Life on the Road - Trucking News Blog

Have you ever noticed how certain kinds of music reflect upon your driving skills? I have noticed myself how when I am listening to the alternative music my oldest likes, I tend to drive a bit faster. Outside of not being able to “head bang” down the road, I guess this is ok, but it makes me wonder, if I am driving a bit faster to this high tempo music - does it make other drivers aggressive in some way?

I have also noticed that when I listen to soft rock, classical, or Christian music, it is like a soothing calm that comes over me and I do not scream and yell at the idiot who has just cut me off.

Apparently, they have even performed studies about this very thing. “The current study explored the effects of music tempo on PC-controlled simulated driving. It was hypothesized that simulated driving while listening to fast-paced music would increase heart rate (HR), decrease simulated lap time, and increase virtual traffic violations. The study found that music tempo consistently affected both simulated driving speed and perceived speed estimates: as the tempo of background music increased, so too did simulated driving speed and speed estimate.”

The study goes on to talk about how people received more traffic violations as a result of listening to fast paced music because simply, they were not paying attention to what they were doing. Realistically, if someone is listening to fast paced music it is probably cranked up (the volume) pretty high as well, so how are they going to hear any sort of emergency vehicle or perhaps even someone honking to get their attention because of a road hazard?

So the next time you feel like being a little aggressive, remember to pop in a soothing CD of your choice, and see if you notice a difference in your driving behavior. Just make sure it is not something that will put you to sleep!

I watched a fair amount of Olympic coverage with my children this summer.  We watched quite a few medal ceremonies, and heard a lot of national anthems.  But I saw very few athletes singing the lyrics of their own country’s anthems, the United States included.

Did I miss something?  Was there an international agreement to have the athletes NOT sing their own national anthems?

Lacking that, what could it be?  Are these nationalistic songs just not ‘cool’ enough to sing?  Is there an informal, unspoken agreement among the athletes that if your lips mouth the lyrics during the medal ceremony you are just not cool?
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Dan Goodwill has a series of posts about The Art and Science of Freight Carrier Selection. It’s about how a shipper should choose a carrier to haul their freight. How about how a driver chooses a company to drive for? There are thousands of posts and forum discussions about how good or bad a company is. You can find good and bad stories about the same company. You can talk to a hundred drivers from a company and get a hundred different responses to the same question.

The secret to your success with a particular company? You.

That’s not the entire secret, otherwise this would be a really short post, but it is the answer. It’s also about your personal relationship with your dispatcher and the people you have daily contact with. You’re not going to know you’re at the perfect company for you, until you’ve worked there for awhile. Which is part of the problem with driver turnover. A lot of drivers don’t give their company enough of a chance and start looking for something else as soon as they get to a new company.

When you’re looking for a new company to drive for, it’s all about you. Is this the kind of freight you like hauling? Usually the same kind of freight will have the same type of customers, if not the exact same customers. Are you looking for home time, more money, respect, better equipment? Don’t say more miles! Because if you haven’t learned that it’s not how much you drive, it’s how much you make, read more Life on the Road! Even company drivers or leased operators being paid by the mile there are still things that affect your pay.

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An independent review panel’s report on the Mexican Cross Border Demonstration Program was released today and appears to affirm, confirm and validate, my opinions on the issue over the past year and a half.

The panel, commissioned by Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, in the waning days of this administration, proves, without a shadow of a doubt, the safety and ability of these carriers to operate within the rules and regulations, the same as we do.

The 119 page report can be downloaded HERE.

More importantly, at least to me, it verifies a very unscientific study I did on my own in the tenth month of the program.

For the first time, the review panel included the forgotten and ignored fleet of Mexican carriers grandfathered in under the 1982 Moratorium which gives us a more complete picture of their compliance.

Highlights of the Report

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Listen ladies, first of all spare me the nasty e-mails, I really need your help. I’m reaching out to all of you. You need to know, right off, that I appreciate all your hard work. I can’t imagine how tough it is being a female trucker. I’ve said many times, in many postings, on this and other blogs that men are jerks. I know that you are very capable, perhaps more so than most men, to do everything that is necessary to operate your rig in a safe, reliable and efficient fashion.

So, with that said, here’s my problem. I’m was in Senatobia, MS at the Kangaroo truck stop right off I-55. About 4pm, I was sitting in the front seat, with my headset on making a call, while typing online. I had the engine running. Both front windows were closed. You could say that I was really into what I was doing. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a women with a plastic bag approaching me. Wrong or right, my first thought was - lot lizard. Just like you ladies, I just wanted to be left alone.

She comes right up to the door. I wave her off. She moves her head right to left and back to indicate that she’s saying “no.” She bangs on the door. Persistent - I used the “b” word. Sorry. I was “ticked.” I rolled down the window half way and just looked at her. She said something. I said, “listen, times are tough for all of us, but [please] go away, I’m not interested. ” I started rolling the window up when she motioned her head again saying no. I took my headset off. She asked about my load. I didn’t quite understand the question. She said, “If I go over there now, could I get loaded?” I said “what?” She said “I drive for (our company) and I was wondering?” Read the rest of this entry »

My husband was grousing at me the other day because, when he brought home some unfamiliar canned dog food for my precious Jack Russells, I promptly looked the brands up on a recall list-he said I was a “Conspiracy Theorist”. Nope-just very aware of the kind of things we’re allowing to be imported without any checks and balances these days.

Dog food is only one of my worries: I figure I’m lucky to be alive after as many Chinese Take-Out meals as I’ve eaten in the last twenty years. My local lunch diner didn’t know me as “The Three Egg-roll Lady” for nothing. I never even got sick-maybe that says more for my Mid-Western constitution than from any food safety standards that have ever been in place. And, apparently, the FDA DOES attempt to keep track of some of it. On today’s recall list, I found two items of great interest: “Goldensmell (no, that’s what its called) brand Dried Fungus” and “Grove Grow Notes Dried Bamboo Fungus Veiled Lady”. I don’t know what either of these things are but you can be sure I’m not going to be picking any of these up at my local grocery to add to the stir-fry in the near future.. Of course, the same FDA recall list had a recall for some kind of hemorrhoid suppositories for excess mold and fungus-was it Goldensmell Fungus? Who knows? Is there an ‘acceptable level’ of fungus in hemorrhoid suppositories?

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As I was perusing the Indianapolis Star, I noticed that the online edition had a few comments on the story from the other day. The story, in case you missed it, had to deal with the fact that Indiana State Police are riding along in big trucks to catch aggressive drivers. Comments left on the page range from “It’s about time!” to people already pointing fingers that the truckers are the “bad” people.

While those who do care about their trucks and family while they are on the road show it by driving with some sense, we all know there are the few bad apples that give drivers a bad name.

What I did find interesting though was one of the very early results of this ride along program: “In less than two hours after the enforcement began this week, troopers issued 31 tickets and nine warnings, most for speeding or following too closely.” Those ticketed were both in cars and trucks.  I am hoping the officers make those who are violating the laws around the big trucks realize the consequences that could happen as a result of their inability to drive safely at ALL times.

As the article goes on, though very short, it tells that the officer riding with the trucker calls ahead to patrol cars with information on the offenders.

I think it’s great that at least one state is willing to show their state troopers what a trucker goes through while on the highway. Maybe this will give them a better idea on who to watch instead of giving big trucks the evil eye when they go by. Or at least that’s what I hope comes of it!

Man oh man, this is not a good week for me. We had been together for a long time. A lot of that time had been right near me in the cab. Coast to coast we had gone. We saw a of things together - New York City, LA, Mexico, Chicago and St. Louis - coast to coast through all four seasons, year after year. The leaves changing and the crystal white snow in Utah. Those were good times.

But as with all relationships there were some bad times as well. Recently things had become worse. The arguments sometimes just dug to the core. I had come to understand the real meaning of irreconcilable differences. But the sadness that it’s really over, now that the papers have been signed, especially when I’m just driving mile after boring mile, by myself, can be overwhelming.

I have tried to get some counseling, but I just don’t feel the folks that I spoke to really understand my plight. I did manage to get some pills and that has helped a bit. But, I’ll just wake up in the middle of the night for no reason and my brain just starts to race thinking about everything. It’s really over and I’ve just have to accept it. There is some light at the end of the tunnel, thank goodness.

Yeah, yeah, I know I’m on the rebound. I’m told it’s too soon. But being out there - week after week - gets real old and I’m so damn lonely. It was on tv that I first saw this perfect vision of beauty - black and wow, what a body. And the voice - ooo-la-la. So damn sexy. And 3 languages. And so bright! And efficient. I barely touch “her” and she’s ready to go. And rechargeable!

Rechargeable? Yeah. She’s my brand new GPS! Me and the ‘ole 2008 version of Streets and Trips are so over. No more using my laptop. No more frozen screeens. No more screaming at the slow nutty directions. I hate Microsoft. The satellite reception was terrible. “She” was driving me crazy. I had to do something. QVC was my match maker - and the cost - only $149 - three “easy” payments. I almost feel whole again. Her name is InVion. It “techy” for “My honey.”

When I get up in the morning (in my truck) I “throw” on a pair of $17 blue shorts, a t-shirt (with a pocket) from Flying J for $3.99 and a pair of white sneakers from Wal-Mart for $18. I wear white sox, but I don’t recall what they cost, probably $1.99  Sometimes I will wear this (same) outfit two or three days in a row. Yes, I change my underwear - Hanes - every day.

I probably spend $100 a year on clothes. I refuse to ever wear a tie - I threw away all my “dress” clothes years ago and my son “steals” anything “nice” that I buy. When I get home I wear the same thing I use on the road - the only difference is I wear the beige colored shorts, not blue. I hate shopping and wear everything until it’s full of holes. BUT I am NOT a woman. And I am NOT running for Vice-President of the United States of America.

I love women. I love everything about them. Everything. Now let’s forget about all those female “unmentionables” - those “delightful” things that we love to see our wives and girlfriends in. I hear on shows like “Whatever” on Martha Stewart (Sirius/XM) that a good brassiere is hard to find and not cheap. Then there are the PJ’s, the tops, pants, sweaters, skirts, blouses, jeans, jackets, blazers, belts, scarves, coats and dresses.

And the handbags, sunglasses, socks, tights, hose, wraps, etc. And the shoes. Women don’t love shoes, they worship them. Don’t forget the handbags and purses. And the makeup. And all the hair products. And the “happy” folks to do the hair and makeup. Affluent women pay folks to blow their hair dry. And the waxing, the nails - hands and feet and the earrings.

So, Gov. Palin was “provided” $150,000 worth of stuff to wear. So what. Big deal. A small price to pay to be in the pubic eye EVERY DAY. I think she should get to keep everything when the campaign is over. If “they” win, she’ll certainly need it - and more. If “they” lose, she deserves it for all the nonsense the morons in the media have subjected her to.  If “they” need a donation for the clothes, I’ll be the first to send her some money. And I’m not even a Republican. Because - I understand.

The photo credit is: http://www.clipartguide.com/_pages/0511-0810-0603-4932.html

There was some very interesting news released yesterday about Sarah Palin and her wardrobe.  Apparently the Republican National Committee has spent around $150,000 on the Vice Presidential candidates clothing.  This number was confirmed by the campaign finance reports for the Republican Party.  In my opinion that is quite a staggering number to have spent on clothing.  I suppose when you’re buying $2,000 suits and $500 pairs of shoes that could add up pretty quickly.  The campaign finance reports show that there was $75,062 spent at Neiman Marcus and $49,425 spent at Saks Fifth Avenue.

One thing that is pointed out in the news reports is that this was not necessarily Sarah Palin’s decision to spend this kind of money.  It looks like she wasn’t even involved in the shopping process.  It was other people in the campaign that picked out the clothing and made the wardrobe decisions for Sarah Palin.  I would assume that you would need to have a professional look if you were running for Vice President.  Maybe she didn’t have the type of clothing they were looking for when she was picked to be John McCain’s running mate.

There are some interesting things to note about the purchase of this clothing by the Republican National Committee.  The $150,000 had to be spent by the committee and not the John McCain campaign.  If the John McCain campaign had made the purchase this would have violated some rules.  Apparently this would have been a conversion of campaign money for personal use.  This is something that is prohibited by the Presidential Candidates committees.  Another interesting point is that all of these clothes will be donated to charity after the campaign has ended.  The reason for this is because if Sarah Palin were to keep the clothing, she would then have to claim the $150,000 as income and would be taxed on this amount.

When you’re trying to win the white house in a heated Presidential race there is always going to be interesting things that come about.  That is because the media loves to over analyze every little detail and it can kind of become a annoying.  For the last three months it seems like almost everyday there is something new the media is complaining about from the Barack Obama campaign and the John McCain campaign.  I for one will be glad when all this campaigning is over.  If party supporters want to donate their money to purchase clothing for the Vice Presidential candidate then I would think that is their choice.  It is their money so they can spend it however they choose.  It’s just crazy the things that come up in the news these days.