Throughout the day Wednesday, watches and warnings spread up the East Coast ahead of the path of Hurricane Earl.

Hurricane Earl “continues relentlessly toward the northwest,” according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. The agency issued an alert at 2 p.m. Wednesday, stating that Earl “poses a threat to the Mid-Atlantic Coast.”

Despite the fact Earl had “weakened” to a Category 3 storm, it strengthen back to a Category 4 by late afternoon Wednesday, as predicted by NOAA’s alert.

The agency is warning that Hurricane is a large storm with hurricane force winds occurring up to 90 miles from the storm’s center and tropical storm force winds occurring up to 200 miles from the storm’s center.

Tropical storm force winds – which are 39 mph to 73 mph winds – are expected to reach the North Carolina coast by Thursday afternoon, with hurricane force winds hitting by Thursday evening. A Category 4 hurricane can have winds up to 155 mph.

The National Weather Service issued hurricane warnings – an announcement that hurricane conditions are expected – for Bogue Inlet, NC, northeastward to the North Carolina-Virginia border.

Hurricane watches – an announcement that hurricane conditions are possible – were in effect north of the North Carolina-Virginia border to Cape Henlopen, DE.

New Jersey and the other New England states were cautioned by the National Weather Service to “monitor the progress of Earl.”

North Carolina and Virginia are taking action in the event Earl does make landfall on the East Coast.

North Carolina
Gov. Bev Perdue has suspended the hours of service regulation in North Carolina to ensure that trucks are able to transport essentials and restore utilities disrupted by Hurricane Earl.

The order allows an exemption from 49 CFR Part 395  to permit “the uninterrupted supply of electricity, fuel oil, diesel oil, gasoline, kerosene, propane, liquid petroleum gas, food, water, and medical supplies to residential and commercial establishments is essential during the storm and after the storm and any interruption in the delivery of those commodities threatens the public welfare.”

Anticipating Earl’s arrival on Thursday, evacuation orders were in place on Wednesday for the Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands of North Carolina, sending residents and tourists scrambling inland. Click here for the statewide evacuation plan.

Virginia
Governor Bob McDonnell today declared a state of emergency in Virginia, a step authorizing state agencies to take precautionary action to prepare for any potential impacts in eastern Virginia from Hurricane Earl.

Virginians, especially those in Hampton Roads or traveling to the coast, should pay close attention to local weather forecasts, the governor urged in a statement. A slight westward movement in the track of the storm will increase the risk of dangerous weather in eastern Virginia.

For evacuation routes in Virginia, click here. Be sure to enter the online guide and scroll over the lower tiles to the evacuation portions of the plan. There are statewide and a Hampton Roads specific plans.

Delaware
Delaware, while on the tail end of the hurricane watch, has officials merely keeping a close eye on the situation and cautioning residents and travelers to be prepared with emergency kits and evacuation routes planned.

Unique situations
Truckers are in unique situations when traveling in and out of hurricane warning and watch zones. You’re not on your “home turf,” and who wants to ride a hurricane out in a truck?

Your best plan of action is to stay informed on the progress of storms such as Earl. You can also stay in close contact with shippers and receivers in hurricane watch and warning areas to determine whether or not travel is possible or advisable.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regional offices can also provide you information on HOS waivers and other regulatory concerns that may crop up.

For Hurricane Earl, truckers would likely communication with the Eastern or Southern Service Centers of FMCSA.

• Eastern Service Center

  443-703-2240
  CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NJ, NH, NY, PA, Puerto Rico, RI, VA, VT, WV

• Southern Service Center

  404-327-7400
  AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, NM, OK, SC, TN, TX

It’s official: OOIDA’s fourth annual Truckers for Troops care package campaign is on the calendar. This week, the Association announced this year’s campaign will be Dec. 6-10, 2010.

Truckers for Troops raises funds to send care packages to military men and women stationed in combat zones and other volatile areas overseas, especially Iraq and Afghanistan.

Every year, Land Line Now, the Association’s official radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio, the Road Dog channel, promotes the campaign during its regularly scheduled broadcasts each day from 7-8 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. Eastern Time. You can hear Land Line Now on The Road Dog Channel, Sirius channel 147 and XM channel 171. 

During that week, 10 percent of renewal and new membership fees will be matched by OOIDA. New and renewal memberships will be discounted from $45 to $25, 10 percent of which will go toward the care package funds.

Last year, truckers raised more than $54,000 in the effort, funding 618 large care packages that served up a piece of home to 7,400 troops. Boxes are filled at OOIDA headquarters in Grain Valley, MO, and shipped overseas.

Some of the items included in the care packages sent in past years have been things like snacks, socks and personal care items. Among the most popular were the handmade greeting cards.

“We’d like for as many people as possible to send us cards and letters to include in the care packages,” says Norita Taylor, OOIDA media spokesperson. “Especially from kids, it really means a lot.”

Taylor says that on cards and letters, towns or school names should be included, but please do not include last names or other personal information. Send them to OOIDA headquarters, attention Norita Taylor or attention to Truckers for Troops, P.O. Box 1000, Grain Valley, MO 64029-0712.

 – By Land Line staff

Two men charged as accessories in the murder of trucker Jason Rivenburg were sentenced in a Calhoun County, SC, courtroom on Monday, Aug. 30.

Willie Reed, 21, and Jimmy Haygood, 21, were sentenced to 30 days in jail – which they can serve on weekends – 100 hours of community service, and five years of probation.

Rivenburg’s widow, Hope, and family members traveled to South Carolina for the sentencing of Reed and Haygood. This is the second time Jason’s family members have traveled to the state where Jason was murdered on March 5, 2009.

In December 2009, they were there when Willie Pelzer, 22, was convicted of murdering Jason. At his sentencing, Pelzer admitted to killing him and is serving a life sentence without parole.

Both Reed and Haygood testified against Pelzer at his trial. Both admitted they filed a false report about the murder weapon, a .45-caliber handgun.

According to a WIS News 10 report, Reed told jurors at Pelzer’s trial that he picked up Pelzer from his home not long after he shot Rivenburg. The two then met up with Haygood. The three then drove to a woman’s apartment in Charleston, SC, where Reed and Haygood testified that Pelzer threw the gun in the trash bin.

After arriving too early for his delivery of organic milk on March 5, 2009, Jason Rivenburg was turned away from the receiver’s property and was forced to park at an unlit gas station. Not long after he parked, Pelzer robbed and murdered Rivenburg for the $7 he found in one of his pockets.

OOIDA Life Member Alicia Friedt of Lakeland, FL, told Land Line she heard the news of Reed and Haygood’s fate after she went inside and a news program was on about their 30-day sentences. She said several drivers just stood around in disbelief after hearing the news.

“I think this is just a travesty; I really do,” she told Land Line. “After Willie Pelzer told the other two guys what he’d done, they (Reed and Haygood) didn’t do nothing to help Jason. They knew their friend had shot a man who was out there suffering, but they didn’t bother to tell anybody or check on him.”

She supports Hope Rivenburg in urging all OOIDA members and their families to call their state and federal lawmakers to support two Jason’s Law bills for more safe parking options in the U.S. House and Senate.

After hearing of the news on Monday, Friedt said she and some other drivers had the idea of honoring Jason and other drivers who have been victims of violent crimes by developing a  Facebook page.

“I am angry about this. We need to let our representatives know that this is happening to us out here on the road and we need safe places to pull over and park,” Friedt said.

Truckers on Interstate 10 will have at least two new electrification options at truck stops in the near future when traveling through Cochise County, AZ.

Recently, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality announced it had received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to install 100 electric hookups at two locations as part of its anti-idling truck electrification project.

Shorepower Technologies has been selected to install nearly 60 units at the Gas City Truck Stop, at the intersection of State Highway 90 and I-10 in Benson. At least 30 units will be installed at the Sunmart Truck Stop, located at Exit 378 and I-10 in San Simon.

The plan, according to ADEQ spokesman Mark Shaffer, is to expand the hookups to one or more truck stops on Interstate 8 in Yuma County as well.

New IdleAire Inc. CEO Mike Fielden admits it’s going to be a tough sell to woo former customers back to using its in-cab services after the previous owners unexpectedly shut down in January. Many drivers had money on their IdleAire cards at the time of the company’s closure and were never reimbursed by the previous owners for the money they were owed.

However, Fielden told Land Line that the new owners plan to honor the prepaid balances customers had on their cards.

“It’s unfortunate that the company they (drivers) invested in no longer exists, but it’s a good step on our part to honor those balances that they had,” he said.

Drivers can either swipe their old member card or they can call IdleAire’s customer service number to verify what their balances are and “take advantage of the funds that we are honoring,” Fielden said.

According to Fielden, so far nine sites, which are mainly located in the southern states, have been reopened. The plan is to reopen 25 sites by this fall.

“Business is coming back,” he said. “We expected it to start off slowly. In some ways it’s just getting the word out again. Other issues are establishing the usage because some people do feel like ‘why would I do this again?’”

Fielden said Convoy Solutions, the new organization that bought IdleAire, has taken a hard look at what its customers liked and didn’t like about its predecessor. He said many of the complaints have been about smoke in the units, so an ozone cleaning machine has been installed at every site. Eventually, no smoking signs may be posted in some of the parking spots so those units can remain smoke-free.

He said the pricing has been simplified to have just one price of $1.99 per hour for their services, down from a more complicated tiered pricing system the previous company had in place. Fielden said what stands out about the new company is that its pricing system is not trying to “follow the price of fuel.”

“We’re looking at our costs to find the best price for our customers,” he said. “If fuel goes up to $4 or $5 a gallon, then our price is a good value for our services, but our business model is not to follow fuel.”

While Fielden admits IdleAire is a bridge technology, he said future plans include offering electrification-only sites. But for now their current plan is to get their existing equipment “up and running properly.”

“We will have a pretty decent footprint in some areas, but it won’t be nearly as big as it was before and that’s OK,” he said.

Currently, there are 63 cases involving more than 27,000 former and current FedEx Ground drivers who say they are misclassified and are really employees, not independent contractors.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Miller in Indiana, who is presiding over the multi-district litigation, recently sided with FedEx in a Kansas case involving more than 100 drivers. The drivers filed suit citing that they were underpaid and that FedEx controls their businesses, which would make them employees under the Kansas Wage Payment Act.

Judge Miller said that FedEx has an operating agreement, which drivers sign to be independent contractors, when working for the company. The judge said that although FedEx does offer “suggestions and best practices for performance of assigned tasks,” FedEx hasn’t “retained the right to control the details of the contractors’ work methods on a class-wide basis.”

One of the three lead attorneys in the multi-district FedEx litigation is Lynn Rossman Farris of Leonard Carder LLP, who won a $27 million judgment on behalf of 200 FedEx Ground drivers who were found to be employees, not independent contractors, in California.

Farris told Land Line that they will appeal the court’s decision in the Kansas case.

“While we respectfully disagree with the court’s decision in the Kansas case and will appeal it as soon as possible, it remains to be seen what the court will conclude in the other 27 states in which the court granted class certification,” Farris said.

She added that previously Judge Miller sided with the drivers who filed suit against FedEx in Illinois under the state’s Wage Act, agreeing they were actually employees.

State laws vary on “tests” they use to classify whether a worker is an employee versus an independent contractor.

Farris said the judge has sent 16 cases back to their original courts – including Montana, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, South Dakota, which have “virtual presumptions” of employment status, similar to the test used by the state of Illinois, in which the judge sided with the drivers as being employees.

“So it now appears that, unless reversed on appeal, the case will ultimately end with FedEx drivers in some states being deemed employees and in others deemed independent contractors, a result which makes little sense to non-lawyers and unfortunately gives workers and companies no guidance for the future,” she said.

A new law in Delaware is intended to improve safety for emergency personnel during roadside stops. The First State is at least the third state this year to make changes to existing law or adopting rules to help protect law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics and others.

The so-called “Move Over” law in Delaware has been enhanced to authorize felony charges for certain violators. Gov. Jack Markell signed into law a bill that stiffens penalties for striking an emergency worker after not moving over. It took effect immediately.

Delaware law already requires drivers to merge into a lane farther away from law enforcement, firefighters, ambulances, tow trucks and transportation workers, if practical. If unable to switch lanes, drivers are required to slow down and proceed with caution.

Violators who strike an emergency worker would face a Class F Felony.

“This law clearly states what motorists are expected to do and covers all relevant people who would be rendering aid at the side of a road,” Sen. Brian Bushweller, D-Dover, said in a statement.

Elsewhere, Maryland recently joined the list of about 45 states to implement similar safety zone rules. In addition, Washington state lawmakers tweaked their rule.

Effective Oct. 1, the Maryland law requires drivers to make room for emergency workers and law enforcement officers. Drivers will be required to maintain a safe distance and reduce speed before passing emergency vehicles parked by the road with their lights flashing.

Violators would face $500 fines.

While Washington state already requires drivers to make room for certain emergency, roadside assistance or police vehicles stopped along roadsides, the rule has been bolstered.

The new law defines “emergency zones.” As of Jan. 1, 2011, traveling within 200 feet of parked emergency vehicles with lights flashing will be in the zone.

Speeding fines in these protected areas would be double. Violators could also face charges of reckless endangerment of emergency workers and loss of driving privileges for 60 days, up to one year in jail, and as much as $5,000 in fines.

– By Keith Goble, state legislative editor

The federal government has charged the owners of a Pennsylvania truck driving school for helping hundreds of out-of-state individuals illegally obtain CDLs through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Vitaliy Kroshnev and Tatyana Kroshnev owned and operated the International Training Academy from at least 2007 through mid-August. The business provided training for individuals trying to obtain a CDL in Pennsylvania.

According to court documents, the driving school also used interpreters to help at least 300 out-of-state applicants pass the classroom portion of CDL exams, and made thousands of dollars per CDL. 

Pennsylvania CDLs are restricted to applicants “domiciled in that state,” except under limited circumstances, court documents state.

The complaint alleges that on at least one occasion academy instructors told applicants to not use English while at the Pennsylvania DOT office. Later, interpreters would give the applicants answers to the exams during the computer-based testing.

Court documents show that Khroshnev told an undercover FBI agent this past year that the academy could provide him a “guaranteed” CDL for $2,200, as well as fraudulent residency documents for an additional $300.

As part of the alleged scheme, the academy would help the would-be truckers lie to obtain in-state residency before applying for a Pennsylvania driver’s license, and later a commercial driver’s license.

Vitaliy Kroshnev, Tatyana Kroshnev, Leonid Vilchik, Irina Peterson, Iryna Starovoyt, Khrystyna Davyda, Viktor Davyda, Tair Rustamov and Mikhail Aminov were each charged with one count of knowingly conspiring to produce,  aid and abet the production of an identification document without lawful authority.

Federal prosecutors also allege that Vitaliy Kroshnev lied to the Pennsylvania Department of Education about the International Training Academy. Court documents show Kroshnev told the state that his school was not a private school and didn’t offer classes but “merely rented vehicles to applicants for Pennsylvania CDL tests.”

Those charged also stand to lose property used or purchased from proceeds of the scheme, including a 1989 Bluebird Bus, a 1995 International Truck, a 2003 Freightliner Truck and several bank accounts.

Surrounded by big rigs and giant tow trucks, one of the biggest draws at Friday's opening day of Eau Claire's Big Rig Truck Show was a 57-year-old Canadian.

A line of fans waited for a handshake, an autograph and a couple of jokes from Alex Debogorski, one of the stars of the reality cable TV show "Ice Road Truckers."

The History show focuses on a handful of truck drivers who have worked the frozen roads in Alaska and Canada's Northwest Territories. New episodes air at 8 p.m. Sundays.

"It's almost, for me, a two-month holiday," Debogorski said of the ice road season.

Though hazards for drivers include icy roads, driving on cracking frozen lakes and even occasional avalanches blocking their paths, he said he's enjoyed doing it since 1982, because it allows him time to get away from ringing phones and other hassles so he can just focus on the road.

Oftentimes he said the best conversation he has — aside from chatting on the CB — is at about 3:30 a.m. when he carries on an imaginary discussion with the sandwich he keeps under his passengers seat.

"It makes an interesting conversation in the middle of the night," he said, noting that his sandwich has left-wing political beliefs and Debogorski is a conservative.

When the show's producers approached him a few years ago about letting a video photographer ride shotgun, he said he was reluctant to give up his privacy. But then he figured it would be neat for his grandchildren to be able to see their grandpa on reruns.

Debogorski said the show's success is due to TV viewers having become sick of seeing stars, special effects and suspense, and they'd rather watch a show about real-life people.

"The best of reality programming makes a hero out of the guy next door," he said.

Debogorski also will be signing autographs today at the show, which runs through Sunday and offers people the chance to see big rig trucks and large tow trucks with elaborate paint jobs, interiors and running lights.

Josh and Sara Zeug brought their daughters, Lucy, 2, and Madeline, 1, to the show Friday so the young ones could get a look at the trucks.

An in-town truck driver for eight years currently employed with Veolia Environmental Services, Josh Zeug said trucking runs in his family. His father was a long-haul trucker who often would be gone on two-week-long trips.

"It's kind of a different way of life," he said of the trucking business.

Zeug said the weekend's big rig show — the first one to be held in Eau Claire — is a good way for people to learn about trucking and what's inside the semitrailer trucks they see on the highways.

The odometer on Joel Dawes' truck reads almost 1.5 million miles. He's had his Western Star semitractor for nine years, and its one of 10 in his small Waterford-based company's fleet.

He brought two of the dressier trucks to the show, he said, polishing the green paint job on the cab to a high gloss. His truck is equipped with a bed, refrigerator, microwave, TV and DVD player. They come in handy when he travels 3,200 to 3,600 miles a week between Wisconsin and Florida.

To keep him entertained and connected with his family, Dawes said, a cell phone with unlimited minutes is a must. He racks up 8,000 to 10,000 minutes a month talking with his kids and wife.

The Eau Claire show, which features trucks from across the country, is organized by the National Association of Show Trucks. NAST will judge big rigs in several categories through the weekend.

Source: Leader-Telegram

In comments filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday, Aug. 30, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association urged the agency to “further study the industry before contemplating any regulations” on those involved in food transportation.

In April, the FDA published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register soliciting comments on the implementation of the Sanitary Food Transportation Act of 2005.

The act requires the agency to implement regulations that mandate sanitary practices for shippers, receivers, carriers and others involved in food transportation in an effort to eliminate or at least reduce the likelihood of contamination or adulteration of food products.

OOIDA Director of Regulatory Affairs Joe Rajkovacz told Land Line that small-business truckers haul the majority of the food products in this country and have immense knowledge of issues affecting the entire food supply chain.

Included in OOIDA’s comments to the FDA were the results of a survey of food haulers conducted by the OOIDA Foundation.

In OOIDA’s comments, statistics showed that more than three-fourths of survey respondents indicated that bathroom facilities are frequently or sometimes unsanitary because drivers involved in the “loading or unloading of fresh produce must use portable bathrooms or other facilities lacking soap, towels and even running water,” which may lead to unsanitary conditions on docks and in fresh produce.

“Our comments filed with the FDA ask the agency to further study the industry before contemplating any regulations,” Rajkovacz said. “There are problems, such as lack of access to sanitary facilities for drivers, but not so much that the industry should be yoked by over-regulation.”

Many times the pallets must be hand-stacked by drivers, who do not have access to adequate hand-washing facilities.

Many survey respondents admit they have had receivers reject goods and place them back on their trailers, with no directions about disposal of the contaminated product. Often truckers must pay disposal costs.

OOIDA leadership pointed out in the comments that “to avoid such conduct in the future, the FDA must address in any food transportation safety regulations acceptable means of disposal and must impose the full economic costs incurred in the disposal on the shipper and/or receiver, the parties receiving the primary economic benefits from the sale of the produce.

“Food safety and security in transportation is increasingly under the microscope both by the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking by FDA is the first step in a process that could lead to more regulatory oversight of shippers, receivers and truckers.”

A California professor who has questioned CARB’s diesel emissions research will keep his job – at least until the appeals process runs its course.

Dr. James Enstrom, who has worked at UCLA for 36 years – the last 34 as associate research professor – was told his position ended as of Monday, Aug. 30, resulting from secret vote of faculty members in his department earlier in the month.

After being told he wouldn’t be employed after Aug. 30, Enstrom filed an appeal under UCLA’s Whistle Blower Protection Policies. Enstrom said Tuesday he received word that his employment would be extended until March 31, or “until the grievance process has been completed.”

Enstrom made headlines in recent years after he questioned claims made by CARB regarding diesel particulate matter and public health. Enstrom’s research on diesel emissions showed no causal link between diesel soot and early death for Californians.

He also said he may have made enemies when he questioned the Scientific Review Panel of Toxic Air Contaminates for not complying with state-required three-year term limits.

One such panel member was Dr. John Froines, who was recently kicked off the panel after serving 26 years. Froines, who earned notoriety during political riots in the late ’60s as one of the “Chicago Seven,” now teaches at the UCLA School of Public Health. 

In interviews with Land Line in August, Enstrom said he likely irked top officials at CARB between 2008 and 2009, when he questioned science used to justify the implementation of CARB’s Truck and Bus rule, also known as the Retrofit Rule. The rule requires trucking fleets to install diesel particulate filters and upgrade their truck engines beginning in 2012, though several amendments to the rule are scheduled to be presented this fall.

The rule is estimated to cost trucking companies between $6 and $10 billion.

In December 2009, a scandal emerged when it was revealed that CARB Chairman Mary Nichols told some, but not all, CARB board members that the agency had learned its top researcher for the Truck and Bus Rule, Hien Tran, had faked his resume and lied repeatedly to his superiors at the air quality agency.

Tran, Enstrom said, ordered his doctoral degree online for $1,000.

Tran claimed that he had a doctorate degree in statistics from the University of California at Davis, but that was later found to be untrue. Nichols told some board members about the lie. Other board members who were kept in the dark for nearly an entire year, were outraged. Some board members called for a review of the science behind the Truck and Bus Rule.

Tran is still employed at CARB.

If you’re heading to the Mid-Atlantic region with a load, or happen to live there, you need to be keeping an eye on Hurricane Earl.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration – NOAA – issued an alert Tuesday morning warning residents and travelers in the mid-Atlantic region that the Category 4 storm could be moving that direction.

As of Tuesday morning, Aug.31, Earl was producing hurricane-force winds up to 70 miles from its center and tropical storm winds up to 200 miles out from the center. The storm is expected to stay a Category 4 hurricane for at least the next day or two, according to the agency’s latest public advisory.

Traveling in and out of areas bracing for Earl’s potential landfall can be tricky. Any state that initiates an evacuation order can reverse inbound lanes to assist with residents and travelers leaving the area.

The following are links to evacuation plans available for the coastal states in the Mid-Atlantic region under the most current threat of Earl:

• Delaware
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Virginia
• Washington, DC

As the path of Hurricane Earl becomes more evident and as information becomes available, Land Line will modify this list.

Many truckers faced a dilemma in past hurricane seasons – violate HOS and “get out of Dodge,” or comply with the regs and get stuck in the middle of a dangerous storm.

While it would seem that logic would kick in at some point and truckers would be allowed to save their hides, just like people living in the area, it hasn’t always worked out that way. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association fielded a number of questions and took a few complaints on this very subject during Katrina and Rita.

According to a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there is an automatic HOS exemption if an authorized government official issues a declaration of an emergency and the motor carrier is providing direct relief to the protection of human life or public welfare.

Specifically, federal regulations – CFR 49 Part 390.23 – allow the temporary lifting of certain safety regulations for any motor carrier or driver providing direct assistance in relief during a declared emergency. This includes easing the HOS regulations for drivers.

Truckers in an evacuation area wanting info on whether an HOS moratorium is in effect should contact an FMCSA regional service center.

The following list includes the location, phone number and territory included for each FMCSA regional service center. These numbers will be valuable in determining whether hours-of-service waivers have been issued for a region either threatened or hit by a hurricane or other disaster.

• Eastern Service Center
  

  443-703-2240
  CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NJ, NH, NY, PA, Puerto Rico, RI, VA, VT, WV

• Southern Service Center
  

  404-327-7400
  AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, NM, OK, SC, TN, TX

• Midwestern Service Center
  

  708-283-3577
  IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MO, MN, NE, OH, WI

• Western Service Center
  

  303-407-2350
  American Samoa, AK, AZ, CA, CO, Guam, HI, ID, Mariana Islands, MT, ND, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY

• 
  

A company specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders in “risk-sensitive” industries – such as trucking – has added former FMCSA chief John Hill to its staff.

Hill joins SleepSafe Drivers as the company’s senior adviser of regulatory affairs.

The former head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said the trend of trucking companies investing resources to recognize and treat sleep apnea with their drivers “is an important initial step before the government regulates the issue.”

The company offers in-cab diagnostic tests with results and an auto-titrating positive airway pressure prescription “the next morning.”

A handful of OOIDA staffers, including Land Line Now Host Mark Reddig, spent much of the first two days at the OOIDA booth meeting and greeting truckers.

Reddig will be working the booth again through the end of the show on Saturday, so if you’re headed to the big show in Dallas, drop by and say hi.

You can join OOIDA for a $20 discount there as well. Find OOIDA at booth 14085 or at the First Observer booth, number 21124. 

St. Christopher Fund Medical Resources Vehicle is at Dallas as well, offering its usual array of health services in addition to a special eye scanner. OOIDA Member John Osburn pilots the MeRV. He says Dr. John McElligott will be there this weekend, too. For more information on the MeRV, check out the Facebook page here.

If chrome hits your hot button, an estimated 57 custom rigs showed off today for attendees, including a number of OOIDA members’ trucks.

While you’re at GATS, there’s entertainment, food and drink at the parking area in Lot E outside the convention center from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. 

Truckers out on the road across the country should take note of the calendar. Primary elections are scheduled in 10 states in the next few weeks.

Voters in Louisiana will head to the voting booth Saturday, Aug. 28. Registered voters can visit voting booths Sept. 14 in Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. The primary season wraps up Sept. 18 when voters in Hawaii cast ballots.

With the exception of New Hampshire, Vermont and Wisconsin, truckers who have yet to register to vote in their home state won’t be able to turn in the appropriate paperwork in time for the September primaries, but there still is time to register for the Nov. 2 election.

New Hampshire and Wisconsin residents can register on Election Day at their policing place. In Vermont, residents have until Sept. 8 to register.

Professional drivers who are registered to vote should make the effort to cast their ballots. Although primary elections generally don’t receive the same attention as the fall election, they can be just as, if not more, important.

Races for various elected offices will be trimmed in the lead up to November. A variety of other issues, including issues of significance to the trucking industry, also will be on primary ballots.

To encourage truckers to get involved in the process, OOIDA is once again focused on providing truckers with information on how to register in all 50 states and on early voting and absentee ballots – where available.

Visit TruckVote.com for more information. Truckers who have questions or who need assistance can call the OOIDA Membership Department at 800-444-5791, Ext. 4906.

For more November 2010 elections coverage from Land Line, click here.

Several closures will make weekend travel near downtown St. Louis and the Chesterfield, MO, area challenging. The Missouri Department of Transportation is advising drivers to use interstate loops such as I-255 and I-270 around the city if possible.

• IDOT will close Interstate 55/Interstate 70 in East St. Louis at Exchange Avenue to demolish the Exchange Avenue Bridge over the interstate. Crews will close the interstate at 9 p.m. Aug. 27 and will reopen the interstate by 5 a.m. Aug. 30. The detour for the closure is Interstate 255 and Interstate 64.

• MoDOT will close eastbound I-64 in St. Louis City from 22nd Street to 8th Street (MM 38-40) to paint the double deck section of the interstate. Crews will close eastbound I-64 at 8 p.m. Aug. 27 and will reopen the interstate by 5 a.m. Aug. 30. The detour for this closure is Interstate 170 and Interstate 70.

• MoDOT will also close westbound I-64 (Route 40) in Chesterfield between Long Road and the Missouri Research Park (MM 11-16) to conduct rehabilitation work on the Boone Bridge, Spirit of St. Louis Boulevard overpass and the Chesterfield Airport Road overpass. Crews will close westbound I-64 at 8 p.m. Aug. 27 and will reopen by 5 a.m. Aug. 30. The detour for this closure is Interstate 270 and Interstate 70.

• MoDOT will also close two left lanes on I-55 between I-44 and I-64, and the two right lanes on the Poplar Street Bridge (I-55/64/70). These lane closures start at 7 p.m. Aug. 27 and will be opened by 5 a.m. Aug. 30.

For the second straight week, diesel fuel prices have dropped – down 2.2 cents per gallon to $2.957.

On Monday, Aug. 23, the U.S. Energy Information Administration is reporting that fuel prices have dropped in eight of the nine regions of the country. The Rocky Mountain region is the only one reporting a slight five-tenths of a cent increase from a week ago to average $3.016 per gallon.

A year ago, diesel was selling for around $2.668, about 28.9 cents per gallon less than it is now. Diesel prices are still above the $3 mark in five of the regions.

The Lower Atlantic region beat out the Gulf Coast region with the lowest fuel prices of all of the regional averages, as prices there dropped 3 cents to $2.910 per gallon.

The California region is again posting the highest diesel prices at $3.171 per gallon, a drop of 1.5 cents from a week ago.

National average – $2.957
East Coast – $2.952
New England – $3.009
Central Atlantic – 3.038
Lower Atlantic – 2.910
Midwest – $2.927
Gulf Coast – $2.916
Rocky Mountain – $3.016
West Coast – $3.114
California – $3.171

Here’s a recall worth talking about. This one is good news for the trucking economy and especially good news for Volvo.

The company is recalling 270 laid-off employees to report back to work at the New River Valley Assembly Plant in Dublin, VA, effective Sept. 6.

A Volvo statement detailed an increase in orders for 2010-compliant trucks as a factor. Volvo recently publicized a production order of 600 trucks for Penske and 370 trucks for Knight Transportation.

“We’re continuing to win significant orders from new customers that until now have not had Volvo trucks in their fleets,” company officials said in a statement.

The New River Valley Assembly Plant had at one time employed 3,200 people according to a company fact sheet.

With a current roster of 1,200 employees, a recall of 270 workers amounts to a 23 percent increase, the company reported.

“We don't publicly discuss our build rates, but obviously a recall of this size is in line with a significant increase in production,” company officials stated.

The plant assembles and paints various Volvo and Mack cabs, including the Volvo VN and VT.

– By Land Line staff