Life on the Road - Trucking News Blog

The Tappan Zee Bridge crossing the Hudson River in New York State on InterState 287 also known as the New York ThruWay. It’s being rebuilt, not just resurfaced, it’s being replaced a piece at a time. With what we call “Bridge panels”, there are two types of bridge panels, the “C” section is just a straight piece lane (including the white stripes) of reinforced concrete with the underlaying structural steel, it’s next to the outside lane. The other piece, the “D” section is the outside lane complete with guard rail. Each piece is fifty feet long and about twelve wide, sometimes up to sixteen wide if there’s a lamp post and four to eight foot tall. And heavy, call it a hundred thousand pounds each give or take a few thousand.

Oh, did I mention we’re doing it at night? There’s eight of us doing the job. Eight truck and drivers and quite a few more trailers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 60% [?]

                       53 points was all that separated Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon heading into the Pep boys Auto 500 in Atlanta Sunday. with the win on Sunday, Jimmy Johnson is now only nine points back and in the cat bird seat. This chase is Gordon’s to lose and I would rather be nine points back, looking up from second, than on top waiting to fall. Jeff Gordon has his fifth cup championship in sight and a really good team right on his heals.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 50% [?]

With record fuel prices ( $3.157 National Average this week) owners and fleets are looking for more then fuel surcharges to help them in their war against the cost of expenses in running a business. Aerodynamics may not be the holy grail for fuel savings, but it’s a good foundation to build on. During our first Roadcast we discussed aerodynamics for trucks and our conclusion was that it’s a great idea if you’re pulling a van trailer and with other fuel saving techniques it’s a good start.

There appears to be a little controversy going on between International and Freightliner about who has the most aerodynamic truck. International has gone as far as putting their Prostar on their front page at International Trucks.com and going to an independent third party for head to head testing between Cascadia and Prostar to refute Cascadia claims that they have the most aerodynamic and fuel efficient truck.

I put the poll back online and after reading both sides, Cascadia’s page and Prostar’s page, try and get past the hype and choose which truck you believe is the most aerodynamic and could be the most fuel efficient.

I’d like to hear from you in the comments how important Aerodynamics are to you. Is it something you’re looking for in your next truck? Is it top on the list of features, nice to have or not-so-much? Even if you don’t pull a van trailer are aerodynamics a choice you want to have in your truck?

Popularity: 76% [?]

This is the best start for Dale Jarrett this year. Does this mean that the number 44 UPS team is finally getting their act together? I hope so. I am not a die hard Dale Jarrett fan but I like the guy. I hated seeing him run so badly this year. I was hoping for better for Dale since this was probably going to be his last full year in Nextel Cup Competition. After all he is no spring chicken, he will turn 51 years old this November. Nascar racing is one of the few sports where the athlete’s can compete fairly well on up into their years. try playing NFL football at 51. I for one would like to see Dale Jarrett win today in Atlanta, Him and his fans need the boost. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 46% [?]

Don did a great job of explaining a podcast here. Here’s why he did that - Life on the Road is getting into podcasting, but it’s more than just downloading and listening. Over at Talkshoe.com they have a system for audience participation so everyone can have a part in the discussion along with a chat room. And the cool part is you don’t have to be near a computer, you can call in on your phone from anywhere Here’s our talkshoe home page with the show schedule and previous shows and access information here.

Episode One was with some of the Life on the Road writers. Don, Porter, Phil and Wayne. We discussed:

• A little bit about the Mexican Truck issue
• Fuel surcharges
• Aerodynamic trucks
• Running with the EPA rules
• Bigger and Heavier trucks
• And would we recommend trucking as a career.

Download and listen later, use a “podcatcher” like Don explained or listen now by clicking on Play Now. It’s only about 30 minutes. Let us know in the comments what you think and make plans to join us next week Saturday 9pm Eastern right here.

Update: The player and downloads are working now!

 

 Roadcast Episode #1 [27:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (212)

Popularity: 45% [?]

I was having dinner with my family last night discussing an upcoming project here and the question came up of what is a podcast? Being the general technical support for my family and neighbors for years I have been listening to these things for a couple of years now and had figured everyone knew what a podcast was. Then it dawned on me, “What the heck is a Podcast?”. I really had no simple concise, concise answer, in fact I really couldn’t explain it in such a way to do podcasting justice. “Its like a radio show over the internet”, I said, which garnered blank stares, “They are automatically downloaded through RSS feeds”, which left my audience with a who-cares look on their face. So I decided to attempt to come up with something that better reflects what podcast are and the community behind them. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 56% [?]

It seems that the older I get the more easily I’m irritated. Over the last week or ten days I’ve read a number of articles dealing with the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach; with each new article I find myself in an increasingly agitated state. Now, after having experienced a particularly yucky Christmas Eve morning back in 1986 (I hold a grudge for a very long time), I can be irritated by the mere mention of the Port of Long Beach - so I might be more than a little biased. Nonetheless, it seems to me that the two ports Boards of Commissioners are set on a course that would result in the loss of work for thousands of Owner/Operators, a massive increase in the cost of goods imported through these ports, and a virtual monopoly for the few trucking companies fortunate enough to be in a position to capitalize on the new regulations being proposed.

All this in the name of providing a more environmentally friendly port. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 50% [?]

If you haul hazardous materials you know that the Transportation Security Administration, a component of the Department of Homeland Security, oversees the background checks that have been required following the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01. And if you, like me, have submitted to one of these background checks you know that a good deal of personal information is necessarily gathered by the TSA contractor conducting the investigation. All well and good. I don’t mind jumping through the hoops ’cause I don’t really want someone who hasn’t been thoroughly investigated hauling stuff that can go boom. Or poison thousands. Or disintegrate roads and bridges. You get the idea.

But I want to know that the people charged with protecting the public from terrorism are equally interested in, and capable of, protecting the identities of good folks like you and me; and with this recent news I have to wonder. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 45% [?]

I almost had a load going to Southern California so I spent a little time finding out exactly where the fires are. I should have known Google Maps would have the answer.

I5 was completely closed by the border and weigh check station while officials set backfires.

Another list of road closures here.

A Google map of the fire locations:

View Larger Map
Click on View Larger Map and click on each fire for information after zooming in.

This map lists all the fires plus evacuation centers. HERE.

Popularity: 44% [?]

I would have loved to have written about a device I found, but I couldn’t find one!

Since my article (and ticket) about parking back here. I’ve been keeping my truck and trailer at a nearby truck stop. It’s not the safest neighborhood, so I try and park close to the buildings and on the side that has the fence. There’s security, but he might be too busy breaking up the fights in the casino.

If I need to park close to the house, there’s a dirt lot about three blocks away. Which got me thinking… There are devices to alert you when your truck has been stolen, but the major problem most truckers have is having their truck broken into.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 49% [?]