LandLineNow

Just another case of history repeating ...

2010-02-26T13:15:00.001-08:00

Every once in a while, we still get a call about the Indiana Toll Road.

In 2006, ITR Concession Co., a partnership of Macquarie Infrastructure Group of Australia and Spanish toll operator Cintra, paid the state of Indiana $3.85 billion for the right to operate and collect tolls on the Indiana Toll Road for 75 years.

The contract immediately raised concerns on the part of truckers, residents, lawmakers and others across the political spectrum.

Among the concerns: questions about how well the private operator will maintain the road; concerns about a contract clause that prevents the state from improving or expanding roads within a certain distance of the toll road, even if traffic counts require it; and another clause that allows the private for-profit operator to increase tolls regularly throughout the 75 year terms of the lease.

Add to that some much more basic concerns: that citizens had already paid for the road themselves, that truckers pay fuel tax to use what is now a private road ON TOP of tolls, and that we’ve turned over a vital piece of our national infrastructure – and therefore, a portion of our domestic security apparatus – to foreign concerns.

Also weighing heavy – the thought that other states would pursue similar deals.

And now, we have this:

An OOIDA member named Kenny Nelson called us about a sign on the toll road. It said basically: To avoid traffic congestion in the Chicago area, take the Chicago Skyway.

So Kenny, naturally, assumed the other routes into Chicago from Indiana were congested, but the Skyway wasn’t.

At least, he did – until he heard radio reports that no congestion existed on any of the roads.

Well, guess what. The same outfit that owns and runs the Indiana Toll Road owns and operates the Chicago Skyway.

Well, well. What an incredible surprise.

A private for-profit toll operator used nonexistent congestion to try to drive traffic onto another highway they own, where they charge another, separate toll.

Are we really surprised? I don’t think so.

In fact, this kind of behavior is a very lightweight version of what some of these companies – including one involved in the Indiana Toll Road – have done in other countries.

In Australia, one privately operated road had a contract clause they used to force public officials to close down existing alternate routes to force traffic onto the private toll route.

Let me say that again. They forced, through a clause in their contract, the government to shut down an existing public street that was an alternate route to their private toll road. And the purpose was to force people like you and me to use the toll road, since there was no longer any other choice.

Behold the future, my friends. If we do not stop this trend toward tolling our interstates and selling them off, we could face a future where you pay fuel tax, plus a toll on every highway, and the alternatives eventually shut down.

This isn’t fantasy, this isn’t conjecture. In some places, this is already history.

Let’s all call our lawmakers. Let’s make sure this history doesn’t repeat itself.

Lease-purchase lawsuit headed in the right direction

2010-02-23T09:24:00.001-08:00

Last week, I responded to a posting on the OOIDA Member-Only Forum. It was about a motor carrier being sued over their lease-purchase programs.

In this particular case (which involves Swift Transportation), the claim against the carrier is that the lease-purchase truckers are improperly classified as independent contractors when they should be classified as employees – which would entitle them to the same benefits as employees.

I wrote this response (to stress that I was agreeing with another trucker’s comment on the original posting). In looking over what I wrote, I thought it was worthwhile to share it with all of you:

I used to be a landlord, and I became very familiar with IRS rules while doing that over 20 years.

I can tell you that if I leased a person the equipment they used to perform a job, then they became my ‘independent contractor’ – after which I told them when to start work (pick up load) and when to stop work (drop). And if I required them to meet a whole host of obligations that required me to withhold money to pay for services I provided, the IRS would have kicked my butt-ocks (in the words of Forrest Gump) for not classifying them as employees.

I would owe a ton of back Social Security taxes, and I would pay penalties out the wazoo for the misclassification.

Someone who lease-purchases a truck from the carrier they work for is not the same as an owner-operator who owns their rig independently and leases on with the carrier.

I’m not putting down those folks, and have met many who are good, honest, hard-working and safe truckers.

But the bulk of carriers who are offering these deals aren’t doing it to help the truckers become owner-operators; they’re doing it to shift the cost of doing business on to the trucker, and to make money off the trucker INSTEAD of making their money off hauling freight.

Lease purchases hurt everyone in this industry because of that. Since the carriers involved aren't making their money from hauling freight, they take loads that pay far less than anyone else could, driving down rates for the entire business.

It’s about time someone called their bluff on this, and held them to the same standards that any other company in any other business is held to.

Lawyers, trucks and money

2010-02-22T09:59:00.001-08:00

Without a doubt, the RAZZBERRY request I get the most often is for those shifty lawyers out there who insist on demonizing trucks and truck drivers in an effort to make a fast buck off accident claims involving big trucks. I must get at least a dozen or so a year. If any of those lawyers are reading this right now, here’s a little tip: Truck drivers don’t like you.

These dirtbags like to spout off supposed “facts” about how trucks are responsible for most of the major collisions on our highways; trucks cause more deadly wrecks each year than any other vehicles on the road; trucks will murder you and your entire family, and burn your house down, and kill your dog, and sell your grandmother so they can buy meth, and on and on and on.

The trouble with these “facts” is that they are all completely, totally, 100 percent wrong. But these guys don’t care. All they care about is scaring people half to death so they will call these law offices and sue trucking companies so that these lawyers can line their pockets with a little more green.

Well, I have some real, honest-to-God facts I would like to share with these ambulance chasers that might just shut them up once and for all.

A recent study from the Web site Insurance.com analyzed accident claims and the professions people listed when applying for car insurance online. They looked at the people who admitted to having been in prior accidents when applying for car insurance. They broke the list down by profession to determine which profession had the most prior accidents.

You’ll never guess who topped the list. I’ll give you a hint: It wasn’t truck drivers. It wasn’t even NASCAR drivers. It was – are you ready for this? – lawyers. Judges were also lumped into that same group. Truck drivers didn’t even make the top 10.

So the next time you see one of those ads – and you know you’ll see them again, they never go away – maybe you should call the law offices and inform them that, according to Insurance.com, lawyers are the most dangerous drivers in the country.

Guess it’s hard to keep your eyes on the road when you’re too busy looking for your next victim.

Items both helpful and fun

2010-02-19T12:38:00.001-08:00

Another thank you letter from our troops who received care packages paid for by truckers’ donations to Truckers for Troops.

Received your care package yesterday here at Camp Victory, Iraq. Everyone really likes the caps with the scratch marks on the bill.

I shared out the contents with other Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines in my area. The trail mix is a huge favorite, as was the self-heating cocoa.

Had our biggest duststorm of year a few days ago, so the Q-Tips have been really helpful as well to help clean the sand out of our weapons and equipment.

Thanks again,

Allen Stratton

Despite bumps in the road, it's time to celebrate in Illinois

2010-02-18T12:41:00.001-08:00

For the first time in decades, the state of Illinois has a single, uniform speed limit on all rural interstate highways, a speed limit that applies to all vehicles equally.

However, what the state does not have in many places are new signs, or at least signs that correctly identify what the law is now.

In fact, we heard reports from quite a few folks from all over Illinois. The entire mess left truckers wondering what would happen if they drove at 65. Would they be fine? Would they get a ticket?

We decided to find out for ourselves. And the news is good.

Our folks here at Land Line Now contacted the state, and they stay that the law is the law, no matter what the signs say.

That means your legal speed limit is 65 miles per hour.

I think what you’re seeing there is yet one more state that is struggling with budget problems. Even if you’re not talking about a new sign, it costs the state. They have to either hire someone or take their state workers off other necessary work and put them on taking down signs.

Since they’ve laid off workers in so many states, that means work that really does have to be done, like repairing huge potholes that could damage vehicles, might be left while this is done.

I don’t offer that as an excuse for Illinois, but only say it to explain what they’re thinking.

So here’s the downside: The signs are still up, and the speed limit is still lower in the six counties that surround Chicago.

That will be the case going forward, and it was a necessary compromise to get this passed.

But don’t forget the upside: The state patrol has told us that your legal speed limit is 65 as of New Year’s Day.

Life at the end of the rainbow

2010-02-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

Steve Freidell came by the office to record some segments for the show the other day. It’s been a while since we’ve had him on. You may remember he’s the financial guru from DeWaay Financial Network. Interesting guy, that Steve.

He had a lot to say about the economy. His main point was that, right now, all signs point to things getting worse before they get better. I posed the question the other day on Diesel Update of whether or not we were headed for a so-called “double-dip” recession. Most folks who called in said yes. Steve seems to agree with you.

In spite of that, there was some good news in what Steve had to say. One positive note is that people are reducing their debt faster than ever. Credit card spending is way down. Loans are down. Debt is down. Dave Ramsey would be proud.

The other edge to that sword, though, is that it also means that nobody is spending right now. And nobody spending means fewer dollars going into the economy. And fewer dollars into the economy means that companies will continue to cut back. And companies cutting back means that there won’t be many jobs available. And no jobs means more people out of work. And more people out of work means fewer people spending. And fewer people spending means fewer dollars in the economy.

Dizzy yet? Me, too.

So what’s a person to do? Do we whip out the Visa and go on a spending spree in hopes that we can goose the economy back to life? Of course racking up massive amounts of debt is part of what got the economy in this mess in the first place.

Okay, we can’t go into debt, and we can’t save, so what does that leave us with? It is possible to spend without going into debt. I know people who pay cash for everything right up front. They don’t buy a single thing until they save up and have all the money they need for it in hand. I’ve heard tales of the expressions on the faces of car salesman when these people come in and want to pay for a car up front, with no financing (and no extra money in the form of interest on the payments). I’ve never seen it myself, but I imagine it’s quite the sight.

Imagine if we all did that. Credit card companies would go out of business. Credit ratings would become a thing of the past. Banks would probably start dropping like flies. Okay, more banks would start dropping like flies. Debt collection agencies would be a distant memory. Who knows? Maybe the government would even learn a thing or two from us and try to curb its own wasteful ways.

Yeah. And we’d all ride to work down rainbow highways on the backs of unicorns made of gold. It’s nice to dream, though, isn’t it?

Tasting While Driving

2010-02-16T12:11:00.001-08:00

Forget all that nonsense about the dangers of texting while driving.

That danger pales in comparison to the threat posed by tasting while driving.

Consider these news headlines from just the last month:

Trucker Blames Crash on Wendy’s Chili

(Lumber truck driver Eric Gremm crashes into a house in Lowell, Massachusetts because he choked—and then blacked out—while eating chili.)

Truck Driver Drinking Soda Crashes Rig

(Trucker Jim Kolodiej runs into a ditch off I-15 in Idaho after gulping some ginger ale down the wrong pipe—leading to a coughing fit and the crash. “It was all a blur” says Jim.)

Trucker Chokes on Chicken, Crashes

(Trucker Andrew Quinero overturns his rig near Albany, Oregon after choking on a piece of chicken and passing out.)

Happily, none of the truckers was seriously hurt—and neither was anyone else.

But do you see where I’m going with this?

Texting doesn’t make you pass out—tasting does.

Ray LaHood should issue an immediate ban on truckers eating or drinking while driving—but allow 4-wheelers to wolf down half-pounders all they want.

Real economic progress vs. the other kind

2010-02-12T09:55:00.001-08:00

There’s a real debate right now in our nation’s capital about what sorts of things really stimulate the economy.

It’s not an idle, academic debate. This is something we have to figure out now, and figure out fast, as we are still facing a serious economic crisis.

Many folks in Congress and elsewhere say that highway spending is one sure way to generate jobs. There’s plenty of evidence in the past to support that.

And many folks support it either way, because it represents not only new jobs, but also taking care of a problem we’ve allowed to get significantly out of control.

But others remain skeptical. The fact that so many highway workers are poorly paid – in the eyes of some, making those jobs less valuable – doesn’t help those supporting infrastructure improvements.

However, I think it’s important to look at a few factors in regard to that.

First, pay is low in some states, higher in others. A private company may build the highway for the state, which for the most part pays more.

Second, if the state doesn’t lay off higher-paid workers involved in road projects – the engineers and such – then we’ve just saved a job. And a state or federal job is worth just as much in the economy as a private sector job. If they hire more of those folks, all the better.

Third, let’s talk other jobs involved: Truckers move supplies and equipment necessary for road construction.

Someone has to supply the materials used, and those companies have to hire to do the work.

Dirt-moving companies often get contracts. In some states, where a new highway replaces an old one, they even hire landscaping firms to restore the ground where the old highway was.

Companies provide signage not only for the state highway signs, but also for private billboards and others.

Businesses spring up at exit ramps.

And the folks who get those jobs spend money locally for food, housing, clothing, furniture, cleaning supplies, and on and on.

So don’t buy this stuff about highways not creating jobs. Instead, call your state lawmakers and urge more work.

Think of it as your little contribution to the economy.

This natural gas idea isn't all hot air

2010-02-11T09:46:00.001-08:00

Recently, I had a second conversation with Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens and his plan to use natural gas as a fuel for trucks.

One big part of that debate over the plan is the form of gas trucks would need to make it a practical fuel – a liquid form that’s at incredible subzero temperatures.

Another important point of contention: cost, as everyone listening right now knows all too well.

The problem is comparing the two fuels apples to apples. So the experts came up with an interesting way: They measure the cost of natural gas in “equivalents to diesel gallons.”

They have a good reason for doing that: It does take more of the natural gas fuel to run the truck than the diesel. However, if you compare the cost of enough fuel to run a truck a single mile, the natural gas is much cheaper right now than the diesel.

That raises another question: What would the cost be if we had all trucks on natural gas? We can’t know for certain, but it’s likely still far less.

What’s more, as more trucks moved to natural gas, fewer and fewer would be on diesel, which means less demand, which means lower prices for that fuel.

We still have to study this issue, but for now, it looks as if this fuel would be a winner in terms of cost, and that is one more factor to recommend it.

'We appreciate all of the support'

2010-02-10T09:25:00.001-08:00

Another thank you letter from members of the military who received care packages through Truckers for Troops.

We would like to thank you for everything you have done for the soldiers and for your country. It is wonderful to see that people do still care.

We appreciate all of the support you have shown to us. All of the goodies are absolutely wonderful and so much appreciated.

Thank you so much from the Delta Company 10th Mountain Division Fort Drum, NY.

Tim Smoot

Getting the message across on tolls

2010-02-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

The issue of toll roads seems simple, but in reality, it’s become very complicated.

It’s not just about toll roads. If a state were to build a new road, use tolls and bonds to build it, and then drop the tolls when the bonds are paid off, few would object.

However, keep those tolls on forever, long after the bonds are paid, and you get some pissed-off people.

Take a free interstate, one paid for by the people through their fuel taxes, and put tolls on it, and those people get even more pissed off.

Sell it to a private company and give them the right to raise those tolls indefinitely – and to prohibit any other road from going in nearby – and you could end up with open warfare.

So how do you address it?

This trucker has a suggestion.

OOIDA member Steve Jennings says make it law that money raised on a toll road be spent on a toll road.

Well, that’s a good idea. In fact, that’s actually how it’s supposed to work.

The law allowing just a few states to put tolls on existing roads says the road must need significant repair and rehabilitation, and the states must have a need for more money than they have.

And most toll roads were set up with the idea that the tolls would be spent there.

So what Steve is asking for is, basically, what they already promised to do.

So, of course, they break those promises over and over.

So how do we fight this trend?

I know it sounds like a broken record, but folks, you really, really do need to call your lawmakers.

Let your elected officials know that you expect them to return to properly spending highway money.

Let them know eternal tolls are no longer acceptable.

Let them know that we won’t simply allow an open spigot to be attached to our wallets, just so they can continue misspending what we already gave them.

If we don’t tell them what we want, they won’t know. And if we do tell them, then we have a right to expect results.

Building morale with folks building a nation

2010-02-04T09:27:00.001-08:00

There’s been a lot of talk about whether we should – in Iraq or Afghanistan – take part in “nation building.”

However, our troops are already doing just that kind of work. We heard from one of the teams doing agricultural work in this thank-you letter, sent to us by members of our military who received care packages through Truckers for Troops.

Thank you very much for the package that was sent to our team. We all appreciate the hard work and support from your organization.

ADT II is the second team that has come to the Nangarhar Province to assist in the agriculture mission.

ADT I was from Missouri as well, and the Missouri National Guard leaders are in the process of selecting ADT III personnel. It is the intent of the Missouri National Guard to send a team to this province year after year until our mission is complete.

So next year ADT III will be here to receive a package from you.

I have attached a copy of our last newsletter to better acquaint you with the members of our team. We included a thank you to the OOIDA, as well as the Saint Thomas More School, Appleton, WI, which included cards and letters in the package you all sent.

Again, thank you so much,

Maj. Denise L. Wilkinson

TC Executive Officer Missouri Agri-Business Team

How much is a trucker's life worth?

2010-02-02T11:28:00.001-08:00

One of the problems we face is the image of this industry with the general public. It can affect every other effort to improve things for truckers.

And it not only involves the tendency in the mainstream media to blame big bad evil trucks for everything wrong on the highways, but it also involves the way some out there seem to value truckers’ lives less than other peoples’.

An OOIDA member by the name of Vern Shore called with one such example.

It happened in Canada. A woman with a child in the car suddenly pulled a U-turn – right in front of a truck.

The trucker ditched his vehicle, saving the woman from her own actions.

Vern points out a truth we all already know. If the woman and child had been killed – even though ultimately, they caused the collision – it would have been labeled a tragedy, and used to promote further legislation against and bad publicity about truckers.

Yet in the wake of the incident, no one is calling for better training for four-wheelers. No one is even chiding this woman for endangering her own child, for putting time convenience ahead of her life, and the life of both the child and trucker.

In fact, it was the trucker who suffered, and according to Vern, the incident received no coverage at all.

So how do we get something good out of this? I have a suggestion.

Write a letter to the editor, not only to the local newspaper, but to area TV stations, news radio stations and others. Post it as a comment on their Web sites as well.

Ask why they value that truckers’ life less.

Point out that he is a person, a family man, a father, a brother. Yes, if a woman and child were killed, that would be a tragedy. But why is it any less a tragedy if the trucker is killed?

Don’t be accusatory, don’t be profane. Be respectful. Ask them the question, put the ball in their court, and ask them to explain why they chose to cover one and not the other.

If you do that, you’ll be asking legitimate questions that deserve an answer.

Maybe you’ll get one, maybe you won’t. But no matter what, you will have planted the seed, to start them thinking about the way they cover things and how they treat different types of news.

That’s a valuable service, and if we do it again and again, eventually we will start the process of changing how news is covered.

I’ve said it before about this and other situations. Doing this right will take a long time. But important things done right often do.

And important things are worth the effort.

It's the doggonedest thing

2010-02-01T07:48:00.001-08:00

I first heard about Val when I got a call from OOIDA member Amy Spry wanting to nominate her friend and fellow OOIDA member Bob Garten for a ROSE. As Amy told me the story of Bob and his months-long effort to rescue a stray dog from a Valero truck stop in Texas, I thought to myself there’s more than just a ROSE here.

Bob spent a little over a year working to earn the trust of that dog, who had made a field near the truck stop her home. He and Amy nicknamed her “Val” after the Valero and, although she seemed to recognize Bob every time he stopped by, she wouldn’t come anywhere near him.

Thirteen months of patience and dog treats later, that all changed. Bob finally caught up with Val and was able to take her home to begin the long process of acclimating her to a new life. Sadly, Val had some puppies she lost just before Bob was able to coax her into his life.

In spite of that, this story does have a happy ending. Amy e-mailed me the other day to let me know that Bob and Val – and Bob’s other dog, Bubby – are getting along just fine. More than fine, actually.

Amy said, “Bob is having the time of his life, but Val more so.” Val has gotten attached to Bob and enjoys running around in his back yard. She has also become something of a thief. She’s stolen Bob’s hat, his shoes, and even $2 off his desk. But more than that, Amy said, Val has stolen Bob’s heart.

Bob took Val for a ride in his truck and she sat there on the floor with her head in his lap the whole time. He stopped by the Valero where she used to live and she started to shake, apparently fearing that Bob was going to leave her there. I don’t think Val has anything to worry about.

In fact, I’d say she’s found a home.

A light case of confusion

2010-01-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

There are two trends a lot of us have seen out on the road in the past few years.

One is that police and other law-enforcement lights have become smaller and smaller, making police vehicles look more and more like every other car out there.

The second is that while police lights get smaller, tow truck lights and similar lights on other vehicles get bigger and more numerous, and even come in more colors that they used to.

It’s left a lot of folks wondering whether it’s really legal for tow trucks especially to have the wild, flashing red and blue lights so often associated only with law enforcement or fire protection.

The answer, unfortunately, is that it depends.

Some states have allowed tow trucks to use red lights. Others actually specify that those vehicles use blue lights. Others still restrict them to amber flashing lights.

So it really depends on where you are. And in looking over several states’ laws, the variations are about as broad as the number of states.

One of the reasons that some states allow the red lights is the part tow trucks play in accident scenes, working with emergency personnel.

Another is because tow trucks are covered under many move-over laws, and the red lights seem to more readily get people to do that. So in that case, it’s for the safety of the tow truck driver, and the person they’re helping.

The best policy – if you see those lights, slow down. Whoever it is, it’s a life worth saving.

What goes in a care package?

2010-01-28T09:46:00.000-08:00

What goes into a care package? No matter how many times we explain, it seems more folks want to know.

It’s a long list – probably far too long to print here. But here’s the main point for us: When truckers pay for a care package, we want it to be filled with things soldiers want and need – not what someone else says they want or need.

We ask the troops – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines – what they want in those boxes.

And from this letter – a thank you sent to OOIDA Truckers for Troops – it sounds like we hit the nail on the head.

We received another box from OOIDA, and I wanted to let you know the box made it over in good shape.

Whoever put the box together did an excellent job, as there seemed to be something for everyone.

The two large bottles of hot sauce were a big hit. A lot of times, we get our dinner to go from the mess hall and eat at the office. I have a feeling the hot sauce will not last long around here.

The bottles of body soap seemed to be a big hit too; everyone was grabbing a bottle. I think the PX here at the base overcharges on that kind of stuff, and we appreciate the savings.

Thank you again and God Bless,

Keith Rosewaren

PS. We also received the scroll that was signed at the truck show in Louisville, and it is proudly hanging along the hallway of our office!

The waiting is the hardest part

2010-01-26T11:11:00.001-08:00

I hate waiting. I have no patience for it. My own personal hell would involve being stuck in traffic or stuck in an airplane sitting on the tarmac for all of eternity. I shudder just thinking about it.

To me, the worst part of waiting in those situations is not knowing what’s going on. When you sit in your airplane seat while the plane doesn’t move for over an hour, I think the least they could do is give you periodic updates. Even if they don’t know anything. Fine by me. Just tell me what it is that you don’t know. I just want to know that you haven’t forgotten about me.

Same with waiting in the doctor’s office. You sit in the waiting room for a time and then you hear your name called. It feels like you won the lottery. Great! I’m next! I’m finally going to see the doctor! Only you’re not. You’re going to go and sit in another, smaller, room and wait some more. And you’re trapped in this room with the door closed. Nobody can see you in there, which always worries me. I worry that they’ve forgotten I’m in there. Any more than a half an hour goes by and I stick my head out the door and look around, just to let them know I’m still there.

So you see why I would make a lousy truck driver. Truck drivers spend hours upon hours waiting –whether it’s waiting in traffic, waiting at the scales, waiting for an inspection or waiting at the loading dock. Sure, the open road would be great. But hurry up and wait? That I couldn’t deal with.

I got to thinking about that amid the series of listening sessions the FMCSA is currently having about hours of service. I listened to one the other day and heard stories of how drivers will show up at a loading dock and be told to “park over there and wait; we’ll let you know when we’re ready for you.”

Those waits, as I’m sure everyone reading this knows better than I do, can last for hours on end without so much as a peep from anyone on the loading dock. That would drive me crazy. I would be up there bugging someone every half an hour. “Are you ready for me now? How about now? Is now good?”

And as if the wait itself wasn’t bad enough, top that off with the fact that a) you don’t get compensated for it; b) the shipper doesn’t give a damn how long you had to wait, and c) nobody is going to hold him responsible even if it was more than a whole day and you’ve got yourself the makings of a big Screw You Sandwich.

That’s kind of like waiting for an hour in your doctor’s office and he finally comes in, doesn’t bother to apologize, and tells you that he didn’t have time to sterilize before beginning your prostate exam. But that’s not his problem, he’s a busy man. Oh, he’s out of rubber gloves too and did he mention this isn’t covered by your insurance?

Bend over and smile!

It's easier to penalize truckers than to solve real problems

2010-01-25T13:06:00.001-08:00

Over the past couple of years, we have been covering a growing trend among some state governments – passing laws requiring truckers to remove excess snow and ice from truck and trailer tops before getting on the road.

In every case thus far, these have been among the more boneheaded ideas to come out of state government. And I don’t expect that part to get better.

We all know the downsides to this – asking truckers to climb up on top a trailer roof never intended to support human weight, on a slippery surface 14 feet in the air.

But according to one trucker, it’s not only dangerous to do that, it’s unnecessary. And he has plenty of experience with snow on a truck.

He drives in Colorado, and he deals with extreme amounts of snow.

So how does he do that? He runs slowly either in the right lane or, if it’s available, on the shoulder until the snow has gradually blown off the top of this truck. Apparently, he’s been doing it this way for years, and with very good success.

I suspect that many truckers who have this kind of experience do wait to get the stuff blown off. So I can accept what he said as good advice.

But it’s not advice I would give truckers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In those states, it’s not even an option, even if it is a safe way for the trucker to remove snow.

And, of course, it wouldn’t get rid of ice buildup at all.

But either way – this whole set of laws is based on a few cases that are extreme exceptions to the rule.

As I recall, it was based on one case where snow and ice that came off a single truck led to a death.

Now, I’m not saying that a single human life isn’t important. I don’t play that game.

But how is it that one life is superior to the lives of all the truckers who will be put in physical danger or face the law?

I don’t object to reasonable safety measures. Quite the opposite, I wholeheartedly support those things that really contribute in a consistent way to safety.

But this is putting hundreds or thousands at risk over something that happened once to one person.

It is a tragedy that this one person lost their life, and I wish it hadn’t happened. But some things called accidents are really just that – accidents, events of chance that likely would not have occurred again, much less occurred frequently enough to justify this kind of effort.

You want to increase safety on our highways? Try a uniform speed limit. Try real driver’s education for teenagers. Try fixing the thousand and one ways that truckers’ time is wasted at the dock, the real cause of truckers’ long hours.

But those are hard – and it’s much easier for these folks to demonize the people who bring their food and clothing than to fix a real problem.

The relative wisdom of retail giants

2010-01-22T09:47:00.001-08:00

It’s a new year, and with that comes many new ideas, new opportunities … and, on the downside, some old problems.

Those continuing problems include difficulties finding truck parking in many areas of our country.

In fact, we still face a situation where the greatest need, the worst shortage, and the heaviest truck traffic all seem to happen in the same places.

One of the things we talk about is businesses who are served by trucks – which ones allow those trucks to park there, and which ones don’t.

One name comes up frequently in those discussions – Wal Mart.

We hear all the time about stores that rely on truckers, but that don’t allow them to park – just unload and get the heck out of Dodge.

We’ve had a running debate on the show about who makes that decision. One trucker told us that in Pennsylvania, it’s the owner of the land who leases the store location to Wal Mart. Another called shortly after and pointed out that the companies that lease land to Wal Mart are either owned by the retail giant, or have a very close relationship.

Then I got an answer as close to the horse’s mouth as I’ve ever been.

I talked with someone I know who once worked at Wal Mart headquarters in Bentonville, AR.

First, he confirmed that when Wal Mart leases land for a store, it’s either from one of their own subsidiaries or a company that they have a very close relationship with.

What’s more, that same person told me that whether trucks can or can’t park at a store is a decision left to each individual store manager. And that means these very same people who depend so much on trucks are the ones turning them away.

This isn’t a problem limited to Wal Mart, that’s certain. But they are taking part in making a bad situation worse.

What’s the difference between an RV and a truck to them? The chain pretty much encourages RVs to park there overnight for free. If either is accepted to park there, if either is allowed so they can shop there, then the other should be as well.

What’s more – many cities have laws specifying what facilities must be offered in order for someone to allow RVs to park overnight. In most of those places, no such restriction exists for trucks.

Obviously, this is Wal Mart’s property, and they can do with it as they please. But if you’re trying to make friends and gain customers in a tough economy, pissing off an industry that has 3.5 million potential customers for no good reason may not be your wisest course of action.

No help here if your dog farts

2010-01-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

Congress is still pursuing a so-called cap-and-trade system, as is the state of California.

Here’s the idea: Each industry or company is allowed to emit so much carbon – a result of burning anything.

If you don’t use all of your allowance, you can sell it to someone else in the form of carbon credits. And if you want to emit more than you’re allowed, you can buy some of those credits to do it legally.

So far, most proposals only cover so-called stationary sources, like factories. Only a few would include what are called “mobile sources,” like trucks.

What’s interesting is how far some people want to go in capping emissions.

At one point, they wanted to cap and trade emissions from – get this – cow farts.

I so wish I were kidding, but I’m not.

Why did they not do that? Is it because they realized there may never be anything as silly as taxing cow farts, or really any other kind of fart?

No. It was because the agriculture lobby pitched a fit.

I remember Harry S. Truman once saying that if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.

These days, you can’t … if your dog farts.

What does OOIDA do for you? A lot

2010-01-19T11:56:00.001-08:00

A while back, a trucker called our Listener Comment Line to tell us a story.

He was at a truck stop, and heard a group of his fellow truck drivers griping about the state of things. Over and over, each one of them said that someone needed to stand up for truckers.

Our caller jumped in, saying there is someone – OOIDA.

And right away, the other truckers – the ones who were griping – proceeded to bad-mouth the association, saying OOIDA doesn’t do anything.

The day I ran his call on the air, I responded with just a few examples of what OOIDA has done very recently. Not even in the past year, but recently. And those were just the ones I could recall off the top of my head.

After I ran that list on the air, we had a number of calls from truckers asking that we publish it so they could pass out copies to other truckers. Here is exactly what I said OOIDA has done recently for truck drivers:

· Exposed a lousy ARC loan program by SBA that wasn’t helping truckers as required;
· Worked with Congress and the Administration to stop the cross-border trucking pilot program with Mexico;
· Got two split speed limits overturned, in Ohio and Illinois, working with other groups like Midwest Truckers;
· Secured grants and low-interest loans for truckers to purchase APUs or update their engines;
· Worked with lawmakers to secure a required pass-through of the fuel surcharges of Defense Department loads;
· Fought and stopped a proposed mandatory EOBR requirement for all truckers in the U.S. Senate;
· Assisted former Arrow truckers get help and accurate post-employment information after the carrier abruptly shut down, leaving hundreds under dispatch;
· Fought efforts to toll I-80 in Pennsylvania;
· Helped find stolen trucks through TRACER;
· Exposed and sued over the Minnesota Fatigued Driver Evaluation Checklist;
· Discovered and sued over Minnesota’s lack of authority to issue any ticket based on federal trucking regulations;
· Continued to fight efforts to allow larger, heavier trucks on all roads all the time;
· Pushed for and sued for more and better driver training – which due to those efforts is now in the rulemaking process;
· Collected millions of dollars owed truckers by state governments, carriers and others, and put that money back in truckers’ hands;
· Raised funds to send care packages to our troops overseas, nearly all of whom are either truckers themselves or the husbands, wives, sons and daughters of truckers;

And again, folks, those are just a few of the recent things the association has done.

Earlier, I offered another list – a list of what the association does for company drivers. That’s an important part of what we do for our members as well. Here’s that list:

· Land Line Magazine – more than 100 pages of information designed specifically for truckers, including the latest news, analysis of what it means to you, information about equipment and maintenance, business and tax advice, and other useful content;
· Representation in Congress, with regulatory agencies that write rules like the Hours of Service and hazmat regs, and with state governments. You have to follow the same Hours of Service, the same hazmat regs, get the same TWIC card, and deal with the same problems as other truckers when it comes to regulation or new laws. And OOIDA is the only voice out there that speaks for you.
· Help with contacting legislators, looking up state lawmakers’ contact information, and the OOIDA Political Action Committee, all of which are part of the effort to represent you.
· Alerts and notifications – including Call to Action and Information Updates on legislation in your state, so you know when you need to call lawmakers. It includes daily e-news delivered directly to your e-mail account.
· The TRACER program, which will send you law-enforcement BOLOs (be on the lookout notices), Amber Alerts, transportation security notices, alerts on missing or overdue drivers, information about stolen trucks, food product recalls and others.
· Compliance assistance through our Business Services Department, including answering questions about the Hours of Service, logbooks, and any other regulatory information you need as a company driver.
· Referrals to trusted companies we work with for problems with tickets, taxes and other common concerns – companies that deal specifically with truckers.
· Access to the OOIDA members’ only forum, which has a specific forum just for company drivers, but also others for several other topics, where you can discuss issues with and ask questions of your fellow drivers.
· Land Line Now, the first daily news and information program specifically for truckers;
· A number of informative Web sites, all updating our members on important issues for all truckers.
· The OOIDA Mary Johnston Scholarship, which helps pay for a college education for the children or grandchildren of truckers;
· The Advantage Medical Plans;
· Major medical insurance through Assurant;
· Dental plans and vision plans;
· Term life insurance;
· Short-term disability insurance;
· A prescription drug discount card.
· A $1,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment Plan to each current dues-paying member at no cost;
· The option to purchase up to $400,000 additional coverage for you as well as coverage for your family.
· And, if you want to carry passengers in your company truck, and you want them insured, OOIDA offers a passenger accident plan.
· A number of discount and rebate programs that apply just as much to company drivers as they do to any other trucker, such as:

o Residential long-distance;

o Toll-free phone service;

o High-speed Internet access;

o A calling card;

o Sprint cell phone service;

o Online college courses through Grantham University;

o RavelCo anti-theft devices, including products for personal cars;

o XM radio (for the purchase of the actual radio);

o Several hotels chains nationwide;

o Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles;

o Dell computers;

o Hertz rental cars;

o And numerous other discounts or rebates.

Again, this isn’t even a complete list of the services that OOIDA offers company drivers, much less the benefits and services that the association offers to owner-operators, both leased and on their own authority.

So do you still think no one is doing anything to stand up for the average truck driver? The proof is in the pudding, my friends. And I think this case is officially closed.

An Arrow to the Heart

2010-01-18T11:44:00.001-08:00

“I shot an Arrow into the air, it fell to earth and screwed over hundreds of truckers.” – Henry Kenworth Longhauler

If ever I need my faith in humanity restored, I will look back on the Christmas of 2009 and the debacle of Arrow Trucking Co.. Oh, not the debacle itself, mind you. That was a horrible, soul-crushing event made worse by the scum in charge of the company.

No, what I will remember is how hundreds of people came together to help hundreds of truckers who suddenly found themselves out of work and stranded across the country when Arrow abruptly shut down just days before Christmas.

Here are a few ROSES and RAZZBERRIES we recently handed out to those involved in the failure of Arrow Trucking and its aftermath.

RAZZBERRIES to Arrow Trucking Co. for shutting down and leaving hundreds of drivers stranded all around the country just days before Christmas. You could argue that the higher ups weren’t planning on having that company go down when it did, and you’d probably be right.

But you can’t sit there and say they didn’t know it was coming. There’s no way this caught them that much by surprise. They were still scheduling deliveries and sending drivers out on the road even though they knew the company was in trouble. And then when it did happen they left everybody high and dry, in some cases still under loads, with nowhere to go.

At the very least it’s just poor planning on their part. At the worst, it’s a bunch of Scrooges who ignored the ghost of Christmas present and apparently weren’t too keen on the future either.

ROSES go out to everyone who was involved in helping out and stepping up to the plate when it was needed most to help get those drivers off the road, get them home, get them new jobs or even just get them something to eat.

It was a great thing to watch as the generosity of the trucking industry came through yet again and rallied hard when their fellow truckers were in need. No matter how many times you see it happen, it still surprises and amazes you each and every time.

And a special shout-out goes to Donna Creekmore, who worked as “Driver Advocate” at Arrow and to OOIDA Member Eric Mende. Donna, on her own time, spearheaded much of the effort to help get these drivers home. And Eric spent a lot of his own time and money to lend a hand.

Thanks to them and to everyone who helped out during that troubling time.

RAZZBERRIES go out to the Flying J in El Paso, Texas. Jami Jones called down there while this whole mess was going on to try and help get some Arrow drivers fed and the management flat out refused to talk to her.

As if that wasn’t enough, they stuck some poor girl on the phone with Jami and told her all they could give her was Daimler’s number so those drivers could turn in the trucks.

We can’t speak for all of the Flying J’s and maybe there were some out there that helped out, but the one in El Paso, TX, couldn’t be bothered to lift a finger. And we can think of one finger that maybe should be lifted in their direction.

Cold? The word doesn't begin to describe this ...

2010-01-15T13:11:00.001-08:00

Editor’s note: This is a special guest blog by Land Line Now Producer and Senior Sound Engineer Barry Spillman.

Do I want to whine? Why, yes ... Yes I do ...

My fingers are still burning and itchy from near frostbite I received this AM.

Here was my plan: Get up at 6 a.m. and fire up the snow blower to clear the drive (I figured that would take about 30 to 40 minutes, then relax a minute, watch the news and at about 7:15 wake up my wife and hit the shower).

Right.

Well ... Here's what really happened: Wake up, look at temp, see zero degrees and put on heavy coat, boots and gloves.

Looking like the little kid from the movie "A Christmas Story," I waddled out to the garage. I pushed the garage door button and hear a motor strain for a second and then nothin....

Crap! Door frozen shut ... Fine. Try other door, right? Yeah, I did, and I'm greeted with the same noise and impudent result – Nothin’ goin' up there either!

Crap, Crap!!! I bang on door to break ice and try again – pop! Pitch blackness ...

What the Hell?

Oh ... Blown circuit breaker ... OK. I trudge inside and downstairs to click the breaker. Man, I'm getting kinda’ hot in this snowman suit!

Clunk, Clunk, Clunk, back up stairs, bang on garage doors some more and hit the button again. Yee Haw! Door goes up! Woo Hoo!

Elated, I flip on driveway lights. And what greats me? A friggin’ flat tire on the truck!

Crap, Crap, Crap!!! I have a spare that is easy to get to, right? Oh yeah, I put that in the shed, out back a couple of months ago ...

Trudge, Trudge, Trudge, Trudge through the snow to the shed and back again.

Damn, I'm getting hot – but fingers are startin' to get cold - I HATE this weather.

Stomp, Stomp, Stomp, again downstairs to turn on air-compressor, get floor jack and impact wrench to change tire. All proud of myself, I think, "Boy am I glad I have air tools."

So I get truck's front wheel off ground and head for the hose to connect the impact wrench ... Nowww what the Hell!?

The hose is so cold it won't unreel – it's like a piece of solid wire.

I'm getting irritated now! I'm losing time to clear the drive, and impatiently, I pull on the hose attempting to force it to un-wind.

Wronnnnnngggggg!!!!!!! The arctic-cold hose BREAKS!!!!

CRAP, CRAP, CRAP, CRAP! 110 psi air pressure blasting out of broken end turns hose into a Tundra Snake that begins a deadly flailing, bashing into everything within 10 feet! Aaaaaaaah! I dive for the connector and release the death dealing air pressure.

Whew! Having beheaded the icy serpent, I assess the damage – noting that luckily, nothing really important got hammered.

I collect my thoughts, wipe the sweat starting to pour off my wool-clad head and using an age-old cross wrench, change the offending tire and drop the truck back down off the jack.

Dammmmmmnnnnnn, my ice-cold fingers are hurting! Bah!

OK, I think, It's 7:00 now, and I guess I'll get back to matters at hand: Removing the velvety coating of vile white flakes piled in my driveway.

Ah, yess, I possess a piece of "old-school" but very effective technology!

ENTER.... THE SNOW BLOWER! Dum Dum Duuuuummmm!

A 5-horsepower, two-wheeled, mechanical gem filled with dangerous whirling blades and spinning chains. Built in the 1960s, it casts a "carbon footprint" as big as an entire block!

I LOVE the smell of hot exhaust and the bite of icy-cold snow spray on my face in the morning... All I have to do is pull the handle and the snow tiger lives!

One yank on the 'ol rope and...

Pop-Snap! Bounce, Bounce, Bounce – Dohhhh! Nothin'.

What happened??? Where in God's name did the "T shaped" rubber handle go???

Crap, Crap, Crappppp!! The friggen' rope broke. The still cold and silent tiger had EATEN the *$@**!! starting rope! And to top it off, the handle came to rest under the car!

Now what to do?

Here's what: Fix it!

As you know, I fancy myself as kind of a "renaissance dude." So determined, I maintain that I'll "fix it RIGHT NOW, I WILL - and nobody's gonna stop me!"

I'm NOT going to let this get me down, damn it – ‘cause I sure as HELL am not shoveling a three-car driveway laden with 6 inches of snow by hand. Just NOT going to do it – I do HAVE principles, you know.

Time to get more tools out.

I peruse the work ahead of me and then, Uooffff... I get up off the "north pole cold" garage floor and Stomp, Stomp, Stomp – back down into the basement shop – to get the few tools it will take to remove the side from the engine and retrieve the start cord from the beast.

Damn, I'm startin' to really sweat – but only my head and torso. My fingers and now my toes are really starting to hurt. Have I said this weather is REALLY a drag?

Fast forward 20 minutes and wow! The repair went really straight-forward and quick! Finally, something goes right this morning.

I put the final touches on the evil machine and Blammo! She starts right up on the first pull of her newly re-applied rubber handle!

Yesssss!

Look out frozen flakes - here I come...

Thirty minutes later it's 8:15 a.m. The "simple" job finally done, I find myself standing in a shower of 110 degree water trying to revive fingers, toes, thighs and a butt I can no longer feel.

Damn, I'm glad I'm not a pioneer or something – cold sucks.

It’s my opinion, and I sticking to it!

Blessings from a military chaplain

2010-01-15T09:06:00.001-08:00

There’s a statistic out there: One in 10 jobs in Arkansas is related to trucking.

The figures may not be as great for other parts of the country, but the fact is this industry has a huge impact of our economy, and on our population.

Every day, it seems like I meet someone who’s related in some way to a trucker – a friend, a neighbor, a relative, a co-worker.

The same is true among our soldiers overseas, as we found out from this letter, thanking truckers for their contributions to the Truckers for Troops Telethon.

Thanks for the two big boxes we received today! My soldiers had a great time picking out items.

We are in the middle of much transition. We are celebrating our halfway point of the deployment this week. We are expected to be home by September.

I’m very impressed by your radio telethon efforts! My father was a truck driver for Rocha Trucking in Northern California. He passed away last March. His name was Jim Ferrario.

He loved being a truck driver and was very good at it. I have a lot of respect for truck drivers because of him.

Thanks for all you and the drivers are doing for us.

Blessings to you & yours,

Chaplain Lisa Northway

What's the real distraction here?

2010-01-14T12:11:00.001-08:00

The debate over distracted driving has become so intense, it could drive you to distraction.

It was actually the topic of a national summit meeting some time back, and has been the subject of numerous news reports, and even bills in Congress.

But a lot of folks are concerned that all of the focus is on texting and cell phone use.

Few people are fond of texting while driving. On the face, it seems like a lousy idea. But if you’re using a hands-free device, if it’s not hand-held cell phone use, many folks wonder why that’s a problem.

And likewise, a lot of people are asking why other obvious distractions are not being included in the discussion.

How about kids on a school bus? Those drivers have sometimes dozens of innocent lives in their hands, and they’re not only in charge of driving. Let’s face it, they’re in charge of discipline, safety of passengers and more.

This isn’t like bus drivers for Greyhound or charter buses full of senior citizens. These are kids, not adults, and you have to keep an eye on them.

What makes this more of a concern: Not all of those school bus drivers are really right for their job.

First, I should say that many, if not most, of them are good. And the good school bus drivers are saints. You’d have to be not to kill those little suckers for everything they do on a school bus.

Second, this points out that while texting behind the wheel is something we should put a stop to, we’re missing some other major distractions and focusing on some places that just aren’t the problem they’re made out to be.

Which is the more distracted driver – the school bus driver with 78 screaming, misbehaving, spitwad-blowing kids, or the trucker on a hands-free cell phone?

I’ll put down 20 clams on the bus driver. And I’m thinking that’s a bet I’d win.

We need to step back, look at this issue more carefully, and make sure that we’re not scapegoating people and going overboard.

Of course, this is the government we’re talking about. So … never mind.