Most truckers would prefer to run compliant.

However, we all know that some truckers face unreasonable pressures, pushing them to do otherwise.

The reaction to that from those who write our regulations and laws is consistent, and disappointing.

More and more enforcement is directed at the truck drivers themselves, with little effort made to shape up the carriers, brokers, shippers and receivers who threaten so many truckers into non-compliance.

OOIDA has pushed consistently to make enforcement evenhanded, to make those who apply pressure to truckers face at least the same penalties that the truckers do. It’s a long battle, but we intend to push the issue until the law is evenly enforced.

Meanwhile, remember why we try so hard to keep you well-informed – so you can take those facts to your elected representatives, so we can educate them, and work toward laws that offer truckers the same protections any American worker offers.

Please, contact your elected representatives today.

Here’s another letter of thanks for a care package paid for by Truckers for Troops.

Ms. Becraft,

My team and I would like to thank you and the OOIDA members for the care package that you sent us. We enjoyed it greatly.

The Double Shot Latte was probably the biggest hit of all. Of course, the weightlifters really like the Muscle Rub. The socks went fast, too.

The peanuts we are still eating, and the pistachios we shared with one of our interpreters. He thanks you, too. Everything was great.

Just to give you a quick background on what we are doing here. I’m the team leader for an LTAT (Logistic Training Advisory Team). We are living with the Iraqis on an Iraq Army Base in An Numaniyah, Iraq.

We have anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 Iraqis here a day. The base is used for training the Iraqi Army, the Iraqi National Police, a NCO Accademy, and the Iraqi Police.

Also they have three different level maintenance shops. My team and I work with the 3rd level maintenance shop. We are training them on maintenance, supply and distribution.

In a nutshell, we are training them to sustain themselves without U.S. involvement. This will help us meet the goal of President Obama and have our troops out of here by the end of 2011.

Myself, I’m a Kansas National Guardsman from Kingman, KS. When not in uniform, I work for Foley Equipment in Wichita, KS. I work in the truck shop. I have worked on many owner-operator trucks in the time I’ve been there.

Not sure how you got my name and address, but was glad you did. Thanks again for the package.

It is always nice to know that people, complete strangers, support all our troops no matter where we are. I know for me personally, it always made me feel good about what I was doing when someone came up to me and said thank you.

I’ve worn this uniform for 22 years now, and I still love what I do in it.

CW2 Ronnie Fankhauser.

The parking situation in Virginia has everyone a little confused.

In part, that’s because of the patchwork of rules on the state, county and city level, each of which can have a huge impact on what you can do in a particular location.

But even more of the confusion is caused by the rumor mill. The latest rumor – not true by the way – is that truckers can’t stay overnight in Virginia at all, even at a truck stop.

So in the spirit of truth, here’s the reality – provided by and compiled from the work of my compatriots at Land Line Now and Land Line Magazine.

Let’s start with rest areas. 18 recently closed, leaving 23 total still in use throughout Virginia.

Reed Black spoke back in July with Jeff Caldwell of the Virginia Department of Transportation. Jeff told Reed that the state has tried to address trucker’s concerns by adding 225 parking spaces at the areas that remain open—and by allowing truckers to stay overnight at rest areas instead of being kicked out after 2 hours.

Now, let me repeat that: At the remaining Virginia Interstate Rest areas, state officials are allowing truckers to stay and rest there for their entire required time under the Hours of Service regulations.

Obviously, most real truck stops have parking for truckers. That’s complicated by the number that have closed in Virginia, and the small number of truck stops that existed in the first place.

However, we have some local governments that do not allow truckers to spend the night at the truck stops in their borders.

The best way to deal with that is to call before you make your run and make sure that any truck stop you’re planning to rest at is in a city or county that allows you to stay for 10 hours.

As for entrance and exit ramps, or highway shoulders – I wouldn’t do that. We’re hearing you very likely will get a ticket for that.

So it’s not ideal – 18 fewer rest areas, some localities blocking overnight parking, but others that allow it.

Here’s the good news: As I said earlier, the state did add over 200 parking spaces to those rest areas that remained open.

And Reed reported about a month back that both candidates for governor in Virginia say they will reopen the closed rest areas if elected in November.

Democratic state Sen. Creigh Deeds says he supports commercializing the areas by bringing in private vendors to maintain them.

And Republican Bob McDonnell is suggesting having private organizations participate in an “Adopt-a-Safety-Rest-Stop” program.

That’s the real story. And I hope it helps.

Sometimes, people say things that shock you. And sometimes, those things are a good way to make a point.

Take the case of Texas and its strict idling rules. A recent change in enforcement – eliminating an exemption for idling while taking required rest periods – has some people concerned.

You could end up “resting” in horrific heat or cold, with no ability to control your environment. And if you’re on split sleeper time, leaving the truck for more comfortable quarters is not a legal option.

A trucker who called us pointed out that a death row inmate would be treated better than that.

In fact, he said, if someone asked death row inmate to live in a small metal box that was below freezing in the winter or above 110 degrees in the summer, a “host of organizations” would jump in, ready to defend that inmate’s life.

I have to admit, I had never thought of it that way. But that trucker has a point.

I think part of the problem is that the non-trucking groups who get involved in this don’t understand how rest periods work. They think you can just get a motel room.

They don’t get that first, you could never afford that, and second, that you’d pay, not your employer.

They don’t realize that if you split your sleeper time, it must be spent in a sleeper berth; a hotel isn’t even a legal option.

They don’t know that many times, when truckers have to take their rest, there is no hotel or motel anywhere nearby … and that even if there were, how many have a sign out front saying “no tractor-trailers.”

So let’s do some education. If you see a group talking about this, if your city council is considering an idling ordinance, or if they already have one, call them and explain what you face.

And make that comparison – because that trucker was right: Even someone as despised as a death row inmate would receive better treatment.

(Classical music swells, then subsides as an aerial shot zooms in on a lakeside mansion where a couple stand poolside with cocktail glasses)

(Announcer’s voice: Vivian and Reginald may look like two people wallowing in the very lap of luxury. But lurking just beneath the glitzy veneer of wealth and privilege, Vivian is seething in anguish.

Let’s listen in…)

Vivian: OMG Reggie, did you SEE that abomination?

Reggie: The Chiefs loss to the Ravens?

Vivian: No, you fool! That big, noisy THING that just rumbled down the road!

Reggie: You mean the truck that delivers our vodka and vermouth to Billy’s Finger Lakes Bait & Liquors?

Vivian: Yes! Couldn’t they have all that stuff delivered by limo …

Reggie: No way.

Vivian: … or rickshaw?

Reggie: Look Viv, truckers deliver everything we have – from the stones that built this mansion to the water pipes that fill up the pool to that olive in your martini.

Take away the trucks and we’d revert to cave dwellers sucking on ripe berries for a high.

Vivian: So darling, what am I to do?

Reggie: My recommendation? Quit bitchin’ and join OOIDA.

You probably remember the movie “Pay it Forward,” in which people who are the recipient of a good deed in turn do good deeds for others.

The idea isn’t new, and it didn’t start with that movie or any other. People have done it for centuries. And among soldiers, it’s common practice.

We saw that again through this letter, which was thanking OOIDA members for their generosity in providing the Truckers for Troops care packages.

The letter, as with so many thank-yous we receive, was written to staff member Connie Becraft, who has been keeping in touch with many of the recipients.

Ms. Becraft,

On behalf of the B co. Kingsmen, I want to thank you for your generosity. We really appreciate that people back in the States haven’t forgotten about us.

It’s nice to know that after this lengthy war, people still care about us and what we’re doing.

I am the senior pilot and instructor for my unit. We are a company of aviators and crewmen that fly the UH-60M Blackhawk helicopter.

I received your box about a week ago, and on one of our battlefield circulation flights, we dropped it off at a remote COP (Communications Outpost) along our route.

We, being aviation, are afforded a level of luxury at our fairly large, permanent base that a lot of others don’t get to enjoy.

We’ve got decent food, hot showers (still must walk to them), porcelain (got to walk to that too), and a nice gym.

A lot of the smaller bases and outposts aren’t so lucky.

I got the impression from the accompanying letter that you would send more care packages. I think that’s a great idea, and if you don’t mind, I will continue to deliver them to those soldiers living in the “rough” who could use a morale boost.

Again, thank you for thinking of us.

Sincerely,

Paul Cahill

CW4, U.S. Army

Dear CARB,

See below clip from your recent press release:

Sacramento – The Air Resources Board this month fined Orange County-based On the Edge Marketing and CSK Auto Inc. of Phoenix $240,000 for selling gasoline-powered blenders using illegal uncertified small off-road engines to California businesses and residents.

Sales of these unauthorized blenders, popular for mixing beverages at tailgate parties and other outdoor events, occurred in 2007. They feature “two-stroke” engines similar in size to those that power small chain saws, and require that oil be mixed in with the gas. These types of illegal uncertified engines from China can produce emissions 10 times as high as those of compliant certified engines approved for use in California.

“Gasoline-powered blenders may be this year’s tailgate sensation, but drinkers should not be polluting our air while having a good time,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols.

Seriously ... this is actually your biggest problem out there? Really? This is where you think your staff’s time is best spent?

Are you sure it’s not huge oceangoing ships using the worst fuel in human history and belching toxins into your air in amounts measured in actual tonnage ... not that, but this? Really? ’Cause I’m pretty sure it might be the other thing.

Or maybe it’s the millions upon millions of cars with one fool in them cruising for hours down non-moving interstates where they belch foul toxins in the incredibly power-consuming act of not moving a freaking inch. Maybe it’s that. I’m just sayin’.

Or maybe it’s the fact that you built millions of houses in the world’s best known and best identified wildfire/mudslide/earthquake zone, adding to pollution by burning, and then by the carbon emitted to rebuild said millions of houses, and then by burning again. Maybe that. No? Really? Not that?

Maybe it’s the hot gas from Sacramento. Yes, that seems the most logical answer of all. There’s lots of that. It seems to emit more toxins than all those oceangoing ships combined, more than the cars, more than the fires, even more than those trees President Reagan said were to blame.

If that’s the case, it’s good news. ’Cause it turns out we can do something about that. It’s called an election, and it’s the best pollution control device ever invented.

Meanwhile, I intend to continue to use my safe, CARB-approved electric blenders, which operate on electricity generated from either coal-fired plants – or by electric generators that use a combination of bald eagle feathers, koala fur and wood culled from historic structures.

Enjoy!

Mark Reddig

Some of the soldiers who receive care packages have strong connections to the trucking community. They are the husbands, wives, sons and daughters of truckers.

But some are the truckers themselves, as we learned from this thank-you letter to OOIDA Truckers for Troops:

I received a large ‘care’ package from all the fine folks at OOIDA. Thank you so very much.

It is so nice to know that we are not forgotten, in particular the younger Marines who are making their 1st deployment away from home.

All of the items will be put to good use.

Yes, I drive and am a member [of OOIDA]. Above is a picture of the truck I was driving. Not sure if I will get that one back, or the boss will get another one for me. We have about 20 trucks, only two road trucks, and the older one went away when I was activated.

It has been awhile since I have been by the OOIDA office. I never know where I am going, as I move medical trailers around the U.S. and Canada. Every week is an adventure.

Again thanks so much.

Semper Fi,

CWO-4 Edward M. Williams

Engineer Ordnance Maintenance Platoon Commander

(Editor's Note: We were unable to publish the photograph.)

A conversation recently about cattle haulers on our program has brought in some pretty pointed reactions.

Here’s the gist of the discussion: A trucker called in and asked if cattle haulers could wash out their trailers before parking among other trucks.

He said that without idling alternatives like an APU, many truckers had to sleep with a window open – which left them smelling what’s left after the cattle are gone. And I don’t think I have to tell any of you what that is like.

Friday, we heard from a trucker who noted the lack of facilities to perform a washout. He was none too happy at being told how much the smell of his truck offended others. And he said, why shouldn’t truckers running reefers have to keep their units where the noise wouldn’t disturb others?

I suppose the compromise is somewhere in between. Cattle haulers wash out when they can; reefer units try if they can to park with other trucks running APUs and reefers so those with windows open don’t have to hear it so loud.

And of course, we all know that’s not always possible. In fact, in some places, it’s entirely impossible.

Another trucker said that weigh stations and truck stops should have to have wash-out facilities. And I think he has a point.

I also think there should be ice and snow removal devices at scales and truck stops in New Jersey, and I think rest areas and truck stops should have better idling alternatives for company drivers whose employers won’t provide an APU.

But unfortunately, I think all of us are in for a big disappointment.

Those facilities are logical and should be available, but we’re dealing with people who don’t even afford truckers basic rights.

So here’s what it all comes down to: Fixing this is really up to all of you.

Rodney King – the victim of a police beating in Los Angeles – uttered the famous words: “Can’t we all just get along?”

I think Rodney had a message for all of us.

When OOIDA sends care packages overseas, they’re not sent to just one soldier. By sending each package to an entire unit, with enough inside for all the soldiers involved, the Association has been able to serve many times more soldiers than we normally would be able to.

This is a thank-you letter from a group who received a package.

Ms. Becraft,

My unit received the care package you sent on Feb. 19th.

We were amazed by the generosity and kindness of OOIDA. The fact that your members would donate so much money just before the Christmas holidays – and in a bad economy – was truly impressive.

We all know how hard the trucking industry has been hit recently, which makes your gift to us even more special.

Thank you so much from the members of the 481st MP (CID) Detachment, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, (USACIDC), Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

God Bless,

SA Keith Rosewaren
SA Gerald DeHoyos
SA Brady Marshall
SA Andrew Bellafiore
SA Jacob Paulson
SA Jesus Rodriguez
SA Kim Lerche
SA Dan Dawson
SA John Fisher
SA Jeff Herrin

New York recently passed a law “banning” text-messaging while driving.

Actually, it doesn’t ban anything because lawmakers made texting while driving a “secondary” offense.

Thus, a state trooper could pull up beside a car and observe that the driver is frantically texting—but couldn’t legally pull the driver over unless the driver was committing some “primary” offense like speeding or having an expired tag.

The experts agree that texting while driving is more dangerous than speeding or, according to some, driving drunk.

If true, New York police are consigned to ignoring one of the most dangerous activities a driver can engage in unless they’re also engaged in something less dangerous.

Utah has it right.

Their new law treats texting while driving just like drunk driving.

And, like a drunk who kills someone on the highway, texters who kill someone will now face a prison term of up to 15 years.

In New York, by comparison, a texter who kills someone on the highway will be asked, “How do you plead to this secondary offense?”

The issue of idling restrictions, truck parking and safety came to a head a while back with the death of trucker Jason Rivenburg.

He was killed in a robbery that took place while he was taking his rest period at an empty gas station.

A lot of factors play into truckers’ safety while they take their rest. But for female truckers, those factors are virtually all magnified.

Some may say it’s sexist, but I think it’s factual to say that women are far more often the target of crime than men.

Think of the female trucker who’s a company driver, who has no APU, who is in a no-idle zone. How does she get her required rest? How does she stay comfortable enough to make that happen.

Katie White has thought about those questions a lot; she’s a female trucker. And she wants her lawmakers to explain to her what she’s supposed to do.

Me? I’m betting those lawmakers have never thought about this.

So while we can’t tell any of you what they propose Katie and her fellow truckers should do, I can suggest something that we can do.

Call your city council members. Call your county lawmakers, call your state legislators, and call your members of Congress.

Explain to them how a company driver doesn’t have the choice of putting an APU on their vehicle. Explain the types of environments you drive in, how hot it gets in the summer, how cold it gets in the winter.

And for those of you who are company drivers who don’t have an APU, you might mention the fact that your carrier has made a choice not to provide you with a solution.

Add that you and hundreds of thousands of truckers like you are between a rock and a hard place – a law that demands no idling, and therefore no climate control; a federal regulation that locks you in the sleeper, with no option of a hotel if you’re on split sleeper time; and a company that won’t provide you with equipment that would fix the problem.

And then ask Katie’s question: What would you suggest?

This is a prime opportunity to educate a lawmaker. And I would call more than once. Let them know where you are, what the situation is, and ask for their advice.

They write the laws; they should understand and have to deal with the consequences.

This is another letter of thanks from a soldier who received a care package through OOIDA’s Truckers for Troops Telethon.

To the personnel at OOIDA and Ms. Becraft,

I wanted to open up with a huge “thank you” for the care package.

To have a telethon, and receive as many donations as you did in today’s economy, says a lot for the men and women in the trucking business.

My father is an independent truck driver, so I can relate with all of you.

I was floored when I opened the box and saw everything inside. ... WOW. A huge thanks.

My soldiers will truly enjoy the nuts, coffee, socks and trail mix. I wanted to say how very cool I thought the coffee in the self-heating containers were. And I thought the Army had all the “cool toys.”

Again, please share my heartfelt thanks to everyone for their continued support.

God Bless you all!

SFC Tracy M. Allen

Senior Operations Sergeant, 527th Military Police Company

We recently ran a story about the Missouri DOT and their proposal for truck-only lanes on I-70 between St. Louis and Kansas City.

We obviously have a lot of concerns about truck-only lanes, although they do have potential advantages – if they’re done right.

However, in looking at Missouri in particular, one trucker at least saw a little conflict in the idea.

He pointed out how much truck only lanes would cost – a bundle, by the way – and asked, if they think they can get the money for that, then why aren’t the fixing their bridges.

This is the state that has labeled its worst bridges with signs that say “Safe and Sound” – not indicating that they are safe and sound, but that after repairs, they will be.

I have to agree – fixing those bridges is and should be priority 1. But I think I have to offer this, just to be fair: Missouri’s DOT is in the process of fixing many of those bridges, and has a plan in place to fix all of them.

I have some obvious problems with putting the words “Safe and Sound” on a bridge that’s not safe and sound. But I’ve gone over that before.

What MODOT is doing right now is planning for the possibility of building truck only lanes. Whatever our concerns about truck only lanes, if you’re going to do anything, you should plan for it.

Plus, as part of that process, they came to OOIDA to ask what truckers think about the idea, about different ways it could be funded, about how they would be built. I was there, and I can tell you, the folks from OOIDA were blunt about what truckers’ concerns are.

We intend to monitor this very closely as it goes forward, to make sure that truckers’ concerns are addressed, IF MODOT moves forward with this idea.

This is the latest in a series of thank-you letters we’re running on our Web site, expressing gratitude for the care packages sent out through the Truckers for Troops Telethon. As with many of the previous letters, it is addressed to staff member Connie Becraft, who is part of the team in charge of assembling the packages.

Dear Connie Becraft,

I have just received your care package today from OOIDA, and I wanted to personally thank you, and everyone that is thinking of the troops overseas and willing to support us even when America is hurting.

Thank you for all the goodies; the care packages were perfect. I could tell that some time and effort was put into the boxes.

The socks were right on, because the laundry service that we have here does not use bleach, and our socks go through four stages: white, then gray, then green, and finally to the trash.

So again thanks for everything – and the support. I hope you can share this e-mail with as many of the supporters as possible.

SFC Bernell L. Zorn Jr.

42nd MP BDE Training NCO

Proposed question for teenager’s driver’s exam:

Which of the following do you find most distracting while trying to send a text message?

A) Annoying music blaring from the radio (like anything by Carly Simon).

B) Your screaming friends in the back seat?

C) Trying to juggle the double cheeseburger, fries and super-sized Coke?

D) Steering the car

(The correct answer is A: Anything by Carly Simon)

But seriously, it seems like driving has become a secondary concern to a lot of people who are behind the wheel.

The other day, 25-year-old Nick Sparks was driving his tow truck in New York while talking to his boss on a hands-free cell phone and text-messaging his girlfriend on another phone at the same time.

The Associated Press reports Nick hit a car, hit a fence, hit a house and plunged his truck into a backyard swimming pool.

After 25 people were killed in Los Angeles when a text-messaging commuter train operator ran into another train, the texting/phoning-while-driving debate really heated up.

17 states have passed anti-text-messaging laws applying to kids, adults, or both.

Numerous states ban hand-held cell phone use while driving and some, sensibly, ban hands-free phone use as well.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer of New York is calling for a nationwide ban on texting while driving.

But the state laws are a patchwork.

Some ban all texting and cell phone use.

Some apply the bans only to kids.

Some ban handheld cell phones only.

Some make it a primary offense (which they can pull you over for) while others make it secondary (you’re only fined if you were committing some other traffic offense as well).

All the violations are misdemeanors, and the fines are a relative slap on the hand.

For me, it raises this question: Why is a drunk driver who kills someone thrown in prison for years while a person who kills someone because they made a conscious decision to become distracted by texting or phoning while driving is tolerated as a multitasker who got unlucky?

Something happened this year on my birthday, something amazing.

When I first went to work at OOIDA, as a copy editor and writer for Land Line Magazine, one of my first assignments was to cover the battle over the split speed limit in Illinois.

I started back in July of 2003, when then-governor and now criminal suspect Rod Blagojevich vetoed one attempt to end the practice.

I watched over and over as truckers led the fight against split speeds, and year after year, Blagojevich frustrated them. I talked with one official after another with his administration, each of whom seemed less informed than the one before, each more interested in defending the governor than in answering honest, forthright questions about what he had done, or intended to do.

Worse, I spoke with some lawmakers who seemed to lack even the most basic understanding of what the issue was.

I should note that the majority of lawmakers in Illinois seemed quite well informed, very up to date, and the vast majority – a veto-proof number – voted to end the split each time it came up.

However, many from the Chicago area buckled to political pressure after each of the governor’s vetoes, changing their votes and shutting down the uniform limit.

And as I said, a few I talked with – too many, as far as I’m concerned – didn’t have a clue. One even was unable to understand the difference between a state highway, a U.S. highway, and an interstate highway. I had to explain that basic concept … to a member of the state Senate’s transportation committee.

But all that frustration came to an end last month.

This year, a short 7 hours before my birthday, the new governor announced that he had signed uniform speed limits into law.

I’ve waited a long time for this – not as long as the truckers who ply the state’s roads, and not as long as the folks at OOIDA who led this fight, but a long time, nonetheless.

I know that it takes a long time to change anything meaningful in our political system. I knew that long before I came to work here.

But to finally see one of the first issues I covered end successfully – I could not have asked for a better birthday gift.