Other KMCA Events

Towing and Recovery Championships

Every fall, the Towing and Recovery Division of KMCA hosts a fun and eventful day for drivers and families alike. It is the Towing and Recovery Championships. The drivers compete in three different classes on a designated course and have to take a written test from the study guide, which was mailed out. The score of the written test is combined with the driving course score to determine the winners. There are three winners in each class. The classes for the driving competition include: Class A: light-duty tow truck equipped with a wheel lift; Class B: car carrier; and Class C: tractor trailer backup. To participate, drivers have to have a proper CDL and medical card.

Along with the driving competition, there is a beauty contest. Trucks from all over the state are judged in three different classes. Class A is light and medium duty trucks registered for less than 26,000 lbs.; Class B is car carriers; and Class C is heavy duty tow trucks registered for 26,000 lbs or more. The top two trucks in each class are awarded a trophy.

The winners are presented with their awards during the Barbecue and Awards Ceremony usually held at Brown’s Super Service. Overall families and drivers always enjoy the day of friendly competition.

Safety Breaks

The Kansas Motor Carriers Association and its Safety Management Council sponsor Safety Breaks as a continuing highway safety practice. KMCA wants to keep our highways safe. Safety Breaks provide the opportunity for drivers to get out from behind the wheel and stretch, enjoy free refreshments and become more alert for the continued drive ahead.

The motor carrier industry and governmental transportation agencies have expressed concern that driver fatigue is a leading factor in accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy drivers may be responsible for as many as 100,000 traffic accidents each year. As the summer driving season hits its peak, it is especially important for motorists to take frequent breaks to alleviate fatigue on those long summer trips.

State Fair Truck Rides

For the past several years during the Kansas State Fair, a convoy of trucks converges on the Fairgrounds race track to give free rides to those attending the fair. Kids really enjoy riding in the "big trucks." KMCA has been sponsoring the event with member companies and drivers providing the trucks. This has proven to be an effective tool in getting out the message about employment opportunities available in the trucking industry. The riders also provide information about sharing the road with trucks and the locations of the blind spots around trucks. This is one of the many activities that KMCA conducts throughout the year to educate the general motoring public about the trucking industry.

In 2010, more than 650 parents and kids were able to see what a truck driver sees and doesn’t see when they are on the road. Patrons climbed into the cab of one of the trucks donated by Miller Trucking, LTD; Rawhide Trucking, Inc; Frito Lay Transportation and Walmart Transportation; to ride around the quarter mile track at the State Fair in Hutchinson on September 15. The Road Team members, Gary Cooper, Bruce Mitchell, Todd Sarver, Bryan Carter and Dale Larson along with volunteers Guy Cory, Foley Engine Systems; James Curry, Universal Lubricants, LLC; Sterling Farber, Walmart Stores, Inc; Tony and Troy Gaston, Rawhide Trucking, Inc; and Mike Miller, Miller Trucking, LTD; helped make the Big Rig Rides go off without a hitch this year.

Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week

Each year, KMCA partners with the Kansas Highway Patrol and the State of Kansas to promote Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week. In conjunction with this annual event, KMCA’s Public Education Program (PEP) purchases a safety or booster seat for a child in each of Kansas’ 105 counties. Funded through PEP member contributions, the seats will be distributed to Kansas Highway Patrol Troop Headquarters around the state for donation to needy families of their choosing.

On Friday, September 17, 2010, traffic safety advocates gathered in Lawrence, KS to highlight the start of Child Passenger Safety Week. The event focused on ensuring that children ride in properly installed child safety seats, especially those in the 4-to 8-year-old range, who should be riding in booster seats. Jason Hammes, KMCA President, presented 105 carseats to Col. Terry Maple at the official child passenger safety station for Douglas, Jefferson and Leavenworth counties at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Col. Maple explained how important the donated seats are to the Highway Patrol troops. He also explained that Highway Patrolmen are certified child safety seat installers, so each carseat that is donated by KMCA is properly installed in each car. This is the 11th year that KMCA has donated child safety seats to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

The Kansas trucking industry and our drivers continue to work hard every mile, every day to make our highways a safer place. This is just one way we can show our support of safety on our highways.