Life on the Road - Trucking News Blog

It’s an elephant, a train, an oncoming semi, a goat in heat, a really large bee hive, quit’n time at the factory – no, it’s a VUVUZELA! It’s the 2010 hula hoop. It’s the thing to have and I want one!

According to Wikipedia, Vuvuzelas has been controversial. They’ve been featured recently on all the nightly talk shows as well as the news everywhere. They have been associated with permanent noise induced hearing loss. In fact, demand for earplugs during the 2010 World Cup “football” matches outstripped supply, because so many fans were blowing their vuvuzelas!

Vuvuzelas have been blamed for drowning out the sound and ruining the atmosphere of many sporting events around the world. Commentators have described the sound as “annoying” and “satanic.” On June 19, 2010 at a Major League Baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium, the first 15,000 fans were given miniature vuvuzelas as part of a promotion. Based on the widespread criticism from fans and players it could possibly lead to a ban of vuvuzela usage at MLB events.

Read the rest of this entry »

to tonight’s Deadliest Catch episode on the Discovery Channel at 9pm. Our colleague Phil Harris, captain of the Cornelia Maria, passed this past February. He was only 53. As widely reported, during the filming of the 6th season of Deadliest Catch, Harris suffered a massive stroke while harbored in St. Paul Island, Alaska.

He was flown to Anchorage for surgery, and was placed in an induced coma to reduce cranial blood pressure and swelling. He awoke from the coma after his condition had improved. He was squeezing hands, talking, and showing other signs of improvement but died from an aneurysm.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, “His sons Jacob and Joshua issued a statement for the Harris family, saying, “It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad — Captain Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate that strength. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Is this the best you’ve got? Well, it’s just NOT good enough. I’m driving 80,000 lbs. of truck. I am responsible for securing 48,000 lbs. – 24 tons of cargo. Sometimes the material has to be covered with a tarp that that weighs 125 lbs. There are times when I have to climb up loads as high as 14 feet. I’m allowed by law to work 14 hours a day – 11 of those hours are DRIVING – 70 hours a week. Are you really sure that I can do this with all the medications you’ve just prescribed? Have you seriously and professionally considered ALL aspects of my present condition beyond that of your own ego, wallet and patient quotas?

Many believe we have the best health care in the world. I’m not an expert that could confirm that. I am, however, a patient and as such, based on my needs, we do NOT have the best health care in the world – far from it. Because the present system is not based on treating the whole person, but providing superior ‘piecemeal’ care only, even if you have a primary care physician. The website ‘The Art of Patient Care’ says: “As physicians and nurses, we can treat respiratory failure and congestive heart failure pretty well, but we fail miserably when the problems are associated with emotional stress. Most of us seem to want to ignore these problems and walk away from them even though they are real and create great suffering for patients.”

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not quite sure. A week after I had my last ‘procedure’ I had a follow-up with my doctor, I mean cardiologist. The day before we received a ‘statement’ from Blue Cross/Blue Shield for not $15,000, not $25,000, but for $50,000 for the first ‘procedure.’ Let me say that again – $50,000 for putting ‘stents’ into my arteries and staying in the hospital between 6am and 4:30pm.

When my wife told me, it actually took me 20 minutes to get a hold of myself and bring my breathing under control. I didn’t know whether to connect with my feminine side and burst into tears or get really pissed. I chose the latter. I’ve been in that ‘pissed’ state for the past three days. And knowing that the total cost of my two ‘procedures’ was going to exceed $100,000, I am in the same ‘state’ of anxiousness and stress that I was before ‘this’ all happened and I was back on the road.

So going into the meeting with the doctor – cardiologist – I was not a happy camper. Yes, my BP is significantly lower than it was when I was in the emergency room a month ago. It’s gone from 208/184 down to 117/70. I have lost 10 pounds by following a strict diet and exercise program given to me by my son. He goes with me to the supermarket and tells me what I should buy. I’ve slept twice as much as I would if I was in the truck and not having to deal with a dispatcher or shipping office or security guard the past 30 days has been wonderful.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes it’s true, our first photo contest. We’ve wanted to do this since the start, but have now figured out some of the technical details. Upload your photos to the Life on the Road Fan Page.

1. You have to have or create a Facebook account. If you don’t want to use real names, that’s okay, just a real email address so you can receive Facebook messages.
2. You have to “Like” the Life on the Road fan page in order to upload photos.
3. Go to the Life on the Road fan page and upload to the fan photo section.

If you have any technical issues or questions about uploading, let me know.

Rules

Must be your photo. Yes, I do know how to look for meta information and look for duplicate images on the web. If you have a photo online already in Flickr, SmugMug, Picasa or some other web photo service, be ready to prove it’s your account where the picture is.

Vote for you favorite photo by clicking the “Like” link on each photo. You can only vote once on each photo. Facebook keeps track of that so I don’t have to. The photo with the most likes and or comments wins. In case of problems, ties, disputes or anything else, I have the final decision. Multiple entries are allowed. Let’s keep the maximum entries at three per person, only one picture per person gets a prize. You can’t win more than once no matter how many photos you submit or votes you have.

UPDATE: Just a reminder 5 more days until the deadline.

Read the rest of this entry »

“And we care about the small people. I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don’t care. But that is not the case in BP. We care about the small people.” BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg. FYI – Mr. Svanberg’s compensation last year was $2.8M.

Orange Beach, Ala., Mayor Tony Kennon: “They can call me small, miniature, they can call me anything they want. Just write the check and send it to us.” On the $20 billion in an escrow fund, he joked, “They better be lucky I called off the invasion of 10,000 rednecks with their rifles headed toward England anyway.”

When I heard Mr. Svanberg’s comments, I was not surprised at all. I do not pass it off either as a problem of translation. His statement was quite typical of corporate executives in the US and overseas. Here in the US, you will hard pressed to find a CEO or other member of senior management that does not possess this arrogant “small people” attitude. You find as well at the middle management level. The perfect example of that mindset can be found in dealing with the “typical” operations or safety manager at any trucking company.

Read the rest of this entry »

Goodaye all. I have been following your HOS debate for quite some time and last I read you have  had hearings into trying to get it right. Good luck! My understanding is it follows our regs here in Australia and yet we too have even newer fatigue regulations. We have our log books and they were changed from a reasonable size to A4 because the authorities wanted us to get every delivery or loading signed for and also wanted odometer readings. We convinced them that you simply cannot get every load, unload etc signed for and that was scrapped, but whilst we now have to fill in odometer readings, we could have done that on the old book and saved thousands of dollars and man hours of people who do not have to fill in logbooks, designing (read here, changing it to show they have done something) and telling us how to do it and why.

The view I hold and have written and spoken on radio here is that, I do not know any driver who wants to work 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, but I know a damn lot who want to be able to drive when they are fit and sleep when they are tired and the more regs and less flexibility they afford us, the harder it is to comply and the easier it is to be punished. We were sold on the new regs offering more flexibility and many of us still disagree that is the case, but the other side of it is that we did not and still do not have enough rest areas now, let alone with more stringent rules and penalties.

Yes logbooks, lie sheets etc, what ever some refer to them as, are not perfect and can be abused. But we are human, we are not robots to be turned on, drive for the regulation 12 in 24, maximum 5 hour stint, 30 minutes off (this is the simplest and we do have a tiny bit more flexibility than this) 5 hours on, 30 minutes off, drive 2 hours and then be turned off ready to go again when turned on. I am sure all your customers, loaders, dispathers and bosses will simply fit in with that won’t they. How do we get fair laws, recognition for the job we do, respect from the public and sufficient and suitable rest areas and roads to drive on.

Can your associations or unions (teamsters?) get this done? Can you as an individual driver get things changed? It will take a long time, but if you as a driver do nothing and wait for someone else to fix it, we all know what will happen. You will continue to be used and abused, fined and punished for simply trying to do your job and feed your family. Are you frustrated, do you make an effort to contact road authorities and give your view, do you put a positive face before the public, or do you whinge and whine in truckstops and expect someone else to “fix” it.

I would like to hear from drivers that have made a difference and would welcome your advice on what has worked for truckers in the USA. Maybe you can help us here in Australia. I hope so. Safe Traveling, Rod Hannifey.

In March of 2009 Jason Rivenburg, a trucker from New York, arrived too early for his appointed unloading time in South Carolina, and was waiting at the safest nearby spot he could find at the time, an abandoned gas station. It was while waiting to unload that he was shot and killed, all for the $7 that was in his wallet.

In December 2009  twenty-two year old Willie Pelzer, on probation for a grand larceny conviction at the time of the slaying, was found guilty of Jason’s murder and was sentenced to life without parole.

June 28th, 2010, has been designated Jason’s Law Day in an effort to secure passage of House Resolution 2156, a resolution written with the goal of creating safe places for truckers to rest or wait until they can load or unload their trucks.  If you have read the resolution and agree with it but haven’t yet contacted your representative and senator in Washington D.C. to encourage the passage of this trucker safety legislation, then June 28th would be a good day to make the call.

The resolution is now stalled in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  So June 28th has become a call to action to get support for the resolution to push it through this final step.  Since 2010 is the  “the year of safety” as evidenced by strict enforcement of  CSA (Comprehensive Safety Analysis) 2010, an aggressive campaign carried out by FMCSA  to improve highway safety by imposing stricter rules and regulations on both drivers and carriers, it only makes sense that the time has come to assure one more aspect of truck driver safety.

The passage of Jason’s Law would lend support to all the new safety mandates since it would be a major step toward improving the safety of both the general public (no more tired drivers circumnavigating secondary streets looking for a safe place to rest near the highway) and professional truck driver (freedom from reliance upon rest areas, which have become a hot bed of activity for prostitution, drug deals and the sale of stolen goods.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Trucking and Reality TV? Just  imagine the possibilities!

The Bachelor Truck Driver – each contestant gets to take his date out on the next run – how does she fare? Or else kiss her goodbye, go on the next run and keep in touch by phone, texting, email. How does she fare?

Lost in Port – pit two dozen truckers against each other at a port facility that is locked, has signs that refer to procedures no longer in place, and a load that is so late you wish you had never attempted. Last trucker to endure is the winner.

Trucker Destinations – leave clues to obscure places all over the USA. First one to Bisbee, AZ is the winner! (no offense intended)

Those might seem laughable, of course, but reality TV and trucking have indeed crossed paths. Perhaps you’ve heard about or seen “Ice Road Truckers” on the History Channel? The action takes place on the Dalton Highway, a 414-mile stretch from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. The Dalton Highway has been called the most dangerous road in the USA, due to its many hills, curves and, oh yeah- ten feet of ice.

This sixteen week series shows two truckers in “real life conditions” on the Dalton Highway. Now this road is so dangerous that to be allowed to haul on it a new driver must shadow an experienced driver for eight trips. Every curve, every hill must be put to memory, and drivers have to communicate with each other to make sure all trucks have clear passage.  Break downs are common and truckers are on their own for repairs. The severe cold creates challenges all of its own, and the ice pack is sometimes indistinguishable from the road. Speed limit is 50 mph.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well isn’t that a fine howdy-do first thing in the morning. Judy B. Dice* seems to have awakened on the wrong side of the bed perhaps. Greg Marino** seems friendly enough. A whole lot of other folks seem to want me as their friend.

I finished my coffee and strawberry cream oatmeal and decided today was the day this truck-less trucker was going to delve deeper into the “mysterious” world of Twitter and Facebook. I have avoided both for, well, since they pretty much became popular with “everyone else.”

Since I’m currently “laid-up” or “laid-off” or whatever, I have to time to go out and make some new friends and learn some new technology. I’ve been remiss about keeping up my role as a first adopter or is it adapter? Whichever, I’m sorry, money is tight right now and switching up to an HTC Incredible is just not possible. Will that stand in the way of my getting new friends or followers? Heck if I know.

Read the rest of this entry »