ALI HQ serves as first stop on annual Huskie Drive in Cortland, New York
Cortland, N.Y. (Aug. 17, 2023) – The Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) highlighted heavy-duty lift safety, including the importance of annual lift inspections and regular lift operator training, as it welcomed more than 120 classic truck owners and enthusiasts to its headquarters August 11 as part of the 23rd Annual National Brockway Truck Show.
Brockway Motor Truck Company built custom heavy-duty trucks in Cortland, New York, from 1912 until it closed in 1977. The business was so important to the community that Cortland was dubbed “Huskietown, USA” after Brockway’s husky dog hood ornament. For the last 23 years, collectors of these big rigs have brought them back to Cortland for an annual show produced by the Brockway Truck Preservation Association. A highlight of the event is the Huskie Drive, in which dozens of Brockway trucks are driven throughout the region and put through their paces in a series of competitions.
ALI’s Cortland headquarters served as the first stop on this year’s Huskie Drive. A total of 49 Brockway trucks packed the ALI parking lot where participants were greeted by a breathtaking presentation of two show-quality, matching blue Brockway trucks raised high in the air on ALI-Certified mobile column lifts. Participants enjoyed light refreshments and were surprised by a 3-dimensional cake of the Brockway 260XW truck housed at ALI’s LiftLab. The custom cake was created by Traci Storey of Tiers of Joy. Each Brockway driver received a commemorative challenge coin ALI commissioned for the event. Additional coins were donated to the CNY Living History Center as an ongoing fundraiser.
“As a Cortland-based organization, we’re honored to help welcome home all these Brockway trucks,” said R.W. “Bob” O’Gorman, ALI president. “And because vehicle lifts are increasingly popular for servicing and maintaining heavy-duty trucks, we also welcome the opportunity to highlight all we do as the lift industry safety watchdog.”
Drivers and fans toured the ALI facility, including offices, classroom, and new lift testing lab. A highlight for many was seeing the 1946 Brockway 260XW truck raised and lowered on a heavy-duty scissors lift installed in the LiftLab. ALI’s LiftLab is the only place in North America where a dozen different ALI-certified vehicle lifts from a range of manufacturers are installed in a single location. It offers lift inspectors, product safety engineers, auto dealers associations, corporate trainers, schools, and health and safety officials the opportunity to examine two-post, multi-post, scissors, inground, mobile column and low-rise lifts all at once instead of having to travel to and coordinate access with multiple locations. The LiftLab is frequently used by candidates in the ALI Lift Inspector Certification Program to complete their required practical inspections.
ALI staff and representatives from ALI member companies were on-hand to interact with participants and answer questions.
Buck Gasner of Dekra North America spoke with several Brockway owners about the importance of having their truck lifts inspected annually by ALI Certified Lift Inspectors.
“Having represented more than 550 ALI Certified Lift Inspectors for three terms on ALI’s Board of Directors, I was delighted to be here to help the ALI team educate a group of people who might otherwise never be exposed to our important messages about heavy-duty lift safety,” he said.
Allan Pavlick, president of Stertil ALM, heavy-duty lift manufacturer Stertil-Koni’s U.S. production facility, not only serves on the ALI Board of Directors, but he also has a personal Brockway connection that showed itself in a surprising way at the event.
“My father and his business partner owned three Brockway trucks for their company, Quickway Metal Fabricators, in the 1970s. In fact, I earned my CDL driving one of those Brockway trucks back in 1976,” Pavlick said. “Imagine my excitement to see the name of my father’s business on the side of the exact truck I drove as it turned into ALI’s headquarters for today’s Huskie Drive. Although the truck ran perfectly, it was unrestored and still had the dent on the fender that I put there. Speaking with the current owners, father and son Ron and Bob Welsh, I learned that they pulled the truck out of an old barn after 40 years. I did not think this Brockway still existed, and here it is, still on the road. Like any vehicle, these old trucks need regular maintenance, and I talked to several people about how they and their teams can use heavy-duty lifts safely.”
ALI is dedicated to the safe design, construction, installation, service, inspection, and operation of vehicle lifts used in automotive and heavy-duty vehicle repair shops throughout North America. It sponsors several national lift safety standards, and offers third-party certification programs for vehicle lifts and lift inspectors. ALI offers a wide range of lift safety training materials, including the Lifting It Right online training course and safety manual, safety tips card and poster, uniform warning labels, and more.
To learn more about ALI, visit autolift.org or call (607) 756-7775. For more photos from the ALI stop on the 23rd Annual National Brockway Truck Show Huskie Drive, visit the ALI blog at autolift.org/brockway-big-rigs-visit-ali/.
About ALI
ALI has served as the lift industry safety watchdog for more than 75 years. Its mission is to promote the safe design, construction, installation, service, inspection, and use of automotive lifts. In 1947, ALI developed the first Commercial Standard covering vehicle lifts published by the National Bureau of Standards. Today, ALI sponsors several national lift safety standards and offers third-party certification programs for automotive lifts and automotive lift inspectors.
#
Editor’s Note: Please see photos attached.
Captions:
Group photo.jgp: ALI staff and member company representatives welcomed 49 Brockway trucks and more than 120 classic truck owners and enthusiasts to ALI’s Cortland, NY, headquarters on Aug. 11, 2023, for the first stop of the 23rd Annual National Brockway Truck Show Huskie Drive.
Cake.jpg: ALI surprised Brockway Truck Show participants with a 3-dimensional cake of the Brockway 260XW truck housed at ALI’s LiftLab. The custom cake was created by Traci Storey of Tiers of Joy.
Fond Flashback.jpg: Allan Pavlick, president of Stertil ALM and a longtime member of the ALI Board of Directors, was in town for business and decided to stay for the Huskie Drive because of his personal connection to the brand. But he didn’t realize how personal it was going to get.
“My father and his business partner owned three Brockway trucks for their company, Quickway Metal Fabricators, in the 1970s. In fact, I earned my CDL driving one of those Brockway trucks back in 1976,” Pavlick said. “Imagine my excitement to see the name of my father’s business on the side of exact truck I drove as it turned into ALI’s headquarters for today’s Huskie Drive. Although the truck ran perfectly, it was unrestored and still had the dent on the fender that I put there. Speaking with the current owners, father and son Ron and Bob Welsh, I learned that they pulled the truck out of an old barn after 40 years. I did not think this Brockway still existed, and here it is, still on the road.”
Media Contact:
Kristen Simpson
216-991-4297
0150-1137
8/17/23
Quick Links
Contact Us