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TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.08.03

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.08.03 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending August 3, 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 congestion pricing, exemption, disabilities, legal, towing:

Congestion pricing

I could not help but laugh when I read the first part of the article in this section.

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In the past, I have mentioned the conflict between various parts of governments, particularly actions taken by the federal government that — according to The Tenth Amendment — are in the jurisdiction of the States or the people.

Well, according to the article in this section:

Environmental groups, New York City residents and public transit riders have filed two separate lawsuits challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to pause the nation’s first congestion pricing program. …

Although the two lawsuits differ in their main arguments, both claim the governor overstepped her authority by unilaterally stopping congestion pricing, which was directed by the state legislature.

So, this is a fight between the legislative and executive branches of New York government!

This will be very interesting indeed!

I wonder if the New York judicial branch will have to get involved to settle it!

Bahahahaha!

Exemption

I could be wrong, but I don’t think that exemptions are a good thing in some cases.

I mean, if the “exemption” is good for one entity, why isn’t it good for all entities?

Hmm…

Disabilities

While I would not “discriminate” against a driver with a disability, if I were in the position of hiring a driver with a hearing disability, I would need proof that he/she has the means by which to overcome it.

For example, how would a trucker with a hearing disability overcome not being able to hear:

  • either the horn on an oncoming train;
  • or the siren on an emergency vehicle?

If you know the answer to this question, please comment through the form below.

Legal

Towing

2. Regarding autonomous vehicles, CARB, electric vehicles, fuel, hydrogen, lithium fire:

Autonomous vehicles

I am 100% against the operation of driverless, self-driving, of autonomous commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public — but I share articles on this topic with our readers to help us stay current on the topic.

Please note that one article below refers to a “driverless truck,” but it doesn’t say that the truck was autonomous.

CARB

The definition of CARB is on my glossary.

Electric vehicles

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

Fuel

Hydrogen

Lithium fire

According to Wikipedia, “A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses the reversible intercalation of Li+ ions into electronically conducting solids to store energy.”

The word “fire” or “fires” occurs in that article some 28 times.

3. Regarding trailers, trips, trucking industry:

Trailers

Trips

Trucking industry

4. Regarding alcohol, clearinghouse, crashes, death, drugs, fatalities, road rage, smuggling, violence:

Alcohol

Never ever consume alcohol prior to driving a vehicle of any kind.

Clearinghouse

Is this clearinghouse making the trucking industry better and if so, how?

Crashes

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

Death

I extend my condolences to the family of the man who died as a result of the action described in the article just below.

Please review it to see if you can learn anything to help prevent a future death.

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?

Road rage

Learn how to help prevent road rage from escalating out of control.

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.

Violence

Seek to protect yourself from being involved in violence in the first place.

You may wish to review the information on my self-defense post.

5. Regarding border, brokers, inspections, insurance, optimize, owner-operator, safety, security:

Border

Brokers

Inspections

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

Insurance

Optimize

Owner-operator

This article may be about more than just buying a new or used truck.

Safety

Quoting the second article in this section:

He’s also an advocate of the safety side, urging truck drivers and the average motorist alike of the single thing all could do to improve conditions on-highway: increase following distance as much as you can. Virtually “nobody respects following distance anymore,” he said. “A huge percentage of people are driving within a second” of the vehicle in front of them.

You may wish to review these articles on my site:

Please bear in mind that your life and your livelihood may depend on how you operate your truck!

Security

Quoting the first article linked below:

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supports the Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act.

“This commonsense legislation streamlines the procedures for small-business truckers seeking background checks for several endorsements in one streamlined process, as well as one, lower fee, for TWIC, Hazmat and Pre-Check,” said Doug Morris, OOIDA’s director of safety and security operations.

Also, in looking at the second article, I have to wonder out loud:

  • How many of these provisions and agencies are constitutional?
  • How many of these credentials have actually helped to make “security” any better?

Please do your own due diligence about this.

6. Regarding scam, testing, technology:

Scam

The article in this section refers to “smishing”.

According to this resource:

Smishing is a social engineering attack that uses fake mobile text messages to trick people into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information or sending money to cybercriminals. The term “smishing” is a combination of “SMS”—or “short message service,” the technology behind text messages—and “phishing.”

See this article regarding “How can you protect yourself from smishing?”

Testing

Technology

7. Regarding economy, employment, future, pay, rates, savings, tariff, taxes, tolls:

Economy

Employment

Future

Pay

Rates

Savings

Please note that this is a white paper and access requires filling out a form.

Tariff

Taxes

If you live/work in Connecticut, this will be of interest to you…

Tolls

8. Regarding bridges, ELDs, operations, truckers, warning triangles:

Bridges

ELDs

Whenever I read that a product/service is “free,” my analytical personality type automatically asks, “What’s the catch?”

Questions that come to mind are:

  • How can something valuable be free to the end-user — especially on an ongoing basis?
  • What is the user “giving up” in order to use the product/service?

According to the article linked below:

Trucking Hub on July 29 announced the launch of an industry-first — a free electronic logging device (ELD) solution.

So, I clicked through to Trucking Hub’s website.

I observed:

  • “Everything you need for work, all in one place. Get started for free today.”
    (“Get started for free” sounds like the “gotcha”); and
  • There is a pricing link at the bottom of the page.

So, please do your due diligence before taking the article’s author’s word for it that this “solution” is free.

Operations

Truckers

Quoting the first article in this section:

…what drivers want most of all is to be heard and understood.

This means that, along with a culture of safety and performance, you need to strive for a culture that treats drivers like individuals. How do you make this happen? By creating open lines of communication and keeping them open.

Do you agree with this?

Please comment through the form below.

Warning triangles

Lights instead of triangles?

9. Regarding fire, parking, truck stops, weather:

Fire

I wonder if any of these fires — especially if they have been termed “wildfires” — have been deliberately caused by those using “directed energy weapons.”

According to Wikipedia:

A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy without a solid projectile, including lasers, microwaves, particle beams, and sound beams.

In her Substack article “D.E.Ws on Maui?!“, Peggy Hall wrote:

The photographic images depict obliterated structures and molten metal, while the surrounding vegetation, including grass and trees, remains relatively unscathed, and wooden picnic tables are still standing.

So, please pay attention and keep asking questions.

Parking

Truck stops

Weather

10. Regarding politics, ports, recalls, regulations:

Politics

Ports

Recalls

Regulations

Before setting up to do business in trucking, please be sure to do your due diligence regarding regulations and business restrictions.

11. Regarding bankruptcy, shut down:

Bankruptcy

Shut down

12. Regarding awards:

Awards

I congratulate all professional truck drivers who have achieved a measure of success in trucking, whether being recognized personally or by their trucking companies.

I also urge my readers to do their due diligence regarding what comes “after” being named as a finalist/winner of a an award.

Ask yourself what happens after you win something and for what you will be responsible.

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









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