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TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.07.13

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.07.13 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending July 13, 2024, written by Vicki Simons.

I welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding EPA and weather:

EPA

According to Article I, Section 8, of The Constitution of the United States — the Environmental Protection Agency is unconstitutional and its “duties” (according to the Tenth Amendment) need to be covered by the States or the people.

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Weather

While the weather system known as Hurricane Beryl has now moved on and dissipated, it is worthwhile to see what transpired as far as the trucking industry is concerned.

The acronym ALAN stands for “American Logistics Aid Network.”

Based on information from their website, “We’re an industry-wide organization…” and I gather that that “industry” involves “logistics” although it may not necessarily be limited to the trucking industry.

You may wish to do more research on ALAN for yourself.

Weather-reltaed articles about topics other than Hurricane Beryl are also in this section.

2. Regarding autonomous vehicles, batteries, CARB, electric vehicles, emissions, fire, fuel, fuel cells, hydrogen, and oil:

Autonomous vehicles

I decisively oppose the operation of autonomous, self-driving, or driverless commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public — but I share articles on this topic with my readers to help us stay current on the topic.

Batteries

CARB

According to Wikipedia and as it concerns the trucking industry, Zonar is “an electronic fleet-management software program.”

Electric vehicles

Before you buy an all-electric Commercial Motor Vehicle, please do your due diligence by asking some questions and getting answers.

Emissions

Fire

Fuel

Fuel cells

Hydrogen

Oil

3. Regarding border, brokers, business, Carrier Assure, inspections, insurance, and violations:

Border

Brokers

Business

Carrier Assure

According to this website, “Carrier Assure is the first carrier performance scoring software that anticipates how the carrier will transport the goods.”

The “About Us” page on their website says:

Carrier Assure Inc. was founded in 2022 to provide clear visibility into the performance of carriers, brokers, and shippers. Our goal is to help you discover the industry unicorns and avoid the bottomfeeders without having to sift through FMCSA’s confusing data.

I’m just wondering how this organization became the defacto system for grading carriers, brokers, and shippers. Hmm…

Inspections

If you keep yourself and your rig in perpetual readiness for an inspection, you’ll never be caught off-guard.

Insurance

Violations

I am confident that the trucker whose rig was overweight knew it from the very beginning.

This type of abuse needed to be caught and dealt with.

4. Regarding clearinghouse, crashes, death, drugs, fatalities, smuggling, theft, and violence:

Clearinghouse

According to the article in this section:

Thousands of truck drivers risk losing their commercial driving privileges in a matter of months due to violations recorded in a federal drug and alcohol database.

Please bear this in mind.

Crashes

Please look through these articles in this section to see if there is anything you can learn to help you prevent being involved in a similar crash.

Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of reasons/excuses for why truckers crashed their CMVs, but I’ve never before heard of a trucker’s glasses fogging up — obscuring his vision — being cited as a reason.

At the time that the crash took place — 2:43 a.m. — I wonder if the trucker was simply sleepy.

One way to help determine that is to check to see if his truck’s air conditioning system — and hence the dehumidifier portion of that — was broken at the time of the crash.

Death

I express my deep sympathy — and offer my condolences — to the families of those whose loved ones died as described in this article.

Drugs

Never ever haul or take illegal drugs.

Fatalities

I express my deep sympathy — and offer my condolences — to the families of those whose loved ones died in these crashes.

Can you learn anything from the articles below that would help prevent being involved in a fatal large truck crash?

Smuggling

Never ever transport people made in the image of God as if they were cattle or cargo — no matter how big a “payoff” you’ve been offered.

Theft

Never take something that doesn’t belong to you, unless you have permission.

In our day, there are many types of surveillance cameras, so be on guard!

Violence

How can violence be prevented against a trucker sitting in his/her truck?

Please comment through the form below.

5. Regarding blind spots, ELDs, events, holidays, HOS, Prime Day, and utilization:

Blind spots

Please be aware of this…

ELDs

In my opinion, ELDs should never have been forced upon truckers in the first place!

Events

Holidays

Hot dogs are not the healthiest food on the planet, so please bear that in mind before you engage in any related activity.

HOS

Personally, I think it works better for many people to be able to split their work sessions.

Prime Day

Utilization

6. Regarding collapse, Georgia, logistics, and roads:

Collapse

Two articles this week about matters concerning the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in/near Baltimore, Maryland.

Georgia

Would that all states would make themselves business-friendly!

I read an article recently about a business that was moving from Illinois to Mexico. This made me sad and I wondered why they couldn’t move to a business-friendly state in the USA. Hmm…

Logistics

Roads

7. Regarding economy, leasing, parking, pay, rates, and tolls:

Economy

Leasing

Parking

Pay

Rates

Tolls

8. Regarding guard: side, guard: underride, mirrors, recalls, tires, and truck parts:

Guard: side

Guard: underride

Mirrors

Recalls

If your tractor or trailer is under a recall, please have that work attended to as quickly as possible.

Tires

Truck parts

As needed, I update a truck parts page on this website.

9. Regarding ports, speed limit, speed limiter, speeding, and technology:

Ports

Speed limit

Speed limiter

Speeding

Technology

10. Regarding employment, following distance, safety, shut down, and testing:

Employment

Following distance

Safety

Shut down

Testing

11. Regarding future, language, legal, politics, towing, and union:

Future

Language

Even though The Constitution does not specify the “official” language of the United States, it is clearly written in English.

The matter of becoming a professional truck driver, in my opinion, needs to be in the language of the country.

And if that country is the USA, in my opinion, all CDL testing needs to be in English.

Legal

Politics

Towing

I am firmly against predatory towing!

According to Wordnik:

  • one definition of “predatory” is “Living or characterized by the exploitation of others for personal gain”; and
  • one definition of “exploitation” is “Utilization of another person or group for selfish purposes.”

Why do I believe that predatory towing (and predatory booting) is wrong?

Because predation and exploitation are the opposite of the second commandment to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Union

12. Regarding awards, recognition, and recovery:

Awards

I congratulate all professional truck drivers who have:

  • demonstrated skill and safety in their work;
  • achieved a milestone and been recognized for it; and/or
  • won a trucking championship.

Numerous articles about these topics were published this week:

Recognition

Thanks to all truckers who helped their fellow human beings in a time of need!

Recovery

By adding this article here, I am not recommending that folks contribute to this cause, only that there is an opportunity to do so if you do your due diligence and find the need to be legitimate and worthy.

I wish you — and all professional truck drivers — safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.






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