Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips Email Newsletter

Issue #103, February 9, 2018

Featuring content from and supporting:

Truck-Drivers-Money-Saving-Tips.com

"Because truckers know that no trucker deserves to be stung financially."

• We provide real world tips that help professional truck drivers save hard-earned money and personal reporting about products and services for use on the road.
• We've developed our unique website as a place to share the tips we have learned through the years -- and where other professional drivers can do the same.

Table of Contents

• Partnership

• Important Notice

• Media

• Earn More, Save More

• Social Networking

Partnership

Important Notice

• Deduct Your Business Expenses
  
  Now that a new tax law has been passed, it's more important than ever that you deduct every business expense you incur.
  
  We personally use and recommend the service described in this free webinar:
  
  How to Pay Less Taxes and Never Worry About an IRS Audit.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Media

In numerous places throughout some of the TDMST Weekly Round-Up content, you'll see where we request a comment "below". These are references to the place on the page from which the content was taken, where comments may be left.


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From the TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2018.01.20


This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending January 20, 2018.

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


1. It was reported on January 9, 2018, that Jim Johnston -- president and CEO of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) from 1974 until his death -- "passed away following a year-long battle with lung cancer".

Our condolences go to his family.



2. According to a January 6, 2018, article,

"The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has filed a request to investigate what CDL truck and bus drivers do during their home time. Specifically, the agency aims to study the effects of 'excessive commuting' between a drivers home and work terminal."

Repeat: they want to investigate what truck and bus drivers do during their home time.

If you believe that the FMCSA doesn't have any business tracking "what truckers do in their personal vehicles", please comment on this page before January 26, 2018.




3. A December 21, 2017, article stated:

"Truck side guards are designed to keep vulnerable road users -- pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists -- from being run over by a large truck's rear wheels in a side-impact collision, according to the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, a government-related research group."

Whenever I read of a potential new "safeguard" being installed on trucks for the protection of the public, one of my first questions is: "How big of a problem is this?"

Well, the article provided the statistics:

In a technical overview, Volpe stated, "Side collisions with large trucks were associated with 111 pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities annually in the U.S., based on 2005-2009 data on single-unit trucks and tractor-trailers" and "Of the 75 fatal bicyclist crashes per year with trucks, approximately 50% were side impacts."

The article states: "Side guards have been required since the 1980s in the European Union and Japan, and more recently in China, Brazil, and Peru [and] in the UK, a 61% reduction in cyclist fatalities and a 20% reduction in pedestrian fatalities were reported in side-impact collisions with trucks following the national side guard mandate."

While I'm all for safety and preventing fatalities, I wonder:
- What percentage of the time were these crashes and fatalities the fault of the truck drivers?
- To what extent is the trucking industry going to be pushed to prevent these types of collisions?

A January 5, 2018, article stated: "Lawmakers Call for Guards on Trucks to Prevent Deadly Underride Crashes".

The photos in the article speak volumes.



4. On January 19, 2018, it was reported that a former athletic trainer who became a nurse and instructor "learned that shoulder injuries were the second most common driver injury, but, even more important, it took longer to heal, cost more downtime, and often required more extensive treatments than back problems."

Please be mindful of your use of your shoulders on the job.



5. An article about how the "Big Three truck stops" -- Love's, Pilot Flying J, and TravelCenters of America -- have "added more than 3,000 truck parking spots to the infrastructure in 2017", I wonder if at least some of these parking spaces are in heavy metropolitican areas like in the northeastern USA, where they are needed most.



6. A January 19, 2018, article about tax reform stated:

"According to a recent survey of ATA members, 50% of carriers plan to either increase wages generally or offer hard-working Americans a one-time bonus -- putting more money back into the U.S. economy."

Let's hope that trucking companies that get a break on their taxes increase the wages of their drivers.



7. There have been many articles published within the last two weeks about truckers encountering icy roads or refusing to drive on them.

Winter Storm Inga brought bad traveling conditions to a good portion of the USA.

This week, my husband Mike and I were traveling
- on I-10 (from Arizona to Texas) on Monday; and
- on I-20 (from Texas to South Carolina) on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The section of interstate highway upon which we were traveling was closed for all vehicles at least twice along our route due to slick conditions and accidents. At one point, the road was closed for about 4 hours straight. We were surrounded by commercial motor vehicles.

Various articles captured weather-related difficulties:

- A January 18, 2018, article specifically stated that "the delay affected truck drivers trying to make their deliveries."
(http://bit.ly/2mXX1KK is no longer online.)

- On January 17, 2018, it was reported that "dozens of truck drivers" were stranded in the Mobile, Alabama, area due to ice.

- Another January 18, 2018, article stated, "Two northbound lanes of I-77 have been shut down around mile marker 2 in Carroll County, Virginia, after at least three trucks were blown over. The trucks cannot be removed until the winds die down."

- In a January 17, 2018, article, we read, "It's more than an inconvenience. Experienced truck drivers ... [have] learned creative ways to pass the time, but they get paid by the mile, so while they sit idle, their business is pretty much frozen too."

- It's not worth it to go 65 miles per hour in whiteout conditions.

- On January 8, 2018, it was reported that "A tanker truck driver lost his life in Athens, Ohio, this morning after his truck slid off of a slick overpass onto the roadway below." Our condolences go to the trucker's family.

We're grateful when trucking companies see the dangers of winter storm weather and decide to shut down rather than risk someone getting hurt.

Remember that as the trucker, you are responsible for determining if it is safe to drive. See our Whistle Blowing Truckers page for more info.



8. Mike and I once experienced frozen brakes during our teaming days.

What do you do when your truck brakes freeze up, as they did for one trucker driving in Texas?

Please comment below.



9. According to a December 19, 2017, article that quoted the ATA:

"Trucking hauls nearly 71 percent of tonnage carried by all types of domestic freight transportation. The industry accounts for about $676.2 billion in freight business, or 79.8 percent of total revenue".

Without you, truckers, America stops!

Thank you for your service all year long!



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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From the TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2018.01.27


This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending January 27, 2018.

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


1. A January 25, 2018, news release from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) revealed the 2018 Top 100 Truck Bottleneck List.

The locations detailed in this latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations. "For the third straight year, Atlanta's 'Spaghetti Junction,' the intersection of Interstates 285 and 85 North is the most congested freight bottleneck in the country."

Dennis Nash, Kenan Advantage Group CEO, stated, "Unfortunately, as ATRI's report shows, increasingly our trucks are not moving because of congestion, choke points and bottlenecks on an aging highway system. Addressing congestion and delays at these key interchanges and highways can make our supply chain more efficient, improve the environment by reducing fuel burn and save Americans countless hours of delay and added costs."

According to a January 25, 2018, article, "Overall truck speeds worsened at the top five bottlenecks on the list... by an average of 6% at these locations."

"Congestion on the nation's highways is costing the trucking industry $63.4 billion, and Houston is home to seven of the worst bottlenecks for truck drivers," stated another article.



2. In a January 26, 2018, article, we read: "A truck driver from Indianola is trying to bring attention to new federal mandates that are making it increasingly hard for semi drivers to find parking spots."

He has complained that:
- "states aren't providing enough rest areas for semi drivers to pull over";
- truckers can't park in WalMart parking lots;
- truckers aren't "allowed to park on exit ramps in most states"; and
- "state patrol officers [are] telling semi drivers to move their rigs off the exit ramps, but then ticketing them when they start moving for breaking the hours of service mandate".

What a Catch-22! Ouch!

Please share below your true account of problems finding parking and being ticketed for stopping in a less-than-desirable area in order to comply with the federal Hours of Service mandate.



3. A January 26, 2018, article starts, "Shoppers could see grocery prices rise because of a new federal mandate requiring most long-distance truckers to use electronic logging devices to keep track of their time spent driving."

I still haven't seen a side-by-side listing of the large truck crash rates of owner-operators vs. the large truck crash rates of trucking companies. When will these numbers be made public?



4. "A Tennessee jury has convicted a Kentucky trucker of vehicular homicide and other charges in a 2015 wreck that killed six people on Interstate 75", according to a January 26, 2018, article.

Prosecutors said that the trucker "was impaired on methamphetamine, ignored construction signs and never tapped the brakes when his tractor-trailer slammed into slowed traffic near the Ooltewah exit."

How many times must we say it: Don't do drugs and then drive -- especially a commercial motor vehicle!



5. According to a January 26, 2018, article from New Zealand, "Truckies are leaving the industry in droves, and reckless car drivers are mostly to blame."



6. Drivewyze reported that during "the first six months of a Pennsylvania Turnpike connected-truck pilot program that provides in-cab safety alerts to commercial drivers",
- "more than 70,000 driver-safety notifications [were delivered] to truck drivers" and
- "truckers who received in-cab notifications reduced their speed 7 percent more than those who did not receive alerts."



7. If, according to police, a Massachusetts truck driver "was not impaired by alcohol or drugs and not distracted", then what caused him to rear-end "a car slowing for congestion caused by a prior accident" that killed a man and two children?

According to a January 24, 2018, article, the trucker pleaded guilty "to three counts of negligent homicide with a motor vehicle" and received sentencing.

Please stay attentive to traffic around you at all times and be prepared to stop quickly.



8. "Unintentional and preventable injuries -- which are typically dubbed 'accidents' -- led to a record high of 161,374 fatalities in 2016, according to National Safety Council (NSC) data analysis, making 'accidents' the third leading cause of death in the U.S.," stated a January 18, 2018, article.

"The group said a total of 14,803 more people died accidentally in 2016 than in 2015 -- a 10% year-over-year increase and the largest single-year percent rise since 1936, and the largest two-year rise (over 18.6%) since 1903."



9. "The driver behind the wheel of the lead truck in a three-vehicle convoy [along the Shin-Tomei Expressway in Japan] controlled the brakes and accelerators of all three vehicles from his seat in the experiment using wireless transmission," according to a January 24, 2018, article.

While no other details are given, the article states, "The organizers of the experiment hope to commercialize the technology by 2020."



10. Meanwhile, a January 23, 2018, article stated: "Tesla's vaunted Autopilot feature may have been the cause of an accident in Culver City, California earlier this week... From what we've been able to gather thus far, a Model S [car] was cruising down the 405 freeway at about 65 mph whereupon it crashed into the back of a firetruck which was attending to a different matter on the road. The driver of the Model S reportedly told authorities that the car was in Autopilot mode at the time of the incident."

I'm very interested to learn more about this.



11. A January 23, 2018, article stated that a trucker stopped a mass shooter who was targeting truck drivers at an Iowa rest area and truck stop because he had had a family member killed in an accident with a semi.

Please use your own best judgment in situations like this and remember that taking matters into your own hands can have repercussions.



12. A trucker driving in New Hampshire "was ejected from his truck in a rollover crash near Gorham", according to a January 23, 2018, article. Although the accident is still under investigation, the article says that the trucker "was travelling north at a high rate of speed when he hit the front of another vehicle had had been trying to pass and lost control".

Whenever you're driving, always wear your safety belt. Also, if you're going to pass another vehicle, make sure you do so safely.



13. One trooper called it, "the worst crash he'd seen in 20 years". The trial of "a Kentucky truck driver charged in the deaths of six people in a 2015 interstate crash" was reported in this January 22, 2018, article.

"Brewer's attorney argued that it wasn't drugs, but rather lack of sleep that caused the crash."

Another article stated that the trucker "saw the cars with their brake lights and he tried to stop, but couldn't."

Make sure you're rested before you drive a commercial motor vehicle. And make sure that your truck's brakes are properly adjusted before you drive.



14. A January 22, 2018, article written by an attorney and entitled, "New Report: Low Trucker Wages Lead to Long Hours and Increased Safety Risks" opens with this paragraph:

"The wages truckers earn are too low, forcing them to work extended hours that sometimes exceed legal limits, according to a new report recently presented at the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board."

The article also states; "that pay rate of approximately 50 percent higher than the average trucker's current mileage rate, and is likely the main reason why the trucking industry faces high turnover and an ongoing driver shortage."

Now that the ELD mandate is in place, I don't think that truckers can extend their Hours of Service. So, truckers' wages will possibly be even lower than this report reveals.



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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From the TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2018.02.03


This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending February 3, 2018.

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


1. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) had published a list of talking points opposing underride guard mandates.

A January 30, 2018, article on their website covered their having written a letter to the U.S. Senate opposing the underride guards.

Among the concerns they raised were:
- the possibility of actually increasing the number of crashes;
- the addition of "another 1,000 pounds to a tractor-trailer" and thus reducing capacity to haul freight;
- the cost of compliance, estimated to be $1,560 per trailer; and
- the restriction of weight distribution by those who use "spread axle trailers".

One thing that I have not yet seen in opposition to underride guards is the impact on aerodynamic equipment such as side skirts or under-trailer units. How would underride guards impact these?



2. According to a February 2, 2018, article, a trucker who was taking a personality quiz on his phone while driving -- and causing a crash that killed an 83-year-old woman -- has been charged with reckless driving and "jailed for up to 15 years".

When you are driving any vehicle -- and especially a commercial motor vehicle -- do not allow your cell phone to distract you. Remember that as a professional truck driver, you are being paid (at least in part) for the safe operation of your vehicle so that you pick-up and deliver freight.

If necessary, install an app on your phone so that you cannot operate it -- or engage in certain phone activity -- whenever your truck is moving. (Note: I am not in favor of legally-enforced use of such driver-restricted technology.)



3. The opening statement of a February 2, 2018, article was:

"Yesterday twenty-five members of Congress sent a letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) asking the agency to support an Owner- Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) sponsored ELD exemption request for small business truckers."

The article further quoted OOIDA's acting President Todd Spencer:

"We thank the representatives, especially Congressmen Babin and King, for recognizing that small-business truckers that have already proven their ability to operate safely should not be subject to purchasing costly, unproven and uncertified devices."

Absolutely!



4. A February 2, 2018, article stated: "Every self-driving truck will need partners to cover local routes and bring loads to and from transfer hubs. Growth for self-driving trucks will therefore mean growth for truck drivers, on top of all the things we move getting cheaper and arriving faster. Additionally, those local haul truckers would be picking up and dropping loaded trailers, meaning big reductions in wait times at loading docks. And for drivers who prefer long haul, there will still be many routes across the country for years to come."

A similar article published on February 2, 2018, stated: "If self-driving trucks are used more efficiently and experience widespread adoption, it would drive down the cost of freight, which would stimulate demand, leading to more business. And, if more freight is out on the roads, and humans are required to run it around local areas, then there will be a greater, not lesser, need for truck drivers."

What do you think? Is the bulk of your non-productive time spent in local traffic and docks?

If you're paid by the mile and some autonomous vehicle can take over the work that keeps you from that, could your pay actually increase as a result?

One concern I have is "where" truckers are going to connect with autonomous vehicles so that the repowered loads will be delivered locally. If there aren't enough truck stops now, then, hmm, see my next point below.

Please share your thoughts.



5. Another historic site has been damaged by a truck driver, this time causing "deep scars" in a "2,000-year-old historical site in Peru". According to the February 2, 2018, article, the trucker "ignored warning signs and drove over a portion of the UNESCO World Heritage Site."

The trucker was "arrested for the errant drive on Jan. 27 in which three of the geoglyphs were damaged."

According to a February 1, 2018, article, the driver "told police he didn't know the area, and that he'd been forced off the road because of a problem with his truck. But some seem to think [he] might have hopped off the highway to avoid paying a toll".

Plan your route and stick to it. Although this article did not mention the trucker's use of technology, do not rely upon non-CMV GPS technology for routing.



6. Numerous articles have been written of late about truck driver pay.

- Since Schneider National Inc. realized greater profit than was forecast, I hope that they will share a good bit of that profit with their truck drivers.

- TruckingInfo.com wrote on January 30, 2018, "Fleets Reach Out to Drivers With Better Per-Mile Pay".

- TruckNews.com wrote on January 25, 2018, "Should carriers start paying drivers a yearly salary?"

- I agree with the truck driver who wrote the following on January 24, 2018: "Despite an increase in wages, many truckers feel that it's unfair to not be paid for all of the time that they spend on the road. The system of compensating only by mileage is antiquated because some carriers just pay the drivers when the wheels are moving, not for their time when they are filling out paperwork, fueling their trucks or waiting to be loaded or unloaded. Many truckers feel that this is unfair because, despite their rig not being in motion, they are still performing tasks that are part of the job requirements."



7. A trucker who "was seen trying to snake his way through the crossing gates, despite signals that included lights warning of the oncoming train" died as a result of the truck-train crash, according to a February 1, 2018, article.

Of note is that the train was "carrying GOP members of Congress" who were traveling "from Washington, DC, to West Virginia for their retreat".

Regardless of how fast the train was traveling, a trucker should never ever attempt to cross a railroad crossing when the lights are flashing, the bell is ringing, or the crossing arms are down.

Our condolences go to the trucker's family.



8. A North Carolina truck driver "was arrested on charges of careless driving, driving a commercial vehicle under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, possession of synthetic drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and first-degree wanton endangerment", according to a January 31, 2018, article.

The article further stated, "Police say he admitted to having smoked synthetic marijuana 20-30 minutes before. The drug and a pipe were found in the truck according to investigators."

If you want to drive, don't do drugs. If you want to do drugs, don't drive. It's as simple as that.



9. Shifting loads can cause problems or death.

- A February 1, 2018, article written by a trucker who knew his freight and route thoroughly, was able to diagnose the problem of freight that had shifted in his trailer. The freight was rejected by the receiver, so it was important to know what happened.

He figured out that it was "in fact was the fault of the unloading lift driver at the receiver's warehouse"!

This makes me wonder if the day will come when truckers will install a recording "trailer cam" that attaches to the inside of the trailer just inside the doors to "watch" the trailer being live-loaded or live-unloaded.

In other words, if cameras can watch truckers in their trucks, why shouldn't they watch dock workers working inside their trailers? Hmm... perhaps this technology will one day become standard equipment on trailers -- or at least on trailers where freight can easily shift.

- A January 31, 2018, article stated that a trucker was killed after his truck "rolled over a concrete barrier on the right shoulder of the ramp at Interstate 355". According to police, it was the shifting of the load that caused the rollover.

I wonder if the trucker being "ejected from his truck" had anything to do with his having worn a seat belt. Our condolences go to the trucker's family.



10. Hurray for truck drivers!

A January 23, 2018, article stated: "The American Trucking Associations' advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased by 3.7% overall in 2017 compared to the year before, marking its largest annual gain since 2013."

Thank you, truckers, for your hard work all year long!



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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From the TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2018.02.10


This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending February 10, 2018.

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


1. Finally, a spotlight is being shined on the problem of trucker detention in docks and its cost -- in money and safety!

A February 7, 2018, article stated that a U.S. DOT report concluded:

- "time spent detained at shipper or receiver facilities cuts truck driver pay by between $1.1 billion and $1.3 billion annually" ("annual [driver] pay loss of between $1,281 and $1,534"); and
- "An extra 15 minutes spent detained beyond the standard two-hour window causes industry crash risk to climb 6.2 percent... an average of about 6,500 additional crashes annually".

Talk about putting the responsibility for truck crashes back on the shoulders of the shippers and receivers!

According to a February 5, 2018, article stated, "DOT has taken issue with how FMSCA plans to collect data on driver detention."

I have asked truckers through our Facebook page how much time they're really spending in docks and how much that is costing them. I think that better statistics will be gathered over time.

When will shippers and receivers take truckers' time seriously? Or is this a push to have autonomous trucks take the freight from the "transfer hubs" described in February 5, 2018, article to the docks?

In that article about Uber's blog post, we read, "the transportation industry could meld mixed fleets of self-driving trucks with more localized traditional trucks in order to meet the growing demand."

On top of all this, a February 7, 2018, article reported that "5 U.S. Cities Rank Among World's Most Traffic-Congested", with Los Angeles leading the pack.

Get ready for big changes.



2. Evidently, there are truck parking problems "along southern Ontario [Canada] highways", too, according to a February 2, 2018, article. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has asked both Canadian and U.S. truckers "to help determine where additional truck parking is needed in the province".

I hope that the information that is gathered is truly taken to heart and that additional truck parking is created where it is needed.

Hint: Additional truck parking is needed in many places in the USA (especially if Connecticut closes 7 rest areas).

Again, I suggest that space near industrial parks (where commercial trucks are already entering and exiting) be explored for truck parking.



3. A truck driver has been "charged with transporting people for financial gain" after 77 people who had entered the USA illegally were found in his sweltering trailer, according to a February 1, 2018, article.

The driver expected to be paid $100 per immigrant, but this perspective treats humans as "mere commodities without regard for their safety", according to a border patrol agent.

A similar article entitled, "Over 100 illegals found in tractor-trailers near TX border" was written on January 31, 2018.

Never engage in smuggling goods or people into or out of an area illegally. Remember to treat others as you would want to be treated.



4. Will this news cause you to change your route?

According to a January 30, 2018, article, "Of the more than 600,000 bridges across the nation, more than 54,000 are considered 'structurally deficient,' according to American Road and Transportation Builders Association's annual deficient bridge report. Approximately one-third of bridges need repairs."

A February 5, 2018, article has a map with states bearing colors of orange, blue, and yellow meaning different percentages of their bridges being structurally deficient:
- Orange means "more than 9 percent";
- Yellow means "between 5 and 9 percent";
- Blue means "less than 5 percent".



5. On February 5, 2018, FleetOwner.com published "Company drivers could take hit from new tax law".

Its subtitle is, "Because of tax rule changes to itemizations, W-2 drivers will no longer be able to itemize expenses. But there is a workaround."



6. A February 2, 2018, article about the livestock hauling industry regarding the use of Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) states, "... there's a big difference between hauling a load of TVs and a load of cattle destined for meatpacking plants."

They are legitimately concerned that their "soon-to-end temporary exemption from the rule ... will upend their industry and put animals at risk."

Furthermore, because of the added problems, experts say that meat prices at stores have a "good chance" of going up as a result.



7. A February 6, 2018, article stated that "a coast-to-coast trip across the United States [was made] with an automated truck ... [and] a driver at the wheel at all times". The 2,400-mile journey was made "along Interstate 10 from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, FL".



8. OK, the complaints have started to come in about ELD units. On February 5, 2018, the author of a TruckNews.com article wrote: "If you haven't adopted an ELD or are unsatisfied with the system you chose, take heart."

Dissatisfaction with unproven ELD units after-the-fact is exactly the problem that the Indiana State Attorney General tried to prevent when he wrote to ask that the ELD mandate be delayed! It's too bad that the federal government didn't listen to this state official -- and especially the truckers who are driving the trucks!

In a February 5, 2018, article, we read that "The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is calling on President Donald Trump to meet with the real men and women behind the wheels of America's trucks to discuss the mandate for electronic logging devices. ... The OOIDA's acting president Todd Spencer urged Trump to meet with 'Americans who actually drive for a living.'"



9. I get a kick out of reading the "Preventable or Not" columns on CCJDigital.com. The article that came out on February 5, 2018, points out something very interesting!

The accident was described as a four-wheeler steering into the lane in front of a truck, the truck jackknifing, then sliding off the road and striking a light pole. All of this took place while road conditions were worsening and some drivers were driving more slowly.

The accident was ruled as "preventable" because "Under those conditions, a professional driver should have anticipated" the four-wheeler and others "lane-hopping".

Did you catch that? The trucker "should have anticipated" the movements of the traffic around him/her.

Speaking of anticipating actions of other drivers, both drivers in the fatal truck-bus crash in Palm Springs "were unable to respond appropriately to cues that other motorists did act on."

In the Palm Springs accident case, the truck driver is being "charged with more than 40 felony and misdemeanor counts, including vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving causing injury." Some charges may stem from the driver's violation of his Hours of Service.



10. If you're an owner-operator, make sure someone is watching out for you and your finances.

According to a February 6, 2018, article entitled "The Pilot trial taught us how trucking has weaponized data", we read:

"Pilot Flying J used its superior data resources to identify holes in its customers' information and exploit them."

As Freighwaves.com says, "the world's most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data".

Use the data you collect to your advantage.



11. A February 5, 2018, article says, "Short-haul truck drivers who pick up and deliver containers at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma [are planning to] protest a proposed April 1 deadline restricting port access to allow only newer, cleaner-burning diesel trucks."

Independent drivers claim that "the cost of upgrading to cleaner vehicles will put many of them out of business."

Frankly, I see and appreciate both sides of this issue.

Be aware that Washington state officials may take the matter out of the hands of the local ports.



12. Be ready to pay a fine for damaging an overpass that your truck is too tall to pass under, especially if "significant damage to a steel structural beam" occurs.

One such incident was reported on February 6, 2018, here.



13. To celebrate National Pizza Day on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018, Pilot Flying J will be giving away free slices of pizza to truckers. Read more about the requirements here.



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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Valentine's Day is coming up on February 14. If you're on the road while your home support team is back home, you can still make things special for them with ideas that we share -- or one's that you come up with yourself.

Have a great long-distance tip to keep things romantic with someone back home? Please share it so that other truckers can benefit, too. Thanks!

To all of our readers who are professional truck drivers, we wish you safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road!

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NKBJ InfoNet, LLC

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