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 2024.03.02

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.03.02 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending March 2, 2024, written by Vicki Simons.

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

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding ATRI, detention, ELDs, fingerprints, Ice Pick Bandit, and super loads:

ATRI

If you are an owner-operator or independent trucker, I encourage you to participate in this gathering of data.

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Detention

While I am glad that trucker detention is on the FMCSA’s radar, why does it seem that they only collect the data, but never do anything meaningful about it?

On the other foot, however, according to Article I, Section 8, of The Constitution of the United States and the Tenth Amendment, the FMCSA is an unconstitutional agency of the federal government that I believe needs to be disbanded and their duties covered under the auspices of each state.

What can the states do about trucker detention?

ELDs

Others within the trucking industry were speaking out against the Electronic Logging Devices “mandate” long before December 4, 2017, but you may read my commentary on the mandate.

In TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2017.12.09, I quoted Indiana’s Attorney General, Curtis Hill, regarding the self-certification provision regarding ELDs.

I also asked, “In what other industry besides trucking has the government ever mandated the purchase of a ‘self-certification’ product?”

So, I’m truly sorry for every trucker who invested in a “self-certified” ELD that used to be on the approved list, only to later have that certification revoked!

If you are such a trucker, I want to hear from you about how expensive this was for you.

Please comment through the form below.

Fingerprints

OK, if it is the case that an entity has to pay truckers for collecting fingerprints without their consent, what implications does this have for those who received C0VID jabs without informed consent?

Ice pick bandit

After this article was posted in a trucking group, I wrote (with formatting changes for easier reading):

If you drive professionally on I-75 in south Georgia and northern Florida, please be on your guard for the “ice pick bandit”:

…

=====

This situation should have been resolved by now.

I’m no law enforcement officer, but it sounds like a sting operation is in order.

If I were in charge and had the budget, I would set up protected video recording devices on both sides of the “off-ramps and truck parking spots up and down I-75 in south Georgia and northern Florida” to:
– catch the perpetrator in the act;
– record info about his vehicle and license tag; and
– alert on-duty officers to block off entrances and exits to make it impossible for him to leave.

I’m confident that eventually, he’ll be caught.

Meanwhile, truckers who drive and park in that area, you may want to invest in video recording devices of your own to put around your rig to record information.

Just make sure that the video footage that is recorded can be saved, downloaded, and sent to law enforcement.

May the vandal be caught and dealt with!

=====

Super loads

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

Autonomous vehicles

I wholeheartedly oppose the operation of driverless, self-driving, or autonomous commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public — but I share articles on this topic with our readers to help us stay current on the topic.

Electric vehicles

Before you buy an all-electric Commercial Motor Vehicle, please do your due diligence.

Emissions

Fuel

Oil

3. Regarding border, business, inspections, insurance, parts, and safety:

Border

Business

Inspections

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

Insurance

Parts

Safety

4. Regarding economy, free shipping, idling, rates, and tolls:

Economy

Free shipping

Idling

Rates

Tolls

5. Regarding crashes, drugs, fatalities, fatigued driving, fire, smuggling, and theft:

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 big of an incentive has been offered to you.

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?

Fatigued driving

I dislike it when an article about a truck crash is published that attributes the cause to fatigued driving when there is no evidence in the article that that was the case.

If you know more, please pass that info along to me. Thanks.

Fire

Is it just me or do there seem to be a lot more truck fires, truck stop fires, trucking company fires, and fires in general within the trucking industry than there used to be?

I wonder how many of these are due to the vehicles being electric.

Have more info? Please contact me.

Smuggling

Never ever haul people made in the image of God as if they were cattle or cargo, no matter how big of a reward you’ve been promised.

Theft

Never take something that doesn’t belong to you unless you have permission from the owner.

With as much surveillance equipment in place in the 21st century, it’s only a matter of time before the thieves are apprehended.

6. Regarding legal, politics, and regulations:

Legal

Politics

This section covers moves in statehouses and the U.S. Capitol.

Regulations

7. Regarding health, infestation, and parking:

Health

Infestation

If you visited a rodent-infested warehouse with your truck, how do you know that one or more of the rodents didn’t climb on-board your tractor or trailer?

If you’ve had this problem in the past, how did you get rid of the critter(s)?

Parking

8. Regarding containers, nearshoring, and ports:

Containers

Nearshoring

Ports

9. Regarding solar and technology:

Solar

Technology

10. Regarding hitchhiker, operations, speed limit, and weather:

Hitchhiker

This is the first article I’ve ever seen where someone hitched a ride on the big front grill of a truck!

If something like this happened to you, how would you get the person off your truck?

Operations

Regarding the second article in this section, there have been numerous comments about who was right in the video-recorded “zipper” or merging situation.

I totally understand the “predicament” that a professional truck driver is in when a four-wheeler tries to “force” his/her way in front of a big rig in such a situation.

There are a number of thoughts that may run through a trucker’s mind, including but not limited to these:

  • If I reward this driver with cutting in front of me, he/she will not understand that this is not acceptable behavior.
  • I’ll show that driver that I cannot be disrespected!
  • I have the right of way, so I’m going to keep it.
  • I followed the rules and he/she should have to do the same.
  • OK, just this once. Sheesh!
  • For whatever reason, this driver saw fit not to get behind me and it’s the “professional” thing to do to let him/her in front of me.
  • Where’s the line? If I let him/her in front of me now, how many other drivers will take advantage of me or how many other truckers will he/she cut off in the future?
  • If I don’t let this driver in front of me now, there’s no telling what sort of road rage that driver might display toward me or my rig on the other side of the construction zone, so even though I don’t like it, I’ll let him/her in.

My husband Mike and I have had numerous conversations about situations either just like this — or similar to this — over the years.

My perspective is two-fold:

  • First, it is not your job to teach other people good manners or how to drive.
  • Second, since our Creator offers grace to us, we ought to offer it to others.

According to this article, grace can be defined;

  • either as “God’s favor toward the unworthy”;
  • or “God’s benevolence on the undeserving.”

Let’s all remember to be kind whenever and wherever we can — even to the “unworthy” or “undeserving” — for we were all created in our Creator’s image. (See Genesis 1.)

Here are the articles in this section:

Speed limit

While I am glad that “split speed limits” are going away in some places, I also understand the need for “variable speed limits” in some places, especially where weather can be hazardous or congestion may require lower speeds.

Weather

And speaking of weather…

11. Regarding truck stops, Trucker of the Month, truckers, and trucking:

Truck stops

Trucker of the month

Truckers

Trucking

12. Regarding recognition and rescue:

Recognition

We recognize truckers — or those helping truckers — who helped out their fellow human beings in a time of need.

Rescue

Thanks to those who helped this trucker out of a potentially deadly situation.

If it is possible to learn how this trucker got into such a situation — so that you can avoid it — please do.

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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