TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2022.04.30

This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending April 30, 2022.

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

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding limiters, politics, and transportation:

Limiters

I most definitely oppose mandatory speed limiters on commercial motor vehicles!

The first trucking company for which my husband Mike and I drove — as a professional husband and wife truck driving team — our trucks were governed at 57 miles per hour.

Just about everything near us passed our truck on the parts of the interstate highways where speed limits were at 65 mph or higher

Hasn’t it already been proven that there are more accidents on parts of roads with split speed limits than there are on those parts of roads where the speed limit is the same for all vehicles?

If you also oppose speed limiters on large trucks, too, please speak up whenever and wherever you can to those who can do something about it!

Politics

The price of fuel is market driven based on many factors, including the buying power of currencies.

If the buying power of any one currency goes down, the prices appear to go up.

All you have to do is go to the CPI Inflation Calculator and put in the following figures —

$1.00 in March 2022; and
January 1913;

— to find that the buying power of the US dollar has dropped by 97% (to a paltry $0.03) since 1913 through “legal plunder,” courtesy of the Federal Reserve Act.

I have responded a number of times with a comment to one of our two US Senators, who complained about inflation under Mr. Biden, part of which is as follows:

—–

…here’s a great definition for inflation:

“Undue expansion or increase of the currency of a country, esp. by the issuing of paper money not redeemable in specie. A substantial rise of prices caused by an undue expansion in paper money or bank credit.”

So, let’s look at the official numbers to see what’s really been happening.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis,
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M1SL

the money supply in the USA went:
– from 4,779.8 Billion in April 2020 (Trump);
– to 16,232.9 Billion in May 2020 (Trump);
– to 18,107.1 Billion in January 2021 (Trump);
– to 20,694.5 Billion in February 2022 (Biden).

So, of the increase in the money supply (15,914.70 Billion) in the USA since April 2020:
– 13,327.30 Billion (83.74%) was under Trump; and
– 2,587.40 Billion (16.26%) has been under Biden.

—–

Of course, those numbers change as time goes on, but you can see the trend.

Meanwhile, how else can the cost of fuel be decreased, except perhaps by abolishing the unconstitutional Federal Reserve and tying the US dollar to the gold standard (as once it was)?

Dems Consider Legislative Moves to Cut Gas Prices

Transportation

According to this article:

“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (HR 3684) grants control over what and when you drive to the transportation system. It will control the type of vehicle you can use and when you can drive. It will control the vehicle-to-grid 5G technology and its kill switches (which will be built in). The bill also includes an integrated payment system and a per-mile driving fee”

This is very disturbing!

What does the bill actually say?

Text – H.R.3684 – 117th Congress (2021-2022): Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

This became law on 11/15/2021:

Public Law No: 117-58.

This must be overturned!

2. Regarding lawsuits, staged, border, and inspections:

Lawsuits

Please review the articles below to see what led up to these lawsuits so that hopefully, you’ll never be involved in one.

Staged

Hopefully, all of the people who were involved in this fraudulent scheme have been found (or soon will be) and all of them will be dealt with according to the full extent of the law!

Border

Texas border delays cost U.S. an estimated $9 billion, owner-ops canceled loads | Border vax mandates extend

Inspections

If you and your entire rig are always ready for an inspection, you’ll never be caught off guard.

3. Regarding autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, fuel, emissions, and idling:

Autonomous vehicles

I oppose with every fiber of my being the operation of autonomous, driverless, or self-driving commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public.

That being said, here are some of the most recent articles on this topic to help keep you current.

Electric vehicles

BrightDrop electric van sets range record
Daily Infographic: 260 miles on a single chargeWow! So what happens to trucks that travel 400, 500, or more miles in a day?
States, localities sue Postal Service over EV plans
The Big EV Charging Mystery: How Long Does It Take?

Fuel

Please see the section named “Politics” above.

Emissions

EPA, don’t make truckers guinea pigs, OOIDA saysQuote: “On Friday, April 29, OOIDA sent a Call to Action email to its more than 150,000 members, asking them to provide the EPA feedback on proposed nitrogen oxide emission standards for trucks beginning in model year 2027.”If this concerns you, please speak up to those who can affect the kind of change you desire.

Idling

Daily Infographic: Why care about idling?We have an entire 9-page section on our site dedicated to the topic of idling and welcome your feedback.

4. Regarding economy, recession, revenue, rates, and tolls:

There seems to be some contradictory information in the sections under this point.

That’s because different entities experience different things in the trucking industry.

Please make preparations for an economic downturn — now.

If it happens, you’ll be ready.

If it doesn’t happen, you can rest easy knowing that you were prepared.

Economy

Recession

Revenue

Some publicly traded companies have announced their first quarter (Q1) numbers.

I do not endorse or recommend any of the companies in this section, but merely list them for your convenience and to give you a snapshot of what has happened in the recent past.

Bear in mind that “past performance is no guarantee of future results.”

Rates

Tolls

Pennsylvania Turnpike toll collection

5. Regarding smuggling, drugs, and alcohol:

Smuggling

No matter how lucrative it may seem, never, ever treat your fellow human beings like cattle or cargo through smuggling!

Border Patrol sniffs out human smuggling scheme after noticing truck driver was ‘nervous’ and ‘in a rush to leave’

Drugs

No matter how much money you may have been promised, never, ever haul illegal drugs!

Alcohol

Never, ever drink alcohol of any kind before you drive — and make sure that any alcohol that you have consumed has comepletely left your body before you drive.

6. Regarding theft, predatory towing, and violence:

Theft

Borderlands: Cargo theft increases 18% in Mexico during March

Predatory towing

Bill to End Predatory Towing Goes Before Maryland Governor

Violence

Man arrested for ‘throwing everything they could find off the bridge at tractor trailers’Regarding a related article being posted on Facebook, I wrote this comment:Quote from article:
—–
Chester County Sheriff’s deputies quickly located and apprehended a 26- year-old male from York, South Carolina. He, as well as another uncharged suspect, were interviewed and admitted to throwing the objects. He was charged with Malicious Injury to Property over $2,000 (three counts), Malicious Injury to Property under $2,000 (two counts). He is now in the Chester County Detention Center.
—–
OK, folks, this happened in my home state, so it stings even more.
I’ve written about objects thrown from overpasses on our truckers website.
Other than putting some kind of fence, guard, or restraint on both sides of every bridge, what can be done to stop this kind of behavior?
Also, since one trucker got glass in his eye, I don’t think the charges were severe enough.
Thoughts?The article to which I referened is here:
Items Thrown From Overpasses Smash Windshields and Hurt Truckers
Trucker arrested on felony burglary of vape shop after tire-check hammer bounces through shop glass
VIDEO: Semi truck surrounded and looted during street takeover

7. Regarding supply chain and technology:

Supply chain

Technology

Video telematics help decrease crash fatalities

8. Regarding HOS, shortage, training, morale, and pay:

HOS (Hours of Service)

Shortage

Please bear in mind that no one on the federal level of government has the authority — per the Constitution of the United States — to do anything about the so-called trucker shortage.

According to the Tenth Amendment, this matter is reserved to the States and the people.

Training

Morale

Video breaks down why U.S. truckers feel frustrated and unappreciated

Pay

9. Regarding chips, containers, last mile, and maintenance:

Chips

Raimondo Urges Congressional Passage of Semiconductor Bill

Containers

Daily Infographic: Ever Forward finally moves onThis isn’t the first container ship to get wedged — recently — so as to prevent other vessels from moving through a water channel.It makes me wonder if these situations are deliberate.Hmm…

Last mile

Maintenance

The ins, outs and woes of diesel engine aftertreatment

10. Regarding truck stop, fire, and food processing plant:

Truck stop

Truckers are using a residential area as a truck stop.

My reading of the article puts the responsibility clearly upon the folks who should have been putting up signs about how to get to the new shipping facility.

Do you agree?

New shipping facility prompts complaints, ‘No Truck’ signs along rural MO roads

Fire

I wish that articles went into more detail about what led up to crashes like this.

Semi’s crash with low-rider sparks fishy fire

Food processing plant

Plane crashes into trailers at General Mills plant in GeorgiaThe last time I checked on the “food supply incident map,” there have been 20 fires at food processing plants in the USA alone — and more fires in other places around the world.One article written in March 2022 says that “Global food shortage is part of Great Reset agenda.”If you are a regional or long haul trucker and you have not been carrying food with you — including an emergency kit — I strongly encourage you to start now!

11. Regarding accidents, overheight, and securement:

Please at least glance through the articles in this section to see what led up the accidents and seek to practice things that will not lead to trouble.

Accidents

Overheight

Debris from too-tall load sends motorist to hospitalIt is your responsibility as a professional truck driver to know the height of your rig and not take vehicles under places that are too short to navigate safely.See our article: Low Clearance Bridges and Overpasses: How to Watch for and Avoid

Securement

VIDEO: Unsecured load gives officer nasty surpriseIf you need it, here are Cargo Securement Rules that all professional truck drivers need to follow.

12. Regarding awards:

Congratulations to all truckers who have been recognized by their companies for their superior safety record or driving skills.

Also, we recognize every trucker who helped his/her fellow human being in his/her/their time of need.

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

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