TORONTO, Ont. -- Professional drivers who were concerned that the service centres along Ontario's busiest corridors may not be redesigned with their interests in mind, appear to have been correct.

As construction continues on many of Ontario's 23 provincially owned service centres, professional drivers are finding truck parking at some sites is inadequate. At West Lorne, for instance, pull-through truck parking spots have been replaced with spaces that require a driver to back in blindside, professional driver James Garvin told Trucknews.com. Worse, the width of the spaces doesn't even account for a truck's mirrors. Garvin parked in one of the spaces recently and noted his mirrors overhung the white lines.

West Lorne does, however, have six drive-through RV spots and four LCV parking spaces.

The West Lorne service centre is still under construction, but Garvin worries the parking situation won't improve. When he asked a general contractor on-site about the lack of truck parking, he said he was told truckers shouldn't be stopping there anyways since there's no diesel available. He also said contamination at the old fueling site forced them to push the buildings back into the parking area.

Garvin said the westbound Tilbury North service centre has somewhat better truck parking.

"Truckers with bunks don't have to blindside it in, even though they are back-in spots and not pull-through," he said.

The province inked a deal with Canadian Tire to operate the fueling stations at the service centres. Harry Rudolfs, on-road editor for Truck News and a full-time driver said he recently stopped at the Wooler Hill service centre to check out the selection of goodies at the Canadian Tire gas bar. While he was disappointed with the selection, he said that service centre had "almost adequate" truck parking. But that location was expanded several years ago.

"You can usually find a spot somewhere in the back row at least," he said.

Rudolfs tries to avoid the service centres along the 401 whenever possible.

"These highway rest stops are almost an anathema to me," he said. "I take my breaks mostly off-highway because you never know what you're going to get in them: stuck behind someone for 10-15 minutes, or blocked in by sleepers, or not able to find a spot and having to drive right out again."

Garvin, however, was hopeful that the reconstruction of the service centres would result in more parking spaces for professional drivers - not less.

"I was excited when they started building, that we would get more parking," he said. "This has been a disappointment."

The service centres remain at various stages of construction. Dutton, West Lorne and Tilbury in both directions offer washroom facilities and vending machine food as well as parking. Some sites should be fully operational by the end of this month, complete with restaurants and other services, according to the OnRoute Web site www.onroute.ca.

For an update on which service centres will be open when, click here

Source: Truck News

When truck owner Jody Chavez of Lee’s Summit, MO, decided to expand his farming operation to include hauling across state lines, he turned to OOIDA to help clear some of the paperwork hurdles. It was time well spent.

Photo by Nikohle Ellis

OOIDA Member Jody Chavez works on a logbook as part of a learning session with OOIDA’s Business Services Department.

“We want to do it right,” Chavez told Land Line during a recent visit to OOIDA headquarters in Grain Valley, MO.

Chavez, who joined the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association earlier in the month, brought in three of his drivers and his office manager to learn more about hours of service, logbooks and operating authority.

“I’m hoping they get a good understanding of how to do the logbooks correctly, and I think they will,” Chavez said.

The drivers signed up as members and got some valuable face time with OOIDA Compliance Agent Tom Crowley of the Business Services Department.

“All of the drivers were local and had never done a logbook,” said Crowley. “Without the Association, it may have taken Jody weeks to come up with the information that we covered in a very short amount of time.”

Crowley said it takes a lot of paperwork and knowledge to transition any business from intrastate to interstate.

“He could bump around and come up with the regulations on his own, but it’s difficult for someone new to this type of business to know how to get the proper authority. If you’re not organized in this business, chances of success are low.”

In addition to driver logs, Crowley assisted Chavez in learning about truck tags, IFTA requirements, and alcohol and drug testing, to name a few.

“It is critical to properly prepare drivers for interstate hauling,” said Crowley, who himself has 23 years of trucking experience.

“I know it took me a long time to learn this stuff,” he added. “With what we were able to provide to Jody and his drivers, I’m sure they’re getting the start they need.”

August Class 8 order activity sits near the monthly average seen over the last six months of 13,000 units. The figure includes U.S., Canada, Mexico and exports.

NASHVILLE, Ind. — FTR Associates has released preliminary data showing August Class 8 truck total net orders for all major North American OEM’s at 12,337 units, a 8.3 percent increase over the previous month’s net orders and 16.8 percent better than August 2009. 

August order activity sits near the monthly average seen over the last six months of 13,000 units. The figure includes U.S., Canada, Mexico and exports.

Source: The Trucker

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.

For example, 82 percent of communities in this country depend solely on tractor trailers to deliver their goods, according to Consumer Guide Automotive. Also, truckers haul 84 percent of goods between U.S. and Mexico, and 73 percent of goods between the U.S. and Canada.

No wonder you see so many tractor trailers on the highways.

The trouble is that a lot of the time, they can’t see you.

Big rigs have big blind spots – so big in fact, that multiple other vehicles can simply disappear from the view of the truck driver.

Let’s take a look at the four blind spot areas and some ways to avoid them.

The back

The blind spot behind a trailer can go up to 300 feet back. In other words, 100 yards, or the length of a football field. It may help to visualize that as about 20 to 25 car lengths.

In an example of severely foolhardy behavior, some drivers even get close behind big rigs in order to “draft” like a race car, using the suction created behind the trailer to save on gas.

Tailgating a semi is a bad idea. Their metal bumpers don’t absorb shock well and inflict severe damage on other vehicles in a collision. And there is the factor of your blind spot. Because the trailer is as wide as a lane of traffic, when you are behind one you can’t see or prepare for any road conditions farther up the highway.

The right and the left sides

Don’t ride alongside a big rig. The blind spot on the right side runs past the length of the trailer and extends three lanes. It’s better to pass on the left because the blind spot there is shorter. The trucker’s warning to remember is: “If you can't see my face in the mirror, then I can't see you.”

A good idea when going around a semi? Pass quickly.

The front

Because of the height of the truck, drivers can’t see up to 20 feet in front of their vehicles. A side note: This puts pedestrians at a huge risk. One suggestion to pedestrians is to make eye contact with the driver before crossing in front of their truck. If you cannot catch the trucker’s eye, don’t cross.

Other tips

Watch out in parking lots and intersections. Tractor trailers are “articulated;” they bend where the truck and trailer are connected. So if a truck is turning to the right, the driver’s only view to the rear on that side will be his own trailer in his right-hand mirror. Almost up to the cab, is a blind zone. If you are trying pass there, you can get crunched.

Pay attention to a truck’s turn signals. If the truck is signaling to turn, the driver may not see you and may turn in front of you. Do not rely just on your lights or horn to alert the driver of your presence. Slow down your vehicle to stay out of his way.

Source: Blognetwork

A 49-year-old Surrey, B.C., man was driving a hidden load of dried poppy pods to Canada Thursday afternoon in a semi truck when he stopped at a weigh station in Bow. State Patrol officers conducting a routine inspection of the man's semi found seven boxes of the dried flower pods hidden among rolls of paper, said Skagit County drug-task-force Chief Will Reichardt.

"This is a first," Reichardt said of the cache.

He said the man is a self-employed trucker who was delayed getting into Canada and was driving south on a personal errand when he stopped at the weigh station.

"He was killing time," Reichardt said.

Investigators found 115 pounds of the dried flower pods.

"This is opium in its raw form," said an undercover drug-task-force detective, pointing at an evidence box full of thousands of the cream-colored pods at the Skagit County Sheriff's Office. When the pods were shaken, the poppy seeds could be heard inside like a baby's rattle.

The detective, who asked not to be named because he works undercover, said the drug is usually crushed up and poured into drinks like tea.

Reichardt said only certain kinds of poppies can be used as a drug. Most poppies do not contain opium.

The seized poppy seeds tested positive for morphine, Reichardt said.

Opium is more common in Canada than in the Skagit County area, he said, because the drug is popular in the Asian and East Indian communities.

There is a bigger population from those cultures in Canada than here, he said.

Reichardt said he didn't know where the drugs came from in the states. Investigators are looking into whether the poppies may have originated in Afghanistan, where much of the world's opium poppies are grown.

Detectives had a hard time placing a value on the poppies because of the rarity of poppy cases here, but they said it could be about $50,000 worth.

The man was booked into jail briefly, but released pending further investigation.

Source: The Seattle Times

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.