Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/29112
avid Acosta has been given a chance to start his trucking career anew: the owner-operator and Navy veteran was recently named the Arrow Truck Sales’ Back on the Road winner. The Orlando, Fla., na- tive was presented with the keys to the used truck dealership. With the truck comes a one-year - press and several other products and services. Acosta was nominat- ed by his wife Angela, after sever- al tough years and a growing list of repair bills forced him to lose his truck. Medical bills for the couple’s Florida Owner-Operator Gets ‘Back on the Road’ as Contest Winner D daughter, Amanda, put stress on the family’s finances as well. Amanda has been battling a kid- ney disease that requires around-the-clock care from her mother, forcing her to rely solely on Da- vid’s income. “David constantly puts everybody before himself,” Angela said in her nomination. “Money is extremely tight and get back on the road.” David Acosta our family is struggling more than we ever thought imaginable. We love him so much, and as a family we couldn’t ask for anything better than this opportunity for David to Daimler Expects Strong Sales Growth year, said Daimler Trucks North America executives during a March press event. “We expect significant growth this year, especially for medium- and heavy-duty trucks,” said An- dreas Renschler, head of the Daim- ler Trucks Division. For North America, he said, Daimler had been projecting 20 percent to 25 percent growth. “Given the strong and sus- tainable rebound in this market, we now expect NAFTA truck de- mand to climb 30 to 35 percent this year.” A The company, which sold 355,000 trucks worldwide in 2010, expects to sell more than 500,000 in 2013, Ren- schler said. The current strong rebound, 16 TRUCKERS NEWS MAY 2011 merican Class 8 truck sales should rebound robustly this The announcement was made by Sirius XM host Dave Nemo. Acosta was the fourth Back on the Road winner, and the truck will provide means to provide financial sup- port for his family and medical support for his daughter. “Winning Back on the Road is a blessing for not only me, but my entire family,” Acosta says. “I look forward to repre- senting Arrow Truck Sales and all of the great companies who have given me this wonderful opportunity.” MAX HEINE while encouraging, can disguise the fact that truck sales still have not re- turned to pre-recession levels, said Martin Daum, president and CEO of DTNA. Still, the company expanded its market share by 2 percentage points last year, he said. In North Ameri- ca, “we are the market leader in the segment of medium and heavy-duty trucks in classes 6 to 8, with a mar- ket share in NAFTA of 31.6 percent,” he said. Daimler also announced: fairings and 20-inch side extenders are being added to the Freightliner Cascadia. (www.freightlineredge.com), a free online club for owner-operators. It includes traffic and weather reports, Freightliner news, and members-only discounts from partners such as Sprint and the Chrome Shop Mafia. The club also offers blogs, forums and a social network. - cation for smart phones that al- lows the user to access service lo- cations and parts information, and to connect to on-call breakdown assistance services. Drivers can use ZIP codes or city names to find lo- cations via GPS. Stratosphere sleeper, available on - tures added headroom and storage space. - rior for all its models, including with customizable compartments and shelving, and brighter color options. Speed Arctis Fan Drive is available JAMES JAILLET JAMES JAILLET