TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2023.11.04

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2023.11.04 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending November 4, 2023, written by Vicki Simons.

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

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding Daylight Saving Time, strike, TQL, and Yellow:

Daylight Saving Time

According to the third article in this section (with formatting changes):

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In the United States, daylight saving time (DST), which began Sunday, March 12, 2023, ends Sunday November 5, 2023.

On that day, at 2 a.m. local time, clocks “fall back” one hour to 1 a.m., to what’s known as standard time.

While the original intention was that extending daylight hours during the summer would result in energy savings, research shows it’s not saving us any money, and is contributing to ill health.

Researchers have noticed a statistically significant increase in the number of car accidents, workplace injuries and heart attacks in the days after the time changes in the spring, which appear to be related to loss of sleep and circadian rhythm disruptions.

While the most adverse health effects are attributed to the springtime switch to DST, the switch back to Standard Time in the fall means your body has to get used to it getting dark earlier in the evening.

Tips to help your body adjust to the time change are included.

I would appreciate knowing if you notice as a result of the end of Daylight Saving Time:
– any changes in your health or well-being; and/or
– any increase (or decrease) in the number of crashes just after DST ends.

Please comment through the form below.

Thanks.

Strike

I sincerely open that all of this strike talk will soon be concluded with reasonable concessions that benefit all concerned.

TQL

The situation that gave rise to these articles was completely avoidable, but it thrills me from the soles of my feet to the top of my scalp to know that the owner-operator finally got paid as he should have been paid much earlier.

Yellow

Well, it’s not over yet!

2. Regarding chains, inspections, and operations:

Chains

In addition to the article linked above, you may wish to see these articles from our website:

Truck Snow Chains: Preparation for Winter Driving

About Automatic Tire Chains and Automatic Snow Chains for Trucks

Inspections

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

Operations

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

Autonomous vehicles

I most strenuously disagree with the operation of driverless, self-driving, or autonomous Commercial Motor Vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public, but share these articles out of concern for our readers.

Electric vehicles

Before you buy an electric commercial motor vehicle, please do your do diligence.

In addition to these articles, here’s what I posted on our Facebook page recently:

If it costs this much to power an electric *car*, how much does it cost to power an electric *truck*, especially an electric commercial motor vehicle?

I’d like to see the comparison for diesel and other types of fuel, especially hydrogen.

Quote from the article linked below:
=====
The ultimate blow to the regime’s electric car debacle has to be this recent report that unveils the “true cost” of operating an electric vehicle. Brace yourself for this:
When you factor everything in, powering an electric car is akin to paying $17.33 per gallon at the pump.
That stings.
=====

Short-circuited: Biden’s electric car dream hits its final outage…
October 29, 2023

Electric vehicles subscription

According to the second article linked just below:

Mack Trucks is offering an all-in monthly subscription and pay-as-you-go mileage program for its new medium-duty electric trucks, addressing concerns about high upfront costs of acquiring the zero tailpipe-emission vehicles.

Do you think this is a wise move?

Fuel

4. Regarding aerodynamics, business, capacity, economy, maintenance, and ports:

Aerodynamics

In addition to this article, you may want to see these pages from our website:

Business

Capacity

Economy

Maintenance

Ports

5. Regarding Convoy, ELDs, employment, regulations, and technology:

Convoy

ELDs

Technology

6. Regarding CARB, delivery, detention, and food:

CARB

Delivery

Detention

Food

7. Regarding HDT Fact Book 2023:

HDT Fact Book 2023

8. Regarding fraud and theft:

Fraud

In as many ways as you can, protect yourself from fraud!

Theft

9. Regarding crashes, drugs, fatalities, impaired, and routing:

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.

Drugs

Never ever haul illegal drugs, no matter how much you may have been promised.

Fatalities

We express our deep sympathy — and offer our 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?

Impaired

The article in this section mentions impairment due to alcohol, drugs (legal and illegal), and 3 types of distracted driving (visual, manual, and cognitive).

Routing

It is imperative that truckers obtain and learn to use a truckers atlas.

If they decide to use a GPS unit, it must be one that is specifically designed for commercial motor vehicles so that they are not involved in low clearance crashes.

10. Regarding parking, politics, taxes, underride guards, and weight:

Parking

Politics

Taxes

Underride guards

Weight

11. Regarding shortage and shut down failure:

Shortage

Shut down failure

12. Regarding recognition and skill:

Recognition

We applaud and recognize professional truck drivers who help out their fellow human beings in a time of need.

Skill

Both of these articles include videos of truckers who hit their brakes hard to avoid a crash.

Please be aware, though, that weather and traffic conditions play a huge factor in how fast a trucker should be traveling.

Not every sudden braking situation will turn out well, especially in slick conditions.

Still, we recognize these drivers for the skill they demonstrated.

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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