The Equalizer

                        Sabine District Transportation Club

                                   Member of Traffic Clubs International

 

Volume 08 Issue 06:  June 2008                                                                                                                      PO Box 20103,   Beaumont, TX  77720

 

                  Please keep our troops and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

 

                                    July 8, 2008 Annual Fish & Shrimp Fry

                                                      

Red Rose Express, aka “The Big Rich Courville Group” is catering the event again this year. Owner, Rich Courville caters a number of local fund-raisers and popular social events. Around the holidays and large charity events, “Big Rich” is often seen with the morning crew from KBMT channel 12.

 July 8, 2008 Fish Fry

 

Location:  Big Rich Courville’s Catering        & Special Events

Address:   1764 Rose Lane @               North Hwy 90, Beaumont, TX  77713      (409) 860-9811

Serving time : 6:30 pm

Cost: $20/person

 

    Air-conditioned

 

We look forward to seeing each of you at this event!

 

You can make your reservations by calling Robert Ferguson at 651-1708, Joe Ochoa at 791-3255 or Sherry Eckerle at 791-3259.

Seating is limited so make your reservations early!

 
Reservation Form for July 8, 2008 Fish Fry

Please make reservations for _________dinners @ $20/person at  Rich Courville’s Cajun Eatery

Check is attached (___) Bill me (___)

Will pay at the door (___)

Signed______________________

Date ________________

Firm________________________

Phone________________     Address______________________________________

Clip and mail to S.D.T.C, PO Box 20103, Beaumont, TX.  77720, fax (409) 842-5154, Robert Ferguson 651-1708,  Sherry Eckerle (409) 791-3259.  You can also e-mail your reservations to: Sherry.Eckerle@sbcglobal.net or on line in the Web site: txsdtc.org

 

No cancellations can be made after July 3, 2008 -3pm

 

 

                Scholarship Application Deadline August 1, 2008

 

As in the previous years, the club has available both dependent member scholarships & member scholarships. 

 

Members (in good standing) that are planning on furthering their career & plan to attend college part-time are eligible for scholarships.

 

For dependent scholarships the student must be enrolled for 12 hours for Fall & Spring semesters.  Student must have a parent/legal guardian that is a member (in good standing) of the Sabine District Transportation Club.

 

The scholarship monies are dispersed ½ for Fall semester & ½ for the Spring semester.

 

Scholarship applications can be obtained from the secretary, Sherry Eckerle at (409) 791-3259 or from any Board Member or Officer.

 

                          

    TRANSPORTATION CLUB OF HOUSTON – Education Committee Presents:

 

                                                                             T.W.I.C.

                                                Transportation Worker Identificiation Credential

                                                                                  June 24, 2008

                                                             “How Does It Affect My Business”

 

. What Is It?                                    .Who’s Required To Have It?

. How Does It Affect Me?              . What Happens if I Don’t Have It?

. What Are the Requirements?       . How Do I Get It?

 

Location:  Brady’s Landing Restaurant                                     Registration & breakfast: 8:00 a.m.

                  8505 Cypress Street                                                  Seminar: 9:00 am to 11:30 am + Lunch

                  Houston, TX 77012

                   (713) 928-9921

 

Luncheon Speaker: Ed Emmett-Harris County Judge

 

Seminar Speakers:

. Williams F.Downey, Vice President of Security, The Kenan Advantage Group

. Tom Schroeter, Port of Houston

. Steve Sadler, General Manager of Operations in the Office of Transportation Threat Assessment and Credentialing within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA),

 

Cost:  Prior to June 13 – Members $150, Non-member $175

          After June 13 - $195 (all)

 

If you would like to attend this seminar and need more information, please call Sherry Eckerle @ 791-3259.

 

 

Fuel Surcharge – not going anywhere anytime soon?

 

Most vacationers are now taking a hard look at the cost of fuel.  Each day one of the local news stations is keeping the public informed on the price of fuel at the pump.  Most portray interviews with folks at the pumps inquisitive of how they are handling the increase of the price of fuel.  Transportation is affected dramatically by the cost of fuels. 

 

For those of you who missed the June 10 luncheon, Danny Schnautz of Clark Freight Lines shared some interesting facts about fuel usage, and fuel surcharge.

 

Some facts:

. truckers use 65 million gallons of diesel each week

. diesel is the #1 expense for truck load carriers

. air cargo to Europe has 50% base cost is fuel surcharge

. more trucking companies have failed in the first quarter of 2008 than in 1998 & 1999 combined.

 

                                                        

The effects of High Fuel Prices:

. higher consumer prices

. legislation is being proposed to:

   . suspend fuel taxes                                                                                                      

   . get 100% of the fuel surcharge to the fuel buyer

. owner operator work stoppages

. earned income is burned up

. slower trucks – lower productivity

. fuel surcharge administration

. companies are forced out of business

. spin

. mpg variable

  . wind, temperature, high congestion, pavement type, hills/mountains, speed, load weight and trailer type

 

New Legislation proposed:

TRUCC Legislation – Trueness in Trucking – what ever is paid goes through to the fuel buyer.

 

Passing the fuel surcharge on to the shipper:

How Fuel Surcharge is Calculated:

. per mileage or % of the load

. adjustment frequency

. scale (shipper’s or carrier’s)

. most companies use the EIA-diesel’s weekly cost report for calculating fuel cost/gallon

 

 

Many thanks to Danny Schnautz of Clark Freight Truck Lines for these facts during his presentation to our membership at the June 10, 2008 luncheon at the Cattle Company!  Great job!

 

Upcoming Events!

 

                  

 

The annual fish & shrimp fry

July 8, 2008 at Rich Corville’s Cajun Eatery on Hwy 90. 6:30 pm serving, cost is $20/person.

 

August 12, 2008 – Guest speaker from Real Estate Development at Cattle Company Luncheon

 

September 9, 2008- Driver Safety/Driver Education at Cattle Company Luncheon

 

October 14, 2008 – Fall Golf Outing

 

 

 

       The Equalizer

 

You can reach the Equalizer from the web site:

 

http://www.txsdtc.org

 

from the server:

 

http://www.txsdtc.org/equalizer/june2008/

 

Or you can receive a copy in the mail.

 

 

  Check out the new Bulletin Board!

              (click on events)

 

 

Coming soon- Event Picture Page!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit our sponsors on the web site!

 

TCI Annual Convention

 

“Global Challenges-SMART Solution”

 

   September 11-14, 2008

 

Location: Future Inns Moncton

40 Lady Ada Blvd.

Moncton,New Brunswick,Canada

     1-877-389-9600

 

Hosted by: The Transportation

Club of Moncton, Inc.

 

Registration forms available from the TCI Web site or secretary for SDTC, Sherry Eckerle 791-3259.

 

        

 

 

 

 

TCI Website

 

Have you visited the TCI Website lately?

 

The web address is:

www.transportationclubs international.com

 

Did you know??                                                                                           Editor: Sherry Eckerle

 

Flag Trivia                                    

                                                          

 

 

question

Who cut the American flag into pieces and was honored for doing it?

answer

Robert Peary, who left pieces of the flag scattered at the North Pole.

 

question

Is it ever appropriate to fly the flag upside down?

answer

Yes, but only in an emergency. It means "Help Me, I am in Trouble!"

 

question

What is done with worn or outdated flags?

answer

Flags are used until they are worn out and then they are destroyed, preferably by burning.

 

question

Francis Scott Key wrote the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the back on an envelope. What is the source of the music for it?

answer

The music is from an old English drinking song called "To Anacreon in Heaven."

 

question

The American flag first flew over a foreign fort in what country?

answer

Libya — over Fort Derne, on the shores of Tripoli.

 

question

A vexillologist is an expert in what?

answer

The history of flags.

 

question

"Shipwreck" Kelly (1885-1952) was famous for sitting for long periods of time. What did he have to do with flags?

answer

He set many flagpole-sitting records. He sat for 49 days on one flagpole. He once estimated that he spent a total of over 20,000 hours sitting on flagpoles. Flagpole sitting was a craze started in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1929.