TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2021.11.06

This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending November 6, 2021.

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

 

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

DAT TruckersEdge - Most Loads. Best Rates. Serving Owner-Operators Since 1978. 10% off your first 12 months. New customers only.

1. Regarding COVID-19, ports, and supply chain:

COVID-19

The issues of forced vaxxinations has the trucking industry rightfully tied up in knots, especially:

  • since some of the articles below indicate that truckers are not exempt;
  • while others say that some truckers are exempt.

Again, I strongly encourage you not to get injected with an experimental substance that is responsible for (as of this writing) a minimum of:

  • 856,917 COVID Vaccine Adverse Event Reports; and
  • 18,078 COVID Vaccine Reported Deaths.

As you may know, I ordinarily oppose trucker protests, but there comes a time when every person has to determine what issue is worth defending.

Getting a jab can lead to vaxxine passports and total control of your life!

For further reading on this subject, please see:

Meanwhile, here are articles about this topic from the trucking industry’s perspective:


Ports

I personally believe that the problem with the ports in California is an engineered one.

Here are articles about the ports from the trucking industry’s perspective:


Supply chain

The supply chain is being impacted by COVID-19 jabs, the port situation, and much more.

 

2. Regarding rates, capacity, and chips:

Rates


Capacity


Chips

 

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

Electric vehicles

According to an article last updated on March 18, 2021, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA):

Most electricity is generated with steam turbines using fossil fuels, nuclear, biomass, geothermal, and solar thermal energy. Other major electricity generation technologies include gas turbines, hydro turbines, wind turbines, and solar photovoltaics.

A graphic on the site shows the sources of power for electricity generation as of 2020.

If you are considering getting an electric truck, please do your due diligence ahead of time.

Meanwhile, here are some of the most recent articles related to electric vehicles.


Autonomous vehicles

I totally oppose autonomous, driverless, or self-driving vehicles — especially commercial motor vehicles sharing public roads with the motoring public — but share these articles to help you stay current on the topic.

One article listed below shows a video with a “remote driver” that immediately made me think of all of the in-truck stuff that is missing when one works remotely, including the “feel” of the truck and the road, various smells, and perhaps sounds.

There’s a lot more to this issue than saving wages on truckers!


Fuel

 

4. Regarding accidents, drugs, smuggling, and violence:

Accidents

Please learn from these articles what led up to the accidents — and work to the best of your ability to prevent getting in the same kind of set-up yourself.

Prevention is the name of the game.


Drugs

Never, ever haul illegal drugs, no matter how much you’ve been promised.

Bear in mind that if you enter a port into another country, your truck is most likely going to be searched!


Smuggling

Never, ever agree to haul human beings like cattle or cargo, no matter how much of a financial incentive you are offered.


Violence

While I certainly understand self-defense, please seek to avoid situations where violence is an option.

 

5. Regarding FLSA, pay, shortage, employment, and retention:

FLSA

This is a very important article!


Pay

By listing these articles, I am not making an endorsement.


Shortage

The so-called “trucker shortage” is going to be greatly exacerbated if truckers are required to get a COVID-19 jab and many truckers leave the trucking industry!


Employment


Retention

 

6. Regarding benefits, business, and economy:

Benefits

Now is a time for “open enrollment” for health insurance for many truckers.

Please allow us to share a snippet from our background.

After many years of paying ever-increasing health insurance premiums that we rarely (or never) used, we investigated a non-insurance alternative called Christian Heathcare Ministries (CHM).

It is a membership-based, nonprofit ministry. Christians voluntarily share to pay each other’s medical bills. It’s budget-friendly, Biblical, compassionate, and legal.

Christian Healthcare Ministries is a membership-based, nonprofit ministry. Christians voluntarily share to pay each other's medical bills. It's budget-friendly, Biblical, compassionate, and legal. We switched to CHM in 2017. Learn more now.

We switched to CHM in 2017 and will never look back.

For full transparency, if you sign up through the link on this page, we will receive a free month worth of service.

Sign up now.

Meanwhile, here is one article on this topic from a trucking publication.


Business


Economy

These articles are about some aspect of the economy, from the trucking industry’s perspective.

 

7. Regarding maintenance, repairs, parking, and idling:

Maintenance


Repairs


Parking


Idling

Are only clean-idle trucks allowed at these ports?

 

8. Regarding technology, emissions, parts, equipment, and tires:

Technology


Emissions


Parts


Equipment


Tires

 

9. Regarding roads, safety, and fatalities:

Roads


Safety


Fatalities

Surely, these are not all due to truckers!

 

10. Regarding fleets, productivity, training, and testing:

Fleets


Productivity


Training


Testing

 

11. Regarding politics, tolls, and chain law:

Politics


Tolls


Chain law

 

12. Regarding awards and freebies:

Congratulations to all nominees and winners of awards — and for those who have been otherwise recognized!

Awards


Freebies

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



Return from TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2021.11.06 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.