




Industry Update - November 8, 2019 <h4><strong>By Paul DeCoste</strong></h4>
<h3><strong>Did you Know?</strong></h3>
Less than two weeks ago <a href="https://www.macktrucks.com/trucks/anthem/">Mack unveiled their brand new</a>, all-black, Mack Anthem truck. Debuted at the North American Commercial Vehicle in Atlanta on October 28<sup>th</sup>, this new model catches eyes with an all-black bulldog hood ornament, a spacious interior and much more. Mack promoted the truck with the phrase “Back in the Black”, a good omen to the goal of making good money as a driver. Truck fan or not, this blacked out semi is a beast.
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<h3><strong>Trucking Tip of the Week</strong></h3>
Its that time of the year, watch out for snowy and impassible roads. <a href="https://cdllife.com/2019/trucker-was-stuck-on-snowy-road-for-three-days-before-calling-wyoming-police/">This driver was stuck on a two-lane roadway for three days before calling local police for help</a>. Make sure your truck is prepped for icy roads and freezing conditions.
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Trucker Path’s weather feature on the navigation app can help you out here as well!
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<h3><strong>Industry Update</strong></h3>
Owner-operators in California are using this week and next <a href="https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/owner-operators-truck-drivers-plan-protests-over-ab5/566626/">to protest the new Assembly Bill 5</a> that has the potential to eliminate lots of owner-operator jobs in the state. Although there doesn’t seem to be any centralized leadership with the protests, there were 50 people protesting outside of the State Senator’s office on Monday.
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The controversial AB 5 bill will require owner-operators to be classified as employees with a trucking company, rather than expand their own small businesses as a contractor. This bill is allowing exemptions for certain contractor jobs like freelance writers and graphic designers. Owner-operators are looking to obtain similar exemptions.
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<h3><strong>Laws and Regulations</strong></h3>
The owner of <a href="https://www.freightwaves.com/news/new-jersey-trucking-owner-slapped-with-two-year-sentence-for-2-million-tax-evasion-scam">several New Jersey trucking companies, Tito Viteri</a>, was recently sentenced to two years in federal prison for a massive tax avoidance scheme. He is responsible for evading personal and corporate taxes for more than nine years. Tito owned eleven trucking companies which were collectively known as Viteri Trucking Companies.
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In total, Tito evaded $2.3 million worth of taxes and is now paying the price for it.
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<h3><strong>Hours of Service Update</strong></h3>
Regulators accepting comments on a petition to exempt small carriers from the upcoming ELD mandate. If you have any suggestions on how the FMCSA should approach the new ELD mandate, find more information and submit your response at this link:
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<a href="https://www.joc.com/trucking-logistics/labor/challenge-eld-rule-resurfaces-fmcsa_20191105.html">https://www.joc.com/trucking-logistics/labor/challenge-eld-rule-resurfaces-fmcsa_20191105.html</a>
Trucker Terms [p] If you're going to make it in trucking these are the trucker terms you'll want to remember along with some good ole trucking slang you'll hear on the CB radio. [/p]
[h2] Trucker Terms [/h2]
[p] Being a trucker is not only a unique way of life, it also comes with a unique way of communicating that only those in the trucking industry probably can decipher and understand. [/p]
[p] <strong> 10-4 - </strong> acknowledging something
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[p] <strong> 10-6 - </strong> busy right now
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[p] <strong> 10-8 - </strong> en route
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[p] <strong> 20 -</strong> location
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[p] <strong> 4-Wheeler -</strong> automobile
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[p] <strong> APU -</strong> authorized pick-up
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[p] <strong> Backhaul -</strong> retuning load to home location
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[p] <strong> Bear Trap - </strong> speed radar trap
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[p] <strong> <a href="https://truckerpath.com/blog/freight-contracts/">Bill of Lading</a> - </strong> document that details information regarding the goods being hauled by a carrier from a shipper
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[p] <strong> <a href="https://truckerpath.com/blog/what-is-a-weigh-station/">Chicken Coop</a> - </strong> Weigh Station
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[p] <strong> Chicken Lights - </strong> Added lights on and around a truck
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[p] <strong> Chocks -</strong>blocks placed in front and behind wheels to prevent truck from rolling
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[p] <strong>Cosignee - </strong>person who receives the goods
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[p] <strong>Cosignor - </strong>person who ships the goods
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[p] <strong> County Mounty -</strong> - county sheriff
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[p] <strong> <a href="https://truckerpath.com/blog/what-is-deadhead/">Deadhead -</a></strong> miles driven with no load
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[p] <strong> Dry Van -</strong>standard enclosed truck trailer
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[p] <strong> ETA -</strong> estimated time of arrival
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[p] <strong> Freightshaker -</strong> Freightliner truck
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[p] <strong> GCW (Gross Combined Weight) - </strong> combined wieght of tractor/trailer and load
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[p] <strong> Gear Jammer -</strong>speeding driver
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[p] <strong>Hammer Down -</strong> drive faster
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[p] <strong> Hopper -</strong> truck that empties load through bottom that opens
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[p] <strong> HOS -</strong>hours of service
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[p] <strong> Intermodal -</strong> shipping container freight
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[p] <strong>Jack-Knife -</strong>when trailer is pushed to the side of the tractor
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[p] <strong> K-whopper - </strong>Kenworth truck
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[p] <strong> Kingpin - </strong> pin where the axel wheel pivots
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[p] <strong> LTL (Less Than Truckload) -</strong> load less than 10,000 lbs.
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[p] <strong> Motor Carrier -</strong> person or company that is responsible for transporting goods via a commercial motor vehicle
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[p] <strong>P&D Driver -</strong> pickup and delivery driver locally
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[p] <strong>Payload - </strong>weight of the load
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[p] <strong>Peddle Run - </strong>route with lots of deliveries
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[p] <strong>Pete - </strong> Peterbilt truck
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[p] <strong>RC (Rate Confirmation) -</strong> the rate shipper or broker agrees to pay carrier to haul a load
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[p] <strong> Reefer -</strong> refridgerated truck trailer
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[p] <strong> Shiny Side Up - </strong> top of truck; don't crash or roll over
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[p] <strong> Sliding Fifth Wheel - </strong> fifth wheel that can be slid back to redistrubute weight on the axels
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[p] <strong>Trucking Authority -</strong>FMCSA approval to haul loads
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[p] <strong>Willy Weaver - </strong>drunk driver
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[h2] Using Trucker Path Along Your Route [/h2]
[p] Now that you know the trucker terms and are talking like a real driver, it's time you use a tool that most truckers rely on to help them save time and money - the <strong>Trucker Path app. </strong> [/p]
[p] Trucker Path is free to download and helps drivers: [/p]
[ul]
[li] Find truck parking with real-time updates [/li]
[li] Browse through the list of amenities a location offers [/li]
[li] Check to see if a weigh station is open or not [/li]
[li] View Walmart locations and know if they allow truck parking [/li]
[li] Compare diesel prices to save on fuel[/li]
[li] Plan their route to show locations along their trip [/li]
[li] Read through fellow drivers reviews of a location [/li]
[li] Find restaurants near truck parking locations and much more! [/li]
[/ul]
[button-green href="https://truckerpath.com/trucker-path-app/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=truckerterms
"]Try Trucker Path Today![/button-green]
[video id="EIs5Rk6xpm4"]
Trucking Industry Update February 22, 2019 <h3>Trucking Industry Update February 22, 2019</h3>
<h4>By Jeremy Feucht</h4>
<h2><strong><u>Did you Know?</u></strong></h2>
We all know that trucking carries roughly 73% of all goods shipped in the US, but did you know that 94% of all hazardous material moved in the US is shipped via truck?
<h2><strong><u>Trucking tip of the Week</u></strong></h2>
Trip planning is essential. If it is a lane you have never driven before, planning becomes all that more imperative. When you leave could mean the difference between hitting traffic in a big city or not. Many areas have low bridges that semis cannot fit under. You need to know how to get around those. Knowing the best places to fill up with fuel and where scales are so you are filling up after leaving a scale. Filling up after leaving a scale can help you stay weight compliant yet have a full tank of fuel. Plenty of things to think about when planning your trip.
<h2><strong><u>Driver’s Pay</u></strong></h2>
There are signs that companies may be changing the way they pay their drivers. For the Owner-Operator, that could be a good sign. As companies increase the pay for their drivers in hopes of stabilizing retention rates, fewer and fewer drivers will attempt the owner-operator method. This means more loads on the spot market for them to find. <a href="https://www.joc.com/trucking-logistics/labor/new-truck-driver-pay-model-aimed-capacity-retention_20190220.html">Companies are looking into salaries</a>, amongst other ways to pay their drivers. Wages will be dependent upon their track record and in some cases tenure within the company.
<h2><strong><u>Technology in Trucking</u></strong></h2>
Companies are doing many different things to ensure the quality of the driver they are putting behind the wheel. Instead of waiting on the government to figure out what should be the minimum amount of training needed before driving, <a href="https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/technology/businessinsider/article/America-s-fifth-largest-trucking-company-has-a-13630774.php">Xpress, the fifth largest carrier company in the US</a>, sought out advice from its own drivers. Moving away from the classroom type setting, Xpress is creating a technology-based, self-paced learning regiment. On top of that, they have created a virtual reality simulator that their prospective drivers must pass long before getting behind the wheel of an actual truck. Could this be the wave of the future?
<h2><strong><u>Toll Roads</u></strong></h2>
Much like Virginia did a few weeks back, Connecticut is moving away from an idea of placing a heavy burden on truckers moving through their state. The governor, Ned Lamont, had sought to <a href="https://cdllife.com/2019/governor-flip-flops-away-from-truck-only-toll-promise/">create Truck only toll roads in the state of Connecticut</a>. Due to legal issues, he has backed off that idea. Instead, he is looking at creating toll roads across the entire state for all vehicles. The chances of this happening are slim because people, while naïve to the plight of the trucker and they tend not to worry about things that indirectly affect them, will not be in support of something that adds a more direct burden on themselves.