Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

So I’m here in Laredo. At “our” terminal. It is hot and uncomfortable. Actually it’s just like being in an oven. It is busier than ever. Freight headed everywhere. Going inside the office, I encountered a bunch of “men-children.” Whiny, lazy, young and old, fat and extremely fat, unmotivated, very unprofessional truck drivers. I just wanted to leave. I’m so disappointed with these people. I’m sad for the company. Unfortunately, my load and paperwork were not ready to be taken over to the broker. I’m stuck here overnight. It’s dark and 102 degrees. Bummer.

What do you think of this? I’m in the rest room. One of the “men-children” comes in. He tries to open my stall and the one next to me. He almost takes the doors off. He yells “full house!” I thought he left. When I’m done I open the door and he almost runs me over, tells me to “get out already” and he slams the door. This goober is one of our million-milers! The decal on both sides of his truck says: “Ambassador.” Well, this “Ambassador” from hell must weigh over 400 lbs., clearly has trouble walking and you can smell him 10 feet away. The company just gave him a brand new International ProStar with a host of free options. He barely can get up and in the cab. This clown is an disgrace and I’m sure my company has no clue of this man-child’s piss poor attitude. You know the expression, what comes around goes around, well, I will not forget this little “incident.”

Then there was the driver who refused to take a load over to the broker less than fifteen minutes away because he claimed his 14 hours were up. The other driver who refused a load to North Dakota because he doesn’t want to go West because he wants to make sure he gets home two weeks from today. Another driver couldn’t figure out how to secure the load he was assigned. One driver was too tired to work anymore today. One guy doesn’t want to leave until tomorrow. I have never seen such stupidity. The operations staff here is the best in the business. They seem to let all this roll off their shoulders and just move on to the next available driver. A pathetic situation, clearly.

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Did you listen to the President’s “speech” tonight? I did. And I have mixed emotions. I opposed the invasion of Iraq after 9/11 and the subsequent ten year inglorious battle to provide uneducated barbarians, who despise our way of life, a taste of both freedom and democracy. If Iraq succeeds on its own, I will be amazed. I have similar feelings about Afghanistan. We are wasting our time there. I say stop the loss of any more American lives and pull out – now.

If we employ our advanced technology to learn of an Al Qaida or Taliban terrorist hideout, we can simply fly a drone there and drop a large bomb on their heads without “boots” on the ground. I think we all agree that the only good terrorist is a dead one. Afghanistan is a corrupt, horrible and disgraceful example of everything that’s wrong with the human race. They should be left alone to exist in their intolerant little world and a reminder that we still don’t have Bin Laden.

The President has been in office for 19 months. And I’m sorry for those people who believe that in that time, he has failed to make a world an economic panacea for you. Would the world have been a better place with John McCain and Sara Palin at the helm? I don’t know and any speculation about that, in my mind, is a waste of time. It didn’t happen, so move on. The President’s speech, according to the overpaid narcissistic talking heads, was boring and a failure. I remember the speeches of both Bushes, former President Clinton – even Ronald Reagan – and quite frankly they all left me, well, what’s a good word here – empty? Yes, the current President sounds a bit “down,” but who the hell wouldn’t be if they had to wake up every morning with the mess we’re in.

But, and this is a big BUT, I’m a truck driver and my worldview is different. Flatbed freight right now is the highest it’s been in two years. I am preplanned for another load 24-48 hours in advance of my being MT. We don’t have enough qualified drivers nor do we have the available trucks to handle the present available high freight volume. For a while, I sat MT and listened to the radio and never heard a carrier advertisement for drivers. I don’t sit anymore and there are dozens of carriers advertising for drivers for regional, dedicated, local-intermodal and OTR “opportunities.” I was asked to take less time home to assist in the demand.

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Our trucks keep getting bigger and bigger. This is a triple road train, the mainstay of long haul outback transport in Australia for many years. Many now are moving to AB Quads, 4 trailers in total, with a road train pulling a b-double and then bigger again to a BAB Quad, two b-double sets hooked together.

The BAB Quad handles better with less rear trailer swing, which has been the biggest problem with triples (and with some of our roads you would not be surprised this is an issue) and can of course be broken down into 2 b-doubles which can access most of Australia’s road network and into many capital city areas. B-doubles are still restricted to a network of major roads, they cannot just travel anywhere like a normal semi can. A normal semi to us is a 6×4 prime mover with triaxle trailer, allowed to 19 metres and up to 45 tonnes depending on what mass limits and scheme you are running at. We also have 19 metre b-doubles or baby b-doubles with 2 shorter and only bogie axles, so 7 axles in total, as opposed to normal b-doubles, 9 axles, which are generally allowed up to 26 metres and again, up to 68 tonnes on what we call Higher Mass Limits for which you have to be in an accreditation sceme and run with GPS tracking.

Earlier this year, b-doubles overtook semis as the biggest group in the Australian transport fleet. Even there, we are now looking to b-triples for linehaul interstate cartage, but most likely from major distribution centres to feeder centres on the outskirts of the major capitals. Currently you can run b-triples on the Type 1 roadtrain network (Type 1 Roadtrain, two trailers to 36.5 metres, Type 2 Roadtrain, 3 trailers up to 53 metres) and it is likely, to keep pace with the increased freight task, we will see b-triples on some major roads soon.

We have a smaller population, just over 21 million now and a large land mass with big distances between major capitals and so do not have the people (and many say the water to accomodate a much larger population) to be able to have the roads you do. Like all truckies, we want better roads for increased safety for us and other road users, better facilities for us while we live and work on the roads and better education of the motoring public about sharing the road with us.

Trucking is a service industry. We do not drive up and down the road because we have nothing better to do with our time, we are there to feed, clothe and support our nations peoples and all we ask is a bit of empathy for our lifestyle away from home and family, so they, the public, can have a better lifestyle with and for theirs. Safe Travelling, Rod Hannifey.

Goodaye all. We do not have a driver shortage here as yet, though some are saying it will happen in the future. I think there are two reasons that may contribute. The first is the level of scrutiny we operate under and the newer, bigger and tougher penalties that it seems the authorities wish to continue to apply and increase and this will drive some truckies away from the job. We are certainly not all perfect and perhaps some do not help themselves or the rest of us by the way they behave on the road and when stopped by authorities. The issue of abuse of any and all road authority personnel over the UHF, just gets them aggro and the next poor fellow they pull up is likely to cop it.

We all have a job to do and abusing those that have the book and the gun is not the right way to get a fair and just hearing when pulled up on the side of the road. Yes there are some officers who simply do not like truckies and some who should not be doing that job, just like we have some the same, but if we give them the respect we would like to receive, we should hope to get the same repsect back.

The second issue is a bit more subjective and disconcerting. Many drivers are far too wary of being, in their view, fined and or penalised for minor and not really safety related infringements. When these drivers simply say they are leaving the industry and we lose someone with years of experience, who will take their place? Will we end up having the problems you are having with insufficient training and or corrupt licensing, simply to get people into trucks and even then, if these drivers are not well trained and lack the experience of the drivers who leave, will the road toll and level of crashes increase?

In a few years will people say the transport industry is worse, but will they accept any blame for chasing good, experienced drivers out, by making it simply too hard to comply, to survive on the road and to feed a family?

How do we get a fair go? How do we get regulators to listen to those on the road doing the job, instead of those with university qualifications and no, on road understanding or experience? The freight must be shifted and will continue to increase and few understand the job and lifestyle of an interstate truckie and probably less care, but how do we get a fair go? Can it be done and who will do it? I cannot see that you have the answers there, but please someone correct me if I am wrong and you have it all sorted. Safe Travelling, Rod Hannifey.

This is going to be a much shorter post than normal. I just finished a long day of 624 miles of driving from North Canton OH down to Augusta GA. I pulled into the GA welcome center off I-20 at around 9pm. There are spaces for probably 100 trucks here, but only 2 are parked there. That is amazing and too bad that’s not the case in places like CT, NY, PA, NC, TX and so many other places where the welcome center and rest area area parking is pathetic for big rigs. Hopefully I’ll be home in a couple days for some very needed R&R and I’ll be able to park the truck next to my house.

Now this is going to be a self-serving statement, and I’ve said it before so please indulge me, but, I’m making myself available to head over to China and report and/or write a book about trucking & logistics there. The subject fascinates me. China is now the world’s second largest economy and most Americans don’t have a clue about how the highway system, warehouses, rail roads, intermodal capability, and trucking industry operates there. And yes, I do think we all care. If “we” don’t now, when China becomes the first largest economy and India the second and the US drops to third, they’ll have to care. We’ll be wondering: “Gee, what happened?” I’m thinking of contacting the Chinese directly about sponsoring me to take a look at what they’re doing to write that book. I keep you in the loop about how it goes.

Take a close look at the photos. Look at their trucks. Don’t see many KW’s, Internationals or Pete’s over there, do you? Your looking at what the Chinese call their National Highway 110/207 – also known as the Beijing-Tibet Highway. Roadwork began 10 days ago and is not expected to be completed until around Sept. 17th. Right now traffic is moving at 1/3rd of a mile a day. Yes, you did read that correctly. The work is being done just outside Beijing – you remember the Olympics being there – to the border of Inner Mongolia. The news of this mess is far more interesting that anything else in the trucking industry here, which appears to still be on summer vacation. Oh, did I say that the backup goes on for 60 miles!

The Wall St. Journal reports that: “China’s roads suffer from extra wear and tear from illegally overloaded trucks, especially along key coal routes. Coal supplies move from Mongolia through the outskirts of the capital on their way to factories. There are few rail lines to handle the extra load. Though the current massive gridlock is unusual, thousands of trucks line up along the main thoroughfares into Beijing even on the best days.”

Though triggered by construction, the root cause for the congestion is chronic overcrowding on key national arteries. Automobile sales in China whizzed past the United States for the first time last year, as Chinese bought 13.6 million vehicles, compared with 9.4 million vehicles in 2008. China is racing to build new roads to ease the congestion, but that very construction is making traffic problems worse-at least temporarily.

Truck driver Long Jie said his usual trip from the coal boomtown of Baotou in Inner Mongolia to Beijing, which normally takes three days, was now taking him a week or more. The delay, he said, meant he would have to raise his rates above the usual 12,000 yuan, about $1,765, for a 30-ton truck full of cargo.”

The photos are from Yahoo News, Wall St. Journal and the Christian Science Monitor. I’m headed to bed because I can’t see straight anymore. Be safe out there. Oh, one last thing, I listened to Glen Beck today talk mostly about the mosque/entertainment center near the WTC 9/11 disaster, and, I was amazed, he made a lot of sense. I hope he’s telling the truth about the “right to” vs. the “wisdom of.” More tomorrow.

For those that are interested in the fuel economy on a 2010 KW T660, I took this photo of how fast I generally run, at what RPM and what the truck computer is calculating the MPG’s at – with about a 45K load on the trailer. As you can see, it’s showing 8.3 MPG. That’s an average, of course. If it’s important, I drive exclusively with the cruise on. My last truck, a Freightliner with a small Detroit, I remember was getting, at best, about 6.4 MPG’s. I don’t know how that compares with what you’re driving and/or how you’re driving. A reminder that I have a Cummins 1997 ISX engine with a  Eaton ten speed. I have no clue what the “rears” are or the other “specs” truckers like to argue about, because quite frankly, none of that data would help me do my job any better. I received the truck with about 625 miles on it – it’s been less than a month and the odometer is now at about 12,000 miles. The odometer reading in the photo was from a few days ago.

This is another one of those posts that I’m going to jump all over the place, so as I usually say, please bear with me. The one item that keeps popping up in trucking concerns tolls and States allowing heavier weight trucks on their roads. I’ll discuss that in a second. But first, let me ask you this question – why isn’t there a decent truck stop in the Cleveland OH area? After I delivered in Bedford Heights, I received a preplan for a 5:30pm pick-up in Tallmadge, about 26 miles South. I didn’t want to get back on I-80. And the shipper has arrogant idiots working there and don’t allow ANY truck parking.

The QUALCOM said the stupid shipper “recommends” to go to the Knack Morgan Truck Plaza off I-76, exit 26 Eastbound, exit 25B, Westbound. The truck stop directory shows a Marathon in Akron, again off I-76, exit 26 WESTBOUND, 25B, EASTBOUND. The opposite of what was on the computer. Well, I didn’t see anything at either of those exits. If there was in fact a Morgan anything, it would sure be helpful if they managed to put up a damn sign or two. For all I know the QUALCOM message and the lousy directions were written years ago and NEVER updated.

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When walking into the Subway yesterday at the Bosselman’s in Grand Island NE, my back was in terrible pain, my head burning up and my hands shaking. I felt faint. I managed to go inside to put some cold water on face, then find a place to sit down. I wanted to go back to the truck to lie down, but I hadn’t eaten for hours. I thought it might have something to do with my blood sugar. Holding on to the rack of potato chips in front of the Subway counter, I got some food, went back to the place I was sitting and ate. I felt a little better. Long story short, I slept for 9 hours and woke up drenched in perspiration. I guess I passed a kidney stone, my second in three weeks. I have to triple my fluid consumption. Tonight, I’m feeling better and I’m parked across the interstate from Iowa 80 in Wolcott IA.

I’m going to be a little all over the place in this post, so please bear with me. What I’m about to say is more geared to those Life On The Road readers that are seriously into politics, like Everitt, Terry Smelser and Porter Corn. ELH might already know something about this. And Diane could probably teach me a thing or two about his ideas. What I’m referring to is a book called Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky. If, on the off-chance, you never heard of him or the book, I would recommend you check it out BEFORE you go out and vote for any candidate this November, especially a Republican. Here’s is the link: http://latter-rain.com/ltrain/alinski.htm If you ignore the labels of others regarding who Alinsky was or wasn’t, and if you really focus in on what he writes, he was a brilliant man.

“We are desperately concerned with the vast mass of our people who, thwarted through lack of interest or opportunity, or both, do not participate in the endless responsibilities of citizenship and are resigned to lives determined by others. To lose your “identity” as a citizen of democracy is but a step from losing your identity as a person. People react to this frustration by not acting at all. The separation of the people from the routine daily functions of citizenship is heartbreak in a democracy. It is a grave situation when a people resign their citizenship or when a resident of a great city, though he may desire to take a hand, lacks the means to participate. That citizen shrinks further into apathy, anonymity, and depersonalization. The result is that he comes to depend on public authority and a state of civil-sclerosis sets in.”

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There are a few times when I can’t get an internet connection and last night was one of them. I had to work on Windows Live Writer off-line, which is what I use to post to WordPress. Between Denver and Albuquerque, Verizon’s cell and data service is terrible. I don’t care how many red dots they show on a map, there wasn’t any service, but there should be. I can wait until cell towers becomes obsolete and service is offered via Earth orbiting satellites, like XM/Sirius radio.

I was initially dispatched to Tucson AZ, but then was turned around to pick-up slinkies (coiled wire) today in Pueblo CO. The load is going to OH. I spent the night at a independent truck stop in the middle of nowhere – Springer NM – right off I-25. Nice place. Friendly staff. Big sign, however, at the Subway inside, saying their oven isn’t working. Sorry, I need my flatbread and sprinkle cheese toasted. So I walked into Russell’s Restaurant. And after forty days of watching every damn thing I put in my mouth, starving myself if there was nothing healthy available, I fell off the diet wagon. Not actually a fall, more like a high altitude swan dive into a deep Brazilian rain forest canyon.

I did try my best. I looked over the menu carefully. The Native American waitress sat down next to me to assist. Sorry gals, I’m a guy and when a waitress, especially a good looking one does that – sits down next to me – I have some trouble thinking. I made the mistake of asking her “What’s good?” She smelled like a desert flower after a September rain shower. OMG – did I just write that? “Green chili chicken or steak enchiladas.” I asked her name. “Nicole.” Well, Nicole (love that name) would you consider that healthy? What a moron I am. What kind of stupid question is that to ask. “Sure it is, it comes with lettuce and beans – that’s healthy, right?” I had been in the truck, on the job, in the heat, since 6 freak’n AM, off my “regular” time zone. I just kept looking in her eyes. And she stared back. I lost track of what happened next and what I ordered.

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OK, so here I am back on Mountain Time. Laptop time is 10:06pm. Log time is 9:06pm. Wife time is the same as laptop time. Today I drove the 641 miles from Carrollton TX to Albuquerque NM. Great trip. Wish I had a dedicated run between these two places. I would actually be OK with moving to Albuquerque, which I think is a pretty cool place. I’m parked right outside the consignee in an “upscale” industrial park. I have my window open and I’m not sweating. A nice change of pace from yesterday when I was tarping the load I’m under and it was 107 degrees. I finished at 9pm last night, drank an entire bottle of Gatorade and feel asleep. When I don’t post, there is always a damn good reason, like heat exhaustion.

I said before, there should be a law making tarping in 100 degree heat illegal. My delivery is for 0600 tomorrow. I met a Mercer driver the other day at the Red River Army Depot. We were talking about a bunch of stuff. I told him about how stupid late night early morning pick-ups and deliveries are. He agree. He told me to QUALCOM in my eta and tell them I’m not a dairy farmer and to make the appointment for 0800. Well, my company takes their JIT loads seriously and wants them delivered as promised. I sent in the message with the dairy farmer quote. I got a message back a little while later confirming the 0800 appointment. Thank you to that Mercer driver. To be honest with you, this driver could have talked me into buying my own truck and driving for Mercer. Thank goodness, when I left the Army Depot, I came to my senses.

Back to Carrollton TX. I really don’t like Dallas. Forget about every else there, the traffic for a truck driver is enough to make you mad as hell. The surrounding areas are no better. I’ve always felt the HUV lanes should be for trucks who are just “pass’n” through. I know I’m an old fart when I say this but, I first went to Dallas in the late ’70′s, when men were men and women were women. Dallas was magical back then. It is not now or will ever be again. On the outskirts, places like Carrollton are not better. So, why does the railroad decide to run a train though 5pm rush hour traffic under I35 NE for almost 45 minutes -backing up traffic for miles either EVERY direction?

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Good Sunday all. Are you home and off the road today? Did you attend a Church or Temple ( or Mosque) of your choice? You’ll feel better, trust me. What’s that? You’re hung over, stuck in a futon with someone named Wanda? And you have a tattoo? Well, to each his own. As far as I’m concerned, despite being in sweltering Texarkana TX, in the back of a Texaco station, I have the day off. It’s 34 hour shut-down time. I haven’t had to do that in a long while. It means flatbed freight is truly way up and I might be able to buy that Motorola Droid X soon. And a new GPS. And that new $189 Kindle. And send my mom some money. Holy smokes, I think I’ll go back to bed. But I’m starving and the Subway here is calling out to me. “Oh, Marshall, sweetie, this is your egg white ham and cheese flatbed sandwich calling you, dear heart, come to me – now.” Damn, I can’t resist that. I’ll be back in a few minutes.

That was good. Yummy and healthy. Remember, no chips – go with the yogurt. And NO cookies! The interesting thing is that inside this dump is a “classy” cigar store. It’s closed today, but it looks like it has a good size walk-in humidor. I have no clue what it’s doing here inside a gas station. There are no signs for it outside that I can see, and looking at the “patrons” who fuel here, who go inside for a wiz or to order a sub, well, they don’t like the type to indulge in a fine cee-gar. I used to love a Cuban or two, but I’m sure if I lite up anything near me, I would explode, that being with all the meds I’m using. LOL. So, no cigars for me. There is an awesome black high tech really cool looking travel humidor that would hold 4 Cubans for $19.95. Maybe some other time.

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