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TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.10.12

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.10.12 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending October 12, 2024, written by Vicki Simons.

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

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

Please note that because of Hurricane Helene and the associated power outage that I experienced, this week’s TDMST Weekly Round-Up is longer than others.

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1. Regarding FEMA, roads – NC/TN, strike, weather – Hurricane Helene, and weather – Hurricane Milton:

FEMA

FEMA is the acronym standing for “Federal Emergency Management Agency.”

Roads – NC/TN

The amount of water that fell during the storm system known as Hurricane Helene caused a lot of damage including flooding, damage to homes, loss of homes, washing out of roads, separation of family members, loss of life, and much more in North Carolina and Tennessee.

Strike

These articles are listed in alphabetical, not chronological, order.

Weather – How to Help with Hurricane Relief

Weather – Hurricane Helene (damage in GA, SC, NC, and TN)

Weather – Hurricane Milton (damage primarily in FL)

2. Regarding consumer, economy, employment, employment – veterans, lottery, manufacturing, pay – overtime, pay – unpaid, per diem, rates, and taxes:

Consumer

I describe on my Trucker Thanksgiving Trip Money Saving Tips post that during the time that my husband Mike and I were on the road as a husband and wife professional truck driving team, “The freight was good for the 9-week stretch from October to Christmas.”

This may or may not be the case anymore, so please do your due diligence.

Economy

Employment

Employment – veterans

Lottery

Let’s hope that lottery winners will exercise the financial discipline not to end up in a worse situation than they were in before they won!

Manufacturing

Pay – overtime

Pay – unpaid

Per diem

Rates

Taxes

3. Regarding autonomous – CA, autonomous – regulations, autonomous – safety, autonomous – trailers, autonomous – venture, batteries, California – ACF, electric vehicles, electric – Fleet Advantage, emissions, and lithium:

Autonomous – CA

I most definitely oppose the operation of autonomous, driverless, or self-driving 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.

Autonomous – regulations

Autonomous – safety

Autonomous – trailers

Autonomous – venture

Batteries

California – ACF

Electric vehicles

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

Please also see the section below on lithium batteries.

Electric – Fleet Advantage

Emissions

Lithium

4. Regarding fuel, hazmat, hydrogen, and oil:

Fuel

Hazmat (Hazardous Materials)

Hydrogen

Oil

5. Regarding border – Cargado, border – imports, border – partnership, border – proposed ban, brokers, and business:

Border – Cargado

Border – imports

Border – partnership

Border – proposed ban

Brokers

Business

6. Regarding citizenship, clearinghouse, demographics, involvement, truckers, and voting:

Citizenship

I think it is a very big mistake to allow those who are not citizens of the USA to obtain Commercial Driver’s Licenses inside the USA.

I envision illegal aliens being giving this kind of credential and then them using it in ways that do not support the United States.

Just saying.

Clearinghouse

Demographics

Involvement

As someone who speaks on a regular basis before a local government body, I have often referred to Galatians 5:1 in the Bible and this section from The Declaration of Indepedence as proof of my need — and my God-given right — to be involved in government matters:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

I recognize that truckers who are on the road away from home may not be able to speak in person to their elected officials, but you can pick up the phone and call them!

I suggest making a list of your elected officials — on the local, county, state, and federal levels — and contacting them on a regular basis about matters that concern you.

An example of just such a list is “Government and Elected Officials Representing Constituents in Aiken County, SC, & Resources” that I compiled for my area some time back.

Truckers

Voting

If you are a qualified elector, please be certain to cast your vote for the candidates of your choice this year.

Determine the best way to do this in your home area.

Remember that those who win their elections in the USA are all required to take an oath of office before they start serving as elected officials.

You may wish to review what that oath of office is in your area and then hold your elected officials accountable to their oaths.

7. Regarding regulations, regulations – credentials, regulations – downgrade, regulations – hazmat, regulations – security, and regulations – Wabash:

Regulations

Regulations – credentials

Regulations – downgrade

Regulations – hazmat

Regulations – security

Regulations – Wabash

According to Wikipedia:

“An ex post facto law is a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences (or status) of actions that were committed, or relationships that existed, before the enactment of the law.”

and

“Congress is prohibited from passing ex post facto laws by clause 3 of Article I, Section 9 of the United States Constitution. The states are prohibited from passing ex post facto laws by clause 1 of Article I, Section 10.”

So, why has Wabash been judged against in this way?

8. Regarding inspections, insurance, leasing, maintenance, operations, parking, and recalls:

Inspections

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

Insurance

Please regularly review your truck insurance to see if it is just right to meet your needs without being too expensive.

Leasing

There are numerous mentions regarding truck leasing on this site.

One article is entitled:

Commercial Truck Leasing: Beware of Designed-to-Fail Schemes

Maintenance

Operations

You may also want to see the post “Making Large Truck Operations as Frugal as Possible” on this site.

Parking

Recalls

If your tractor or trailer is under a recall, please have the work attended to as soon as possible.

9. Regarding crashes, drugs, fatalities, fire, fraud, smuggling, theft, and violence:

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 or take illegal drugs.

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?

Fire

It seems to me that there are a lot more truck fires than their used to be and I wonder if that is because more electric trucks with lithium batteries are in use.

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.

Smuggling

Never ever transport people made in the image of God as if they were cattle or cargo — no matter how large of an incentive you’ve been offered.

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.

Violence

It is never right to perpetrate violence upon someone in an unprovoked manner.

All perpetrators of violence must be dealt with in a just legal manner.

10. Regarding collapse, legal, and retaliation:

Collapse

This section has to do with the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Maryland and the legal fallout that has happened since.

Legal

Retaliation

According to the first article in this section:

Cargomatic has been ordered to stop intimidating a group of independent contractor drivers who are suing the company for unpaid wages.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently obtained a permanent injunction in a federal court in California ordering the logistics company to end “repeated intimidation and threats directed toward drivers” who deliver freight in California for a Ceva Logistics subsidiary that relies on Cargomatic to contract and pay drivers to haul for Ceva and its customers.

Good!

11. Regarding ports, PrePass, safety, and technology:

Ports

PrePass

Safety

Technology

12. Regarding awards, awards – common sense, awards – new truck, awards – recognition, awards – safe driving, awards – Transition, BOGO, and vindication:

There are different kinds of awards and recognition described in this section.

Congratulations to all truckers who have:

  • demonstrated skill and achievement in their work as professional truck drivers;
  • been given a tangible reward; or
  • been nominated for or given an award.

And thank you to everyone who helped out their fellow human beings in a time of needed, whether it was the trucker doing the helping or the trucker being helped.

Awards

Awards – common sense

Awards – new truck

Awards – recognition

Awards – safe driving

Awards – Transition

BOGO

“BOGO” means “Buy One, Get One.”

Vindication

According to Wordnik, here are two definitions of “vindication” that I like:

  • “noun The act of supporting by proof or legal process; the proving of anything to be true or just: as, the vindication of a title, claim, or right.”
  • “noun Defense from wrong or oppression, by force or otherwise; maintenance of a cause against an assailant or enemy: as, the vindication of the rights of man; the vindication of liberties.”

Each of the situations described in the articles listed below certainly seem to be an example of truckers being vindicated.

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: 2024.10.12 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.



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