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TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.05.25

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.05.25 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending May 25, 2024, written by Vicki Simons.

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

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding events, HHG, inspections, Memorial Day, operations, and road rage:

Events

In this section, I have listed articles about one or more recent trucking events, particularly those that have to do with info for truckers looking to save money and/or time.

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HHG

As I list on the glossary on this website, “HHG” is an acronym for “Household Goods.”

Inspections

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

Please be aware that a truck inspection can take place at any time, not just during announced blitzes!

Memorial Day

As of the time of this writing, we are in the midst of Memorial Day weekend 2024.

Please be alert to the very real possibility of the attempted theft of your tractor, trailer, and/or anything from either of those.

If you approach looking at your rig from the perspective of a thief, you may be able to spot vulnerabilities to theft that you can tighten up.

For example, if you plan to drop your trailer somewhere, cheap “insurance” is to install a king pin lock so that someone can’t just back up to the trailer and haul it off.

Operations

Be aware of people like the one recorded in the video in the article linked in this section, who think that laws apply only to them.

You can’t teach people like this decent manners on the road.

It’s always satisfying to see justice being done so quickly.

Remember that as a professional truck driver, you are supposed to be “professional” toward other motorists, even when they act in an ugly way.

Road rage

Of all the various kinds of road rage, the “trucker vs. trucker” kind is the worst, in my opinion.

2. Regarding autonomous vehicles, batteries, electric vehicles, electric vehicles challenges, emissions, fuel, oil, reserve, and vehicle age:

Autonomous vehicles

With every fiber of my being, I oppose the operation of self-driving, driverless, 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.

Batteries

These are among the first articles I’ve seen about what to do with spent electric vehicle batteries.

My understanding prior to these articles was that once spent, electric vehicle batteries are un-redeemable.

Perhaps they can be redeemed somehow?

Electric vehicles

Before you buy an all-electric Commercial Motor Vehicle, please do your due diligence by asking some questions and getting answers.

Electric vehicles challenges

I think that these are the first articles I’ve seen from where a “mover and shaker” within the trucking industry who has expressed concern about commercial motor vehicles “going electric.”

I would appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this development — through the form below.

Emissions

The term “emissions” is meant to sound “dirty” — and some of them are — but even humans and all living things emit “something” in the process of growing and living.

Humans and many animals breathe in oxygen and “emit” carbon dioxide.

Plants and trees breathe in carbon dioxide and “emit” oxygen.

This is the way that our Creator designed things to work!

So, be on your guard about thinking that “all emissions” must be tightly regulated by some super-authority somewhere.

There is a time and place for being a good steward of the resources that our Creator gave us, without being held hostage to a no-win goal of globalists.

Fuel

Oil

Reserve

If I understand this situation correctly, the USA has “sold its soul” regarding selling its own Gasoline Reserve, which may not be much different from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve!

Vehicle age

This particular article addresses “Cars, trucks and SUVs” — not large trucks like semi-tractor trailers — but I think that as go smaller vehicles, so may the same economic consideration be put toward larger vehicles sometime in the future.

Please feel free to share your thoughts through the form below.

3. Regarding bankruptcy, border, brokers, business, economy, efficiency, fees, lottery, rates, and tolls:

Bankruptcy

Given the economy and over time, I think that we’ll see more of this type of thing happening.

Border

Brokers

Business

Economy

Efficiency

Does this apply to you?

Fees

The article linked in this section opens as follows:

According to a recent survey by the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University, 58% of respondents to a recent survey said that they would be in favor of mileage fees for delivery and freight trucks.

Feel free to read info on this site about VMT or Vehicle Miles Traveled.

Lottery

I hope that this trucker has financial discipline in his life!

Rates

Tolls

4. Regarding hazmat, health, politics, and ports:

Hazmat

Health

Politics

Ports

5. Regarding bridge strike, collapse, crashes, death, and fatalities:

Bridge strike

One paragraph from the article linked in this section — which did not list the height of either the overpass or the truck — said this:

With the Tuesday incident under investigation, the other 12 were attributed to driver or carrier errors, with the most common ones being failures to measure loads, follow approved routes, as well as operating without a permit or failure to follow permit conditions.

It is imperative — in my opinion — that all professional truck drivers obtain and learn how to use a Road Carriers Atlas (aka truckers atlas).

Collapse

OK, if the ship that hit and collapsed the Francis Scott Key bridge had been known to have problems, why wasn’t it escorted on the way out of the port such that it couldn’t hit the bridge in the first place?

Who was responsible for this?

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.

Death

I extend my condolences to the family of the trucker who died in the accident described in this article.

Fatalities

I express my deep sympathy — and offer my 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?

6. Regarding left lane, legal, speed, and spying:

Left lane

Legal

Speed

Spying

By “spying” when it comes to this section, you need to be aware that there are surveillance cameras in many places, including “truck cams” in the vehicles driven by other motorists.

As long as you continue driving a truck, be aware that you will be watched!

7. Regarding ELDs, solar, supply chain, sustainability, and technology:

ELDs

Here we go again!

Solar

Supply chain

Sustainability

Technology

8. Regarding roads, safety, and securement:

Roads

Safety

Securement

If you do not know how to properly secure your load, take some time to learn!

9. Regarding drugs, fraud, smuggling, and theft:

Drugs

Never ever agree to haul illegal drugs anywhere on your rig’s tractor or trailer, no matter how large of an incentive you’ve been offered.

Also, never use illegal drugs.

Fraud

Never attempt to deceive, misrepresent something, intentionally pervert the truth, or pretend to be someone else for the purpose of trying to get something valuable.

This kind of action may result in a lawsuit.

Smuggling

Never ever attempt to transport people made in the image of God as if they were cattle or cargo!

Theft

Do not take something that isn’t yours without first asking for permission.

10. Regarding LTL, nearshoring, parking, and parts:

LTL

Nearshoring

See this site’s “glossary” for the definition of this term.

Parking

Parts

11. Regarding Tesla, training, violence, weather, and worst drivers:

Tesla

Please familiarize yourself with these reports as you desire.

Training

Violence

Weather

Worst drivers

Just sharing…

12. Regarding awards and recognition:

Awards

I commend all professional truck drivers who demonstrated skill and safety on the road and also achieved a milestone worth celebrating!

Recognition

I recognize those who help their fellow human beings in a time of need, whether helping a trucker or a trucker helping someone else.

Earlier this week as I was walking into a local grocery store, I saw a teenage girl standing near parked vehicles, who was holding a hand up to her head.

I asked her if she was OK.

A man walking in the opposite direction said to me that he had wondered the same thing — but he hadn’t asked. Hmm…

I am an introvert, so I understand not wanting to bother someone if a situation appears not to be any of my business.

Even so, I double-checked.

I said something like, “Are you sure? You were holding your head.”

After she replied that she was just tired, I let it go.

It would greatly bother my conscience if I later learned that I could have done something to help someone and didn’t do it!

That being said, there are other situations that occur around truckers which they need to be aware of, like human trafficking, where people are pressed into “service” against their will and they need a helping hand.

Consider this quote:

Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.
— John Wesley

Now for the articles:

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






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