Heavy Duty Trucking Wins Again

Editors three-peat in national journalism awards competition.

      Heavy Duty Trucking editors have won again in the Jesse H. Neal Award competition for the how-to series, "Fuel Crisis Survival Guide."
      Neal Awards, the Pulitzers of the business-to-business press, are sponsored by American Business Media, the national association of publishing companies. Its member firms represent more than 3,700 print and online titles, and reach an audience of 90 million business professionals.
      The award is the 24th Neal honor for Newport Communications editors.
      In all, the staff has won more prizes for editorial excellence than all its competitors combined.
      Editors contributing to this year's award-winning series are: Deborah Whistler, editorial director; Steve Sturgess, senior editor; Patricia Smith, senior editor; Oliver Patton, Washington editor; Tom Berg, equipment editor; and John Bendel, technology editor.
      Reporting vital information to help readers is HDT's mission, for which it is consistently honored for journalistic excellence. This series dealt with the fuel crisis. Every 10-cent-per-gallon increase in the price of fuel will put 1,000 trucking companies out of business. Skyrocketing fuel costs and a weak economy led to thousands of trucking failures in 2002. In 2003, fuel costs were even higher. This feature series examined the issues and provided solutions to help fleets cope - and survive.
      One Neal Award is, for many editors and publications, the achievement of a lifetime. Winning multiple Neals is a rarity for most. This is HDT's third straight award, and the fourth in five years. In fact, the Newport editorial team has garnered so many Neal honors, it has been placed in ABM's top five business-to-business publications of all time.
      "An occasional Neal is good. Consistently winning it means a magazine is at the top of its game, delivering vital information to its readers," said Marty McClellan, publisher. "That is, after all, our mission."
      Five Heavy Duty Trucking writers ranked in the nation's top 30 individual Neal Award winners among all B-to-B publications. They are: Doug Condra, president; Deborah Whistler, editorial director; Jim Winsor, executive editor; Steve Sturgess, senior editor; and Patricia Smith, senior editor.
      HDT is also proud to have two Crain Award winners for lifetime achievement - Doug Condra and Jim Winsor.
      Newport staff has also learned they will receive at least seven awards in the regional competition of the Association of Business Editors. Final regional awards will be announced this month and national awards in June.

2004 Neal Award Winners
Deborah Whistler Editorial Director	Patricia Smith Senior Editor	Steve Sturgess Senior Editor
Oliver Patton Washington Editor	Tom Berg Equipment Editor	John Bendel Technology Editor