NTSB -- NTSB Chairman Hersman Hits the Road with Professional Truck Drivers En Route to Mid-America Truck Show in Kentucky

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NTSB PRESS RELEASE

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National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 30, 2011

SB-11-11

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NTSB Chairman Hersman Hits the Road with Professional Truck

Drivers En Route to Mid-America Truck Show in Kentucky

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National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P.

Hersman today departs on a two-day, four-state journey from

Washington, D.C., to Louisville, Ky., in order to get a

cab's-eye view of the commercial truck industry.

Chairman Hersman, who holds a commercial driver's license

(CDL), is traveling to the Mid-America Truck Show in

Louisville where she will honor America's professional women

truck drivers at the second annual Women in Trucking (WIT)

"Salute to Women Behind the Wheel" event on April 2. Her

journey, beginning at NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C.,

will involve traveling alongside five different professional

"big-rig" drivers.

The ride-along will give Chairman Hersman a close-up view

into the daily experiences of professional truck drivers as

they navigate the nation's highways and work to share the

road safely with the motoring public.

Chairman Hersman will leave NTSB headquarters the afternoon

of March 30 in a 2011 Kenworth T-660 heavy-duty, long-haul

tractor trailer driven by Stephanie Klang, a professional

driver for Con-way Truckload. Along the route, Chairman

Hersman will ride with four other professional drivers from

WIT member companies, including Schneider, UPS, US Xpress,

and Walmart.

"I'm excited to join these drivers for a real-world view of

the challenges they face every day on the road," said

Chairman Hersman. "The skill and professionalism drivers

bring to the job are essential to maintaining the highest

level of safety on our nation's highways."

In addition to participating in the "Salute" in Louisville

at the end of her trip, Chairman Hersman will observe a

Level 1 roadside inspection at a Maryland weigh station,

visit a travel center in West Virginia, meet with West

Virginia and Kentucky transportation officials and safety

advocates at two separate roundtables, and host two

listening sessions, one with industry safety officials and

one with professional drivers from across the industry.

The "Salute" will begin at 1 p.m. EDT on April 2 at the

Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville. This

year's event is expected to draw twice the number of

attendees at the 2010 "Salute" and hopes to break the

Guinness World Book of Record's current entry for the

largest gathering of female professional drivers (415 set in

the Netherlands in 2004).

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NTSB Media Contact: Bridget Serchak

202-314-6100

Bridget.serchak@xxxxxxxx

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