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February 3, 2006 11:00 AM, EST

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merican Trucking Associations said Friday that the Coca-Cola Co. had agreed to delete unsafe truck-driving actions from a television ad scheduled to run before Sunday’s Super Bowl.

ATA President Bill Graves said ATA and the trucking industry appreciated Coca-Cola’s acknowledgement of the industry’s concerns over an original version of the ad that reinforced a negative stereotype of truck drivers.

Rather, said Graves, the industry has just completed it safest year ever in setting a record low rate for large-truck fatalities.

Coca-Cola worked under an extremely tight deadline to remove scenes including an unbelted “cowboy” driver exulting in forcing a smaller vehicle off the road and a rear-view mirror showing a tailgating truck, ATA said in a statement.

The company said the final version of the ad will air one time only and will look far different from the original cut.