgirr Linda McGirr is a Registered Dietitian and certified Dietitian-Nutritionist

owing to quit snacking between meals is common among dieters and resolution makers. On the surface it makes sense to cut out those snacking calories, which can really add up throughout the day. But is simply cutting out snacks realistic? And does it make healthy sense?

Dieters often make the mistake of cutting out snacks only to overeat at mealtime. And the ashes of failed New Year’s resolutions to give up snacking often occur right around football playoff time. Who can resist those buffalo wings and nachos?

Is snacking really such a bad habit? It doesn’t have to be. With a little effort, it can actually become a good thing. A good rule is to snack only when you are hungry. Since

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you may not always get a chance to include a wide variety of foods at your meals, snacking can be a way to supplement your meals to ensure that you get all the healthy foods that your body needs. So why do people think of snacking as taboo? Probably because of some of the myths that exist about eating between meals. Let’s disband a few of these.

Myth - Snacking ruins your appetite.

FACT - As long as your snack is a healthy por-

tion and is eaten two or three hours before your meal, it should have no negative effect on your appetite.

Myth - Snacking makes you gain weight.

Here’s a simple definition: A healthy snack has some nutritional value but is not too high in calories and fat. A good guideline for keeping snacks healthy is to limit them to one to two snacks per day and to 200 calories or less per snack. Portion sizes are important. Including two food groups in your snacks is a good way to ensure that you will get some nutritional benefit. Here’s how to use the food groups to plan healthy snacks: • Whole grains. Choose low-fat, whole-grain crackers, whole-grain pretzels or unbuttered popcorn. Follow the guidelines on the pack age to keep the serving to one portion. One serving is usually about 80 calories.

• Dairy foods. Choose low-fat versions of cheese, yogurt and milk. Stay away from yo gurts with lots of added sugar by choosing the “light” variety. Limit cheese to a one-ounce serving, and milk and yogurt to a one-cup por tion per snack. One serving has about 100 calories.

• Fruit. You can choose from fresh, frozen or canned fruits. Purchase the light or “packed in its own juice” variety of canned fruits. A typi cal serving of fruit contains about 60 calories.

• Vegetables. Always keep some raw veggies on hand for a snack attack. Because they are high in fiber, they make you feel full. A single serving of veggies contains only about 25 calories. Eat with salsa or low-fat dips for add ed flavor.

• Proteins. Nuts and seeds are good sources of protein, but remember that they are high in calories. Limiting your portion to 15 nuts or 1 tablespoon of seeds is a good guideline for a snack. Either of these provides about 100 calories.

• Fats. Fat is high in calories. When choosing a snack, try to stay under 3 grams of fat per serving.

Portable Two-Food Group Snacks

Snacks that contain two food groups are more likely to satisfy the need for flavor and ease your hunger at the same time. With a little planning and preparation, you can have A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 51

Snacking doesn’t have to be unhealthy. The right snack foods can help keep your body and mind running strong throughout the day. healthy snacks ready when the temptation strikes. Here are examples of healthy snacks that you can keep with you while on the road: • 1/4 cup dried cranberries and 10 peanuts with a few choco- late chips – 200 calories • 1 tablespoon peanut butter and five whole-grain crackers – 180 calories • 20 baked tortilla chips and 1 cup salsa – 105 calories • 1 ounce low-fat cheese and an apple – 160 calories • 3 cups low-fat, plain microwav able popcorn and 1/2 cup orange juice – 140 calories • 1 cup of whole-grain cereal and 1 cup of low-fat milk – 180 calories • 1 cup of raw vegetables with 1 cup low-fat yogurt dip – 125 calories • Half of a 6-inch pita bread pocket with 2 1/2 tablespoons hummus – 170 calories • Microwaved baked potato with 1 ounce shredded low-fat cheese – 180 calories

Healthy Snacks on the Fly

If you find yourself unprepared when hunger strikes you don’t have to let that lead you to poor snack choices. Vending machines

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and convenience stores may carry a lot of junk food, but there are usually some healthier choices as well. The labels will tell you how many portions each package contains. Remember the twofood-group guideline and pay attention to labels to help keep your snack below 200 calories.

Look for some of these healthy food items in the machines or on the shelves.

• Peanuts or peanut butter • Granola bars • Baked chips • Fresh fruit • 100 percent fruit juice • Trail mix • Raisins • Pretzels • Whole-wheat crackers • Plain popcorn • Soy nuts • Fruit smoothies • Bagels • Instant oatmeal • Low-fat milk • Small cans of water packed tuna Snacking doesn’t have to be eliminated when you’re watching what you eat. And now that spring has arrived, and fresh foods will be plentiful, continue to follow a healthy eating plan and let the healthy snacking continue.

w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

ticking time bomb

by: brenda potts

f you spend any time outdoors, you probably encounter ticks. Inside some of these tiny creatures is a ticking time bomb. Often called “the great imitator” because its symptoms can mimic more than 300 other afflictions, Lyme disease is becoming more prevalent as awareness grows. What may begin as flu-like symptoms can manifest over time, into a dangerous, often misdiagnosed, and sometimes debilitating illness.

Not all ticks carry disease, but those carrying the bacteria that causes Lyme disease are relatively easy to encounter.

Hiking, camping, hunting, fishing or just walking in your back yard may expose you to these ticks. The primary culprit is the black-legged tick, often called deer ticks. Most people believe deer are the primary host of these ticks but rodents, especially mice, are the main source of blood meals for these ticks. When ticks are in the larval stage, feeding on rodents and other animals carrying the bacteria can infect them.

When the tick enters the next phase, the nymph stage, it is no bigger than a freckle and often goes unnoticed when feeding on a human host. We sometimes call them seed ticks at this stage of their life cycle. Generally occurring in spring and summer, this is the time when most humans are infected. The tick needs to feed on a host for a few hours to transfer the bacteria. Since the nymphs are so tiny, they may go unnoticed for several hours to a few days. This increases the odds of passing along a tick-borne disease to humans. Adult ticks also carry the infection, but because of their larger size, are more often found before they are able to feed long enough to pass the bacteria.

Initial signs of infection are the tick bite surrounded by a red circular rash.

This rash may appear at the bite site or

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elsewhere on the body. But in some cases, no rash is found. Early symptoms mimic the flu. Fatigue, fever, chills, headache, muscle and joint pain and swollen lymph nodes are early indicators.

Late Lyme disease symptoms may appear weeks, months or even years after a bite. These include arthritis-like pain and swelling, most often in the knees or large joints, and nervous system symptoms such as numbness, pain, nerve paralysis, stiff neck, severe headaches, sleep disturbances and memory problems. Some patients describe it as a mental fog. Different people exhibit different symptoms. In extreme, advanced cases, Lyme disease can mimic lupus, celiac disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, viral infections and neurological diseases – even HIV. Diagnosis can be tricky and requires a history of possible exposure to ticks, signs and symptoms and the results of blood tests used to detect antibodies to the Lyme disease bacterium. Some in the medical community disagree on the reality of chronic Lyme disease. Other medical professionals even refuse to diagnose or treat the condition. And opinions vary widely on the proper course of treatment when a diagnosis has been made.

If you have gone misdiagnosed, consult a Lyme-literate doctor for testing. But, of course, the best way to avoid Lyme disease is prevention. Treat clothing and gear with products containing permethrin; spray yourself with products containing DEET; shower or bathe as soon as possible upon coming indoors; conduct tick checks; remove ticks quickly and properly; and avoid tick-infested areas. These are your best defenses against this ticking time bomb. For more info visit www.cdc. gov/Lyme.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 53

PHOTO: Jared C. Tilton/NASCAR

Listen to Claire B. Lang’s radio show on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.

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NASCAR buffet

by: claire b. lang

very month I take you on a magic carpet ride behind the scenes on the road with the traveling show we call the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. This month, I thought I’d give you a good old truck stop buffet of tidbits for your reading pleasure. Strap in and hang on!

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Burning the midnight oil in 2013: No rest for the weary on the No. 48 team

Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 crew chief, Chad Knaus, said his team worked at least 35 days straight on his superspeedway car. “I know I put in personally 38 hours straight,” he told us. “I actually sent Jimmie a text saying ‘I’ve seen 6:48 three times today and haven’t been to bed yet.’”

Would you spin to win in 2013? Carl Edwards wants it bad Would the Fastenal driver do like some we saw early in the season and spin another driver to win? Never say never when it comes to these Sprint Cup Series racers.

“You can’t put guys like me or like these other guys out here in that race, you can’t put us in race cars and expect us to play nice all the time,” Edwards says with a chuckle. “I mean, there are gonna be times when you just say, ‘Hell with it. I’m going to win this race,’ or ‘I’m going to get that guy back.’ That is just the way this sport is. It shows that this sport is real and that we’ve all got some serious motivation.”

Jimmie Johnson’s teammate Chandra: The woman behind the 5-time winner

Jimmie Johnson credits his wife, Chandra, for his sense of stability. Recently, I had a rare chance to interview her about what it was like for her to watch her husband pull off his second Daytona 500 win. “I was in a pretzel in our motor home (watching the race),” she says. Their daughter Genevieve Marie was napping. “I had to wake her up with like five to go,” Chandra recalls.

“I was shaking. Really, I mean I couldn’t even put her shoes on I was shaking so bad. She started yelling, ‘Go, Daddy, go,’

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on the last lap. I was in a knot ... I wish I had that on video.” The crew guys are used to this waif-like tiny girl nicknamed “Evie” getting under the car or playing with lug nuts. “A little mechanic, I think,” says Chandra, smiling proudly. And yes, her initials are GM!

My 2013 NASCAR Celeb Diary: Rapper 50 Cent and Ray Lewis talk NASCAR.

I was starting a live interview with rapper 50 Cent at Daytona when former Baltimore Raven Ray Lewis walked straight into the interview to say hi to the rapper. “You can’t miss it on television,” 50 Cent says of NASCAR, adding, “Everybody, I think, would like to be able to control an actual vehicle at that pace and speed. There is a lot of skill involved in (NASCAR) so I respect it and I wanted to come check it out.

There’s so many rules involved and just the technical portion of controlling yourself at those actual points is amazing.” As for Lewis, he was there taking in “all there is to see. Just the excitement of the actual race.”

Michael Waltrip Racing driver Mark Martin’s Twitter handle, @55markmartin, jumped 3,000 followers after 50 Cent, who sat on his pit box during the race, tweeted a picture and referred to Martin as the “OG” (Original Gangster) of the Daytona 500.

Jitters, anyone? Do drivers get nervous before big races?

Ryan Newman isn’t easily rattled. “I wouldn’t say jitters. There’s an emotion to it, but I wouldn’t say jitters. Not like I’m nervous. Not like I have the butterflies.

Part of me is excited, but I have to control that excitement. Part of me is anticipating but I have to control that anticipation,” he explains.

That’s a wrap on some tidbits so far this season and we’re only three months in. I hope you liked the buffet. Come along with me as I travel the circuit following the NASCAR 2013 season and I’ll see you out on the road. w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

by: mike howe Follow Mike on Twitter: @TruckingDC • Like Mike on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TruckingPoliticsMore

t was back in January when U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced that he would not serve a second term in the Obama administration. It was only a few weeks later, on Valentine’s Day, that he announced the establishment of the National Freight Advisory Committee. In doing so, he elevated the importance of freight movement, and therefore infrastructure improvements.

Whether this will be a fruitful effort remains to be seen, but it is an intriguing start.

The purpose of the committee is to provide recommendations aimed at improving the national freight transportation system. LaHood recognized that a strong freight transportation system is critical to the nation’s economy and essential for helping meet Obama’s goal of doubling U.S. exports by 2015. “Our freight system is the lifeblood of the American economy,” LaHood said in announcing the committee. “We must ensure that our freight system is stronger and better connected.”

Interestingly, this committee comes as a result of the passage of the recent transportation bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21). That bill established a national freight policy and called for the creation of a national freight strategic plan.

In a March 2012 Challenge Magazine exclusive, LaHood commented on the need for a long-term funding bill, saying “There’s no doubt that America needs a long-term highway-funding bill. Without funding certainty, communities across the country can’t plan for their long-term transportation needs and critical infrastructure projects remain undone.”

At the time, LaHood was optimistic Congress and the White House could come up with a long-term bill. “This is an area that’s traditionally had bipartisan support in Congress,” he said, “and I’m hopeful we can reach an agreement ….”

Despite the wishes of LaHood, Congress must still continue efforts to move forward, especially after Obama called for a doubling of U.S. exports by 2015. The committee will ultimately provide recommendations to the secretary of transportation on how DOT can improve its freight transportation policies and programs.

It’s unlikely all committee members will agree, so developing a comprehensive freight policy will be a challenge. This is especially

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true given the size – 25 voting members – of the committee. Each will have their unique perspective on freight transportation and will be tasked with accomplishing their goals with only three meetings a year.

According to the DOT announcement, “The collaboration of stakeholders will serve to promote involvement and compliance with proposed plans and performance measures.

The effort will support the implementation of larger freight policy initiatives, including the department’s Freight Policy Council, an internal body of DOT leadership created by LaHood to facilitate cross-modal implementation of MAP-21 freight provisions.”

In addition, the DOT is proposing to begin a process to designate national freight networks. The idea, according to the DOT statement, is “to better focus attention on the highways most critical to the movement of goods.

The secretary will designate the most critical existing interstates and roads as the primary freight network. This network will consist of up to 27,000 miles of existing interstate and other roadways. It will also include the possible addition of 3,000 miles of existing and planned roadways necessary for the efficient movement of goods in the future.”

The movement of freight is not a new concern for LaHood. In the same Challenge Magazine feature referenced earlier, LaHood addressed TIGER grants saying, “These investments aren’t just helping to create livable and sustainable communities – they’re also improving freight movement, reducing congestion on our roadways, and building connections between multiple forms of transportation.”

But will this National Freight Advisory Committee accomplish what it is expected to? The committee should ultimately reach consensus on a variety of issues and make their recommendations to the secretary. What becomes of those recommendations is where things become interesting.

We have all heard of advisory committees, policy committees and ad hoc commissions that have developed recommendations and policies, yet the pages filled with the recommendations and policies simply collect dust on a bookshelf. Just ask the Simpson-Bowles Commission how well their deficit reduction recommendations were received. w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

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Give Me Sleep

s I was lying under my trailer last month, with the rain pouring down and a steady stream of wet Georgia clay seeping onto every part of my body while I worked to fix an axle, all I could think of was sleep. I just felt exhausted. It wasn’t Georgia on my mind, it was my bed.

Now maybe it was because I had been under the trailer for hours along a particularly unwelcome stretch of highway and I just didn’t want to do it anymore. Or it could have been the weather and that I was starting to look like some B movie mud monster emerging from a swamp. But really I knew it was my schedule catching up to me. Long days and nights, and grabbing a few hours of sleep here and there. I just wasn’t feeling healthy anymore.

Anyone who has ever driven a truck knows the challenges of staying healthy. It’s an uphill

by: charles pope

climb. We sit most of the day and when we do get a break to grab something to eat or visit the restroom, it has to be fast. Truck drivers live in a bizzaro world – constantly in motion while sitting still most of the time. It’s not surprising, then, that many of us struggle to stay healthy. At times even sleeping feels like an afterthought to managing our schedules. And apparently sleep is as important to healthy living, if not more so, than diet and exercise.

A study at UC Berkeley found that when people don’t sleep enough it impairs their ability to decide what foods are best to eat.

Really, we needed a study for this? They could have saved a lot of time and money just by asking a few truck drivers. I can’t count how many times I’ve stopped to get some food and was too tired to think about what I was grabbing, let alone look at calories or trans fat levels. My only thought

was to get something easy and quick.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration commissioned a study comparing split sleep schedules to consolidated sleep schedules for truck drivers. The FMCSA wanted to know if a certain sleep schedule impacts a driver’s overall well-being and ability to operate a truck safely. They found that drivers who get consolidated sleep during the day are sleepier and often get less sleep than those that either split sleep or sleep at night.

Again, drivers could have told the FMCSA this. A couple of years ago I ran a schedule where I was sleeping during the day. It was a two-month stretch of limited daylight and by the end of it I was staggering around like some kind of zombie. I barely knew what day of the week it was. And my eating habits during that time? Well, what do you think?

Do you have an industry issue you would like to gripe about? Send it to editor@ptcchallenge.com.

Simpson Springs Station, Tooele County, Utah

Photos: Courtesy National Park Service

National trails

by: marion kelly

o matter where you are in the United States, there’s a good chance you’re not far from a national trail. In 1968, Congress enacted the National Trails System Act, ensuring the creation of trails that showcase our country’s unique beauty and the preservation of historic trails that shaped our way of life. We’ve put together a list of national scenic and historic pathways that play an important part of preserving our country’s past and future. Since all the trails cover multiple states and traverse through national parks and forests, admission fees vary. Check online before visiting.

N

The Pony Express National Historic Trail

Covering almost 2,000 miles and eight states, the Pony Express National Historic Trail honors an 18-month period in our postal service history. The unofficial post office tagline “Neither snow nor rain nor heat …” was probably written for the Pony Express riders, who could carry mail from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento, Calif., in a mere 10 days – a trip that normally took months for wagons in 1860. Changing horses and riders every 15 miles at relay stations along the route, these riders truly provided the most efficient means of communication (before the telegraph) between the east and west, and some say they are responsible for aligning California with the Union before the Civil War. Visit some of the relay stations along the

58 C H A L L E N G E A P R I L 2 0 1 3

trail and marvel at the dedication and stamina of some of our earliest postal carriers. http://www.nps.gov/poex

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

Established in 1978, the Continental Divide Trail follows the division of the Pacific Ocean watersheds from the Arctic and Atlantic watersheds. Following parts of the Rocky Mountains, the trail covers more than 3,000 miles between Montana and New Mexico. Considered a moderate to strenuous hike – and with all those mountains, “strenuous” is understandable – the CDNS trail is ideal for long-distance hikers looking for a challenge. Don’t forget to adjust for the altitude change. Lots of horseback riding opportunities abound on this trail as well.

While it is open year-round, visitors heading north on the trail should check it out in the springtime. http://www.fs.fed.us/cdt/

their way via the Oregon Trail in pursuit of the American dream, a piece of land to call their own. Because of the number of American settlements, the British ceded the territory to the United States in 1846. The 2,170 miles of trail tell a fascinating story of the early American families that gave up everything for the promise of a better future. Follow their footsteps by car, bike, horseback and of course by foot. Wagons optional. http://www.nps.gov/oreg/

The Oregon National Historic Trail

At the turn of the 19th century, the western border of the U.S. extended only to the Mississippi River. After the Louisiana Purchase a few years later, that border was pushed to the Rocky Mountains, but left Oregon, Washington and Idaho in the hands of the British. Unhappy with the grip the old country still held, thousands of American families, mostly new emigrants, made

The Pony express monument, at Julesburg, Colo. w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

North Country National Scenic Trail

Journeying through the Adirondack Mountains in New York through the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota and the expansive plains of North Dakota, the North Country National Scenic Trail offers a medley of landscapes for nature enthusiasts. According to the website, the more than 2,000 miles of completed trails (once finished, it will span 4,500 miles) covering seven states is within a day’s drive for 40 percent of the population. The NCST passes through 12 national forests and is currently the longest scenic trail in the National Trail System.

Not up for a hike? Check out the “trail towns” along the way. These small communities offer resources and support for hikers, and many are little destination gems in their own right. http://northcountrytrail.org.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Completed in 1937 by private citizens and brought into the National Trail System in 1968, the ANST is truly the people’s path. The trail has more than 30 trail clubs

w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

Beaverhead RocK in montana, on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. and partnerships taking care of it with oversight provided by the National Park Service and the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The trail is well known for hikers attempting to trek the 2,184-mile path in a single season; only a quarter of them succeed. According to the website, the total elevation gain of hiking the entire trail is

equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 16 times. Just as truck drivers use CB handles, hikers on the trail adopt a trail name. So be on the lookout for “Eternal Optimist,” “Thunder Chicken” and “Crumb-snatcher” while on your hike. Unlike other trails, no biking or horseback riding is allowed. http://www.appalachiantrail.org/

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 59

Have an inspiring story from the road?

Maybe a poem or song? We want to share your creativity with our readers. Write down your thoughts and send it to us by mail or email (editor@ptcchallenge.com).

Submissions must be original, unpublished and created by the sender or the sender must have permission to submit. All submissions become the property of Challenge Magazine and will not be returned. Submissions may be edited and may be published or otherwise reused in any medium.

sponsored by:

So God Made A Trucker by: Dean Parker

On the ninth day, after God finished with the farmer, he looked down on his planned paradise and said, “I need the goods to move.”

So God made a trucker.

God said, “I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, inspect his equipment, fuel his truck, review the regulations, get a coffee to go, drive half the day, stop to eat supper, gaze at the menu for 15 minutes then always order a burger and coffee, drive till night, inspect his equipment again, stay up till midnight helping fellow truckers back into tight spots, help new drivers with their repairs and paperwork, then finish his own.”

blade just to save his company money.

down elderly couple.”

“To sit patiently for endless unpaid hours when picking up or delivering a load, finish his 40-hour week by Tuesday noon, paining from tractor back, then put in another 72 hours just trying to be on time while finding a way to comply with the regulations and keep his log book legal.”

So God made a trucker.

It had to be somebody who’d drive straight, slow down, be safe, not cut corners.

So God made a trucker.

So God made a trucker.

God said, “I need somebody willing to sit up at night holding the head of an injured motorist still until EMS arrives only to pronounce him deceased, dry his eyes and say, Maybe next time. Repair a leaking hose with old rubber, clamps, and few tools just to get off the road, change a plugged fuel filter, prime his pump, change a wiper

God said, “I need somebody strong enough to get the job done even if it means he can’t be home for anniversaries, children’s birthdays or major holidays, all while sleeping on a small thin mattress in the heat of summer and the cold of winter due to anti-idling laws, yet gentle enough to pull over and change a tire for a broken

60 C H A L L E N G E A P R I L 2 0 1 3

It had to be somebody who’d drive straight, slow down, be safe, not cut corners.

Somebody willing to drive through all major cities, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, somebody willing to drive all 48 states, drive across the Appalachians, the Great Plains, Tornado Alley, scale and descend the Rockies, drive overpasses named Cabbage, Grapevine, Mount Eagle, Jelico, Saluda, Wolf Creek and Deadman. Somebody willing to chain up 18 wheels, then help a fellow driver chain his, then unchain down the road, then drive across 120-degree deserts all so the goods can be on time.

Somebody who, when time allows, would pass through his hometown and who’d bale his family together with the soft, strong bonds of sharing. Who would laugh, and then sigh, and reply with smiling eyes when his son said that he wanted to spend his life doing what his dad does.

So God made a trucker. w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

The Roads I Roam

By Mark Hoag

Morning again, I’m up at dawn Gray clouds above, dew on the lawn.

Rig starts with a jump, eager to please One last prayer, down on my knees.

Road pointing west, away from the sun Two hundred miles in before the day has begun.

Storms brewing ahead, chatter on the box Caution, slow down, watch for falling rocks.

Roll in right on time, leave customer with a smile Grab a bite to eat before another mile.

Wiper blades working hard, traffic slowing down Only thinking of home, just in the next town.

Tomorrow’s Another Day

By Rachel Robertson

Just got off the phone With that trucker of mine Arguing about his absence, Missed piano recitals Doesn’t he know my heart breaks Without him in my arms That my anger is a sign Of my love and devotion But tomorrow is another day A day for the words to come out right Tell him I love him, I’m proud of him.

And that I’ll be right here, Waiting for him.

Warm lights glow from the windows of my home Never saw a better sight, away from the roads I roam.

w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 61

Word Search

Name ____________

Word Search

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1 No math is needed. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to #equal anything else. Answers are 23 published in the next issue of Challenge Magazine.

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62 C H A L L E N G E A P R I L 2 0 1 3

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editorial ACROSS The highlighted clues come52from Part of thecontent verb "to be" 1 Credulous in this issue of Challenge 53 Heat excessively Magazine.

6 Protect 54 Former Russian ruler 8 OneCover circuit 10 Let go 56 9 RDT host _____ Ridley 121 Credulous Foul-up 57 Coil 10 Last syllable of a word 11 there 146 Protect Den 59Hello Meadow 13 Single entity Let go 1510 Command to a horse 61 Chooses 17 Negative vote 12 Foul-up 1614Prefix meaning not 62Male Crack 19 cat Den 20 Command to a horse 1715 *NM Providing 63Corpulent 22 Tap gently 16 Prefix meaning not 1817Born 65Conclusion Belonging to 24 Dinosaur Museum state 26 letter of the Greek Born 1918 Twain 667th17th letter ofalphabet the Greek 27 Relinquish 19 Twain 2121Revised of Esperanto 29 Otherwise alphabet Revised form form of Esperanto 32 have 2323 II have 68Furry Ruin 34 Resembling a ram 25 Repeat 2528Repeat 70Some Rosy 35 Goatskin bag for holding wine 37 Not 74Decease Command to a horse 2830 Goatskin bag for holding 38 New Disney attraction 31 Heat of mind 76ToSeashore 40 exist 33wine Brassiere 42 Find the sum of 78Strike Having two feet 3036Not 44 Be seated 38 Eccentric shaft 79Abuse *LYME 3139Heat ofverb mind 46 Part of the to be 47 red seaweed Prefix meaning without 80Edible Also 3341Brassiere 48 Of great breadth Ocean 3642 the sum of 50 Consumed 43Find Small island 51 Preliminary statement TV award DOWN 3845Eccentric shaft 55 Drug-yielding plant Something that is owed 2Not Bone of the forearm 3947 58 off 49Part Rate of the verb to be 60 Part of themeaning verb “to be” without 3Breezy Get to know 4152Prefix 64 Young horse Heat excessively 4Upon Burrowing, carnivorous 4253 67 54Ocean Former Russian ruler 69 Being at the middle Cover mammal 4356Small island 71 Engage in espionage Coil 5InRelaxation 4557 award 72 the direction of 59TV Meadow 73 ratio between circumference Chooses 6The Termagant 4761Something that is owed diameter Crack 7and Hawaiian honeycreeper 4962 Rate 75 Perform 63 Providing

2 Bone of the forearm 3 Get to know 4 Burrowing, carnivorous mammal 5 Relaxation 6 Termagant 7 Hawaiian honeycreeper

G U L U N L A T I V M A D I D E U L O S N E P B I

77 Therefore

MARCH CROSSWORD SOLUTION

65 Belonging to 66 17th letter of the Greek alphabet 68 Ruin 70 Rosy 74 Command to a horse 76 Seashore 78 Having two feet 79 Disease spread by ticks 80 Also

H I N A C W A A K E E N E G S O A L O A N D I S T

S T E A D N D Y A N U T M D A A R R Z T I S P A A N

O R I I A L E T O B R U A N F R A S T A E N N D

Y

M R A I M P O G L M E B I E A R M P G A H Q U O L I R T Y B I E C C U S R E S U L E T P D Y

C K E R E N T R A I T E D A D S R I I N P I N N E

I M O S A O A N K E W S O A D V T I S T E O R S

8 One circuit 9 *TIM 10 Last syllable of a word 11 Hello there 13 Single entity 17 Negative vote 19 Male cat 20 Corpulent 22 Tap gently 24 Conclusion 26 7th letter of the Greek alphabet 27 Relinquish 29 Otherwise 32 Furry 34 Resembling a ram 35 Some 37 Decease 38 *CARSLAND 40 To exist 42 Strike 44 Be seated 46 Abuse 47 Edible red seaweed 48 Of great breadth 50 Consumed 51 Preliminary statement 55 Drug-yielding plant 58 Not off 60 Breezy 64 Young horse 67 Upon 69 Being at the middle 71 Engage in espionage 72 In the direction of 73 The ratio between circumference and diameter 75 Perform 77 Therefore

L L E H A I R N E N A D S B T R O O P A P D A G P E

I B A N D G E E R E C E A R A S L A M N I D D

L E S A H S C R E E E T W E D O T E M P A M I I S L A T I O T T S E A E I F R O S D Y A P O L Y

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D T I N M O R A M M I S H

A N Y D

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L O V M E Y A B R O A C H

Y E S T

E D G E O N

Answers will appear in next month’s issue and on www.ptcchallenge.com w w w. p t c c h a l l e n g e . c o m

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 C H A L L E N G E 63

garmingallery Trying For the Big One Rob and Jenni Kebler

Guardian of the Lone Tree Dennis Stock

Pier-spective

Gene Renaker

Holding Post

Jerry Woodard

honorable mention Northern Michigan A Lil’ Bit Of SnowDonnelly – Kristine Molmen Yvonne

Millersylvania State Park Audrey Stowers

These are the faces of Pilot Flying J who have excelled in customer service PTC 518

Nicole Williams Frystown, PA

A customer wrote in, “At a recent visit to your Frystown, Pa., location we had trouble with our rewards card. Nicole, an employee at the fuel desk, took the time to fix the problem even though the store was extremely busy. We have had this problem before, but no one took the time to fix it. I wanted to let you know what an exemplary employee you have in her and say thank you.”

PTC 388

Zackita Powell Meridian, MS A customer wrote in, “I came through about three weeks ago and my daughter lost a very valuable ring. Zackita was happy to help, she was so easy to get along with and she even dug through the trash to find the ring. We finally found it in the deli area by the coffee, between the carpet and the wall.”

If you would like to recognize a Pilot Flying J employee who has made your visit fast, friendly or clean, or if you have any comments, please call our customer line at 1-877-866-7378

Pilot Flying J signs on for 3rd Annual Trucking Social Media Convention Attention truck drivers! Mark your calendars for Oct. 11-13, 2013, for the 3rd Annual Truck Driver Social Media Convention, which will be held at Harrah’s Resort & Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo. Pilot Flying J is proud to be a presenting sponsor for this event that brings professional drivers and the trucking industry together by encouraging knowledge, wisdom, insight, networking, and communication.

For more information please visit the TDSMC website, www.truckingsocialmedia.com.

PFJ’s Social Media Marketing Manager Lynsay Russell and convention organizer Allen Smith.

Thanks from MATS! We would like to thank all the truck drivers who stopped by our booth at the Mid-America Trucking Show in March!

CHALLENGE coupon

on the road Fax 1 page FREE! SAVE $2 with coupon and need to send a fax?

Pilot offers user-friendly and convenient faxing services at many of our 300 Travel Center Locations. Stop in today!

Coupon is valid at participating PTC, L.L.C. Travel Center locations except in Canada. Void where prohibited. Not valid with any other offer. No cash value. One coupon per customer/per transaction only. Coupon valid 4/1/13 through 4/30/13.

cashier must scan item before scanning barcode

www.facebook.com/pilottravelcenters www.twitter.com/pilottravel The Pilot logo is a registered trademark of Pilot Travel Centers LLC.

DID YOU

$10,000 Sweepstakes Winner eid Snow and his girlfriend were looking at new cars just the week before he got the news that he won the $10,000 sweepstakes sponsored by the loyalty program at Pilot Flying J. It was perfect timing. Having recently moved back to his home state of Ohio, after almost two decades on the East Coast, Reid, Joy and their 5-year-old son are settling in to Midwest living again. Reid picked up his MyRewards card last fall when he stopped in for a cup of coffee. “I didn’t like the coffee I was getting at the other place, so I went to Pilot to get my coffee,” Snow says. And getting a card was simple. “The rewards card was right there, [signing up] didn’t involve much.” Because of that simple sign-up process, he’s $10,000 richer, which should be a nice down payment on a new car.

KNOW?

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Reid Snow and his son Izaiah holding the winning check.

MEMBER PROFILE:

Larry Bolin self-described “good ol’ country boy,” Larry Bolin has been driving for 16 years and frequenting Pilot store #353 for just as long.

Current general manager Myron Lewis has known Bolin for about half that time. “I have been around this location since October 2004 and Larry was fueling, eating, and shopping here then,” he says. “He has never left us and still purchases his convenience items from us to this day.”

Truck drivers may recognize Bolin from the October 2012 cover of Driving Force magazine, where he was recognized for 10 years of safety. Husband to Imogene and father to Larry, William and Railyn, Bolin has been a loyalty member since the program’s inception. He likes purchasing truck accessories with his accumulated points.

More than a loyal customer, Bolin, who drives for Super Service, is a part of the Pilot family.

“The cashiers and staff love him here and he has always been extremely courteous for us to cater to,” says Lewis.

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Interested in being our Customer Profile of the Month? If you’re a MyRewards card member who loves the Pilot Flying J loyalty program, we want to hear from you!

Contact us at editor@ptcchallenge.com with Customer Profile in the subject line.

You could be our next featured driver!

The Pilot logo is a registered trademark of Pilot Travel Centers LLC.

You can use your points to pay for Wandering Wi-Fi wireless Internet service.

MyRewards.pilotflyingj.com