Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/42794
roadside attractions Plinko at the truck show At the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Wright Express reps, pushing the new OTR Pro Fuel Card (otrprocard.com), channeled game show The Price Is Right with this Plinko board at their booth. Show attendees could compete for a Maglite and other prizes. The new OTR card is a credit product offering flat off- the-top per-gallon discounts to small fleets and owner-operators (with a $4 a month membership fee) at more than 700 truck stops. For more scenes from GATS, check out the Aug. 26 entry on the Channel 19 blog. 20 years driving, but still a 'rookie' At the banquet and awards ceremony for the Minnesota State Truck Driving Championships this summer, to the surprise of Koch & Sons driver John Borman, the emcee "called my name as winner of the Rookie of the Year award." Strange, says Borman, con- sidering his 20 years of on-highway experience. Turns out that it was his maiden voyage through the competition that made him eligible for the honor. He also bagged a Second in the Sleeper Berth category. Check out the Aug. 15 entry on the blog for his inside look at the championships. Next year, Borman says, he hopes to make it to the Nationals, scheduled for his home state. iPhone app computes axle weights The Scale It smartphone application is a quick cheat that allows you to input the different weight readings you get as you roll onto platform scales. The app then does the math for you to determine axle-group weights, saving time and ensuring accuracy. If it's 2 in the morning, and/or five other trucks are lined up behind you, "it's easy to make mistakes," says John Christner Trucking driver Jerry Wilks, programmer/developer of the iPhone app. It's 99 cents in the iTunes app store. Scan the QR Code with your phone, or visit scale-it. limelightapp.com. For information on apps with similar functionality for Android phones, see comments on the Aug. 8 entry on the blog. For more of the interesting and odd parts of trucking, visit Senior Editor Todd Dills' CHANNEL 19 BLOG at OverdriveOnline.com/channel19. —— HEALTH TIPS —— Call it quits Trying to give up tobacco? Research shows telephone hotlines can help increase the success rate of those trying to quit the habit. Get free phone counseling by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW. This tip comes from our sister magazine ' new Daily Health Tip offering. Sign up for email delivery of the tips at truckersnews.com/healthtips. GET YOUR THIRD. The average ATBS client nets only 32 cents for every dollar of gross revenue. That leaves 68 cents for business expenses. If your net is significantly lower than 32 percent, determine where you can cut costs. You may have a spending problem you can cure by adjusting personal habits, such as dining out too much, or busi- ness habits, such as idling too much. Not sure if you're netting almost a third of what you bring in? Get your accountant to help you organize a profit and loss statement. This tip comes from the Partners in Business program, produced by and the owner- operator consultants at ATBS. It is sponsored by Freightliner Trucks, SelecTrucks and Ryder System. 14 OVERDRIVE OCTOBER 2011 T ruck er s Ne w s CHANNEL 19 John Borman Ov er driv e