When the first-place prize in a sweepstakes is a car or boat, people tend to notice. But when the first-place prizes are five Dodge Ram pickup trucks, with an estimated value of $20,000 each, people really notice.

That's exactly the reaction that TravelCenters of America (TA) anticipates when its "Swipe Your Way to a Dodge" sweepstakes begins January 1, 2001. The contest is designed as a promotion for TA's new RoadKing Club™ which was launched in November 2000 at the 160 TA locations throughout the U.S.

"Entering the contest is easy," says Michael O'Connor, TA's director of public relations and advertising. "All a driver has to do is swipe the RoadKing Club™ card as part of a fuel transaction at either the ProntoPay terminal or at the Trendar, and they are automatically entered in the contest to win one of the Dodge Ram pickup trucks.

"There is no purchase necessary to enter or win," says O'Connor. "If a driver wants, he can enter manually by sending in an entry to the TA home office in Westlake, Ohio. Details on how to enter are on the kiosks at TA locations. "When a driver is at a TA location, the way to enter is through purchase of diesel fuel," he says. The minimum fuel purchase to constitute an entry is 1 gallon of diesel fuel.

First prizes are five 2001 Dodge Ram pickup trucks. There will also be five second prizes of 50,000 TA RoadMiles™, a retail value of $500, according to O'Connor. Winners must be professional drivers, possess a valid Commercial Drivers License (CDL) and be 21 years old. Complete rules are available at TA RoadMiles Marker™ kiosks or at tatravelcenters.com.

Winners will be announced in March, says O'Connor, probably at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.

To become a RoadKing Club™ member and obtain a card is also easy, O'Connor says. Just stop by the fuel desk at any TA location and ask for an application. There is no charge and the card becomes effective immediately. "A driver who is not a RoadKing Club™ member can stop at a TA location, fill out the application, fuel his truck, swipe his new RoadKing Club™ card and enter the contest in a matter of minutes," he says.

Since the RoadKing Club™ launched, more than 290,000 professional drivers have become members, O'Connor says.