 |
|
Sponsors of Truckstop USA
|
Truckerbuddy
|
|  |
We welcome all professional Truck Drivers and Owner Operators to our Truckstop Community
It does not matter if you are an OTR Trucker or a Truck Driver with local deliveries, Truckstop USA is your Home Online. TruckStop USA's Trucker Forum provides a place where Truck Drivers can come in for information or discuss Trucking News, Truck Photos, Trucker Classifieds, Trucker Jokes, Trucking related questions or have a Trucker Live Chat with other Truck Driver Members. We would be honored to welcome you as a Member in our professional Trucker Forum. Enjoy and have fun in TruckstopUSA |
|
|
Truckers Hear Cautious Optimism About Business Climate
|
Truckload carriers are running the anchor leg of a brutal two year
race, according to Donald Broughton, transportation analyst with
Avondale Partners.
The Wall Street analyst spoke to about 200
Arkansas trucking executives attending the Arkansas Trucking
Association conference Thursday in Rogers.
Broughton predicts
the worst is about over in terms of weak freight demand that has helped
to drag down profits among carriers of all sizes and classifications
for six fiscal quarters.
This was welcome news for Greg Carman,
CEO of Fort Smith-based Carman Inc., a traditional truckload carrier of
dry freight in the Midwest. He also serves as board chairman for the
Arkansas Trucking Association.
"There have been days I wish my
family would have opened a flower shop," Carman said, referring to the
unprecedented high diesel fuel prices and weak freight demand that have
hammered profits and made for long and worry-packed days for small
operators.
Carman, who operates 50 trucks and employs 66, said the rough business cycle has been unlike any other in his history.
When compared to the national recession of 2001, which was
characterized by a stagnant economy deflating demand, Carman said he
and other trucking companies are fighting a two-front war this time
with record fuel costs and tepid demand.
While encouraged by the
fundamental economics shared by Broughton, Carman said the major worry
for he and his colleagues are fuel costs. He said tonnage demand is
cyclical and nothing new but $1,000 to fill the tank of one truck is
daunting.
Fuel costs, Broughton said, are a demand problem, not
a supply problem and relief is not expected any time soon. He told the
truckers that energy costs were not a catalyst for weak freight demand.
"The
days of $40-per-barrel oil are history, because demand from developing
countries is expected to increase and it will be a few years before
those countries can develop needed fuel efficiencies," Broughton said.
Broughton
told the group that traditional truckload carriers that have continued
to stay afloat because of management efficiencies could find more
strength by the end of the year as failure rates among less-fortunate
carriers are escalating.
He told the truckers that few people,
including their customers, realize that trucking companies are paid
this week on last week's prices. This creates a financial lag, which in
an inflationary environment can quickly erode operating cash flow.
The crowd agreed.
Also,
truckers who need a little help from bankers face tighter lending
standards that could result in being denied access to cash, Broughton
said.
According to Broughton, less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers
could see some excess capacity relief by consolidation among two of the
sector's largest players before the end of the year. He predicts UPS
will likely purchase a large LTL carrier and he predicted the possible
failure of another large unionized LTL carrier.
Broughton said
interest rate declines should promote better operating conditions for
American business, including trucking, in the next two to three
quarters.
He encouraged companies to adopt progressive driver policies.
"As
the manufacturing base gains steam on the back of the weak dollar and
freight demand increases, only the carriers who have drivers to put in
the seat will benefit," he said.
Broughton's long-term survival guide for traditional carriers includes:
• Eliminating deadhead - running empty trucks - is crucial because no fuel surcharge can be assessed on those loads.
• Partnering with a railroad for longer haul business, also known as intermodal.
• Using brokerage operations to add flexibility.
• Utilize technology for visibility and planning loads.
• Steal shamelessly good ideas from the best competitors.
By Kim Souza The Morning News
|
|
SPECIAL REPORT: Fuel surcharge legislation moving in House, Senate
|
Wednesday, May 7, 2008 – The days of middlemen
using fuel surcharges as a way to beef up their profits may very well
be numbered thanks to bipartisan legislation being considered in both
chambers of Congress.
A bill introduced May 6 by Rep. Peter
DeFazio, D-OR, and co-sponsored by Rep. Thomas Petri, R-WI, and Rep.
Brad Ellsworth, D-IN, seeks to mandate 100 percent pass-through of fuel
surcharges to whoever actually buys the fuel.
The bill,
HR5977, “Truth in Reliable Understanding of Consumer Costs Act,” or the
“TRUCC Act,” is identical to a bill introduced in the Senate in late
April by Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-ME, and co-sponsored by Sen. Sherrod
Brown, D-OH.
“This bill will go a long way toward helping
truckers and their shipping customers weather the brutal cost of fuel,”
said Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator
Independent Drivers Association.
Fuel surcharges have been a
staple in the industry as a way that trucking companies can recoup the
high cost of fuel. And now with skyrocketing fuel prices, more and more
is being collected – but not passed on.
There currently is
not a uniform fuel surcharge standard for the trucking industry. Fuel
surcharges must be negotiated individually, leaving shippers and
truckers vulnerable to opportunistic middlemen.
“It’s all too
common for middlemen in the trucking industry to push shippers to pay
fuel surcharges, but only pass along a portion of those surcharges to
the truckers who are actually hauling the freight and paying the fuel
bill,” Spencer said.
To make matters worse, small-business
truckers are often denied access to the contracts and rate information
negotiated between freight brokers and the shipper or customer they are
hauling freight for.
The TRUCC Act also seeks to ensure that
brokers and middlemen negotiating a contract to haul freight for a
shipper are not using the high price of fuel to exploit that shipper or
the small-business trucker who actually hauls the shipper’s freight.
OOIDA
issued a national Call to Action on Wednesday, May 7, urging its
members to contact their lawmakers in support of the legislation. To
read the Call to Action, click here.
Truckers
wanting to express their support of the TRUCC Act should call both of
their senators and their representative. Those who don’t know who their
lawmakers are can call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and
provide their ZIP code to the operator to be connected to the
appropriate office.
– By Jami Jones, senior editor
|
|
LAWSUIT UPDATE: Allied/North American offer $1.25 million settlement
|
After having negotiated an $8 million settlement in the fall of
2007 with truckers in a lawsuit about problems with their
owner-operator leases, Allied Van Lines and North American Van Lines
filed for bankruptcy in February this year with $5 million still due to
be paid.
However, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers
Association had its legal team go to bat for the truckers, and the
companies have proposed paying $1.25 million of the balance due. Under
the original plan filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court the carriers
wanted the entire $5 million balance wiped clean.
Lawyers
from The Cullen Law Firm in Washington, DC, argued that it would be in
the best interests of the reorganized companies to ensure that their
owner-operators received as much compensation as possible.
The court must still approve the revised bankruptcy plan, and the timing of payments will be determined at a future date.
Originally
filed in May of 2004, the truckers’ case alleged that the carriers’
leases failed to comply with federal truth-in-leasing regulations
regarding compensation and chargeback disclosures. As part of the case
settlement, Allied and North American were also required to implement a
new uniform independent contractor operating agreement. Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
|
|
Dallas bridge with hole had been inspected recently
|
A 2-foot-by-3-foot hole on an Interstate-30 bridge in downtown Dallas caused delays during Monday’s early morning commute.
A motorist reported the hole at about 10 p.m. Sunday. KXAS-TV
reported that chunks of concrete from the hole damaged several cars,
bending the rims of wheels. The hole was repaired and lanes were opened
shortly before 7 a.m. Monday.
TxDOT spokesman Randy Black told The Dallas Morning News that the bridge had been inspected within the past 30 days. “Results were normal,” he said. Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
|
|
National average price for diesel drops 2.8 cents to $4.149 a gallon
|
The national average price for diesel dropped slightly this past
week – 2.8 cents – to average $4.149 a gallon, the U.S. Energy
Information Administration reported Monday, May 5. However, the average
price for diesel is still up $1.357 compared with the same week of 2007.
Eight
of the nine EIA regions reported slight decreases in the cost of
diesel, except the Rocky Mountain region, which reported an increase of
1.6 cents a gallon to average $4.159.
The Lower Atlantic
region experienced the greatest decrease of 3.6 cents to an average of
$4.133 this past week. The East Coast region’s average dropped 3.2
cents to $4.218, while the Central Atlantic region reports a decrease
of 3 cents a gallon to average $4.351.
Even with the
decrease in the price of fuel in the Central Atlantic region, the cost
for a gallon of diesel is still the second-highest of all of the
regions.
The Midwest and Gulf Coast regional averages
decreased 2.8 cents a gallon, putting the average at $4.116 in the
Midwest and at $4.088 a gallon in the Gulf Coast region.
The
New England region is reporting a nine-tenths of a cent decrease to an
average of $4.337 a gallon, while diesel prices have dropped a penny on
the West Coast to put the weekly average at $4.313 a gallon.
The
California region, which showed a decrease of eight-tenths of a cent,
still ranks first in the highest cost for a gallon of diesel, averaging
$4.382 a gallon.
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
|
|
“CIG BOX” will help reduce the number of overall accidents
|
CIG BOX USA, LLC, St. Pete Beach, Florida manufactures a patented product that will increase safety on the road for TRUCKERS. The product is called “CIG BOX” (an automatic ‘’pop-up’’ cigarette lighting dispenser). “CIG BOX”
was designed exclusively for use in TRUCKS but can also be used in
other vehicles (Cars, RV’s, Pickups, Buses, SUV’s and Boats). “CIG BOX” can reduce the risk of accidents caused by distraction while lighting a cigarette.
Here is a brief explanation of how “CIG BOX”
works: After easily mounting the unit and plugging it in to any 12 volt
source, the driver of the vehicle places the contents of a pack of
cigarettes inside the “CIG BOX” drawer. When a
cigarette is desired, the driver or passenger simply presses on a
lever, a cigarette pops up vertically and the built in igniter lights
it. All this is done within 8 seconds and without fumbling with a
pocket lighter, matches or car cigarette lighter. Eyes are always on
the road resulting in safer driving.
A Study was done in Europe
which stated that 18% of all serious accidents involve drivers who are
in the process of lighting a cigarette the conventional way (vehicle
cigarette lighter, hand held lighter or matches) while the vehicle is
in motion. “CIG BOX” was tested by BMW in Europe (where “CIG BOX”
was initially sold). The study stated that a driver at 62 mph would not
be in full control of his/her vehicle for about 656 feet. However, both
the functionality and benefits of “CIG BOX” for road safety were confirmed meaning that a driver was much safer using “CIG BOX”.
Based on these tests, this product was awarded the European ‘’TUF’’
Certificate, for quality and a major increase in driver safety.
Use of “CIG BOX” assures greater safety while driving and lighting a cigarette.
• “CIG BOX” assures greater safety for drivers who do not smoke as those who do smoke will be less apt to cause and accident.
“CIG BOX”
will help reduce the number of overall accidents, thereby saving human
lives and millions of dollars in property damage caused by drivers
‘’lighting up’’.
“CIG BOX” is now being introduced to the U.S. market for the very first time. “CIG BOX”
is expected to be sold by Truck stops throughout the country in the
next few months. In the interim, anyone interested in purchasing a “CIG BOX” may send an e-mail by visiting the “CIG BOX USA, LLC” website. Allan Shapiro, Vice President, Sales stated that, “we do not encourage people to smoke but if they do, “CIG BOX” can minimize driving accidents.
CIG BOX USA, LLC P.O. Box 66551 St. Pete Beach, Fl 33736 Website: www.cigboxusa.com
|
|
Police: I-94 a major drug pipeline
|
A big drug bust on I-94 in Michigan could be bigger than first thought.Federal agents are investigating after they uncovered nearly $2 million worth of cocaine Tuesday in Van Buren County.
"The
troopers who stopped it and the motor carrier officer — they were
excited, no doubt about it," said Sgt. Rich Dragomer of the Michigan
State Police.
Acting on information from another agency,
state police and federal agents pulled over a Canadian semi-truck and
another car along I-94.
They say they found 140 pounds of cocaine hidden in three duffel bags in the cab of the semi.
It's worth $1.8 million, but on the street police say it could go for even more.
Police say it's one of their largest busts on I-94, which they consider a major pipeline for drugs.
"That Detroit - Chicago connection is huge," commented Capt. Paul Toliver of the Berrien County Sheriff's Department.
Last
year on I-94 in Berrien County alone, police seized $230,000 worth of
marijuana in one car. They found $100,000 worth of cocaine in another
car.
On one traffic stop they found almost $146,000 in a hidden compartment.
On another stop police found more than $240,000 hidden.
"The
drugs will come into Chicago or Detroit and the money will flow the
opposite way," said Toliver. "So, we'll see what we call mules running
drugs in one direction and they'll run the money back."
The concern is it may stop along the way.
"Oh, it's a problem, yeah," Ted Johnson of Hartford told WSBT News.
And the latest bust is no surprise to many people who live near the busy highway.
"I think it's probably just the tip of the iceberg," said Johnson.
Police arrested the driver of the semi. He's in federal custody and his name has not yet been released.
As for handling this drug problem — police say they have officers who are trained in detecting drugs that work I-94.
The different agencies also work together.
In
Berrien County, the sheriff's department also has two new narcotic dogs
that are being trained right now. In about five weeks, police say
they'll be out helping in the fight to stop the drug traffickers.
But police also say they know they may only be scratching the surface of this problem.
|
|
Detour on I-40 through downtown Knoxville to last 14 months
|
Truckers who normally take Interstate 40 through downtown Knoxville,
TN, will be detoured onto I-640 and I-275 for the next 14 months.
Highway crews shut down a section of I-40 on Thursday, May 1.
The
closure and reconstruction of a 0.9-mile section of I-40 will include
widening the stretch to six lanes; adding four auxiliary lanes; and
building nine overpasses, new ramps and noise barriers.
The $275 million project is due to be complete by July 1 next year. Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
|
|
New York bills would end ton-mile tax, reduce fuel tax in certain areas
|
Two bills in the New York Assembly would eliminate collection of a
tax applied to truck drivers and reduce the state’s fuel tax in certain
areas.
Assemblyman William Magnarelli, D-Syracuse,
introduced one measure that would rid the state of administering the
truck mileage tax – also known as the ton-mile tax.
The
ton-mile tax is based on the specific weight of trucks. It is intended
to offset wear and tear on roads by charging fees for miles traveled in
the state.
The nearly 60-year old levy is applied to vehicles
with maximum gross weights exceeding 18,000 pounds operating in the
state. New York doesn’t charge truckers the ton-mile tax on miles
traveled on toll roads.
Supporters of the bill point out that
New York is the only state in the region to administer the tax. They
say it is a barrier to competition with neighboring states.
Elimination of the tax would benefit truckers, manufacturers, shippers and consumers, they say.
Others
say truckers already pay high user fees for road work. The fees include
the state’s 36-cent-per-gallon diesel tax and registration fees.
The bill – A421 – is sitting in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.
Another
bill in the Ways and Means Committee would eliminate the motor fuel
excise tax and petroleum business tax near Indian reservations.
Sponsored by Assemblyman David Townsend Jr., R-Sylvan Beach, the
measure – A3809 – would reduce the taxes on motor fuels by 20 cents per
gallon in areas within a 20-mile radius of Indian reservations.
Statewide, about 1,000 retail fuel stations would be affected.
Advocates
say the bill would allow retail stations to become competitive in their
prices with fuels sold in neighboring Indian reservations. They say
there typically is a 30-cent price difference.
Although the
state would receive less direct tax revenue, increased sales for
affected stores would do more to benefit the state in the long run,
they say.
To view other legislative activities of interest for New York in 2008, click here. Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
|
|
Longshoreman spark May Day shutdown at many West Coast ports
|
Several major U.S. ports along the West Coast were partially or fully
closed for business Thursday, May 1, as part of an organized protest.
The May Day shutdown closed terminals at California ports in San Diego,
Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland and San Francisco. Ports in Seattle
and Tacoma, WA, also closed. The shutdown had been planned by some
labor organizations for weeks, and most ports were warned about the
shut down.
News stories and labor organizations listed a host of reasons for the
port shutdown, ranging from the International Longshore & Warehouse
Union’s stance to end the war in Iraq to truck drivers’ frustrations
with ever-rising diesel prices and calls for transparency in fuel
surcharge agreements.
The Los Angeles Times noted that “all 29 ports” along the West Coast
were shut down, while the Oakland Tribune reported that some protesters
tried to stop trucks and convince them to shut down as well.
Read more
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
|
| |
|
British Columbia considers truck jail, Rocky Mountain doubles
|
In British Columbia, Canada, the Transportation Ministry is
considering setting up a so-called truck jail similar to the one
Ontario has had since 1998.
Trucks found to be grossly unsafe
could be impounded for up to 30 days. A truck with “several brakes
broken, in combination with bad tires, in combination with bad
steering,” would be a suitable candidate for jail, Paul Landry,
president of the British Columbia Trucking Association, told the Times Colonist newspaper.
Truck News
reported that the province is also considering allowing wider use of
so-called “Rocky Mountain doubles,” which proponents say can cut fuel
consumption by 30 percent.
In other Canadian trucking news,
the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association in New Brunswick is calling
for a provincial tax cut of at least 40 cents per gallon (10 cents
Canadian per liter) on diesel fuel.
Diesel has been selling for around $5.60 per gallon ($1.40 Canadian per liter) in the province. Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
|
|
SPECIAL REPORT: Truckers need help ‘soon’ OOIDA tells Congress
|
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 –If there were any members of
the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee who didn’t think
fuel prices were strangling small-business truckers – they probably
don’t have the same opinion following a hearing on the topic today.
Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, told committee members
in his testimony during the hearing that small-business truckers are
victimized not only by high fuel costs, but also by questionable
business tactics in the industry.
“The rising cost of fuel is
causing harm to the trucking industry as we know it. Across this
nation, small-business truckers are experiencing unprecedented
operating cost increases and are being forced to make tough decisions
in the name of saving their businesses and providing for their
families,” Spencer told members of the committee.
“Unfortunately, the climbing diesel prices have already painted many truckers into a corner and for them it is too late.”
Spencer
cited a recent report released by Donald Broughton, a long-time
trucking industry analyst now with Avondale Partners LLC. Broughton
reported that in the first quarter of this year, 935 companies with
five or more trucks failed. That’s a failure rate the industry hasn’t
experienced since 2000 and 2001.
“While this data is
shocking, it is not the complete picture. Broughton’s data is not
representative of the industry as a whole because it only counts
trucking companies with five or more trucks,” Spencer told the
committee.
Spencer explained to committee members that the
blame for these failures cannot rest solely on the shoulders of high
fuel prices. Fuel surcharges are a long-standing mechanism the industry
has used to recoup fuel costs.
The problem, Spencer told the
committee members, is that more and more middlemen are charging a fuel
surcharge and pocketing a chunk of it rather than passing it on to the
trucker who actually bought the fuel.
“It is common practice
for motor carriers and especially brokers to push shippers for higher
fuel surcharges, but only pass along a portion of those surcharges to
the truckers who are actually hauling the freight and paying the fuel
bill,” Spencer told the committee.
When pressed by members of
the committee, especially acting Chairman Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-OR, on
how this can happen, Spencer pointed to the lack of transparency in
trucking transactions.
“(Keeping a fuel surcharge is) often
done by charging the shipper in one way … then withholding information
or misrepresenting transactional information and compensating truckers
in another manner, for example providing one flat rate, which is
usually much lower,” Spencer explained.
Even if a trucker
finds out a broker is skimming fuel surcharges, Spencer said that with
the lack of regulation and oversight of brokers it’s far too easy for
bad brokers to fade into the night.
“Every day at our
headquarters in Missouri we hear horror stories from small-business
truckers about unscrupulous brokers with FMCSA authority who collect
money from shippers, but never pay the truckers who actually transport
the loads,” he told committee members. “Often, when the truckers try to
collect the money due to them, they find the broker has closed up shop
and moved on.”
In the end, Spencer called for quality regulations and oversight of the industry to give truckers some relief.
“If
we do not find ways to help them soon, small-business truckers will
continue to lose their businesses or refuse to drive unprofitably. I
have no doubt that we will see greater disruptions in the movement of
our nation’s commerce and our economy,” he said.
– By Jami Jones, senior editor
|
|
FAST border program takes applications online, but not in paper
|
Truck drivers seeking quick border crossings between the U.S. and
Mexico through the Free and Secure Trade program can put away pens and
fire up the Internet. FAST applications are exclusively online.
FAST
aims to speed efficiency of goods movement at the U.S.-Mexico and
Canadian border. Beginning April 15, FAST applications were accepted at
CBP.gov.
The agency removed paper applications for the FAST
program in April, a practice already in place for other global
enrollment systems.
“It’s a way to do things faster; it
facilitates the process,” said Joanne Ferreria, a Customs and Border
Protection spokeswoman.
Customs and Border Protection plans
to launch online enrollment for drivers needing access at the
U.S.-Canada border in August. That program, however, will continue to
accept paper applications.
The U.S.-Mexico FAST program is
administered by U.S. officials, Ferreria said. U.S.-Canada FAST is run
jointly between the United States and Canada.
“It’s a different kind of program than the U.S.-Mexico program,” she said.
FAST
applications in 2008 for U.S.-Canada tallied 6,835 as of May 1,
Ferreria said, while U.S.-Mexico applications stood at 874.
For more information, visit www.cbp.gov. Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
|
|
XM and Sirius still aiming to merge
|
XM and Sirius have extended an agreement expressing their intention
to merge while they continue to wait on the Federal Communications
Commission to approve the proposal.
The boards of directors
from XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio first voted in
February 2007 to merge into one company worth $13 billion. The proposal
required filing an application with the FCC, which has the final say.
When
the XM-Sirius proposal did not appear on the FCC’s docket scheduled for
May 14, the two companies decided to extend their intention to merge
until an agreement is reached.
Approval from the FCC is all
that stands in the way since the U.S. Department of Justice concluded
in mid-March that a merger would not stand in the way of competition
among broadcasting companies. Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
|
|
Behind the Wheel - Teen Drinking & Driving
|
I spoke to a woman this week who was upset at the way the police had
handled the clearing of an out of control party at a residence. The
officer had advised all the teens that they must leave immediately and
would not listen to reasons for doing anything other than that. She was
upset because this forced the teens to drive away from the party while
impaired.
I will not discuss his behaviour, but that of those who placed him in this position.
The last time I checked, the legal drinking age in British Columbia was
19. Had the law been followed, the majority of the teens at the party
would not have been in this situation to start with.
The Graduated Licensing Program requires that its participants have no
alcohol in their blood at the time of driving. Why would a teen in the
GLP choose to go to a party and consume alcohol knowing that they were
going to drive away from it at some time during the evening?
The officer did not force the teens to get into their cars and drive.
The majority of them had two good legs, and assuming that they were
parked legally, could easily have walked home and returned to pick up
their vehicles the next day. They could also have used their cell
phones to call for rides.
Full blame must not be placed on the teens. After all, they recieved
permission to use the vehicles involved from their parents. I dare say
that there is a duty of care placed on the parents whenever they hand
over the car keys or sponsor the ownership of a vehicle.
Common sense and courtesy toward the neighbours by the party goers
would also have meant that the police would not have known about the
gathering in the first place.
__________________
Have you ever met anyone that would admit to being less than a better than average driver?
Search Behind the Wheel at DriveSmartBC
|
|
Police looking for suspect who accosted Indiana trucker
|
BIG BEAVER, Pa. - State police in Beaver County say an Indiana trucker
has reported being accosted by a gunman who posed like a motorist
needing assistance.
Police say the trucker, 44-year-old Paul Michael Brant, of Fort Wayne,
told them he was flagged down on Route 18 in Big Beaver about 3:30 a.m.
Thursday.
When the trucker got out to help, police say the man pulled a gun and
ordered the trucker back in his rig to drive. Police say the gunman
ordered the trucker out of the truck after a while and told him to run
away into some woods where the trucker got lost.
Police say the trucker told them he heard someone trying to drive the
truck away. But the trucker found his rig abandoned only a short
distance from where he left it when he ran into the woods.
By Associated Press
|
|
Truckers continue grassroots campaign to motivate New York lawmakers
|
Across the country, truckers have started grass-roots movements in
several states to wake up their lawmakers to the harsh realities many
drivers are facing – losing their livelihoods as high fuel prices and a
rocky economy continue to beat up the industry.
In New York,
owner-operators, company drivers and trucking company owners are all
banding together and pounding the phones to get the message out to
their lawmakers that they are running out of time.
On
Wednesday, April 30, OOIDA member Paul Looman of Gloversville, NY,
addressed the New York State Assembly about how high fuel prices and
high tolls on the New York Thruway are depleting his and other
truckers’ resources.
“I told them that high fuel prices and
high toll prices that truckers are forced to pay on the Thruway are
breaking the backs of truckers who are trying to make a living,” Looman
told Land Line on Friday, May 2. “Farmers around here are hurting as well.”
Looman said speaking before the Assembly was a little “overwhelming,” but worth every minute if something good comes from it.
“They must have like what I had to say because they applauded when I was done,” he said.
He said another round of phone calls is planned for next week to keep the pressure on lawmakers in New York.
Looman
said New York Assemblyman George Amedore, R-Rotterdam, and Assemblyman
Peter Lopez, R-Schoharie, both have recognized truckers’ importance to
the state’s economy, and are working with the truckers to get them some
relief.
Amedore and Lopez also arranged a roundtable
discussion with other lawmakers, truckers and businessmen on fuel
issues on April 17 at a truck stop in Fultonville, NY.
One
New York trucking company owner, Butch Mix, who owns Sunshine Bulk
Commodities Inc., in Clifton Springs, NY, has 65 trucks. He has started
making phone calls to lawmakers as well.
Mix has been in the
trucking business since 1975. Skyrocketing fuel prices and the rising
costs of doing business have caused him to take a hard look at how he’s
running his company.
“It’s getting harder and harder to survive in this business and make a profit,” he told Land Line on Friday, May 2.
The
costs for parts and tires have gone way up in price, too, which is
hurting his trucking company’s profits. Mix said his customers all pay
a different fuel surcharge, ranging from 20 percent to 50 percent,
which he said is hard to figure his operating costs.
“I have
started looking at some of my customers who can’t or won’t pass on a
fuel surcharge and I have to decide if I want to continue to do
business with them anymore,” Mix said. Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
|
|
TWIC to be required in New England on Oct. 15, nationally by April 2009
|
Truckers and other port workers will be required to have
Transportation Worker Identification Credential cards to enter ports in
the New England region by mid-October and at all other U.S. ports by
April 2009, the Transportation Security Administration announced
Friday, May 2.
Previously, the TSA had a deadline of Sept. 25, 2008, for TWIC compliance.
The
TWIC program requires more than 1.5 million port employees,
longshoremen, mariners, truckers and others who require unescorted
access to secure areas of ports to have background checks before being
issued cards with their biometric data and residency documentation.
The
New England ports, including the Port of Boston, and Northern and
Southeastern New England, will require TWIC for unescorted port access
by Oct. 15, a TSA-issued statement read.
“These three ports
were selected based on favorable conditions that facilitate near-term
implementation,” the statement read. “These ports are ideal for initial
compliance based upon geographic proximity, the size of their TWIC
enrollment population, and respective enrollment efforts to date.”
Nationally, TWIC cards will be required for truckers and other port workers by April 15, 2009.
Eventually, TWIC cards could also be used an accepted standard for truckers to get into warehouses and trucking yards inland.
Standard
TWIC enrollment costs $132.50, though workers with “current,
comparable” threat assessment background checks such as HAZMAT,
Merchant Mariner Document or Free and Secure Trade (FAST) may obtain a
TWIC card for $105.25. The card is designed to last five years.
Replacement cards for those who lose or damage their TWIC card cost $60, according to the TWIC website at www.tsa.gov/twic.
The
TWIC program has been ridiculed by politicians for missing repeated
implementation deadlines and running up costs of more than $100
million, according to the Government Accountability Office.
TWIC
administrators also came under fire after it was discovered they’d
miscalculated the number of employees who needed to enroll, doubling a
previous estimate of 750,000 workers to 1,500,000. Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
|
|
New superhighway would link Windsor, U.S.
|
WINDSOR–The most expensive highway ever built in Ontario will relieve
traffic across a congested U.S. border crossing and reduce truck
exhaust by linking Highway 401 with a new international bridge to be
built over the Detroit River in Windsor, the federal and Ontario
governments said today.
Construction is expected to start next year on the $1.6-billion,
12-kilometre stretch of six-lane "below-grade roadway," which will run
through Windsor and the neighbouring communities of Tecumseh and
LaSalle.
The new highway will include 11 tunnel sections stretching about two
kilometres, while other parts will be built below grade to minimize the
impact of traffic noise and exhaust on neighbourhoods. The project will
also create a square kilometre of parkland and 20 kilometres of
recreational trails.
"The selection of this road represents years of careful technical
study, analysis and community input," said federal Transport Minister
Lawrence Cannon. "While this access route may not be everybody's first
choice, we believe it is the most sustainable and responsible choice."
Highway 401 currently stops about 12 kilometres short of the border
with Detroit, forcing trucks onto city streets and slowing down
international trade.
Provincial officials say a motorist driving from Toronto to Florida by
highway encounters 19 traffic lights, 16 of them in Windsor.
Getting the truck traffic off Windsor's streets and improving the speed
with which vehicles and goods can get across the international border
has long been a goal of the local, provincial and federal governments.
"This thing is going to enhance our community's quality of life,
improve the environment and it's going to improve our trading ability,"
said Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan.
The five-year construction plan is expected to create about 12,000
project-related jobs, two-thirds of them in Windsor, which has been
reeling from layoffs because of the downturn in the auto sector.
The new access road would be five times more expensive per kilometre
than any previous highway built in Ontario, but it must first pass an
environmental assessment before it gets final approval.
Both levels of government are recommending it proceed, said Cannon, who
was joined by Duncan and Economic Development and Trade Minister Sandra
Pupatello, both of whom represent Windsor ridings.
While Pupatello called the proposed highway "the most beautiful piece
of roadway that this country has ever seen," others weren't as
impressed.
Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis said the announcement was short on details
and didn't include proposed plans for a new truck plaza or border
crossing.
Several options are still being considered for the new bridge to be
built at the Windsor-Detroit crossing, and the exact location is
expected to be announced in the next few months by the Detroit River
International Crossing committee, a joint project of Transport Canada
and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.
"You don't separate them," Francis said. "You don't come to talk about the road today and the bridge and the plaza next month."
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce hailed the new highway as a ``critical
step" toward the opening of the new international crossing in 2013.
Chamber president Len Crispino said improving the flow of traffic at
the border is a "matter of national and international urgency."
"Secure but efficient trade and tourism is vital to the continued
prosperity of our country, and to our relations with our largest
trading partner," he said in a statement. "But it's also a crucial
factor in the attraction of new investment."
THE CANADIAN PRESS
|
|
Traffic Stop Leads To $1.8 Million Cocaine Bust
|
VAN BUREN COUNTY —
Michigan State Police pull over a tractor trailer in Van Buren County, leading to about 140 pounds of cocaine.
It happened along I-94 eastbound in Van Buren County around 10 a.m. yesterday.
Officers pulled over the semi from Ontario, Canada along with another
vehicle traveling right behind it at the same time. Conversation with
the semi driver revealed the 2 vehicles were traveling together.
Consent to search the vehicle was obtained, and officers found 3 large duffle bags containing 64 kilograms of cocaine.
The driver from Ontario was turned over to Federal authorities as the investigation continues.
|
|
|  |
|
|