Jan 11, 2019

Trucking Industry Update January 11, 2019

By Jeremy Feucht
Did you Know?

What is arguably the most popular song about truckers, “Convoy” by CW MCCall reached #1 on the pop charts in the US on January 10, 1976.
Trucking tip of the Week

The beginning of a new year means preparing for tax season. Staying organized should always be a top priority. Make sure to collect your medical expenses, your statements from your brokers and/or factoring company if you do not have them already.
Autonomous Trucking

TuSimple, one of the first autonomous startups in the US has begun its commercial trips. Running mainly in the regulation-lite Arizona, TuSimple is running three to five trips per day with 11 trucks. Their desire is to have 40 trucks by June and to be running into Texas within the next couple of months. While they claim to be fully autonomous, their vehicles always have two people in the cab. The first is behind the wheel and the second is going over the data the truck provides from the trip.
Regulations

The FMCSA ruled that the state of California could no longer require drivers to take a half hour break every five hours on duty. The federal rule is a half hour break after 8 hours on duty. A petition created by the ATA and the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association challenged the California ruling and won a victory however, it may not last long. The Teamsters Union is appealing the decision.
Technology

Daimler announced this week at the big technology conference, CES, that they will be selling semis that have the capability to keep the truck from drifting out of their lane beginning in 2019. Much like passenger cars and SUVs have adopted over the last couple of years, Daimler feels the same technology would be beneficial to truckers as well. Like we have stated several times in the past couple of months, CEO of Daimler Trucks North America Roger Nielsen, states that fully autonomous vehicles are a long way from becoming a reality.

Trucking Industry Update December 14, 2018 [p]By Jeremy Feucht [p]Did you Know? [p]This week in history: December 9, 1929, the borings were started for the Golden Gate Bridge tower piers. The bridge would not open to vehicle traffic for another eight-and-a-half years. [p] [p]Trucking tip of the Week [p]Remember: The “adverse condition” provision in the hours of service regulations does not cover snow fall this time of year. Know your weather conditions for the parts of the country that you are traveling in and to. [p] [p]CVSA International Roadcheck 2019 [p]Each year, the CVSA does a three-day inspection blitz in the US and Canada. In 2017 the focus was cargo securement; in 2018, on hours of service. The <a href="https://cvsa.org/program/programs/international-roadcheck/">2019 blitz has been announced</a> and will be held June 4-6, but the focus area has yet to be announced. Over the past several years, 60,000+ vehicles on average have been inspected. Of the 60,000 inspections, 12,000-15,000 vehicles do not pass inspection and 3,000-5,000 drivers fail as well. Make sure your vehicle is in good shape, so you can keep those tires rolling. [p] [p]Military and Trucking [p]It is no secret that a large portion of the trucking industry either is a member of the Reserves or is a Veteran. That is because the US military needs skilled truck drivers to get supplies to the troops on the ground all over the globe and those skills learned while in the military transfer nicely to a career in trucking. “First Team” which makes up 200 soldiers within the <a href="http://kdhnews.com/fort_hood_herald/across_the_fort/trucking-company-returns-from-nine-month-deployment-to-kuwait/article_636df4ec-fd92-11e8-9131-535da02ecb99.html">154th Composite Trucking Company,</a> made it back to Fort Hood, TX, late last week after a nine-month deployment. The group ran nearly 1,000 missions in Kuwait and Southwest Asia during their time away from home. For those of you that served, we thank you for your dedication and service! [p] [p]General News [p]Weather can trigger Declarations of Emergency from the President, Governors and the FMCSA. Several states have seen Mother Nature create major issues in recent months. 14 states are currently under Declarations of Emergency which suspend hours of service for those bringing supplies and items of necessity to those in the area of the disaster. These declarations are due to issues ranging from the wild fires in California to the earthquake in Alaska. Do not forget about the snow storms that have recently hit Virginia and Oklahoma nor about the hurricane that tore through the Southeast this fall. For more information on these declarations and if your load falls in the exempt status, check out the FMCSA Emergency site <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency-declarations">here</a>.

Dec 17, 2018

The Unsung Heroes of Black Friday

Nov 23, 2018

Must-See Movies for Truck Drivers Which night is movie night for you? Is it Wednesday evening, when you’re relaxing after a long day on the road? Or do you wait until the weekend to chill on your couch at home? Whichever represents your ideal movie night, rest assured that we have the perfect must-see movie list just for truck drivers like you. We’ll start with one of the most obvious: [p]Smokey and the Bandit (1977) [p]Starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason and Mike Henry, this action comedy film is about two truck drivers who take a dare to deliver a truckload of beer. After they pick up a hitchhiker - a runaway bride - they soon find themselves being pursued by the jilted groom and his sheriff father. [p]Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) [p]Did you even know there was a sequel? In this one, the Bandit returns to transport an elephant from Florida to Texas. [p]Armed and Dangerous (1986) [p]Starring John Candy, Meg Ryan and Eugene Levy, Armed and Dangerous is about a disgraced cop and an inept lawyer embark on second careers as security guards. The pair quickly discover corruption within their union and security firm. In this movie, John Candy’s character hitches a ride with a trucker who plows through cars in a traffic jam and ignores the rules of the road to prevent a robbery. [p]Big Rig (2007) [p]A documentary film, Big Rig follows several long-haul truckers as they discuss life on the road and challenges truckers face in the industry. [p]Black Dog (1998) [p]This thriller, starring Patrick Swayze, is about an ex-con truck driver who discovers he’s unknowingly transporting a truck full of illegal weapons. [p]Convoy (1978) [p]A group of trucker friends use their CB radios to warn each other about police nearby until a sheriff tries to foil their plans with his own radio broadcasts. [p]Flatbed Annie & Sweetie Pie: Lady Truckers (1979) [p]Two women team up behind the wheel of a Mack Super-Liner to keep it out of the hands of a repo man and hijackers. [p]The Great Smokey Roadblock (1977) [p]After a truck driver gets his rig repossessed, he steals it back to make one last cross-country run. [p]Hijack! (1973) [p]Two truck drivers are tasked with transporting top-secret cargo from New York to Houston. A terrorist group tries to hijack their freight along the way. [p]Over the Top (1987) [p]A struggling trucker, played by Sylvester Stallone, uses arm wrestling to earn extra money. When he takes his estranged son on the road with him, he tries to use the World Arm Wrestling Championships to win back his son. [p]Snitch (2013) [p]Dwayne Johnson plays a father whose son is accused of distributing drugs. In order to help his son, Johnson’s character goes undercover with the DEA to infiltrate a drug cartel. You won’t want to miss two major action sequences that involve a big rig. [p]Steel Cowboy (1978) [p]Trucker Clayton Ray Davis, played by James Brolin, agrees to haul some stolen cattle to avoid getting his truck repossessed. [p]They Drive by Night (1940) [p]Starring George Raft and Humphrey Bogart, two brothers try to make a living as wildcat truckers. [p]Thunder Run (1986) [p]A truck driver transports plutonium from Nevada to Arizona, unaware that there are terrorists waiting to steal his freight. [p]Time Bomb (1984) [p]A truck carrying plutonium gets hijacked by terrorists and it’s up to the truckers to save the day. [p]One of these has to sound good to you! Which film are you planning to see on your next movie night?

Oct 24, 2018