Truckers could pay $216 in Trans-Texas Corridor tolls
If the first leg of the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor is actually built paralleling Interstate 35, it could be a very expensive toll road for big trucks.

The Waco Tribunereported that the Texas Department of Transportation’s master plan calls for charging trucks 58.5 cents per mile.

If that were the case, it would cost $216.45 to run the full 370 miles of the corridor – nearly four times what four-wheelers would pay.

A manager with Old Dominion Freight Lines told the Tribune the company plans to send its trucks on the existing I-35 and avoid the tolls altogether.

Four-wheelers on the Trans-Texas Corridor would pay 15.2 cents per mile.

It’s not about saving money, it’s about destroying America’s sovereignty. I knew this before, this only confirms it.

Originally posted 2006-12-06 08:22:47.

FMCSA: high driver turnover and crashes linked
WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration concluded from a recent study that driver turnover has an impact on crash involvement for commercial truck drivers.

I’ve changed jobs more than a few times.

The wrecks I’ve had, (small fender bender or backing into something) have been when I was new to driving, not new to a company. Trucking is trucking. Driving for a different company means different customers and unfamiliar areas, but most OTR drivers go to new places all the time.

One reason for the study is FMCSA’s goal to reduce the large truck fatality rate by 41 percent from 1996 to 2008, or in other words, a rate of 1.65 fatalities per 100 million miles of truck travel.

Truck fatality rates have been on a downward trend for the last several years. They make it sound like turnover is the sole cause of truck wrecks.

“The purpose of this study, therefore, was to gain a better understanding of the extent to which truck crashes during long-haul, over-the-road operations can be linked to churning among commercial drivers, and to identify strategies with the greatest potential to improve driver retention and safety.”

FMCSA found that a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) driver with two or more different jobs in two years had a higher risk of being crash-involved than a CMV driver with less than two different jobs or a more stable employment history. The risk is gradual at first, then accelerates as the job change rate increases.

If you have more than two different jobs or more in two years, there may be something else going on besides just job hopping for greener pastures.

FMCSA identified six areas where specific changes hold the potential to improve driver retention and safety: selection and hiring; training procedures; dispatch operations; working conditions for long-haul operators; safety-related rewards and incentives; and improving perceptions of the truck driving profession.

Thank goodness for the FMCSA! Thanks for stating the obvious. Wonder how much that study cost us.

Originally posted 2008-10-29 04:00:00.

I get treated like dirt and looked down on like I was lower than scum.

It could be worse, I’m not wearing a name tag slinging burgers or a mop somewhere.

I have nothing, but I owe nothing.

Society needs me. Not every driver can be home every day or every weekend. I work weekends and holidays like they were any other day.

I can help someone in trouble along the road, I can kill a family of six in the blink of an eye.

Kids look up to me as their parents drive by cursing.

I’m tied between government regulations and trying to keep the customer happy and still make a living.

I can see the wonder and excitement in kids eyes as they stare upwards towards the cab, their arms pumping up and down pulling imaginary air horns, wanting to hear the real thing.

I am part of a culture that everyone sees, but no one understands.

Truckers still have that same mystique and romantic image of cowboys of long ago. Just like cowboys, people see the best of the job. The travel and adventure. The handling of a massive piece of equipment like it was another limb.

And like cowboys they don’t see the boredom and loneliness. The long hours, the hard work and small pay. I don’t get paid much, but I work a lot so it adds up.

The road turns from being a driver’s passion to a driver’s addiction. Just like any other addiction, it’s a love / hate relationship.

I have a several million coworkers, yet I work alone.

I am cursed when driving too slow, I am cursed when I’m driving too fast.

I am feared, I am respected, I am hated and despised. But I am still depended on to help others when asked.

I am King of the road with ethics of the Knights of the Roundtable. Yet I am looked on as killer and vagrant.

I am not responsible for my coworkers. But, when one of us makes a mistake, it is a mistake done by us all.

I am blamed if something is not on the store shelf. But I don’t get credit when the shelves are full.

I cause the accidents, I prevent the accidents. I can save a life or take a life.

No one watches over my shoulder, but I still have tremendous responsiblity. I am my own worst critic and slave driver.

If I made a list of positives and negatives about this job, the negatives list would be ten times longer then the positives. But I love the positives so much that the negatives aren’t that important.

My coworkers like myself, are independent, yet dependent on one another sometimes for survival. Most times just for companionship.

My mistakes can make the evening news. My accomplishments are taken for granted.

I have abandoned the material and “normal” world. I have nothing, yet I have everything.

I have not abandoned society. I work in order for society to be what it is, yet society has abandoned me.

I am not religious, yet I am incredibly spiritual. Seeing all the wonders of life as well as all the death and destruction, one can not help but believe there is someone higher and someplace better. I firmly believe that
I am unconditionally loved and forgiven in spite of the wrongs I have done. That Jesus died in order for me to have that love and forgiveness.

I have that love and forgiveness, understanding and acceptance in heaven. A little of that here on earth would be nice. I am finding out that finding someone to share the above mentioned life and to give that love and acceptance unconditionally must be asking even God too much. If it happens, it happens. If not I’ll still survive.

I am, and try to be the Simple Man. A man with honor and integrity. A Simple Man that knows the difference between materialism and realism and the importance of relationships. All relationships.

The importance of people and those relationships are first and foremost. The relationship of family and friends, to the janitor or waitresses. I feel that I treat everyone with the respect any human deserves until given reason not to.

Wayne Weisser, Driver.

Originally posted 2008-05-18 08:35:26.

You want to know why there’s a driver shortage, from my own personal experience?

My girlfriend went to CDL school (mill) and kept in contact with a classmate that went to drive for Covenant Transport. He’s not driving anymore. Quit after two months. First month with his trainer he describes as ‘hell on earth’. He was a complete jerk and treated him like crap. Then he has to ‘team’ with another rookie for a month. This ‘kid’ (his words), kept getting the truck into places he couldn’t get out of, among other things.

Covenant’s website advertises .27 cents a mile for 1 year. At 3000 miles a week, 50 weeks a year that’s about $37,000. On the surface, that’s not that bad, but you can’t get 3000 a week every single week. And how many hours does it take to get that (dispatched) 3000 miles. Between loading and unloading and everything else that keeps us off the road. I can’t believe Covenant makes their drivers stay out three weeks or more before they get a couple of days at home. Plus making their rookies team for peanuts while they rake in the dough and don’t give a rat’s butt about their people.

My Army buddy (from long, long time ago) started trucking because of the good luck I had with it and I don’t think he lasted six months. (I must have forgot to mention the hard work and all the b.s. I had to put up with to get to where I’m at. Sorry Ron!) He was so disgusted with it, he won’t even tell me what happened. And he was with a company that got him home every weekend.

I’m in the shop bugging the service writer about my truck when a Polish immigrant that drives for the local trash hauler asks about his company truck. I’ve noticed the ‘Drivers Wanted’ sign outside their building and I ask him how much they pay. He tells me $110 a day. I ask, "Is that for eight hours?" That’s for 6 trips. Sometimes it’s 8, sometimes it’s 10 or 12 depending on traffic. For eight hours, that’s not bad, but for 10 or 12 hours, THAT’S FREAKIN’ PITIFUL!!! ‘cuse me, was I yelling? But his response – at least he’s home everyday. Driving a trash trailer from the transfer station to the dump isn’t that exciting or demanding but that’s less then $10 an hour. But at least he’s home everyday. That’s sad.

Speaking of Polish immigrants, there seems to be more and more Polish truck drivers. I’m constantly getting stopped in truck stops and asked really stupid questions by drivers with east European accents. I’d like to know who’s bringing in all these immigrants and why and how much.

Today, I’m watching this truck back into a spot at the truck stop. Easy, plenty of room, curb on one side, empty space on the other. This guy backs over the curb and is half way down the parking space with half his trailer on top of the curb before he stops and pulls forward and tries again. Hello… How about keeping an eye on your trailer when your backing up? I’m constantly reminding Cindy about watching the trailer.

And then there’s this guy that doesn’t even see his trailer run over the bum he just gave a dollar to!

Truck Driver Gives Panhandler $1, Then Strikes and Kills Man as He Drives Away
The Associated Press
Published: Nov 19, 2004

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – A truck driver gave a panhandler $1, then struck and killed the man as he drove his rig away. Police said it was possible the driver didn’t know what happened.

Michael Burns, 43, who had no known address, was standing near an interstate ramp Thursday and holding a cardboard sign: "Homeless. Need Help. God Bless."

Witnesses and police said a trucker who was stopped for a red light gave a dollar to Burns. As the truck started making a left turn, its trailer knocked Burns down, and two sets of the truck’s tires ran over him.

The truck had no identifiable markings, and witnesses weren’t able to get a tag number.

Officer Randall Ward said it appears to be an accident.

"A dollar cost him his life," he said.

That’s just plain sad. Schools only teach enough to pass the test that they administer. Companies only train enough to let them loose on society and then wonder why no one wants to truck. All the whining about driver shortage is only going to allow them to import more immigrants (including Mexicans) at pitiful wages. It’s enough to make my head explode. I needed a break. But I’m back and recharged and ready to take on the stupidity of it all.

Originally posted 2004-11-20 22:53:07.

Since we live in Vegas and were on the road, our house was empty and we offered it to the boss and his family. When we came home we still shared our house with them. We had stayed with them when we were in town (in the old HQ) so it was only right we open our home to them since it was empty or we had the space even when we were home.

It’s a small but growing company. A few trucks has turned into about 25 with a brokerage and now a warehouse. It’s been a lot of work and he has been very open about everything. A HUGE education for myself. I’m definitely happy with what we are doing and am positive we made the right choice in who to drive for.

I’m sure all CEO’s start out with the same vision and intentions of treating everyone right. If that changes I’ll be the first one in his office to let him know.

Originally posted 2006-06-02 21:27:00.

News::Disturbing Toll Road Accident Statistics.

Just 24-hours after this latest crash, Indiana
State Police release disturbing statistics about the number of deadly
accidents between cars and semis on the Toll Road.

In the last 2-1/2 years, there have been thirty fatal accidents on the
Indiana Toll Road. State Police statistics show 23 of them involved
semis.

But lets skip past the interviews with troopers that say they are going to crack down on truckers and past the interview with the trucker that says the few bad apples need to be taken off the road (which they do).

Tackett says, “It’s frustrating but we’ll deal with it and we’re going
to get it under control. It’s not like I’m picking on them. It’s right
there in black and white.”

It’s right here in “black and white“. Okay, here it is (from the same article) –

Of the 23 fatal accidents involving semis, state police say 13 of the drivers were cited for causing the accident.

More than 10-million semi trucks travel the 156-mile stretch of the Indiana Toll Road every year.

In the last 2-1/2 years 13 truckers caused less then half of the fatal wrecks. So, that means – in 2-1/2 years, 24,999,987 truckers DIDN’T cause a fatal wreck. Pretty disturbing statistic indeed!!! If the media can’t report bad news, they make the good news sound bad. Even one fatality is too many, but is 13 caused by truckers in 2 1/2 years reason to sound the alarm???

Originally posted 2006-08-14 04:01:00.