Truckers, I am grateful for all you do year-round to transport the world's freight safely, efficiently and on-time. I wish you safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road. -- Vicki Simons, Truck-Drivers-Money-Saving-Tips.com

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2022.11.26

This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending November 26, 2022.

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

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding electronic IDs, predictions, economy, theft, holidays, and returns:

Electronic IDs

I wrote and submitted my own thoughts on this topic:

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

Comments to FMCSA on Electronic Identification of CMVs

Predictions

Toward the end of every calendar year, there are those who prognosticate the future — and the following articles include some of those predictions.

Economy

The following are some of the most recent articles about the economy from the perspective of the trucking industry in the USA:

Theft

While most of the articles in this section address potential cargo theft over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the principles apply all year long.

Holidays

Returns

2. Regarding fuel, autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, and emissions:

Fuel

Autonomous vehicles

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

However, I share these articles as a courtesy to help you stay current with the topic.

Electric vehicles

Emissions

3. Regarding accidents, fatalities, spills, lazy, and alcohol:

Accidents

Please familiarize yourself with the types of accidents described in the articles that follow so that you can avoid being involved in a similar one.

Fatalities

We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of those who passed away.

Spills

While the 3 “spills” were violations of the Clean Water Act, if you read the article, you will see that the spills were not deliberate, but all of the stemmed from a larger issue of trucks that “overturned down an embankment”.

If the company fixes the problem with overturned trucks, they will more than likely fix the problem with spilled raw milk.

Lazy

In the article in this section, the driver of a 4-wheeled pick-up truck decided not to clear off the snow before starting to drive.

Watch out for these types of vehicles and drivers.

Alcohol

4. Regarding inspections, brokerage, fines, violations, and fraud:

Inspections

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

Brokerage

Fines

Violations

Fraud

5. Regarding last mile, layoffs, rates, and shortage:

Last miles

Layoffs

Watch out for year-end layoffs and filings for bankruptcy.

Keep yourself in perpetual readiness for being laid off and needing to get back home.

Please see our article:

Your Emergency Fund Protects You from Unexpected Expenses, Loss

Rates

Shortage

6. Regarding HVUT, loyalty program, maintenance, and operating costs:

HVUT

Loyalty program

Maintenance

Operating costs

7. Regarding operations, roads, parking, reckless training, and personal conveyance:

Operations

Don’t tailgate!

You may want to read our article:

Stop Tailgating and Following Too Closely with Your Big Truck

Roads

Parking

Reckless training

I saw this video on Facebook and wrote the following comment under the post and then on our TDMST Facebook page (with slight reformatting here):

Dear Continental Truck Driver Training & Education School,

By not having anyone *in* the driver’s seat with his/her foot *on* the brake pedal, you’re encouraging reckless actions of drivers of commercial motor vehicles!

Unless there’s a remote control setting on the tractor which I can’t see, there are only two ways for the truck to be moving:
1. Either the tractor is in reverse gear;
2. Or the tractor is out of gear altogether.

In both of these scenarios, an entire rig that is not remotely controlled won’t stop unless and until someone jumps in the driver’s seat and presses the brake pedal.

If a truck is being backed on a decline, the rig will pick up speed going downhill.

Plus, your video ended too soon.

We didn’t get to see:
– either what stopped the truck;
– or what happened to the building behind where the truck was being backed.

In my opinion, you’ve just encouraged bad actions from “CDL Drivers”!

—–

Please note that we do **NOT** recommend such actions from truckers!!!

Personal conveyance

8. Regarding ports, railroad strike, supply chain, and sustainable:

Ports

When I saw the third article in this section below, I burst out laughing!

As I wrote in my January 8, 2022, TDMST Weekly Round-Up about the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports’ horrible logjam of ships waiting to be serviced there:

…Motivated people have gone to other ports, such as those on the east coast!

Innovative people don’t put up with bad service, but rather find another service provider or come up with their own solution!

So now, those ports are being bypassed.

While this situation is specific to ports, please apply the principle to your job and career in the trucking industry.

When you do an excellent job, you have earned the right to ask for more business.

If you do a sloppy job, you have “earned” the right to be replaced!

Railroad strike

This situation drags on…

Supply chain

Sustainable

9. Regarding winter, safety, seat belt, and healthcare:

Winter

Safety

Seat belt

This infographic shares the following statistic (capitalization preserved):

In 2020 alone, NEARLY HALF of all drivers and occupants not wearing a seat belt in fatal crashes died.

Please don’t think you can outsmart the laws of physics.

Healthcare

10. Regarding trucks, tolls, testing, and technology:

Trucks

Tolls

Testing

Technology

11. Regarding switch driver types, tax credits, and moonlighting:

Switch driver types

  • Some Owner-Operators Return to Fleets (link no longer online)

Some truckers are leaving the business of trucking, but not the occupation, which shows that reverting to being a company driver is not the worst thing in the world.

Tax credits

Moonlighting

Other truckers may want something that they can do from the cabs of their trucks over the long-term.

12. Regarding food drives, freebies, and Giving Tuesday:

Food drives

Freebies

We recognize those who give back to truckers. 🙂

Giving Tuesday

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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