ELD departures fewer than expected, and other good news

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The trucking industry has seen many changes since last December’s ELD implementation, but few went exactly as planned. For example, only 3% of 645 surveyed still plan to quit driving, while previously 30% were predicted to depart.

Full compliance begins in April. Whether the departure numbers rise as a result is uncertain. However, though the industry is mostly compliant with the law, the reduction in productivity is far higher than imagined. Drivers cover 67% fewer miles than the mere 3-5% reduction projected.

While everyone knows the competition for carriage is soaring, the fact that rates have grown 40% in less than six months may be news to some. In addition, the rate increase parallels the fact that there are currently more than 50 loads for every available truck. Thanks to this ultra-tight capacity, rig detentions of more than two hours are growing less common; drivers will simply replace a slow-running shipper with one more likely to run on time.

Finally, it will come as no shock that insurance carriers are watching the ELD changeover closely. Violations will result in rate increases, driving down a driver’s desirability.

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Could Millennials solve the driver shortage?

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The driver shortage could be addressed by a progressive program for obtaining a CDL plus a lowered legal age for state line crossings. This could also help draw more millennials into driving for the freight transport industry, reports Nicole Spector for NBC in the following article.

In addition, low numbers of female drivers contribute to the industry driver shortage. Even seemingly popular companies like UPS struggle with this issue. UBS trucks generally pose no mechanical obstacles for women. However, the issue of personal safety continues to plague those tasked with uncertain delivery locales.

Finally, a fresh assessment of the future of autonomous vehicles and their impact on drivers.

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Danger Lurking Ahead, Truck Drivers Beware of the Most Dangerous Roads

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Now that the holiday season is here, more and more vehicles are clogging the nation’s roadways, presenting an even tougher job for truck drivers on the road.  Zonar, a producer of smart fleet management technology, has compiled a list of the 10 most dangerous roads you should consider avoiding this time of year – and even the rest the year.

During the holiday season, there are about 36% more vehicles on the road, according to Zonar. Most of the increased traffic is made up of passenger cars (23%), delivery fleets (10%), and people-carriers, such as buses (3%), according to Zonar.  Winter weather and decreased daylight add to the stress of holiday travel. All this makes it even more dangerous for truck drivers.

Knowing which stretches of road are the most dangerous for trucks can help potentially decrease your chances of getting into an accident and help keep other drivers safe – by adjusting routes or schedules, varying driving times and loads, or increasing inspections and checkpoints.  And, you might be surprised to find that that there are roads list from every region of the country

According to the DOT, here’s a list based on total accident volume between 2013 -2016:

  1. I-10 in Alabama
  2. I-95 in Florida
  3. HWY-75 in Idaho
  4. I-40 in Arkansas
  5. US-1 in Florida
  6. M-20 in Michigan
  7. I-80 Nebraska
  8. HWY-5 in Colorado
  9. I-70 in Maryland
  10. SC-35 South Carolina

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Image from Zonar.

 

Places truck drivers can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner on the road

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Image from RestaurantNews.com.

Working as a truck driver sometimes means spending holidays on the road.  Don’t miss out on a traditional Thanksgiving meal while away from home. Here are a few restaurants where you can get traditional holiday fare on Thanksgiving Day.

Applebee’s

Select Applebee’s nationwide offers a special Thanksgiving Day meal featuring turkey breast, mashed potatoes, gravy, and garlicky green beans. However, not all restaurants remain open, so call ahead for holiday hours and availability.

Boston Market

Boston Market remains open Thanksgiving Day for a traditional, delicious plated meal.  Individual meals are $12.99, offering Sliced Roasted Turkey Breast or Half Signature Rotisserie Chicken, served with 2 sides, a dinner roll and a slice of apple or pumpkin pie.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Cracker Barrel serves a special in-store Thanksgiving meal from 11 am until close. This traditional Homestyle Turkey n’ Dressing Meal comes complete with gravy, a sampling of sugar cured ham, sweet potato casserole, cranberry relish, and a choice of a country side. In addition, receive a beverage, buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins, and a slice of pumpkin pie. The Homestyle Turkey n’ Dressing Meal is available for $12.99 per adult.

Golden Corral

Golden Corral offers a Thanksgiving Day Buffet at participating locations. The buffet includes carved turkey, carved ham, fried chicken, rotisserie chicken, pot roast, meat loaf, sirloin steak, fried shrimp and much more. Call ahead for special holiday hours.

Marie Callender’s

Adults enjoy a Thanksgiving meal for $21.99. Starters include fresh baked golden cornbread, a cup of potato cheese or hearty vegetable soup or a crisp house salad. Also, entrees include choice of Freshly Roasted Turkey Dinner or Oven-Baked Ham. In addition, it includes seasonal vegetables, fire-roasted yams with cranberry streusel topping and potatoes.

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Exercises Truck Drivers Can Do on the Road

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As a truck driver, you spend most of your time on the road, making it a challenge to stay fit.  Your time is limited and access to equipment is a problem.  Here are 5 quick exercises you can easily perform on the road without any equipment:

Hand Stretch

Hand stretches can help relieve some of the stiffness or pain related to steering all day.  When you stop to refuel or take a break, rotate your wrist left and right or in a circle. Stretch your wrist by placing the fingertips of one hand on top of the steering wheel. Gently press your weight into your hand and hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Repeat with the other hand.

Abdominal Crunch

Strengthen your abs while you’re on the road. Squeeze your abdominal muscles and hold it for the entire length of your favorite song, podcast or news report. If you are unable to squeeze your abdominal muscles for that long, then aim to squeeze them for at least one to two minutes. Repeat at every red light or for every favorite song that comes on the radio.

Planks

Plank exercises help strengthen your back, arm and leg muscles, as well as your core. Find a spot where there is room to stretch out, start off the exercise by getting on your hands and knees. Place your forearms and hands onto the ground with your palms facing downward. Kick back your legs so that you are placing your weight on your toes. Your entire body should maintain a straight line. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

Shoulder Shrugs

Help relieve the stress and tension from your shoulder area with shoulder shrugs. Try this exercise while stopped at a red light, waiting on a shipper or taking a break.  Lift your shoulders up to your ears as if you’re saying “I don’t know.” Hold the position for a few seconds then release. Perform 10 to 15 reps throughout the day whenever you are feeling tensed or stressed.

Push-Ups

Strengthen your arms and chest with some push-ups.  You can do regular push-ups keeping your legs extended behind you and your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.  Mix things up with a diamond push-up where your hands are placed in a diamond shape directly under your chest.  Or, increase the degree of difficulty by propping your feet up on the bumper of your truck.

Photo courtesy of Men’s Health.

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Man becomes ‘best friends’ with trucker after rescuing him from burning rig

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livetrucking.com

A man who ran towards a fire to save a trucker stuck in his burning rig last month says God put him there to rescue the driver. The wreck happened last month in Albany, Oregon, but the two still visit each other frequently as the truck driver continues to recover.

According to Statesman Journal, truck driver Terence Jay Shaw was driving on northbound Interstate 5 on the morning of September 1st when he lost control and crashed into an overpass. The force of the impact set his rig on fire and the truck erupted into flames.

As the truck burned with Shaw still inside, Chuck Zeitler came upon the wreck from the southbound side of I-5. Zeitler saw the flames and heard someone screaming for help, so he laid down his motorcycle and rushed to the scene of the fire, pushing through a crowd of people videoing the incident on their phones.

Zeitler ran up to the truck and pulled Shaw out of the burning wreckage and away from the fire. The truck then exploded.

A Lasting Friendship is Formed

Since then, Shaw has been recovering in the burn unit at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, where Zeitler visits him frequently.

Image from livetrucking.com.

“We’re best friends now, only because my relief was stuck in traffic, so I had to wait for him to arrive.  If I’d have left at the regular time, I never would have happened upon the wreck.”

– Zeitler humbly explains how circumstances led him to rescue the trucker and gain a best friend.

 

Despite the praises from the Shaw family, Zeitler shared God put him in the right place at the right time. He simply acted on his instincts after 24 years as a Navy boiler operator.

Zeitler is an elder member of Fusion Faith Center in Albany and recently became a pastor.  He plans on opening a church for bikers soon, as he believes it is his “calling.”

Shaw is still recovering from the wreck. He has had multiple skin grafts on his right arm and side and currently has 23 stitches.

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Truck Drivers Hydrate Baby Elephant, Bring Him To Sanctuary

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Some truck drivers were on their way through Botswana last weekend when a baby elephant popped out of the bushes by the side of the road.

The drivers, from AfriAg transport company in Johannesburg, South Africa, had stopped because of a downed bridge in their path when the baby elephant appeared, seeming to ask them for help.

The men approached the tiny elephant cautiously. As they got closer, they realized he seemed terribly thirsty, so they let him drink from one of their own water bottles.

And even though the men scanned the horizon, neither the baby’s mother nor his herd was anywhere in sight.

The truck drivers knew they had to do something more than just give the roughly 3-week-old elephant a drink of water. So they loaded him into their truck and, after the bridge was fixed, they dropped him off at a nearby sanctuary.

“According to our information, the baby was taken to Botswana Elephant Sanctuary,” Paul Oxton, founder and director of Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation, told The Dodo. “In our opinion Botswana as a whole has one of the most remarkable, ethical and compassionate wildlife conservation strategies in the world.”

Indeed, the country recently banned elephant riding and has taken real steps to conserve elephants and their habitat, serving as a model for other countries.

“Because of the efficacy of the nationwide strategy, we trust that this baby will get the very best treatment and care possible,” Oxton explained.

“Baby elephants are notoriously fragile,” Oxton said. “Even if he’s treated very well and appears to be strong at first, it might still be a long road before it can be claimed that he has fully recovered.”

Update: The elephant is now at Elephants without Borders and “doing very well,” according to Chantelle Beyleveld, a friend of the rescuers who posted the video and photos of the rescue on Facebook, in an email to The Dodo. “Carlos, one of the drivers who helped, told me that she was so thirsty that she drank nearly 30 liters of water … My reason for posting [the photos and video] was to show the people that truckers also have a heart and will go out of their way to help.”

Red the full story here.

thedodo.com