Professional truck driver is flown to TCA’s Annual Convention and honored for his random act of kindness – helping a pregnant woman escape from a crushed car

TCA and EpicVue Name Highway Angel of the Year: Josh Grimaldi



LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Each year, the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and its partner EpicVue honor a Highway Angel of the Year who best embodies the spirit of the organization’s Highway Angel program. The 2015 “EpicAngel” is Josh Grimaldi of Springfield, Missouri, a professional truck driver for Prime, Inc., also of Springfield, Missouri.
The recognition ceremony took place Tuesday, March 8, 2016, at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. First, Lance Platt, CEO of the Salt Lake City, Utah-based EpicVue, presented Grimaldi with a trophy and prize, a complimentary EpicVue satellite TV package that includes a 24-inch flat screen TV, a DVR, and a one-year subscription to over 100 channels of DIRECTV programming, including premium channels such as HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and the NFL Sunday Ticket. Then, Nashville recording artist Lindsay Lawler, the official spokesperson of the Highway Angel program, sang one of her songs, appropriately titled “Highway Angel.”
Grimaldi’s good deed took place on a cold and snowy evening in December 2015. As he drove westbound in Nevada on I-80 over Donner Pass, Grimaldi, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, noticed a car attempting to pass him. Unfortunately, it hit an icy patch, fishtailed, hit the back of Grimaldi’s trailer, flipped several times, and finally came to a stop near the edge of the road.  Grimaldi immediately pulled over and ran to the vehicle, which had been severely crushed.
Unable to open the door, Grimaldi yelled to another motorist to call 911 and then ran back to his truck to get his flashlight, which he used to force the door open. Inside, he found a woman who appeared to be in shock. She was screaming that she was pregnant.  After several attempts to calm the injured woman down and encourage her to crawl to him, he climbed into the vehicle and lifted her out of the car.  He then carried her to a nearby embankment and began to assess her injuries. After what seemed like an eternity, another driver stopped to help—fortunately, a nurse on her way home from a nearby hospital. Grimaldi was able to leave the woman with the nurse while he placed strobe lights and reflective safety triangles around the crushed vehicle to warn other vehicles approaching the crash scene. Grimaldi then called 911 and spoke directly with the paramedics about the severity of the situation.
“Josh has only been working as a professional driver for about a year now, but he certainly made a name for himself right away,” said Robert Low, a former TCA chairman and the president and founder of Prime, Inc. “We are very pleased to call him part of our trucking family.”
EpicVue’s Platt said, “I admire what Josh did—and what all of the Highway Angels have done throughout the years. None of them were required to stop and help; they did it freely and on their own. It is our privilege to sponsor this very worthwhile program that recognizes them for their selfless acts of compassion.”
More information about Grimaldi's good deed can be found at truckload.org/Highway-Angel-of-the-Year.
Since its inception in August 1997, the Highway Angels program, sponsored by EpicVue, has recognized hundreds of drivers for the unusual kindness, courtesy, and courage they have shown others while on the job. Archival copies of past Highway Angel press releases can be found at www.truckload.org/newsroom. To learn more about the program or to nominate a driver, go to www.truckload.org/highway-angel.
You can learn about TCA’s activities, including the Highway Angel program, by following the association on Facebook—www.truckload.org/Facebook—and Twitter—www.truckload.org/Twitter.  On both social media sites, you can also learn about this year’s Annual Convention with the hashtag #2016TCA.

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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to Discuss Opioid Epidemic at National League of Cities’ Congressional City Conference

WASHINGTON, Mar. 8, 2016 – TODAY, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will deliver remarks on opioid abuse at the National League of Cities’ Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C.

Prescription drug and heroin abuse have taken a heartbreaking toll on too many American families, while straining public resources. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows opioids were involved in 28,648 deaths in 2014, which means more Americans are dying from drug overdoses than in motor vehicle accidents each year.

Addressing the opioid epidemic is a priority for this Administration and in January, President Obama appointed Secretary Vilsack to lead an interagency task force focused on this specific challenge. Recent efforts have helped identify effective tools to reduce drug use and overdose, including evidence-based prevention programs, prescription drug monitoring, medication-assisted treatment and the overdose reversal drug naloxone. In order to continue this progress, the President’s FY17 budget includes new mandatory funding to expand access to treatment and help individuals with an opioid use disorder seek and complete treatment, and sustain recovery

TCA Convention Attendees Boogie to Raise $275,000 for Scholarship Fund

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Members of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) are known for their strong leadership skills, business acumen… and groovy bell bottoms?
That’s right, attendees of TCA’s Annual Convention at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort “got down” at last night’s third annual Scholarship Fund Gala, which raised over $275,000 to support trucking families’ dreams of a higher education and helped fund future scholarships to be named after past TCA chairmen. Thanks to the generosity of hosts Freightliner Trucks of Duluth, Georgia, and Pilot Flying J of Knoxville, Tennessee, 100% of all the evening’s proceeds went directly to the Scholarship Fund.
Beginning with tables and individual seats purchased in advance by various companies and individuals, the gala consisted of a 70s-themed reception and dinner, silent and live auctions, “selfie” photo stations, and dancing to everyone’s favorite hits from the decade.
Josh Kaburick, chairman of the TCA Scholarship Fund and the CEO of Earl L. Henderson Trucking Company of Salem, Illinois, said, “Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves so much last night. We had a great time raising money for a good cause. I can’t think of a better way to make sure that the Scholarship Fund keeps on truckin’!”
The live auction items included a platinum diamond ring, a sapphire and diamond tennis bracelet, and black and white diamond earrings. Participants also bid on three highly desirable travel opportunities: three days at one of the nation’s premium golf resorts, an eight-day stay at a luxurious villa at Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club in Hawaii, and a Rock & Roll Fantasy package with three nights at a four-star hotel in Manhattan, dinner at the Peter Luger Steak House, and two tickets to see Steve Miller, Chicago, Cheap Trick, and others inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Silent auction items included a diamond pendant, two music systems, a set of four premium tires for either a light truck or consumer vehicle, and a six-day, five-night stay at a Florida country club, including a round of golf for two.
Applications for the 2016-17 scholarships will be due in June 2016. For more details about TCA’s Scholarship Fund, visit www.truckload.org/Scholarships or follow TCA on Facebook—www.truckload.org/Facebook—and Twitter—www.truckload.org/Twitter.  You can also follow what is happening at the convention with the hashtag #2016TCA.


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