THE DSTA
“HEADLIGHT”
Denise McDougall, Editor – [email protected]
NEWS OF THE
DULUTH-SUPERIOR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION
Representing Transportation Professionalism in the Twin Ports
As members from a wide spectrum of businesses in our area, we all
take pride in the industry of transportation and the roles we each play.
APRIL 2015
Visit the DSTA
THE DSTA IN MARCH,
2015web site www.duluthsuperiortransportation.com
THE DSTA IN APRIL, 2015
Touring MnDOT, District 1, Duluth
By 1VP Carl Svendsen
Approximately 30 Duluth-Superior Transportation
Association (DSTA) members and guests attended an
informational meeting at MN Dept. of Transportation’s
District 1 headquarters in Duluth on March 18, 2015.
Hosted by District Engineer Duane Hill and Assistant
District Engineer – Operations Perry Collins, this was a
great opportunity for DSTA members to learn from and
interact with the people in charge of clearing our roads
during the winter and maintaining them year-round.
Mr. Collins gave a detailed presentation about District 1’s
snow removal operations. District 1 maintains over 1,600
miles of state highway. There are 98 plow routes in the
District, covered by 92 plow trucks, 7 motor graders, 9
industrial-sized snow blowers, and 19 front-end loaders.
These plow routes are designed to give the highest density
traffic lanes the greatest attention so that the time between
the end of a snowfall event and the achievement of “bare
clear” pavement is minimized on those lanes. Mr. Hill
emphasized that time is always of the essence, not only for
the general safety of the traveling public, but to attempt to
get to bare pavement prior to the temperatures dropping
below the range where de-icing chemicals are effective.
Often, ice and snow are compacted onto the area’s
roadways and can’t be effectively treated until the
temperature climbs above zero degrees. The District
invested in a Raiko Icebreaker attachment this year, and
both hosts expressed disappointment in the fact that they
didn’t get to test it as much as they would have liked!
The District relies on its plow operators and the State Patrol
to report road conditions as well as the beginning and
ending times of snow events. The information on the 511
website (511mn.org) primarily comes from these reports,
although the District is making more use of its existing
highway cameras to verify road conditions. In addition,
MnDOT is exploring ways to put cameras on its plow trucks
for additional real-time views of the state’s highways.
After a Q&A session, members were given the opportunity
to inspect a plow truck with another new attachment – a tow
behind plow blade that allows the operator to clear nearly
two lanes of highway at once. This was followed by an
informal dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings where members
discussed the weather and other topics of the day. Thank
you to all who attended our March meeting.
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Please join us
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
How to Recruit, Retain and Advance
Women in the Trucking Industry
Ellen Voie, President, Women in Trucking Association
University of Wisconsin-Superior
Yellowjacket Union, Superior, WI
The Women in Trucking Association was established to
encourage the employment of women in the trucking
industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize
obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry.
Social time: 5:15 pm - 6:00 pm
Dinner: 6:00 pm - 6:45 pm
Presentation to follow dinner - 6:45 pm
Event sponsors: Rihm Kenworth and
UW-S Transportation & Logistics Student Club
Dinner Menu
Roasted Turkey, Herb Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and
Gravy, Baby Carrots, Salad, Dinner Rolls
Marble Cake with White Frosting
Water, Coffee, Tea - Cash Bar Available
Co-chairs – Dawn Evans, Dave Evans Transports &
Chelsea Loining, Halvor Lines, Inc.
Cost and Reservations: Please mail your registration and
payment of $12 per person by Friday, April 10th using the
form on page 3 to Chelsea Loining, Halvor Lines,
217 Grand Ave, Superior, WI 54880. Credit card payments
may be emailed to Chelsea at [email protected].
________________________________________
(l) MN Dept. of Transportation’s new Raiko Icebreaker. (r) MnDOT’s
plow truck stands ready to attack the next snow storm.
MEMBER INFORMATION
NOTES FROM THE DSTA BOARD
DSTA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
The Duluth-Superior Transportation Association (DSTA)
requests all members please submit their membership
dues as soon as possible. Thank you to those who have
already done so. Please invite others to join DSTA and be
a part of this important organization.
By DSTA President Jay Baker
Greetings Fellow DSTA Members!
Spring is in the air! Amazing when we compare to the
past two years! This was definitely not the year to invest
in a snow removal business or a snowmobile! I think I
spent more time preparing my tractor to plow snow than I
spent actually plowing this year!
Please welcome our newest members:
Tony Boelman, ,Blaine Bros. Inc.
Kathy Conner, Sue Vinje Trucking Inc.
Kadie Horak, Halvor Lines, Inc.
Neil Johnson, Halvor Lines, Inc.
Clint Koecher, Sue Vinje Trucking Inc.
Brittney Lugenbeel, Halvor Lines, Inc.
Peter Majkozak, Halvor Lines, Inc.
Beth Petrowske, MN Dept. of Transportation, District I
Jason Prasch, Minnesota Trucking Assn.
Chuck Trivette, Kwik Trip Inc.
.
Though I’m sure Old Man Winter hasn’t fully left us just
yet, we’re still on to a new season, with a strong
economy. Now is a more important time than ever to
network and grow. What better place is there to do that
than the DSTA?! Come on out in April and join us as we
meet Ellen Voie, President of the Women in Trucking
Association.
Then for May, our co-chairs are working on an awesome
tour of Cirrus! Right after that we are still planning on
doing our food drive. Please mark your calendars for
June 5th-7th. We will need lots of volunteers for this
wonderful event. We will be starting our volunteer drive
soon to fill the time slots.
Please visit and share the DSTA web site
www.TheDSTA.com regularly to see updated information
on upcoming events. The 2015 membership form is
posted there as well. While on our web site, click the
Facebook icon in the upper right corner to “like” us on
Facebook where pictures of events are regularly posted.
Thank you for being an important part of DSTA!
Also, please don’t forget my little DSTA membership
challenge. It’s pretty simple math…if each of us seeks
out and brings in one individual to join the DSTA, we will
double our membership. Please talk to people you know
about our club. The more members we have, the better
networking opportunities we will all have together. Some
of you have already been doing this with success and I
thank you for your efforts.
We look forward to seeing you at upcoming meetings!
2015 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Thank you for your support of the Duluth-Superior
Transportation Association (DSTA). Please mark these
events on your calendar and share our calendar of events
with others who may be interested in joining our
association and/or attending a meeting.
Lastly, don’t forget to mark your calendars for July 15th
for our annual DSTA Golf Outing. For those of you that
stink at golf like me, NOW is the time to dig out those
clubs and start practicing! I have every intention of
bringing it this year at the golf outing. That being my
Bose mini speaker where I chase around the North
American Trailer and Blaine Brothers golf squads with the
theme song from Caddyshack!
2015 dates (third Wednesday of the month unless
otherwise noted; no meetings in June, August, and
December unless scheduled for special event):
05/20 Tour Cirrus facility
06/05-07 Fill-A-Truck Feed-A-Family DSTA Food Drive
07/15 Annual Golf Outing, Nemadji, Superior, WI
08/__ TBN – Family event
09/16 TBN
10/21 TBN
11/18 Annual Dinner, Past Presidents’ Night, Elections
Hmmm…this has me thinking…if I could just figure out
how to wire up my PA system to a golf cart, I could
guarantee a distracting defeat for them! Watch out guys!
Where there’s a will…to cheat at golf, there’s a Jay! All I
need is a really good power inverter and some bungeecords and I’m ready to attack! If Caddyshack doesn’t
work, Right Said Fred’s terrible and only #1 hit is sure to
bring you to your knees!
Thank you from your DSTA Board of Directors and officers
for your continued support. Please share your ideas for
our 2015 calendar.
_________________________________________
Seriously, I look forward to seeing you all this year at our
various events! Thank you for your participation and
support! Thank you DSTA-supporting businesses as
well!
I will note that I first considered the Macarena over Right
Said Fred while writing this…but that led to a disturbing
image in my head of Tim Grabow and Russ Ramsey
busting out the moves on the greens! Hmmm…both
options might be a problem with those two! I might have
to rethink this whole distraction idea…perhaps I should
just stick to a classic hit from Tonya Harding!
I wish every one of our members and supporting
businesses a safe, productive, and prosperous spring!
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Location: UW-S main campus at Belknap Street (U.S. Highway 2) and Catlin Avenue.
Directions from Wisconsin or Minnesota:
1. Driving from Wisconsin, take U.S. Highways 2/53. Coming from Minnesota, use U.S. Hwy 2.
2. Both highways join in Superior. Follow them into the city.
3. Follow U.S. 2/Belknap Street for approximately 3/4 mile; UW-Superior is on the south side.
4. Turn south at the stop light onto Catlin Avenue and enter campus.
Yellowjacket Union and parking lots are on your right. Park in lots 2 or 11.
To see a map with further driving directions, go to www.Mapquest.com.
DULUTH-SUPERIOR TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
UW-S, Yellowjacket Union, Superior, WI
How to Recruit, Retain and Advance Women in the Trucking Industry
Presented by Ellen Voie, President of the Women in Trucking Association
Social time: 5:15 pm - 6:00 pm
Dinner: 6:00 pm - 6:45 pm
Presentation to follow dinner 6:45 pm
Co-chairs – Dawn Evans, Dave Evans Transports & Chelsea Loining, Halvor Lines, Inc.
Event brought to you by Rihm Kenworth and UW-S Transportation & Logistics Student Club
Mail or email your reservations by Friday, April 10, 2015 (see info below)
REGISTRATION FOR (contact name)_______________________________ Business Phone: __________________
Company______________________________________________________ Cell phone: _______________________
Address__________________________________________ City_________________ State______ ZIP___________
E-mail address___________________________________________________________________________________
Attending (please attach a list if needed):
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
AMOUNT PAID - _______ people @ $12.00 each = $______________
PAYMENT METHOD: Check #_________ Payable only to Duluth-Superior Transportation Association (or DSTA)
CREDIT CARD PAYMENT: ____VISA
____MASTERCARD
____DISCOVER
____AMERICAN EXPRESS
NAME AS IT APPEARS ON CARD:______________________________________ BILLING ZIP CODE:___________
CARD NUMBER: __ __ __ __-__ __ __ __-__ __ __ __-__ __ __ __
EXPIRATION DATE:_____/_____ (MO/YR)
3-DIGIT CODE ON BACK OF CARD:__ __ __ SIGNATURE:____________________________________________
Please mail this reservation form and payment to Chelsea Loining, Halvor Lines, 217 Grand
Ave, Superior, WI 54880. Credit card payments may be emailed to Chelsea at
[email protected]. Thank you.
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