Preliminary Legal Steps for a Commercial Truck Driver Following an Accident

Preliminary Legal Steps for a Commercial Truck Driver Following an Accident 

Commercial truck drivers should be trained to take a few initial steps to support their legal case following an accident. These steps are possible only if the driver is not injured, or not involved in helping other injured individuals at the scene of the accident.
Obeying the Authorities

From a legal perspective, the first thing on the driver’s mind should be to call up the police, even if no one is injured in the accident. Secondly, the driver must remember to stay at the scene of accident until the police arrive, and leave the scene only when the police so directs.

File a Comprehensive Report
Commercial truck drivers should be trained to make a comprehensive accident report that includes even minute information related to the accident. The report should be completed as early as possible so that the driver can recollect maximum details of the accident. The report should include detailed information about the physical injuries or property damage caused in the accident. The cause of the accident and the role played by each involved party should be recorded as accurately as possible.
If possible, the driver should ask for and note down the contact details, vehicle registration, and driver’s license number of the other driver involved in the accident. The details about the other driver’s insurance company and the insurance policy number should also be recorded. Thereafter, the driver should try to identify any eyewitnesses or third parties that may be related to the accident.
Their contact information should be noted for future reference. The time, date, and location of the accident, the position of the colliding vehicles, weather, and traffic conditions, and any other factors pertinent to the accident should also be recorded as a part of the accident report. A comprehensive report will serve as crucial piece of information and evidence later on when the case is examined under the law.
Tips for the Driver
If the commercial truck driver is carrying a mobile phone with a camera, it may be a good idea to photograph the scene of accident and the original position of the vehicles involved in the accident. This can prove to be the most crucial physical evidence in many personal injury cases involving a commercial truck.
The drivers should also be trained against making any unnecessary statements or remarks that may go against their own defense later on. Careless argumentation and recklessly accusing the other parties should be avoided. The driver should refrain from admitting fault because he or she may not know whose fault it may actually be under the state laws. The driver should also refuse to sign any document or statement except for what the police may officially require.

GET TO KNOW TNT SALES STAFF:

Sherri Benkelman started at TNT Sales in April of 2010 as a Trailer Prospecting Consultant on a volunteer basis.    Her role was to make cold calls and send emails to organizations around the country to see if they had equipment for sale.  The goal during this time frame was for Sherri to learn and understand the Semi Trailer Industry.  Prior to coming to this industry Sherri was in Pharmaceutical Sales and Software Sales.  Later that year Sherri became an Independent Sales Contractor for TNT Sales on a full time basis.  Sherri is the only female Independent Sales Contractor in the TNT Organization and offers a new perspective on the business.  She is not from this industry however over the past 2.5 years has learned a lot and will go the extra step in making sure your requested applications for a trailer are met.  Sherri is happily married and has 3 wonderful children . 

Get To Know TNT Sale Staff-

Charlie Blyth

Charlie has been with TNT Sales since 2005. He was top salesman for TNT Sales in 2006 and every year since. Charlie was promoted to VP of Sales in 2007 and currently occupies this position. Charlie was recently elected to the National Trailer Dealers Association  (NTDA) Board of Directors. Prior to working for TNT Sales, Charlie played 6 years of professional hockey.  He also serves as Camp Director (held the position for last (5) years) of Hockey Ministries International (HMI) youth hockey camp in St.Louis.  Charlie serves on the Pastor’s Council at his Church as well as the Family Leadership Team and is a Sunday School Teacher in Children’s ministry

Brake-related OOS Violations in 15.3 Percent Vehicles During Safety Week 

At least one in seven vehicles chosen for inspection during the recently held Brake Safety Week had brake-related out-of-service (OOS) violations. The inspections were conducted by commercial vehicle inspections who participated in the week-long annual program. The program includes an enforcement and education campaign that focuses on regulatory compliance of bus and truck brake system maintenance.

Nothing Special
Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is the official sponsor of the event. CVSA stated that the violation rates were comparable to recent years, but have edged up slightly for a second consecutive year. The rate of violations is lower than in 2007 and 2008, but slightly higher than the period between 2009 and 2011.
By the Numbers
The OOS rates for inspections in the U.S. were higher than in Canada, which is consistent with earlier results. 10.8 percent of the vehicles in Canada were placed OOS for brakes, compared to 15.3 percent in the U.S. On the parameter of brake adjustment, 9.6 percent of vehicles in the U.S. were placed OOS for poor brake adjustment during the Safety Week, compared to 5.5 percent in Canada.
Not Good Enough
Stephen A. Keppler, Executive Director of CVSA, said: “Commercial vehicles with OOS violations are considered imminent hazards to highway safety. Stopping distances of trucks and buses are longer than passenger cars and they increase significantly with many of the brake violations found during these inspections. The good news is that eight of 10 trucks were compliant, however, the slight increase in out-of-service violations is troubling. Our goal is safe vehicles, drivers, and roadways. We will not tolerate anything less than 100 percent compliance with the safety rules of our roads.”
Safety is Paramount
CVSA members conduct nearly four million safety inspections in a year. The comprehensive North American Standard Level I inspection includes the inspection of brakes always. Brake Safety Week is a part of CVSA’s Operation Airbrake Program conducted in association with U.S. Department of Transportation. Anne S. Ferro, an FMCSA Administrator, said: “Bad brakes on a large truck or bus are a danger to all motorists. Brake Safety Week is a timely reminder for those who cut corners on brake safety that we are watching.”

GET TO KNOW TNT SALES STAFF:

Boyd A. Benkelman

Boyd A. Benkelman is the Director of Nationwide Expansion for TNT Sales. Boyd has been with TNT Sales for over two years. He has spent most of his career in sales with majority of it in promotional and mortgage sales.

Boyd is in charge of growing the acquisition and sales of used equipment by sourcing and electronic consignment. His first priority is to source used trailers for TNT stock inventory though outbound marketing. Second priority is to “data mine” to collect mailing and email addresses so we can keep in touch and promote the sales of our inventory. He is also responsible to market and sell the trailers that are sourced and not bought by TNT Sales for stock. Lastly he is responsible to expand and improve upon our current marketing efforts. This is done through social networking.

Boyd was born and raised in St. Louis MO and has two daughters.

So if you have a trailer or trailers you would like to sell please contact Boyd at 877-353-2962 or boyd.tnt@gmail.com

Meet the owner of TNT Sales

Meet the owner.

 

Bill Weiss is the sole owner of TNT Sales with over 20 years experience in the semi trailer industry.  He is living proof that as a American you have opportunity to start out as a basic mechanic and work your way up to owning a multimillion corporation. 

 

Bill joined the United States Marine Corps on his 17^th birthday and after graduating Mehlville High School later that year went on to serve 5 years as a jet mechanic.  After leaving the Corps he could not find work as a jet mechanic so he took a job at Fruehauf Trailer Corp in St. Louis MO as a Apprentice Mechanic.  With a solid work ethic and a desire for his employer to succeed Bill proved himself to be a valuable employee and earned the recognition of the Fruehauf Management.  In less than a year he was promoted to a journeyman mechanic and in that same year was given a sales opportunity when one of the veteran salesmen left for another job.  Bill quickly adapted to sales and within his first full year as a salesman was in the top ten of all Fruehauf salesmen, over 100 at the time.  Each year after Bill was in the top five with at least one year ending the #1 Salesman at Fruehauf Trailer Corp.

 

While at Fruehauf their Los Angeles branch was struggling because of lack of trailer sales.  Bill was sent to that branch and was able to turn it around into a profitable location for Fruehauf.  During that same period of time Fruehauf was purchased by Wabash National and Bill decided that he would not be a good fit for their culture and moved on to Transcraft Corporation as their National Sales Manager.

 

Under Bills leadership at Transcraft, Bill grew the market share of Transcraft from around 20% to over 40%.  He was instrumental to the introduction of the Eagle II and implementation of sales programs that encouraged their dealer network to stock trailers and capture more fleet sales.  Bill had personally helped the dealer network close hundreds of new trailer deals resulting in thousand of new trailers to be built.  Additionally Bill had introduced the leadership of Wabash National to Transcraft and through that relationship Transcraft began to build Wabash flatbeds and drop decks under a private label agreement.  That relationship ended when Wabash National bought out Transcraft and they are a wholly owned subsidiary of Wabash today. 

 

After leaving Transcraft Bill was the National Sales Manager for Manac Trailer USA’s Oran plant which was purchased from CPS Trailers.  Manac introduced and started to build the all aluminum flatbed at that plant.  It was Bill’s responsibility to get that product out to the US market focusing on owner operators and fleets.  During that time Bill had landed the largest single order of all aluminum flats sold to CRST. 

 

During his years in manufacturing with Transcraft and Manac Bill realized that he missed the retail aspect of trailer sales.  He left Manac and with the help of Great Western Leasing out of Los Angeles CA opened a retail branch for them in St. Louis, ironically in the old Fruehauf branch which had gone out of business.  They were a great help and were a growing company in trailer sales and leasing.  Bill had a desire to do more than just trailer sales and leasing.  He wanted to be a full service dealership with trailer repair and parts sales.  That was not a direction that Great Western wanted to go so in July of 2004 Bill incorporated and TNT Sales was born.

 

TNT Sales started out in Bill’s home office and was joined by Charlie Blyth as his first employee and salesman.  Quickly the home office was too small for the two of them and they rented a office and small yard in a strip mall not far from Bills home.  At that office we added 3 more sales people and started the repair business with three mechanics. 

 

The strip mall office quickly was outgrown and TNT Sales move to Villa Ridge MO where we are today.  Since moving to Villa Ridge we have acquired three properties (two shop’s and one yard with the sales office).  We have more than 25 full time employees now with a full service shop, parts department, rental fleet and of course trailer sales. 

 

TNT Sales represents 9 different new trailer lines, Manac, Fontaine, Dorsey, Doonan, Chaparral, XL Specialized, Talbert, Vantage and Trailmobile.  We are a top dealer for Manac and Fontaine selling over 500 new trailers this past year.  We also are one of the Midwest’s largest used trailer dealer selling over 1,000 used trailers this past year.  We specialize in flatbeds, drop decks, curtain sides, low boys, RGN’s, combine RGN’s and all other types of semi-trailer.

 

Bill’s philosophy has always been to make sure that the customer is treated in a fair and respected manner.  If we sell you a used trailer and there is a problem we did know about we have always fixed it or offered to buy the trailer back.  We do things different here at TNT Sales.  If you buy a used trailer off of our Villa Ridge yard it has been through our shop.  It will be safe, functional and look as new as a used trailer can.  We do what it takes to give you the best looking used trailer so that your image is upheld with good looking used equipment.

 

If new is more your speed we try to stock the trailer that you would need.  We have hundreds of new trailers on order and in stock including all aluminum flats and drops, combo flats and drops, stretch flats and drops, mechanical and hydraulic RGN’s.  Just about every type of platform oriented trailer that you could need.

 

We are here for you.  We want your trailer buying experience to be a pleasant one and that you have confidence with the product that you pull.

New Trailers on the Ground

We have the trailers on the ground available now. Please contact me at phone number below.

Boyd Benkelman
636-451-2100

(6) NEW 2013 Manac 53'-72' tri-axlesteel drop decks, fixed air ride, tridem, 60" spread, double pipe spools, pull plates between uprights of bumper, winch track on driver's side, LED lights, 22.5 tires on steel wheels. FOB Champlain NY or Montreal Quebec Canada 19,200# +/-3%.

(10) Now (5) later this month NEW 2013 Fontaine Infinity TX Twist lock drop decks! 53 x 102, aluminum rear, sides and floor with (4) Apitong wood nail strips, 10' front deck with 18" king pin, (16) pair of chain ties in floor, 122" widespread air ride with a rear axle slide, trailer is CA legal in the forward position, LP 22.5 on outside aluminum wheels, rear axle dump, winch track both sides with (12) sliding winches, spare tire carrier, (4) pair of twist locks to carry two 20' containers or one 40' container, 12,284#'s. FOB Villa Ridge MO and Haleyville AL.

(11) Now (6) later this month NEW 2013 Fontaine Infinity 53 x 102 air ride flatbeds! Aluminum front, rear, sides and floor with (4) Apitong nail strips, (22) pair of pop up chain ties, 122" widespread air ride that is CA legal in the forward and closed position, road side winch track with (12) sliding winches, rear axle dump valve, LP 22.5 on outside aluminum wheels 10,854# +/- 3%. FOB Villa Ridge MO and Haleyville AL.

(2) Now (3) Later this month New 2013 Dorsey 48 to 80 S-T-R-E-T-C-H flats! All steel construction with 24" king pin, 6" structural "C" channel side rail, crossmembers on 12" centers, Apitong floor, Hutch spring ride slider, 11 R 22.5 on steel disc wheels, drivers side winch track with 12 sliding winches, LED lights, double pipe spools, stake pockets front and rear. FOB Elba AL.

Natural Gas Conversion

Many Trucking Companies Testing Natural Gas Conversion

The high price of diesel has many trucking companies looking for cheaper option when it comes to fuel. There are many obstacles in the short-term, but companies such as Wal-Mart and United Parcel Service are converting a small percentage of their vehicles to natural gas as a way to test the feasibility of switching over their fleets completely. Con-Way Freight is launching a program this spring to convert two of their Chicago area trucks to run on compressed natural gas instead of diesel fuel. They chose the Chicago area as their test market because CNG is available there, while it is not widely available in other parts of the country. Con-Way spokespeople said that the company will likely convert more of their trucks if the test is successful.

Reasons Companies are Considering Natural Gas
Cost savings is the number one reason that companies are considering the move to liquefied natural gas or CNG. The current price of CNG is around one dollar per gallon, while diesel costs around $3.39 per gallon. The price of LNG is about one dollar per gallon less than diesel, but the price fluctuates just like all fuel products. Experts estimate that the price of natural gas is especially low right now because the mild winter has lessened demand. The price will likely increase with increased consumption.
Another reason that companies are considering the conversion is that trucks that are fueled by natural gas are significantly quieter than those fueled by diesel. The noise of diesel trucks has prompted many cities across the United States to enact laws to reduce the amount of time truckers are allowed to idle their vehicles.
Obstacles to Converting Semi Truck Fleets to Natural Gas Fuel
The cost of converting vehicles to natural gas from diesel is a significant obstacle in the race toward conversion. It currently costs about $65,000 more for a company to purchase a truck that runs on LNG than a similar model that runs on diesel fuel. The economy has caused many companies to tighten their belts, and most are unwilling to make such a large investment upfront. The cost of buying a truck that runs on CNG is less, at about $30,000 more than a standard diesel truck, but still a large investment.
Trucking companies are also unsure about the costs to maintain a natural gas powered engine versus a diesel powered engine. Cummins is expected to release an LNG powered engine this year that will be priced similarly to a diesel engine, making the choice to convert an easier decision for companies.
The other main reason that trucking companies are apprehensive about converting their fleets is the lack of LNG and CNG fueling stations in most areas of the country. Clean Energy Fuels Corporation, an alternative fuels company, is building 70 LNG stations in 2012 and is planning to open another 80 stations in 2013. They are building these stations along some of the busiest truck routes in the United States, about 250 to 300 miles apart so that trucks running on LNG can be fueled easily. Clean Energy is working with Flying J and Pilot to add LNG pumps at existing truck stops throughout the country.
It is likely to be years before there is a significant increase in the number of trucks on the road powered by LNG or CNG rather than diesel, but more companies are expected to experiment with alternative fuels in the coming years. The availability of LNG powered engines is likely to increase over the next five to ten years, and tax credits have been proposed for companies who switch their fleets to LNG.

Cellular Phone Rulings

CMV Drivers Don’t’ Touch That Cell Phone Before Reading This 

The Ban
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s, FMCSA, “Drivers of CMVs: Restricting the Use of [Handheld] Cellular Phones” ruling will be put into effect starting January 3, 2012. The ban is an industry wide ban on the use of all handheld cell phone devices and only carriers exempt from Missouri federal rulings will remain unaffected. Also, this new ruling will carry stiff penalties for drivers and any carriers who allow their drivers to violate the ban. The ban is not just while drivers are on the roadways, but also while sitting in traffic and even stopped at stop lights or signs.
The ban has been labeled as a severe traffic violation and the fines and penalties reflect as much. For each violation of the new ruling, truck drivers will be facing federal civil fines as high as $2,750. A second or third violation within a three year time frame will result in a 60 to 120 day CDL disqualification. In addition, the driver and the carrier’s CSA scores will be affected by any conviction of the ruling. Carriers will face an $11,000 fine for knowingly allowing their drivers to use handheld phones while operating their equipment. The complete ruling can be found here:  http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-02/html/2011-30749.htm.
The Reactions
Coming on the heels of the new CSA rules, many drivers feel this is yet another FMCSA ruling targeting drivers just to extract more fines from their pockets. The ruling was said to have been based on research and was enacted for safety issues, but most drivers use their CB far more than a cell phone yet CB radios were not included in the ban. This has left drivers asking why. Will Smith, a company long haul driver said, “If this was to reduce distracted drivers by banning the use of their hands to hold a phone, why not ban CB radio use while driving? We use our hands constantly to push and hold the key-up button on the mic.” A ban on CB communication while driving would prove too counterproductive as most drivers rely on it for road conditions and such. Also, there is no need to avert the eyes from the road to use a CB as with cell phones.
The few civilians aware of the new ruling feel a sense of relief knowing that the big rigs and busses they share the roadways with will now be even that more focused. They were pleased to learn a ban against texting for CMV drivers had already been enacted and this just adds to their peace of mind. However, most people outside of the industry are unaware of the ruling.
The Allowable
CMV drivers are allowed to use hands free cell phone devices and headsets. However, there are limitations and restrictions on these too. Drivers cannot reach for their phones, dial them or even hold them as long as they are driving or in the roadway at all. So, to be able to dial out while operating a CMV the phone must be equipped with one touch calling and/or voice activated dialing. Therefore, the use of headsets or a hands free system, such as the type that work through the speakers are mandatory for phone usage to avoid a citation and hefty fines.

The Growing Problem of Cargo Theft

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  
•  
•  

In the good old days truck drivers might have to worry about weigh stations, speed traps, other drivers not paying attention. Now, truck drivers have to worry about thieves stealing their cargo. Although this has always been somewhat of a concern, the number of thefts has increased dramatically. In the 1960’s, when cargo was stolen, it was more of a hijacking than theft. In the 60’s, cargo was often stolen by a hoodlum with mob ties holding a gun in the driver’s ribs and driving away with the merchandise. In the 2000’s, the theft is usually less dangerous but no less frustrating.

In 2009 there was $487 million in goods stolen from truckers in the United States. In 2008 there was $290 million stolen from truck drivers, or a 67% increase. There were over 850 loads stolen in 2009, in 2007 there were 672 stolen. As the national economy struggles, those numbers are likely to keep increasing.

The California Highway Patrol believes that more and more cargo thefts are being performed by individuals rather than organized criminals. The thieves camp out at a warehouse; follow the truck, sometimes for days and often miles. When the truck is left unattended, the thieves steal the cargo. This is usually accomplished in one of two ways. At truck stops, if a driver goes in to eat, use the restroom, or shower, the thieves may break into the rig and drive off with tractor and the trailer. Or, if a driver unhitches from his or her trailer in a drop-lot to run some errands, the thieves may hitch their own tractor to the trailer and take off.

Often, the stolen tractor and trailer or just trailer is found nearby, but the merchandise will have been removed to another trailer. Sometimes the trailer will have been painted or altered in some other way to slow the process of discovering that the trailer once carried the missing merchandise in order to slow pursuit. Unfortunately, more often than not, once the merchandise has been transferred to another trailer, catching the thieves is nearly impossible.
The average loss of merchandise when a trailer’s contents are stolen was $350,000 in 2009. Of course that problem is compounded in those instances when the thieves keep, destroy, or damage the tractor and or the trailer. For independent drivers, those losses can be devastating.

The most common freight targeted is electronics, food, clothing, pharmaceuticals, and cigarettes. These are items that can be easily resold to either smaller shops that might not be as interested in where the goods originated, or the stolen goods might be sold individually. Perhaps the most dangerous thefts are from trailers carrying pharmaceuticals. In February, 2009, a trailer with over $11 million worth of insulin was stolen. Contaminated medicine bought through the black market presents a major health concern.

Solutions

Haulers are investigating solutions to the cargo theft. One part of the solution includes knowing what kind of freight is most often stolen. Another solution is knowing what areas have the
most threats. Finally, owners are working on better ways to electronically track the merchandise and not just the tractors and trailers.

As the number of cargo thefts increase, cargo companies are cooperating with each other in order to decrease the number of thefts. The cooperation might be limited to loss prevention,
but with more people cooperating and keeping an eye out for thieves and helping each other be safer and keeping cargo safe, everyone wins. Insurance companies are also working with and helping the cargo companies do all they can to prevent loss. With the losses of cargo to thieves mounting, hauling companies and drives realize they have to do all they can to stop that trend.

Refurbished RGN trailer

Customer purchased this 2002 Trail King RGN stretch. We sandblasted, primed and customed painted this trailer for them.

Rising Cost of Fuel

Rising Cost of Fuel Drawing Fire from Industry Leaders

Trucker to Trucker is the premier online resource for buying and selling trucks and equipment and trucking related services. Today, we are looking at senior industry reaction to the rising cost of fuel:
Bill Graves, the CEO and President of the American Trucking Association, told members of the House Natural Resources Committee on March 31, 2011, that in order to allow affordable diesel fuel to the trucking industry, policymakers would have to step up.

In his written statement, Graves stated that there was no one way to solve the problem of high oil prices, that conservation and more drilling combined was the only way to relieve the issue.  He told the committee that the trucking industry will likely use 35 billion gallons of diesel fuel and will spend $135.8 billion dollars this year.  He noted that in 2010, the industry only spent $100.8 or so billion on fuel, and that the spike in cost has impacted the trucking industry negatively, causing them to raise their prices to pay for the more expensive fuel, and in some cases, to shut down.

Graves stated also that the new national speed limit of 65 miles per hour is not enough to cut the fuel prices.  While the speed limit increase does make the trucks more productive, there is still not enough fuel in supply to lower the cost.  In essence, Graves proposes that Congress take action to increase the U.S.’s production of crude oil here on the home front and that Congress should also urge the Obama administration to promote oil shale and coal-to-liquid and gas-to-liquid fuels, and should issue more permits for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Graves also criticized the government for failing to promote the development and growth of heavy duty vehicles that are powered by natural gas.  He says that the natural gas trucks cost twice what diesel powered trucks cost, so a tax credit might be necessary in order to allow companies to purchase these types of vehicles.
Finally, Graves suggests that Congress should place an incentive on LNG refueling station standardization – weight increases are assured with LNG (liquefied natural gas) trucks and that if there was a federal gross vehicle weight limit variance in place, companies would be more likely to adopt the LNG switchover.

White House launches National Clean Fleets Partnership

By Jeff Crissey

Published April, 04 2011

President Obama on Friday, April 1, announced the National Clean Fleets Partnership, a public-private partnership to help commercial vehicle fleets reduce diesel and gasoline use by sourcing electric vehicles, alternative fuels and fuel-saving measures into their daily operations. Through the partnership, the Department of Energy will assist companies in their efforts to reduce fuel use and achieve greater efficiency and cost savings by offering specialized resources, technical expertise and support. The partnership is part of the DOE Vehicle Technology Program’s Clean Cities initiative and will complement the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program by furthering efforts to improve efficiency in goods movement and reducing U.S. dependency on foreign oil.
The partnership includes five charter members representing some of the nation’s largest fleets with a collective 275,000 vehicles: AT&T, FedEx, PepsiCo, UPS and Verizon. According to the White House, their planned petroleum reduction strategies will account for the deployment of more than 20,000 advanced technology vehicles and annual petroleum displacement in excess of 7 million gallons.
As part of the announcement, DOE challenged other companies to join the effort. Participating companies will benefit from technical assistance, including peer-to-peer information exchange and collaboration with DOE and national laboratories surrounding research and development initiatives. In addition, group purchasing also will be available so that smaller companies can work with their larger peers to get the benefits of purchasing advanced vehicles in bulk.
The National Clean Fleets Partnership followed the president’s announced goal two days earlier of cutting America’s oil imports amount by one-third by 2025. The White House identified large commercial fleets as a key opportunity to reduce oil imports, “which with the proper incentives can offer significant potential reductions in fuel use,” according to a White House statement.
“Though many hurdles still remain and the path to success will not be easy, the sustainable business benefits of alternative fuels cannot be underemphasized,” said Scott Davis, UPS chairman and chief executive officer. “We must deal with the short-term problems of cost differentials and infrastructure to prepare for our long-term future.”

Mack Truck comes to CBS reality TV

Class 8 trucks come to CBS reality-TV series Undercover Boss this weekend, featuring Mack Trucks President and CEO Denny Slagle. The broadcast will be from 9-10 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20, Eastern and Pacific.

In making the episode, as with others in the series, the company president went undercover to work side-by-side with Mack employees at the Macungie, Pa., plant that assembles every Mack truck sold in North America; the Hagerstown, Md., plant that produces every Mack engine sold in North America; and the Baltimore, Md., distribution center that provides parts to Mack dealers and customers

FMCSA proposes to mandate EOBRs

January 31, 2011

 | by: Avery Vise

All interstate commercial truck and bus carriers that now use logbooks to track compliance with hours-of-service regulations would have to use electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs) instead under a proposed regulation issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Jan. 31.
The proposal would relieve carriers of the current requirement to retain certain HOS documents, such as delivery and toll receipts, that are now used to verify the number of hours the vehicle is in operation. Approximately 500,000 carriers would be affected by the proposed rule, FMCSA said.

Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ordered FMCSA to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on HOS supporting documents by yearend. In December, the court gave the agency another month — until Jan. 31 — to comply. The court order stemmed from a lawsuit the American Trucking Associations filed just over a year ago to compel FMCSA to move forward with a regulation as mandated by Congress in the mid-1990s.
By the time ATA filed its lawsuit, FMCSA had already announced that it was planning to link new regulations on supporting documents to an expansion of the EOBR mandate. In April 2010, FMCSA issued a final rule requiring carriers that have a history of serious log violations to install EOBRs. That rule takes effect in June 2012.
“We cannot protect our roadways when commercial truck and bus companies exceed hours-of-service rules,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said yesterday. “This proposal would make our roads safer by ensuring that carriers traveling across state lines are using EOBRs to track the hours their drivers spend behind the wheel.”
Interstate carriers that currently use records of duty status (RODS) logbooks to document drivers’ HOS would be required to use EOBRs. Short-haul interstate carriers that use timecards to document HOS would not be required to use them. Carriers that violate this EOBR requirement would face civil penalties of up to $11,000 for each offense. Noncompliance would also negatively impact a carrier’s safety fitness rating and DOT operating authority.
“This proposal is an important step in our efforts to raise the safety bar for commercial carriers and drivers,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro. “We believe broader use of EOBRs would give carriers and drivers an effective tool to strengthen their HOS compliance.”

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association saw it differently. “EOBRs are nothing more than over-priced record keepers,” said Todd Spencer, executive vice president of OOIDA. “This proposal is actually another example of the administration’s determination to wipe out small businesses by continuing to crank out overly burdensome regulations that simply run up costs.”

 

The organizations said EOBRs cannot accurately and automatically record a driver’s hours of service and duty status. They can only track the movement and location of a truck and require human interaction to record any change of duty status. Therefore, such as in the case of loading and unloading time, the device is incapable of determining the actual duty status of drivers without interaction from drivers indicating to the device that they are on-duty. Loading and unloading time should typically be logged as “on-duty, not driving” in order to accurately reflect the hours a driver has worked.

For more information, go to http://regulationroom.org/.

carrier EOBR,electronic logbook,electronic onboard recorders,EOBR,EOBR mandate,Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,FMCSA,FMCSA mandate EOBR,FMCSA regulations,HOS,hours of service,hours of service regulation,hours regulation,regulation,trucker news,Truckers News,truckersnews.com,trucking news

Freight index fell 0.3% in November

The Freight Transportation Services Index fell 0.3 percent in November from October, after increasing the two previous months, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported Jan. 12. 
     
BTS reported the Freight TSI has increased in 14 of the last 18 months. Through the first 11 months of 2010, the index declined 1.0 percent. For additional historic data, go to www.bts.gov/xml/tsi/src/index.xml.
     
The November Freight TSI of 98.5 is down 12.7 percent from its peak of 112.9 in May 2006.

The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments in ton-miles, which are then combined into one index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics,Freight Transportation Services Index,Freight TSI,trucker news,Truckers News,truckersnews.com,trucking news,U.S. Department of Transportation

TNT's Peterbilt

Thought we would share some photos of our Peterbilt.  Our driver takes pride in his rig!  He has personalized it with all kinds of chicken lights, chrome and polish!  His name is Jeff Owens and if you see him on the road post it on our Facebook page. !  By the way, we can deliver your trailer purchase...contact one of our sales reps if interested 636-451-2100.

Growth in" goods" sector of economy strengthening truck freight

The slow-to-recover economy can be explained as the tale of two phases, GDP growth and truck freight growth, according to analysts with FTR Associates. The GDP rose rapidly, then has slowed because there is less consumer consumption compared to earlier recessions. Senior analyst Neil Perry said tight credit, a slow-to-recover housing market (which accounts for 15 percent of the economy) and unemployment are hampering economic recovery. Growth is still occurring, particularly in the rise of durable goods spending and thanks to global economies like China and
emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia and India. FTR Associates said what will be the main holdup for trucking is conservative equipment replacement, which is expected to continue given the freshness of the downturn for many businesses.

Economy Recovering Stronger in Freight Than Other Areas

Analysts with FTR Associates took great pains to delineate the difference between GDP and truck freight growth in the current economic recovery during the transportation-forecasting firm’s latest Freight Focus webinar held yesterday. Noel Perry, senior consultant at FTR Associates and principal of Transport Fundamentals, pointed out that while certain “structural reasons” explain why the economic recovery overall will be slow, the “strength of the goods side of the economy has [already] made this a strong freight recovery.”
Perry said the “slow recovery on now is expected by most economists to continue.” He explained that GDP growth “accelerated rapidly” but then slowed over the last three quarters—staying below 3% growth. A key reason that growth slowed is because consumption (of goods and services) has been weak so far compared to earlier recessions.

The State of the Trucking Industry Remains Uncertain, Says ATA’s Graves

The current state of the trucking industry is “best described like beauty – right now it’s truly in the eyes of the beholder,” ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said during his annual State of the Industry address at ATA’s annual Management Conference and Exhibition in Phoenix.

“Each one of you is viewing the challenges and opportunities through very different sets of eyes,” Graves said. “Some see more of the former and some more of the latter. But, I can say with absolute certainty that, whatever you currently think about the state of the trucking industry, it will only get better if we continue to work together, be willing to lead, not just accept these changing times and continue to have faith in the essentiality of this great industry.”

Graves said he believed the recent locations of the trucking industry’s annual meeting have paralleled the state of the industry throughout the past few years, explaining that “two years ago, at the height of the economic crisis, we met in New Orleans, a city just recovering from its own crisis – the devastation of hurricane Katrina. It seemed fitting, as we were in the middle of what could only be described as our own “perfect storm.”

“Last year, in Las Vegas, we met just as there were hints that an economic recovery might be on the horizon – maybe lady luck was back on our side? And in many instances your business decisions in 2009 came down to a gamble-betting on how optimistic, or perhaps pessimistic, you felt,” Graves said.

This year, it’s appropriate that we’re meeting in Phoenix, a city founded in 1857 by a Civil War veteran who saw the land’s potential for agriculture, was given its name because it described a city born from the ruins of a former civilization, Graves said. “We’re looking to resurrect a trucking industry, not only from the economic ruins of the past two years, but also anticipating a “re-birth” influenced by a myriad of complicated national and international factors.”

In the last two year’s, we’ve experienced the worst recession in most of our lifetimes, political gridlock has slowed our nations democratic process, creating tremendous unrest by our citizens, and the proposed activist policy and regulatory agenda in Washington is rocking the entire US business community back on their heels. All these factors combined positions us for our very own “Phoenix” kind of moment, Graves said. However, the timing of that rise back to profitability, back to robust freight volumes, back to the need for new trucks and trailers, back to having headaches over where to find drivers, keeps eluding us. The timing of that moment has been speculated about for a good portion of this year, and now seems destined to be sometime in 2011.

“Rest assured,” Graves said. “Once our rise from the ashes is underway, we will have something positive to look forward to. And if the location of our meetings continues to prophesize the state of the industry, then meeting next year in Texas could only mean that bigger and better days are ahead.”

TNT's Inventory

You can now find TNT's inventory on Trucker To Trucker's website. To view our latest inventory please visit http://www.truckertotrucker.com/