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Truckerbuddy
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Sponsors of Truckstop USA
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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. You also are able to find your next trucking job right here, or the Truckstop diesel fuel prices. We would be honored to welcome you as a Member in our professional Trucker Forum. Enjoy and have fun in TruckstopUSA |
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Diesel spikes another 4.3 cents to $2.904
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Diesel fuel prices are on the rise for the third straight week. The
national average price for diesel is up another 4.3 cents per gallon
from a week ago to average $2.904 per gallon on Monday, March 8.
According
to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest report, diesel
prices are about 85.9 cents per gallon higher than a year ago when
diesel was selling for around $2.045 per gallon.
Eight of the
nine regions of the country are reporting increases at the pump this
past week. Four regions are reporting fuel prices above the $3 mark
compared to a week ago. The New England region is the only one
reporting a slight decrease of three-tenths of a cent to average $3.015
per gallon from a week ago.
The California region is
reporting the highest diesel prices at $3.057 per gallon, an increase
of 3.4 cents per gallon from a week ago, while the Midwest region is
reporting the lowest prices for fuel at $2.870 per gallon.
Below
are the regional price averages for ULSD reported by the Department of
Energy. To see a map of the states in each of the listed regions, click
here.
- East Coast: $2.936
- New England: $3.015
- Central Atlantic: $3.037
- Lower Atlantic: $2.882
- Midwest: $2.870
- Gulf Coast: $2.873
- Rocky Mountain: $2.890
- West Coast: $3.003
- California: $3.057
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
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Due
to popular demand from fleets, professional drivers, and all of our
valued customers, a new group is working to restart IdleAire service.
We hope you will use our proven idle reduction technology to save fuel, reduce emissions and improve your sleep and health.
IdleAire operated 131 locations in 34 states, providing filtered
heating and air conditioning, electrical outlets, and a range of
communications and entertainment options that allowed long-haul truck
drivers to shut down their engines instead of idling for cab comfort
during daily rest periods. Over 150,000 professional drivers and more
than 1,000 fleets were actively using IdleAire services.
Professional drivers move the vast majority of all products used in the
United States and their use of IdleAire played a key part in reducing
America’s dependence on foreign oil and improving air quality and
health for everyone. Through January 2010, use of IdleAire service
contributed to saving over 50 Million gallons of diesel fuel and
prevented over 1.1 billion pounds of diesel idling emissions from
entering the air. IdleAire also reduced the carbon footprint by
preventing over 519,000 metric tons of CO2 from entering the
atmosphere.
Source: Idle aire
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From the Road to the Campaign Trail: Alaskan Owner-Operator Runs For Governor
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Operator Runs For Governor
By Diana Britton, Managing Editor
While you'd typically see "Singin' Sam" Little hauling produce in his
Kenworth truck between Seattle and Alaska, this spring and summer you
might see his truck and trailer out on the campaign trail, as truck
driver Little is running for Governor of Alaska on the Republican
ticket.
While Little is somewhat of a household name among Alaskan truckers for
his song "Kamikaze Trail," which has been featured on the History
Channel, he's now trying to make a name for himself in politics.
Getting Into Trucking
Sam's been playing guitar and singing since he was a kid. In 1969, he
recalls singing in a gospel tent in California, where he met a girl.
That's when he realized he had to get a job.
Over the next 20 years or so, Sam did both driving and singing. His
trucking career eventually led to a job with Vic Hoskins Trucking in
Washington, hauling produce into Alaska.
Little still contracts with Hoskins, but in 2003, he started his own
trucking company, Little Country. He now runs three to four trucks
along his Alaska-Washington route. "I've always been independent," he
said.
While he's been fortunate these days, Little understands what it's like
to be a small business owner. His campaign was born out of the beating
this sector has experienced, and he'd like to work to keep projects and
cash flow going. "I would like to bring it back to the working people."
The Issues >>>>>>>>>...............
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Billionaire Truck Driver Lindsay Fox
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Lindsay Fox's company had its best year ever and helped raise the Australian's worth to $1.5 billion. ![]() ![]()

The
global economic downturn was bad news for most businesses but not for
the one belonging to Australian trucking billionaire Lindsay Fox.
Suntanned after a Christmas break at his $20 million beach house in
Portsea, near Melbourne, Fox responded bluntly to questions about tough
times: "No, no, no. It's the best year in the history of the company.
Most of our business is FMCG [fast-moving consumer goods], food and
beverages, plus we do a lot in the mining sector. Everyone's eating
more at home, everyone's drinking, and everybody who's a miner is
digging." The downturn boosted demand for chocolate, ice cream,
biscuits and beverages, items that his 5,000 red-and-yellow trucks
deliver. (Signs on the backs of all trucks read: "You are now passing
another Fox.") Alcohol sales were up 5.9% in Australia last year, good
news again for Fox, whose privately held Linfox says it carts a bit
more than half of the country's booze. It also moves 5.4 billion liters
(1.4 billion gallons) of gas, $51 billion worth of retail products and
a million tons of timber a year. Fox,
72, who dropped out of school at age 16 and bought a secondhand truck,
is now worth $1.5 billion, $500 million more than a year ago and enough
to rank No. 10 among Australia's 40 Richest. Linfox, which also owns
Melbourne's second- and third-biggest airports as well as the Armaguard
cash-transport business, has $3 billion in sales, up from less than $2
billion in fiscal 2007. Net profits, which the company does not
disclose, are conservatively estimated to be $100 million for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. Linfox does claim that ebit, ebitda
and free cash were all up about 20% in the past year.>>>>.....................
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Goodyear Names Finalists for 27th Highway Hero Award
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AKRON, Ohio, March 4 . As finalists for the 27th annual Goodyear North America Highway Hero Award, a Pennsylvania truck driver used his rig as a "roadblock" to stop an out-of-control car; an Arkansas truck driver extinguished a fire and rescued a trapped fellow trucker whose legs were burning after a crash; a Massachusetts
truck driver noticed a burning vehicle more than a quarter-mile off the
highway on which he was driving, and made an effort to save the
unconscious driver; and an Oregon
driver who had his own rig struck in a multi-vehicle accident was able
to pull one trapped driver from a burning car and contribute to the
rescue of two others from another vehicle. George Lantzy, of Turtle Creek, PA; Jesse Lee Seal, of Alma, AR; Stephen Page, of Gloucester, MA; and Junichi Shimizu, of Gladstone, OR; were named finalists today for trucking's most prestigious award for heroism. "These four individuals represent the thousands of professional truck drivers who work every day across North America. Each year, this program offers an opportunity for recognition of those who put their lives on the line to help others," said Joseph Copeland, vice president for commercial tire systems for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT). "This
year, our honored truck drivers all risked their own safety to rescue
strangers who were in peril. In one case, three people were rescued
following a fiery accident, but one of the drivers perished, and our
thoughts and prayers go out to this family. Time after time, truck
drivers have emerged as bona fide heroes. When motorists have needed
help, truck drivers have stopped to help, and put themselves in harm's
way," Copeland said. For the 2009 award, the finalists are: George Lantzy, of Turtle Creek, PA, a driver for Fubar Trucking. As Lantzy drove his tractor-trailer on Route 22 outside of Weirton, WV, on March 12, 2009,
he noticed a car along the highway's shoulder that was slowly drifting
into traffic. As he drove closer, he saw an elderly woman slumped over
the steering wheel, and realized something was drastically wrong. The
car was headed toward a potential accident on the busy highway, so
Lantzy made a snap decision to get involved. He maneuvered his rig
alongside the car, then drove in front to allow the car to contact the
rear of his trailer, thus creating an impromptu roadblock and easing
the woman's car away from danger. Once he was able to force the
out-of-control car to a standstill, police and paramedics arrived. The
driver, who had suffered a heart attack, was transported to a nearby
hospital where she made a full recovery following surgery. Stephen Page, of Gloucester, MA, a driver for Pit Bull Trucking. On July 14, 2009, Page was driving along I-80 near Clearfield, PA,
when he spotted a fire in the woods alongside the roadway. He and
another driver ran into the woods to find the burning wreckage of a
double-unit rig that had gone nearly 1,500 feet off the highway. Upon
reaching the driver of the truck, he first believed the driver had not
survived, but then realized he had lost consciousness. The cab was
getting hotter by the second, and Page and the other driver struggled
to remove the victim. Finally, with the help of two more truckers who
had stopped, the injured driver was removed before the tractor and
trailer were completely destroyed by fire. Page stayed with the
injured driver, talking with him as he drifted in and out of
consciousness. With severe burns, the man was eventually flown to a
hospital. He has a long road to recovery, but is alive, thanks to the
lifesaving efforts of Page and others. Jesse Lee Seal, of Alma, AR, a driver for PDP Unlimited. Early in the morning of Oct. 7, 2009, Seal was driving his 18-wheeler southbound on I-530 near Little Rock, AR,
when another truck ahead of him abruptly swerved left, went across the
median and the northbound lanes, eventually coming to rest on an
opposite embankment. As this happened, the truck lost a fuel tank,
which caught fire. Seal quickly stopped his truck, grabbed his fire
extinguisher and ran across the lanes to provide assistance. As he
passed by, he extinguished the burning fuel tank, then hurried to the
disabled truck. Once there, he was able to open the hot door, put out
the fire that was burning the driver's legs, and cut the seat belt to
remove the injured driver. Junichi Shimizu, of Gladstone, OR, a driver for Chipman Relocations. As he drove westbound on Highway 12 near Fairfield, CA, on Feb. 20, 2009,
Shimizu witnessed a vehicle cross the centerline of the road and strike
an automobile in front of his truck. The auto spun into the ditch, and
the other vehicle then hit his tractor twice before bursting into
flames. Upon coming to a stop, Shimizu called for assistance and then
headed to the vehicle that was in flames. Unable to open the driver's
side door due to the damage, he told the driver to protect his face and
he punched out the glass in order to pull the driver free of the car.
Gaining help from another motorist, he was able to free the driver's
foot, which was wedged under the dashboard, then carry the driver to
safety. Running to the other car, he quickly assessed that the driver
was deceased, but there were two injured passengers inside. The
passengers were removed, and Shimizu retrieved his fire extinguisher to
keep the blaze under control until the local fire department arrived.
The three rescued individuals had extensive injuries, but all survived. Journalists from the trucking industry are now voting on the finalists, who will be featured March 25 at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY.
One driver will be named the 2009 Goodyear North America Highway Hero
at the Truck Writers of North America Annual Banquet and receive a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond, a plaque and a specially designed ring; the other finalists will receive a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond and plaque. Founded
by Goodyear in 1983, the Highway Hero program recognizes professional
truck drivers and the often unnoticed, life-saving rescues and roadside
assistance they provide as their jobs take them across North America. For more on the program, go to http://www.goodyear.com/truck/news/hero.html. SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
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Ron Kirk outlines trade policies to Senate
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WASHINGTON – Trade Representative Ron Kirk tried to assure senators Wednesday that trade deals and trade enforcement are central to the Obama administration's goal of doubling exports in five years. But Kirk did not offer a timetable for when the administration will send Congress trade pacts with South Korea, Panama and Colombia that were negotiated years ago under President George W. Bush. Kirk, a former Dallas mayor,
also said he hoped a longstanding trucking dispute with Mexico could
soon be resolved, but he refused to say it would be settled this year. Kirk has served 11 months as U.S. trade representative, and Wednesday's hearing was his first Senate appearance explaining the administration's trade policies.
For much of the last year, Kirk has traveled across the country arguing
the need for more trade and listening to the concerns of skeptics who
feel the country has lost millions of jobs in a flood of imports.
Last year, that skepticism led Congress to suspend funding for a
truck-inspection experiment along the border aimed at allowing Mexican
trucking fleets access to highways across the United States – something
U.S. negotiators promised in 1994, as part of the NAFTA trade pact.
After the pilot program was killed, Mexico retaliated with $2.5 billion
in tariffs against U.S. goods. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates
the tariffs have reduced U.S. exports and cost 25,000 jobs.
Kirk said he is searching for a solution that would "make Congress
happy and at the same time get Mexico to a comfort level where they can
remove those tariffs." "I won't say this year. All I can tell you is, we'll be working with [Transportation Secretary] Ray LaHood to see if we can't come up with an acceptable solution." Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa,
chided the Obama administration for holding up the trade pacts with
Korea, Colombia and Panama. Kirk said he has met several times with
representatives from those countries to work out concerns – raised most
often by organized labor – that the free-trade agreements would cost
U.S. jobs. "Labor has no veto" over the agreements, Kirk said, "but it has a seat at the table."
Kirk argued that his efforts to hear out opponents as well as
supporters of the agreements would ultimately pay off in a bipartisan
approach to trade policy. "Trade is always a tough sell until you explain it," he said. Source: Dallas News
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Driver dies after striking parked big rig
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SAN DIEGO — The California Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash on northbound state Route 15 at Ocean View Boulevard on Tuesday.
The victim was identified by the Medical Examiner’s Office as David Irving Epstein, 87, who lived in Coronado with his wife.
Epstein was driving a Toyota sedan north on the freeway when, for
unknown reasons, he veered across traffic lanes onto the Ocean View
off-ramp about 11:40 a.m., authorities said.
The Toyota clipped the back of a disabled big rig that was parked on
the shoulder, spun around and crashed. Epstein died at the scene, the
medical examiner said.
The big-rig driver, who was standing in front of the disabled truck
with the hood open, was struck in the crash and taken to a hospital
with serious injuries, the CHP said.
The off-ramp was closed during the investigation. Source: signon San Diego
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Truckers urged to call lawmakers on anniversary of slain trucker’s death
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A year ago on March 5, 2009, truck driver Jason Rivenburg was
fatally shot while parked in his rig for the night at an abandoned gas
station near St. Matthews, SC.
As a way to honor her
husband’s memory, Hope Rivenburg is urging all truck drivers and their
families to help her in her quest for safe parking options on the
one-year anniversary of his death.
She, along with the
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and U.S. Rep. Paul
Tonko, D-NY, is urging everyone to pick up the phone on Friday and call
their lawmakers to support two Jason’s Law bills in the House and Senate.
She told Land Line
on Wednesday, March 3, that her goal is to have another 100 lawmakers
sign on as co-sponsors to the bills in the next couple of weeks.
“I know that’s a lot to accomplish, and I need every driver’s help to make this happen,” Rivenburg told Land Line. “We’ve gotten this far, but we can’t do the rest without everyone’s support.”
She
admits her plate is full. She gave birth to twins, who will soon be a
year old, and faced her husband’s killer in court, but she also has
been working tirelessly to bring awareness to the need for more safe
truck parking.
“I don’t want this to happen to another trucker’s family,” she told Land Line recently.
Because
Jason arrived too early for his delivery, he was turned away from the
distribution center where he had an appointment the next morning. He
was forced to seeking parking in an unlit area where he was killed not
long after his arrival.
In December 2009, Hope Rivenburg was
in the courtroom when a South Carolina judge sentenced Willie Pelzer,
23, to life in prison without parole for killing her husband for the
mere $7 he had on him.>>>>........
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Ambassador Bridge owner denied expansion plans
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Quick! Somebody throw Matty Moroun a life preserver. His plan to
twin the Ambassador Bridge appears to have gotten stuck in a current of
red tape along the shores of the Detroit River.
The U.S.
Coast Guard lowered the boom this week on Moroun’s plans to expand
operations at the border bridge that connects Detroit with Windsor,
Ontario. The privately owned Ambassador Bridge, with 10,000 commercial
trucks crossing each day, is the busiest border point in North America.
Coast
Guard officials wrote to inform the billionaire’s Detroit International
Bridge Co. that unresolved land issues with the city of Detroit have
worn out his welcome.
“The Coast Guard has determined that
the (Ambassador Bridge Enhancement Project) permit application remains
incomplete, after 3.5 years, and is returning it to DIBC,” Coast Guard
Administrator of Bridge Programs Hala Elgaaly wrote in the letter dated
Tuesday, March 2.
Courts recently ordered Moroun to tear down
a gas station and other structures that he built on property owned by
the city of Detroit.
The Coast Guard has a say in building
permits that involve navigable waters. Officials said they see no
reason to approve Moroun’s application.
“The Coast Guard has
received no credible indication that the property rights issue is any
closer to being resolved now, than it was over three years ago,”
Elgaaly wrote. “Moreover, the results of recent cases in Michigan
courts, coupled with Detroit City Council declarations, underscore the
Coast Guard’s conclusion that DIBC is not likely to obtain the
necessary property rights in the near future.”
According to
the law, Moroun is allowed to keep trying and can resubmit his
application for a Coast Guard bridge permit at any time.
Meanwhile,
government officials in both the U.S. and Canada are in the planning
stages to build a new Detroit River bridge about two miles away.
– By David Tanner, associate editor Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
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Ex-Arrow Trucking driver continues fight to keep truck
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OOIDA Member Mark Miller’s life has been in limbo for two months
now, ever since he found out about Tulsa-based Arrow Trucking’s chaotic
financial collapse a few days before Christmas.
That’s
because his truck is hung up in the company’s ongoing Chapter 7
bankruptcy nightmare, even though he shows he paid his truck off in
August 2009.
However, Miller told Land Line on
Tuesday, March 2, he is still “hopeful” that everything will be
resolved. He said he’s in better spirits after receiving a call earlier
from a detective with the Tulsa Police Department and an FBI agent
stating that they are still investigating his fraud charges against
Arrow Trucking.
“They want me to send them all the proof I
have. They want copies of every single piece of paper I’ve got that
showed I made the payments,” Miller said. “I’ve got every single pay
stub for over four years that shows the amount I’ve paid on the truck.”
For
more than four years, Miller had been making payments on his 2006
Kenworth T600 through Arrow Trucking’s lease-purchase program. Sensing
something was wrong several months before the company’s collapse,
Miller made the decision to pay off his truck and leave Arrow Trucking.
On Aug. 13, 2009, his bank wired the remaining amount of
$23,500 he still owed on his truck. At that time he said he received
his paperwork, which included a sticky note on the title stating that
the lien holder would release it in six to eight weeks. That never
happened.
For months and until the company’s abrupt closure,
Miller was fighting to receive his clear title. After the company shut
down, he decided to call Daimler to inquire where his truck’s title
was. That’s when Miller said he received the disturbing news that the
finance company wasn’t aware that Arrow Trucking had sold “one of their
trucks” to him.
Miller said he is pursuing his case until the
very end in an attempt to “right the wrongs” experienced by him and
other drivers who had lease-purchase agreements with Arrow Trucking.
Several drivers with lease-purchases with the company were forced to
return their trucks until they could secure new financing arrangements.
Some were close to truck ownership when they received the alarming news
that their payments were not being forwarded on by Arrow Trucking to
the finance companies. Some drivers said they were forced to walk away
from their trucks because they couldn’t get new financing deals.
“Truck
drivers are the most regulated and taxed individuals of any profession
in this country, and yet we seem to be the most vulnerable to
corruption from the companies we work for, service and do business
with,” he wrote in an e-mail to Land Line recently.
Miller,
who still has possession of his truck, filed a report with the Tulsa
Police Department as well as a proof of claim with the bankruptcy court
handling Arrow Trucking’s proceedings.
“What I want to
explain to everyone is that I am not just an employee who didn’t get
paid for a couple of weeks. I have sustained a big loss that has put my
finances in jeopardy,” he said.
He estimates that over a
four-year period he invested more than $520,000 of his money into that
truck, including truck payments, fuel, insurance, taxes and licensing.
Currently,
Miller said he’s working on a Web site that he hopes to launch soon to
inform visitors of what happened to him and to call for lease-purchase
reform in the trucking industry. He has also contacted his U.S.
representative, Earl Blumenauer, about his experience with Arrow
Trucking.
“I want people to know what happened to me, and I want lawmakers to fight for us in Washington, DC,” he said.
– By Clarissa Kell-Holland, staff writer Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
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OOIDA members can now earn “Restaurant Bucks”
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Thanks to TravelCenters of America and Petro Stopping Centers
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has
announced an unprecedented new benefit courtesy of TravelCenters of
America and Petro Stopping Centers. “Restaurant Bucks” are now
available to active OOIDA members by redeeming a mail-in offer form and
enclosing fuel receipts from participating TA and Petro locations.
Active
OOIDA members can qualify to receive 25, 50 or 100 “Restaurant Bucks”
in correlation with the amount of fuel purchased at participating
locations during the months of February, March and April, 2010.
“Restaurant Bucks” promotional cards will be issued for fuel purchased
during three separate qualifying periods when a mail-in form is sent
along with required fuel receipts.
Purchases of 500
to 999 gallons of fuel can qualify to receive 25 “Restaurant Bucks”;
purchases of 1,000 to 1,999 gallons qualify for 50; and for 2,000 plus
gallons, qualify for 100 “Restaurant Bucks. These cards can be used at
any participating TA or Petro full-service restaurant.
It's
easy, with three easy steps. Step 1. Fill up at your convenient TA or
Petro fuel islands. Step 2. Save your receipts. Step 3. When you
have enough volume to earn a prize, send in your receipts and completed
mail in form and copies of invoices to OMNI, Attention TA/Petro
Restaurant Bucks Promotion, 495 Mansfield Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15205.
For more information, please visit http://www.tatravelcenters.com/ooida-restaurant-bucks
The
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the largest national
trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking
professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently
has more than 157,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973
and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, Mo., area.
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How Small Loans Help Truckers Comply With New EPA Regulations
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Last month, Opportunity Fund
helped truckers beat a February deadline to retrofit their truck
engines as new EPA emissions standards in California went into effect.
Truckers told Opportunity Fund that without loans to cover the
retrofitting costs, they would have had to give up trucking or move
their business to another state. We’ve made 30 loans to truckers so
far. The price tag to clean up their engines amounts to $12,000 –
$19,000, well beyond the capacity many of the truckers have to pay with
their $30,000-$40,000 annual incomes. In order to help, Opportunity
Fund put $1 million in financing on the table to enable truckers to
comply with the new regulations by retrofitting their trucks’ engines.
The EPA’s Air Resources Board approved the new truck-engine emissions
regulation in December, 2008. Why? California’s cities have some of the
worst air quality in the country, especially around the Oakland and
Long Beach ports, where thousands of trucks line up and idle each day
as they await their next load. Unfortunately, the cost to move goods by
truck throughout the state includes significant harm to the state’s
citizens: Trucks and buses account for about 30 percent of statewide
nitrogen-oxide (greenhouse gas) emissions and 40% of toxic soot
emissions. These emissions cause numerous adverse health effects,
including increased rates of asthma and about 4,500 premature deaths
per year. Under tighter emissions standards, regulators expect to save
9,500 lives and $50 billion in heath care costs savings.
Unfortunately, a well-intended environmental health regulation aimed
at improving the state’s future had dire consequences on the economic
well-being of the state’s truckers today. As one self-employed trucker
who received a loan from us explained, “Pollution comes from trucks,
and I support efforts to clean up the environment. But it is very
difficult for truckers to pay on our own.” We’re proud to be able to
assist in an effort that gets truckers back on the road and improves
the environment for these overly polluted communities.
***
Ed Note: TriplePundit is a Media sponsor for the upcoming Microfinance USA conference on May 20-21 in San Francsico.
The event is put on by Opportunity Fund and will feature speakers such
as Maria Shriver and Premal Shah. Excellent speakers, tours of
microentrepreneur operations, and a Taste of Microentrepreneurship
Cocktail Reception are among the highlights to come. Register now, early bird discount ends March 15th.
Source: TriplePundit
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Ex-employee of Kearny trucking company admits $900K fraud
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NEWARK — A former employee of a northern New Jersey trucking firm
has admitted his role in a scheme that defrauded the company of more
than $900,000.
Herbert Rodriguez, 44, of Woodbridge, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Newark to conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
Rodriguez admitted he conspired with a second worker to submit fake
vendor invoices to his employer, Kearny-based J.F. Lomma Inc.
Rodriguez obtained hundreds of checks from the company, which he cashed.
Rodriguez faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine at sentencing on June 7. Source: New Jersey
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CTA wants U.S. hazmat fee reconsidered
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OTTAWA -- Near the end of February, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) proposed a fee increase that didn’t sit well with the Canadian Trucking Alliance. PHMSA,
a division of the U.S. Department of Transporation, wanted to increase
the registration and fee assessment program for hazmat transporters by
as much as $2,000. Carriers, including Canadian companies that haul
certain categories and quantities of hazardous materials, could see the
annual fee rise to $2,975 (plus a $25 administrative fee) from $975 for
registration years beginning in 2010-2011. The fee increase would go towards funding the national Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grants program. In a letter to the U.S. DOT, the Canadian Trucking Alliance
urged the PHMSA to review the proposed increase. CTA reiterated the
importance of funding safety and environmental initiatives such as the
HMEP, but questioned the application and level of need for the proposed
increase. “CTA finds it troubling that in the face of federal
budget constraints, U.S. agencies are developing a propensity for
significant fee hikes to maintain programs on a status quo basis,
rather than taking a hard look at programs and determining where cuts
to non-essential components can be made,” said CTA president David
Bradley. CTA has further concerns that the fee assigned to
large carriers ($25.5 million in gross revenue) is partially based on
revenues that are derived from domestic business in Canada that should
be completely beyond the reach of the U.S. government. “This is
patently unfair in CTA’s view, and it is our position that the
determination of large carrier status should be based solely on revenue
earned in the United States to haul hazardous materials,” explained
Bradley. While the public comment period on the proposed fee
hike was closed yesterday, CTA continues to monitor this issue as PHMSA
works toward a final decision. Source: Today's Trucking
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Closing of Rest Stops Stirs Anger in Arizona
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Motorist drove past a sign indicating that the Wickenberg/Hassayampa rest stop along US route 60 is closed in Arizona.
PHOENIX — The people of Arizona kept their upper lips stiff when
officials mortgaged off the state’s executive office tower and a “Daily
Show” crew rolled into town to chronicle the transaction in mocking
tones. They remained calm as lawmakers pondered privatizing death row.
The rest stop on U.S. 60 near Wickenburg, Ariz., is
among 13 the state closed in a cost-saving move. Many people are not
happy.
But then the state took away their toilets, and residents began to revolt.
“Why don’t they charge a quarter or something?’” said Connie Lucas, who
lives in Pine, Ariz., about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from here.
“There was one rest stop between here and Phoenix, and we really needed
it.”
Arizona has the largest budget gap in the country when measured as a
percentage of its overall budget, and the state Department of
Transportation was $100 million in the red last fall when it decided to
close 13 of the state’s 18 highway rest stops.
But the move has unleashed a torrent of telephone calls and e-mail
messages to state lawmakers, newspapers and the Department of
Transportation deploring the lost toilets — one of the scores of small
indignities among larger hardships that residents of embattled states
face as governments scramble to shore up their finances.
“People in this state are mad about this,” said State Representative
Daniel Patterson, a Democrat from Tucson who has sponsored a bill that
would allow other entities to reopen and maintain the rest stops. “This
bill may have the broadest support among members of any bill this
year.”
Some residents see something sinister in the closings. Betty L.
Roberts, who lives in Sun City, west of Phoenix, said the topic was a
hot one among her friends.
“I honestly think they are setting us up because they want to do a tax
increase,” Ms. Roberts said. “I think by shutting down things people
want, they will give us one.”
Arizona is not alone in singling out toilets. Colorado, Georgia,
Vermont and Virginia are among states that have also closed rest stops,
though Virginia’s new governor, Robert F. McDonnell, has vowed to reopen 19 stops that closed last year.
“It’s a safety problem, not only for us but car drivers,” said Clayton Boyce, the spokesman for the American Trucking Association, which has fought rest stop closings in Virginia and elsewhere. “We think it is a pretty bad idea.”
The Arizona Transportation Department
has suffered an ever-ugly combination of large cuts and unforeseen
costs. More than $500 million of the transportation budget was recently
diverted to the state’s general fund — a common move among struggling
states — and the department has closed 12 field offices, deferred $370
million in highway construction projects and cut 10 percent of its
staff.
Further, two winter storms recently battered the north of the state, at
a cost of roughly $4 million to the department. The roughly $300,000 a
year it cost to operate each rest stop was something the department
decided it could no longer manage.
“People think, ‘You just go in and change the toilet paper, don’t
you?’ ” said Kevin Biesty, the government relations director for the
Transportation Department. “The answer is, no, we have to maintain the
water quality, we have do maintenance to the buildings and so on. Some
of those places in the middle of nowhere are like their own little
cities.”
Mr. Patterson’s bill, which is supported by a majority of legislators,
Republicans and Democrats, would allow local governments, American
Indian tribes and private groups to pay to keep the rest stops open.
The problem is that most localities in the state are broke, too.
Further, federal law prohibits states (including Arizona) with
Interstates built after 1956 from privatizing or commercializing their
rest areas. “This bill doesn’t really give us any new tools,” Mr.
Biesty said.
Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, wrote to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood last month asking that the restriction be rescinded to allow the state more flexibility.
One of the newly closed rest stops is on U.S. 60 near Wickenburg, a
little town about 50 miles northwest of here. The stop had served as a
bit of a recreation area, too, with picnic tables and educational
information about the nearby Hassayampa River, and the life of bats.
“That place was well used,” Bonnie Chapman, a waitress at the Golden
Nugget, one of the few restaurants on Wickenburg’s main drag, said of
the rest stop. “Locals even used it for picnics.”
The Golden Nugget, not coincidentally, is now a place that sees a few
more visitors needing something other than coffee each day.
“It’s a long way to Phoenix from here,” Ms. Chapman said.
Source: The New York Times
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House Passes 10-Month Extension of Highway Program
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The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed a bill that will
extend the current highway program until the end of the year and
replenish the Highway Trust Fund with $19.5 billion from general
revenues.
The highway provisions are part of a larger job-creation measure that
went back to the Senate for further consideration. Among other things,
the bill will create $15 billion worth of payroll tax breaks for small
businesses that hire new workers.
The highway program is currently operating under a one-month extension
passed earlier this week after a dramatic showdown between Sen. Jim
Bunning, R-Ky., and most of the rest of the Washington political
community.
Bunning objected to the funding approach proposed by the Democratic
leadership in the jobs-and-transportation bill. Despite opposition from
the majority of both parties in the Senate, he blocked the measure for
several days, forcing the Department of Transportation to furlough
2,000 employees and stop sending reimbursements to the states for
federal-aid highway projects. Eventually a deal was struck, and on
Wednesday the funds started flowing again and DOT employees returned to
work.>>>>>>>>...........
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Bike Week in Daytona: What’s Love’s got to do with it?
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Truckers going through Daytona are not happy. It’s Bike Week, and
from Feb. 26 to March 7 Love’s Travel Stop No. 316 at I-95/U.S. Highway
1 in Ormond Beach can only allow truckers to fuel and go. No parking.
Bike
Week is an event that sees thousands and thousands of bikers converge
on the area. And Harley Davidson, which is next door to Love’s, is a
major participant in Bike Week.
The increased traffic volumes for truckers waiting to
fuel – combined with the significant influx of cars, trucks and bikes
during Bike Week – has in the past caused traffic jams to the point
that State Police had to close the exit. Love’s doesn’t want to see
that happen again, so “fuel and go” is the strict policy during Bike
Week.
Truck drivers who have contacted OOIDA and Land Line
have voiced their aggravation. OOIDA Senior Member Lester Hon, Branson,
MO, was tired and needed food, a shower and a nap. He couldn’t believe
it when he was turned away. Hon says he is done spending money at
Love’s in Ormond Beach, although it had been a favorite stop.
Another
trucker said he thought it was just not right that even if you are “out
of hours,” it won’t secure you a parking spot at Love’s during Bike
Week.
That caused one trucker to be even more exasperated.
“Well, I hope Love’s makes a lot of money from the motorcycles. Perhaps
they could start a chain of bike stops and sell a lot of gas, beer,
munchies and stuff.” >>>>>>>>>>>...........................
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Pressure mounting for trade rep to resolve tariff dispute
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The retaliatory tariffs Mexico imposed on U.S. goods following the
end of the cross-border trucking pilot program that ended last year
drew fire yet again this week.
U.S. Trade Representative Ron
Kirk and U.S. Secretary Ray LaHood were delivered a letter signed by 56
lawmakers urging an end to the tariff dispute.
The lawmakers called on the Trade Rep and DOT to go public with their plans to resolve the tariff dispute.
“We
are writing to express our concern about the lack of action and
transparency … to address tariffs imposed by Mexico on U.S.
agricultural and manufacturing products,” the letter states.
“The
current situation is unsustainable and untenable. Our constituents need
help immediately, and we implore you to work quickly to implement a
solution that ensures safety and normalizes trade between the U.S. and
Mexico.”
The letter, spearheaded by Rep. Dennis Cardoza,
D-CA, and Rep. Rick Larsen, D-WA, was delivered to the Trade Rep’s
office and DOT on March 1.
The letter marks another notch in the increasing pressure facing the Obama administration to address the tariffs.
The
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration pulled the plug March 11,
2009, on a pilot program that had allowed Mexico-based motor carriers
long-haul access to the U.S.
The highly contentious program
lost its funding when President Barack Obama signed the 2009
transportation appropriations bill into law on March 10, 2009. The next
day, FMCSA started the process of shutting down the program.>>>>>>>>>................
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Accidents: Preventable or Not
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As many of you know, I work with new and prospective drivers through my
yahoo group. Recently, one of the members told this story during a discussion on
the dangers of deer; I will call this driver ‘Joe’.
Joe is an experienced driver who works for a middle-sized company. One day,
a deer ran out in front of his truck. Joe hit the deer which did about $2,000.00
worth of damage to his truck. His company brought him and his truck to the yard
and repaired the damage. Joe was not charged with a preventable accident.
Another driver with the same company also had a deer run out in front of
his truck the same week as Joe did. This driver tried to avoid the deer instead
of hitting it, hit a guard rail and went in the ditch. The repairs to the truck
alone were $12,000.00 not to mention the guard rail and tow bill. The driver was
charged with a preventable accident on his record and did not understand
why.
What was the difference between the two accidents? Was it the cost of the
repairs? No, it was not the cost of the repairs. It was how the driver reacted
to the deer running out in front of the truck. Joe retained control of the
situation and mitigated damages. The other driver lost control of his truck and
put himself in the situation of damaging the equipment and possibly killing
someone else along with himself. He did nothing to retain control of the
situation.
Another of my group’s members told a story about how he was in a dock and
he did not realize that he was crooked between the lines. Another truck backing
into the dock next to him hit his truck’s fender. His company, after looking at
the photos, charged him with a preventable accident on his record even though he
was sitting still and another truck hit him. Why? He was docked crooked in the
lines, his mistake.
Most accidents are caused because of mistakes, of course not all, but most
are. The driver who rear ends another vehicle was either following too close or
was not paying attention. There are rare cases of someone cutting off another
vehicle and getting rear ended, but honestly, if the driver of the vehicle that
is being cut off is paying attention, shouldn’t they have time to hit the brakes
or at least slow down? This is how a safety department and most law enforcement
officials, looks at things.
Almost all accidents are preventable in most cases. Of course, one has no
control over wildlife or other drivers who might come across the median or
center line and hit you. In those cases, one can only try to mitigate damages
and retain as much control over the equipment and situation as possible.
During the course of our careers as truck drivers and with as many miles we
all drive a year, accidents of some sort or another are bound to occur. This
does not mean that we can become complacent or blasé about any sort of accident,
even just a scratch on the fender from a tight backing situation is preventable.
It does mean that we have to be even more diligent than ever to avoid having a
preventable accident on our records. The safe operation of our equipment is the
most important part of our jobs. By being safe and avoiding accidents we not
only protect our careers, but also the motoring public and our company’s
bottom-line.
BY Sandy Long
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Going the Extra Mile for Drivers
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Evans Network Releases Evans Pitstop
Schuylkill Haven, PA (March 2, 2010)-The Evans Network of Companies recently
released Evans Pitstop, an online community for the company's independent
contractors. The innovative Internet-based portal is designed to provide
tools for drivers to better manage their finances as well as create a
community with their fellow contractors.
There are five main areas in
Pitstop: * Personal Wealth. Contractors can learn about IRAs and college
savings plans and start the process to open an account. Once they open
those accounts, they can manage the amount that flows into their various
accounts weekly.
* Business Resources. Drivers can see their
settlement reports every Wednesday before it is received on Friday. This
gives them a better opportunity to allocate their funds as well as question
particular pay items. They can also view all their historical settlement
reports as well as search for individual loads in the search
function.
* Training. This is a necessary aspect in the trucking industry
and the training section allows contractors to complete some of that training
in the comfort of their home and on their own schedule.
* Information.
This is an area where contractors can learn more about what is going on in
the industry as well as get some tips on how to make their business more
profitable.
* Lifestyles. Contractors are given resources for their
personal life. A marketplace is available to post items for sale. A travel
agent is available to assist with planning vacations. The very popular
pinball game is even located in this area. The high score every month wins a
Nintendo Wii game system.
"Pitstop is our way to create a sense of
community among the independent contractors, as well as give them resources
they're not going to find anywhere else. Drivers spend a great deal of time
in virtual isolation in their trucks and this provides a resource through
which they can be part of an online community," said Chris Giltz, Senior Vice
President of Operations for Evans Network. "We're excited about the response
so far and look forward to future enhancements," Giltz
continued.
Located throughout the portal is "Ask Earl," which gives
contractors a direct line to the management team at Evans for questions or
suggestions. Evans Network currently contracts with more than 1,400
independent contractors across the nation and has over 100 service centers
throughout the U.S. The Network provides transportation services in the inter modal container and trailer drayage, van truckload and flatbed markets
About The Evans Network of Companies The Evans Network of Companies is a
market-leading logistics partner with more than 100 service centers
throughout the United States and a fleet of over 1,600 tractors. The Network
provides transportation services in the intermodal container and trailer
drayage, van truckload and flatbed markets encompassing Evans Delivery
Company, West Motor Freight of PA, All Points Transport, Hale Intermodal
Trucking, Century Express, West Contract Services, Land Transportation,
Phoenix Transit and Logistics and DM Transportation Management Services, a
full service vendor inbound management company serving the direct marketing
and retail industries. Evans Network provides customer-centric service and is
dedicated to the safety and recognition of its network employees, agent
partners and independent contractors. For more information, visit www.evansdelivery.com or
call 1.877.39.EVANS.
TruckstopUSA
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Useful Links Helpful Industry related Links
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