Life on the Road - Trucking News Blog

Unless you’ve been living in the root cellar, you as a driver know there are big challenges facing all truckers these days. Everybody tells you to call your congressman, or comment to FMCSA on pending regulatory changes. You should do these things, and you should vote. When you call your local congress-critter’s office, they can tell immediately whether or not you’re registered to vote. If you’re not, they’ll just chalk it up to a solitary, not very credible call.

So, you MUST be registered, doesn’t matter who you vote FOR. And if you voted for one guy and the other guy won, do NOT believe your voice doesn’t count: that office has no way of knowing who you voted for, all they know is you vote and maybe you’re one of their voters. Even if the opposition won, you are still a constituent. You should be calling regularly enough that the office staffers start to recognize your name when you call, making them put some recognition behind your views goes a long way toward being listened to. If they’re not running for election, they’re running for re-election. That’s a given.

Letters, E-Mail and Fax

You can use all of these, with email being the least effective. Some officials who know they’re taking an unpopular position on an upcoming vote simply won’t read the emails (Senators are worse about this, elitists that they are). Letters and faxes turn up as a real piece of paper, they’re far harder to ignore. The standard feeling is, for every letter someone writes and actually takes the time to send, a thousand more people felt the same way but didn’t make the effort. That doesn’t mean they won’t make the effort to vote, though. Keep them scared. Read the rest of this entry »

phone…well, kind of. You see my “cell” is old. It cost about $49 a few years ago at Verizon. It was on sale as part of a “two-fer” deal. It’s not as thin as a credit card. I wouldn’t want it to be because I’d lose it. It had a camera, but it doesn’t work anymore. Some of the keys stick which makes sending text messages difficult, but then I don’t send many textes, or texts or however you say or spell it.

It doesn’t connect to the net, but I can play a mean game of bowling waiting for my dinner to come. It can’t remember anything, because it has no memory. You can touch the screen, but that doesn’t do anything. You actually have to press “buttons” to make a call. The screen is tiny and not bright at all, but then who needs “bright and clear” when all I need is to see boring telephone numbers. Forget e-mail, that’s what my laptop is for.

It has choice of 5 plain rings and I have yet to be successful trying to get other tones to work. I tried once to get a song from Sugarland, but when my cell rang, it sounded like Jennifer Nettles (the lead singer) was drowning. Poor girl. As far as security, well, if anybody tries to steal it, I’ll hit ‘em over the head with my tire iron. Besides no one else can operate it but me.

My cell bears no resemblance to a Blackberry or Blueberry or IPhone or EPhone or whatever new fangled devise is today’s latest flavor. It’s just an old plain grey flip cell phone. And for a poor trucker like me, it is perfect. Because more important than anything it works. I can reach anybody I want, anywhere at anytime without a problem. And as Wayne can tell you, I’m not a phone kinda guy. I rarely call anyone unless I absolutely need to. As long as I can talk to my wife, I’m happy. I will pay $299 - $399 for a short cruise somewhere, but never a phone, especially one that thinks it knows and can remember more than me.

The American Trucking Association’s board of directors has voted to expand the ATA’s safety agenda as an effort to reduce highway fatalities, according to Transport Topics. Although ostensibly addressing all areas of highway safety, the ATA appears to have concentrated on “improved driver performance” far more than other indicators. A new focus will be on the improvement of the performance of non-commercial vehicle drivers as a factor in fatality reduction. This should be interesting as I certainly cant see government really listening to the ATA too much on improving over-all driver safety-but at least, they’re now making an attempt.

Some of the recommendations adopted include:

In the category of improving driver performance

• · Setting a policy on the use of non-integrated technologies while the vehicle is in motion; ( now, what do you suppose this means? Cell Phones? GPS? Laptop routing? CBs? None  of these would surprise me as carriers want complete control of their drivers and will use DOT regulations to get it if they can-drivers can have NO information except the information WE want them to have. . .)

• · Setting a policy supporting uniform commercial drivers license (CDL) testing standards; (I thought we HAD a national standard. . . .) Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been home now for about 2 1/2 days. I was “out” for 45 days. I stayed out that long to make what I typically would have in 1/2 that time. I’m sitting here in my living room watching “What not to Wear” on TLC. I need a makeover. I had left over Chinese for lunch. Both dogs are snoring next to me. It is quiet.

Sara Palin was speaking a few miles from my house this morning. She reminded “me” that Obama is not fit to be President because of his “former” relationships with preacher Rev. Wright and “ex” domestic terrorist, Bill Ayers. I’m almost too tired to care at this point. I do need to find out about my absentee ballot because I’ll be gone (again) on election day.

I need a haircut. I’m due to return to work Wednesday morning. I’m exhausted, don’t want to move and can’t keep my eyes open. Maybe it has something to do with the “feels like” temperature outside of 95 degrees. Perhaps, although I enjoyed the visit, after MT’ing out on Friday, before dead heading 275 miles home, I saw my 75 year old mother. She gave me two large apples to bring home and asked me if I dyed my hair. As we all know, seeing your mother is always emotionally draining, especially after being out 45 days. Read the rest of this entry »

If you don’t already know it, this is a photo of Nancy Palosi, the Speaker of the House. To follow-up on an earlier post I did for “Life on the Road”, I am STILL undecided as to who to vote for.

I think I’m having too much fun staying non-committed. I can hate McCain one day and love him the next. The same goes for Palin, Biden and Obama. As far as Palosi is concerned, I never voted for her. She’s from California. I’m from Florida. I guess my representatives voted for her to be Speaker. But they never asked me, and I know I wouldn’t have approved.

The same for Barney Rubble, I mean Frank. And the rest of the House Democrats, whose names I choose not to remember, even as our economy is falling apart. I should know them all by now, but I don’t. I’ve been OTR for almost 40 days and have trouble remembering just about everything.

To digress a second, Bill Hurt Chevrolet, I believe the largest Chevy dealership in the US, just went out of business. 2700 good folks are out of work Not the salesmen, the - just kidding! He had 7 locations in the Southeast. One is right near where I live. I don’t know if it is because of what is happening with the “bailout” thing or not. I do know that people just can’t get credit and the price of a new car for some time now is out of reach of a lot of people, like “we” truck drivers.

Anyway, back to Palosi. I don’t really know that much about her. After hearing her little “speech” before the House vote on Monday, she sounds annoying. Almost as much as Sara Palin has become. And I must be honest with you, I now also find Obama annoying. McCain not so much, yet. I just don’t listen to Biden, unless I need a laugh. Read the rest of this entry »

Hot, hot - I said hot as in hot JIT load. Big, big, heavy aluminum coil. About 47,000 lbs. 10 chains and tightly tarped. Got to get there. Muy importante! Hustle, hustle, hustle. Destination - Pine Bluff, AK. Operations calls them. Ring, ring. Hi, is this receiving? Yeah. What are your receiving hours? Big, really big coil on the way. 7-11am, BUT since you’re bringing in a big, big, heavy aluminum coil we’ll take it until 3pm. And we need it ASAP! Great. Thank you.

On time, every time is my motto. Drive till the “wee” hours of the morning. And I hate driving in the dark. But it’s JIT! Have a little trouble finding the place. Dispatch provided me the directions. No wonder. Ever been to Pine Bluff? Lotsa little roads traveled on by big trucks going to factories back in the woods. Not many legible signs since the Civil War. This is no exception. I double back. Got to be that way. My GPS is on the fritz. Follow my instincts. There, over there, there it is. Big building. Got to slow down. No quick turns with a big heavy coil. Ah, ha - there’s the sign for the entrance.

I pull in. Wait. What? I move forward. Weeds everywhere. A rusty fence. There’s a old guy over there. He’s watching the property. Make sure nothing is taken. Why? BECAUSE THEY WENT OUT OF BUSINESS MONTHS AGO! That’s why. I’m there well before the 3pm close. Like it really matters now. This old man is the only human within miles. The phone number that was called to ask about receiving hours was a Pine Bluff exchange. That is a local Pine Bluff number that is transferred automatically to the Chicago plant where they receive coils - no later than 3pm. That’s 847 miles, about 13 hours away. Should we say NIT instead of JIT for not in time?

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Lake Point, UT. South of Salt Lake. The T/A. Beautiful view of the mountains. There is a “spike” in flatbed business, especially if you have a Hazmat endorsement. I’ve almost run 2500 miles this week with roofing material. I haven’t been this far West in almost a year and a half.

I’m under a load to Lubbock, TX. Before I start heading South, I need to check out an air leak on the tractor. Seems that when the governor engages, air is escaping somewhere. The compressor is also leaking. I committed to a 8am Monday morning delivery to a job site.

I go inside the T/A for service. The clerk behind the counter is coughing and looks ill. She is on the phone with a mechanic who was supposed to show up for work last night at midnight. There has been no mechanic on duty all night. He wants to know if he should come in or not. Trucks needing PM’s, tires, etc. have been waiting since yesterday. Normally, 3-4 mechanics are on duty 24/7. She is not the manager - who is MIA - and has no “power” to demand that this person come into work, despite being 7 hours late. She can’t wait till her shift ends. She’ll pass the “mess” to the next unmotivated employee.

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The next very important thing is fuel. Does the company provide you with a fuel card so your fuel cost will automatically be deducted from your pay settlement? Most of the companies that offer leases also offer a discounted fuel price as well as a fuel card. Most generally Com data is the card of choice because not only does it serve as your fuel card but also serves as a good way for you to receive your pay.

Then you have to ask about fuel surcharge. Some companies pay you a set amount each week based on the DOE average fuel cost (say like forty-nine cents per mile just as an example). While other companies have it worked out with their shippers that they get paid so much per mile and pay that amount directly to the driver. Some may pay percentage on both regular pay (percentage of what the load is worth) and fuel surcharge as well.

A few extras to think about: if hauling for a refrigerated company – is reefer fuel paid for? Are trailer washouts paid for? Do you have to “rent” the trailer you will be using or does the company provide it free of charge? Do you get paid layover? Do you get paid short haul miles? Do you get paid for unloading or driver-assist loads? Are there fees for early termination of the lease? Are there fees for driving over a certain number of miles? Is there any chance of receiving a pay raise (such as safety bonuses)? Will you get paid detention? Is there a health insurance program you can enroll in? Is there a required amount of time that you have to be out before being able to request home time?

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Think you’re not having a good day? At least you didn’t spend $1200 in fuel to drive to DC to protest fuel prices and on top of all that, you get your trucks towed and impounded!

Protesting truckers’ rigs towed
Several truckers who came to Capitol Hill this week to ask lawmakers for relief on gasoline prices got a real Washington-insider experience Wednesday: Their vehicles were impounded, and the towing company demanded a $2,000 fee for their return.

They didn’t see any Representatives because they were all working on the bailout fiasco. Not even any TV time because the media was also focused on the bailout news. I can’t help but think there’s a different sign these guys are missing.

“Some guys drove for 10 to 15 hours straight just to be a part of this, and now a few of them can’t even come to see what we’ve accomplished,” said TACU organizer Leon Martin.

I thought you were only allowed to drive 11? “…to see what they accomplished” ??? Which was what? Get their trucks towed?

One thing they mentioned in the article which I never hear about them anywhere else is they are for domestic drilling. Which is great, but why not coordinate with American Solutions Drill Here, Drill Now campaign? Or T.Boone Pickens who wants to convert all the trucks to natural gas?

They want to stop oil speculating, but if America was making a bigger contribution to the world market’s oil supply, it would take the volatility out of the market. There’s a futures market for everything. Everything from Orange Juice, sugar, pork bellies and heating oil. The airlines use the futures market to control the big swings in their fuel prices. I bet the big trucking companies might have a hand or two in there too. Speculation drives the prices down too. Did anyone notice that when America started talking about getting serious about drilling, the prices fell? I guess that didn’t last long.

Lease purchase programs are not for everyone. But it is a way to get a start to owning your own business. You really have to know what to look for, however, when it comes to signing on with one of these programs. First and foremost, is there a down payment required? While some companies require no down payment, others do. How good is your credit? Most companies advertise that they do not care how bad of credit you have (of course not because the interest would probably choke a horse!). How much is your payment going to be? Payments vary by year and type of truck (of course). You may also want to check with the company to see when your first payment will come out.

Some companies will prorate the payment based on when you start and some companies will give you a month before they begin taking the payments out. If you sign on with a company that gives you that month of no payments, take advantage and put back money for rough weeks you may face! Of course you will want to know if what you are buying is worth what you will be paying so a little research beforehand goes a long way. After all, who wants to end up with a five year old truck with a million miles on it while making a $500 a week payment that has a $40,000 buyout option at the end of the lease? Lastly, there are some companies who require you to drive them for a certain period of time before you can lease a truck from them. I can see this as being an excellent idea because it will get you accustomed to the company and the way they run things.

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