New <b>trucking</b> industry image/education campaign launched

A diverse group of trucking stakeholders announced the launch of an industry-wide image and education campaign last week at the Mid-America Trucking Show.

Dubbed “Trucking Moves America Forward” (TMAF) was described as an education initiative designed to” inform policy makers, motorists and the public about the benefits of the trucking industry to help build a ground swell of political and grassroots support necessary to strengthen and grow the industry.”

“Today’s modern truck drivers are skilled professionals and devoted family men and women, trained to focus on safety, efficiency and reliability while operating the safest and most sustainable trucks we have seen to-date,” said Steve Ponder, chairman, Trucking Moves America Forward and vice president of Great West Casualty Company.

“Trucking is an important industry to our country, nearly every consumer good touches a truck along its journey and we are excited to share what makes trucking so special with the American people,” he added.

In addition to Ponder, other trucking executives such as TMAF vice-chairman Kevin Burch (Jet Express) spoke about “Trucking Moves America Forward” along with professional driver Allen Boyd and technician Herschel Evans. Innovative creative materials and resources – including an advertising campaign – are available online at www.TruckingMovesAmerica.com

“Trucking Moves America Forward is an on-going movement,” said Kevin Burch, TMAF vice chairman and president of Jet Express. “Trucking is critical to the American economy, injecting more than $642 million dollars into this country annually, and each person in the industry plays an important role in telling that story.”

“We plan to share those stories in the coming year and beyond with various initiatives,” said Mike Card chairman, fundraising for TMAF and president of Combined Transport, Inc. “The entire industry is excited as this campaign encompasses every sector within the industry and we welcome everyone’s support.”

Along with ACT 1, an initial founding member of the movement, other supporters include: Allison Transmission, American Trucking Associations (ATA), Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, Bridgestone Commercial Solutions, Bulldog Hiway Express, Castrol Heavy Duty Lubricants, Combined Transport, Inc., Cummins Inc., Daimler Trucks North America, Dana Holding Corporation, Detroit Diesel Corporation, Eaton Corporation – Roadranger, GE Capital, Goodyear, Great West Casualty Company, Hahn Transportation, Inc., Hendrickson, International, J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc., Jet Express, Inc., Kenworth Truck Company, Longistics, Love’s Travel Stops, Mack Trucks, Inc., Meritor, Michelin, Motor Carrier Service, Inc., Old Dominion Freight Lines, Omnitracs Inc., Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), Pegasus, Peterbilt Motors Company, Randall Reilly, Tennant Truck Lines, Tennessee Express, Inc., TransTech, Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), TRW and Volvo Trucks.

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Are all these changes good for the trucking industry?

Photo by johanohrling via Flickr

The new Hours-of-Service rules, texting and cell phone laws, the CSA, and my personal nemesis and eternal torturer of my soul, Electronic Logbooks, all claim to make the trucking industry safer. But do they? Let’s take a look at that. We’ll discuss the issues first, then sum it all up at the end. May as well tackle these puppies in order. And yes, tackling puppies is perfectly okay if they’re barking for no reason.

So about these new Hours-of-Service rules. Well, truck accidents are at a 60-year low, so naturally, it’s time to change them. Oh boy. Where to start? I guess we really only need to focus on a few of the rules that will affect the majority of drivers. For a complete list of the Hours-of-Service changes, click here.

The 11-hour rule: Well, for once we lucked out. The powers who know whats best for us had wanted to reduce our daily driving sessions to 10 hours. They lost. For now. Don’t expect this to go away though. They’ve already said they’re going after it again. Yay.

The current 34-hour restart rule: The old rule said that if you took an uninterrupted 34-hour break, you got to reset your 70-hour work week. Why was this rule important to drivers? Because if you reset your 70 hours, you could squeeze in 82 hours of working within that week. Thanks to @TameraGeorge1 for pointing me to an article on this.

The new 34-hour restart rule: Used to be, you could take your 34-hour break any time you wanted. Now it has to include two periods between 1:00 AM – 5:00 AM, home terminal time. Granted, they wanted the hours to be from 1:00 AM – 6:00 AM, but they relented. Bless their hearts. But why did they want specific times at all? Well, the divine rulers of all things sacred and righteous said that they wanted us to be sure to get two periods of “overnight” rest. How thoughtful of them. In reality though, these people know trucking about as well as I know the commodity market. They’re pretty sure that we need to sleep sometime and I’m pretty sure that you can sell a pig. That’s about the extend of our knowledge. The difference is, I’m not trying to tell them how to run the commodities game.

So what’s the problem with the new rule? Let me sum it up for you. The new 34-hour rule is as worthless as a drunk Harley rider in a motocross race. Why? Because we truckers don’t sleep when normal folks sleep. Sure, 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM might be prime sleeping time on one day, but two days later it’s the middle of your driving shift. They just can’t comprehend that not everyone has a 9 to 5 day job and not everyone sleeps at night. The concept truly is beyond them.

Now let’s be honest here. The current 34-hour rule is hard enough to do as is. The trucking industry simply moves to quick. The last thing anyone wants is to leave a driver sitting for 34 hours. I can’t count how many times I’ve gotten 30-32 hours into a 34-hour break, only to have to cut it short to pick up a load by a certain time. In other words, freight has to be really freakin’ slow to sit still for 34 hours. Kinda like right now. I’m writing this in the midst of what is looking to be a 42 hour shutdown. Still, that doesn’t happen all that often. Especially this marathon sit-a-thon I’m tolerating today.

So now we’ve got a time restriction on top of all that. It’s not all that often that I get shut down for 34 hours. But now it has to be 34 hours starting and ending at a particular time. I’m sorry, but I really don’t see the shippers staying in touch with my dispatcher to find out if their shipping schedule works with my 34-hour restart.

You can only do one 34-restart per week: This one is pretty self-explanatory. Although it really doesn’t matter, since we’ll be hard pressed to get even one restart per week. If you have enough time to get a second restart within a week, you’ve got bigger problems than it not being legal.

The 8-hour break rule: Basically, you can’t drive more than 8 hours without taking a break of at least 30 minutes. Personally, I can’t wait until I have to refuse a load because the delivery is 9 hours away and a 30-minute break would make me late. Honestly though, for the vast majority of drivers this will have little effect, as most stop at some point in their day to eat. It probably will affect me as I typically eat my mid-shift meal on the run. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Speaking of distracted driving. . .

Distracted driving laws: No texting for truckers. No cell phones for truckers. What’s next? No iPods for truckers? No CD players for truckers? No GPS for truckers? No CB’s for truckers? Okay. I admit. I’d be all right with that last one. But hey, why not get rid of the  gauges on my dashboard? I do look down at them ever now and then. Better get rid of all the billboards too. And while you’re at it, Corvettes are no longer allowed on the roadway. And that beautiful river? Better dam it up. I can’t be caught looking away from the road. And of course, my e-log unit needs to go. All that beeping is waaaaay too distracting.The CSA, or Comprehensive Safety Analysis: This fairly new system is the FMCSA’s attempt to get rid of bad drivers and bad carriers by assigning points for naughty behavior. If a driver gets too many points, they’re a hiring risk. And since those points transfer to the trucking company, they want to get rid of bad drivers. Problem is, you can be cited for all kinds of things that are out of your control. For instance, I recently got a warning for speeding (I actually wasn’t). Even though I didn’t get a ticket, I still got points on my CSA. Here’s that story and my complete thoughts on the CSA. Also, if a tail light burns out in mid trip, that’s considered unsafe and I get points. But the last time I checked, my eyeballs were restricted to my head. Now if I could just take them out and hang them 70 feet out my window I could’ve seen that burned out light. Oh wait. Can’t do that. That would be distracted driving.The cursed E-logs, or Electronic Logs: I have so many musing on e-logs that I’m not even going to link to them all here. Just go up to the handy-dandy search bar, type “e-logs,” and mark off a day-and-a-half on your calendar. Okay. It’s not that bad, but I have written extensively about them. My hatred is known far and wide. I’m pretty sure that even that rice farmer in rural China has heard about it by now.Okay. So back to the question: Are all these changes good for the trucking industry?Well I guess that all depends on which part of the trucking industry you’re talking about. In short, I think the changes will be good for the safety aspect, so-so for the trucking companies, and downright awful for the driver and their bank account. Gee. There’s a surprise.First, I think when it comes to safety (which this is supposedly all about), adding time restraints to the 34-hour rule change won’t have near the effect that the trucking godheads believe it will, mainly because I don’t think drivers are going to get it very often, if ever. But this is not good news for the carriers and the drivers. You see, the whole point of the 34-hour rule is to reset your 70-hour work week, enabling you to work more hours, which in turn puts more money in yours and the carriers’ pockets. But if they’ve now limited the work week to 70 hours, what’s the point in having the rule at all? Is it just me, or am I totally missing something here? I guess it will make doing your paper logs easier with a reset, but other than that this rule is as pointless as a lead life-preserver.As for the 8-hour rule, I suppose the more breaks you take in a day, the more alert you’ll be. And if you have to be down for 30 minutes, maybe so many drivers won’t be eating while they’re driving. So I guess you can mark that as a plus for the safety side. As for the carriers, they may experience a few more late deliveries, but that probably won’t happen very often either. As for the drivers, maybe being forced to stop will allow them to quit eating so much fast food. Maybe. Okay, that’s a Mr. Fantastic-sized stretch.Now for distracted driving laws. This one is probably good for safety. . . as long as they don’t take it too far. Although they may have already crossed that bridge. As bad as I hate to admit it though, distractions do cause us to take our eyes off the road for a brief moment. I think if we were all honest with ourselves, we’d admit this. How many times have you done something while talking on the phone or fiddling with your CB that you never would’ve done if you weren’t? I mean, that’s never happened to me, but maybe it has to you. But where does it all end? With nothing to listen to and nobody to talk to, how long will you be driving before your eyelids come crashing to the ground? Sorry, but the surrounding traffic is better off with me texting (not that I’m advising that) than me asleep behind the wheel. Hey, that’d be a good name for a band. Oh wait. . .Next we tackle the puppies. I mean the CSA. We’ve already tackled the puppies. As bad I hate to admit it, I believe that the CSA is going to be good for safety. They’re trying to weed out the bad drivers and the carriers who turn a blind eye to safety issues that their drivers are pointing out. Unfortunately, some good drivers with bad luck, a bad day, or even bad timing are going to get caught up in this mess. One bad thing could screw up an otherwise excellent career. Still, I know from my own experience that the CSA has caused me to do some things I haven’t done in the past. That license plate light that’s burned out? Yea, I fixed that. That missing mudflap? Yep. Went to the shop for that too. Watching my speed more closely? Yep. So blame the CSA when you get behind me and I’m doing the speed limit. Yes. I’m now that annoying guy.As for those hell-spawned e-logs, well, I’d really rather eat a turd casserole than admit what I’m about to say, but here goes. I think that e-logs are good for safety. Gosh, I feel like banging my head against a dresser drawer like Dobby for saying that. The fact is, there’s absolutely no way to cheat. I’ve heard drivers say they can cheat with e-logs, but I think they’re probably so used to lying on the CB that it’s spilled over into their e-logs. I’m sure most carriers love them because they don’t see as many log violations. But is this good for the driver? Well, it keeps them from cheating and it makes them run legal logs, but I stand by it when I say there needs to be more flexibility. Add more flexibility to the Hours-of-Service rules and e-logs won’t be such an issue. I won’t be holding my breath on that one though.So where does that leave us drivers? Well, I don’t really care. The new Hours-of-Service rules don’t kick in until July 1, 2013 and I’ll be off the road and out of the trucking industry for good by then. Yea. Like I haven’t been saying that since 1997.*What do you think about all these changes? Let us all hear your thoughts by leaving a comment. And please give this post a rating and force it onto all your unsuspecting online friends. Thanks*

© 2012, Truck Drivers News Blog. All rights reserved.

I've been truckin' since 1997. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. Speaking of being fickle, my wife, affectionately known as The Evil Overlord was my co-driver for 9 of those years. And yet somehow, I'm still alive. ;-) I do the Trucker Dump blog and podcast, which is about a trucker's life on the road and anything else that tickles my innards. And I take myself very, very seriously. If you're still reading this, you can find me on: Twitter | Contact Me | AboutTruckDriving.com

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Are unnecessary trucking regulations burdening our industry and our economy?

By
Richard Wilson of Trans Products and Services

Physical year 2010 saw the highest upswing in regulatory costs in our country’s history. This Administration has singlehandedly increased regulatory spending by 1.75 trillion Dollars. (US Chamber of Commerce figures) In these tough times of economic rebuilding we need to cut spending and utilize our current regulations as they have proven to work and reduce highway deaths, serious injuries, and improve loss ratios of companies for damage to equipment.

CSA was developed and introduced in December 2010, to improve and make drivers accountable for their personal actions. The FMCSA guaranteed that Driver Data would be held in the strictest confidence so only current or prospective employers would have access to this information. We now find out that that was a LIE! John Hill, the former FMCSA Administrator said,” The agency intended years ago to go public with driver data.” Currently the FMCSA has requested with the submission of the Highway reauthorizations’ bill that it grant FMCSA the authority to release publicly the Drivers DSMS information.

When asked if the intention was to create a public driver ranking system similar to the agency’s CSA motor carrier percentile ranking system, FMCSA spokeswoman Candice Tolliver said, “The Department of Transportation is committed to working with Congress to address this issue as part of a comprehensive push to update transportation programs and maintain the highest standards of safety for the American public.”When asked to clarify her answer, as usual dead silence!
With the FMCSA putting committees together of Law enforcement, Safety Advocacy, groups, Trucking organizations (representing only a small fraction of regulated commercial carriers, the very large ones), and a few token of so called representatives from the trucking side; (remember the organization, that represented the large carriers? Those carriers) to set regulations on the requirements of how to obtain EOBR Data from the on boards of the mandatory EOBR’s that EVERY, that’s right EVERY Commercial vehicle that is currently required to, or has ever done a log.

This would include vehicles 10,001 or greater that went outside of the 150 air mile exemption to travel to sites to do construction or other service related to their profession, not for hire or private revenue generated motor carriers. In essence, companies using commercial motor vehicle to move manpower and supplies not FREIGHT! The additional cost factors of installation and the additional cost of either internet, or satellite base data transfer with no way to recoup costs. This equipment doesn’t generate revenue off of hauling.
So, again we need more regulations that will cost more money with no way to recoup it, we need more regulations that the FMCSA will have to be appropriated more money from the working Americans to enforce and lose drivers because of the information that will be plastered all over the DATA network. These are solutions to decrease the already declining accident rate, and or fatality rate of our industry. Messing with what works, costing more money without increased revenue to help replace costs, no new tax breaks for small or medium carriers to install EOBR’s, sounds to me like a disaster waiting to happen, not a cure for a struggling economy! Andy Card, former White House Staff for the Bush administration put it in perspective, “every new regulation will cost the American small business employer, with less than 20 employees, $10,000 per employee.” I say every new regulation the FMCSA sneaks by will cost the American Small Trucker as well as the largest freight company and average of $250,000 in equipment, Training, and qualifying of new employees to replace those lost to the new regulations.

NOTE:  Richard Wilson is the well known speaker on DOT regulations who will be presenting at the 2011 Truck Driver Convention in October. Richard will be a part of the expert panel that will also be taking questions as part of the 3 Hour Open Forum Discussion at the convention.

© 2011, AskTheTrucker. All rights reserved.

: CSA, DOT, EOBR, FMCSA regulations, Richard Wilson, Trans Products, truck drivers, trucking, trucking regulations

Tagged with: CSA • DOT • EOBR • FMCSA regulations • Richard Wilson • Trans Products • truck drivers • trucking • trucking regulations

Filed under: DOT • FMCSA • Politics • trucking

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Will the UK's Transport Industry Grind To A Halt in 2014?

Time is running out for UK's commercial vehicle drivers to complete 35 hours of approved training to gain their CPC qualification.

If you're not involved in the haulage industry, you're probably not aware of the new driver CPC rules. CPC stands for Certificate of Professional Competence. Under a European Directive, most lorry drivers will need to gain this qualification by September 2014. To get the qualification drivers need to attend five seven-hour approved courses covering fuel efficient driving, rules and regulations and health and safety.

Two years after the clock started ticking the pace of training is alarmingly slow. There seems to be several reasons. The strangest amongst some operators is the urban myth that " if no one does this they'll have to extend the deadline". This is probably wishful thinking as this is a European Directive enshrined in UK law.

Another reason is that the current economic climate is making companies very reluctant to spend money on training of any description, and even more reluctant to invest in a planned driver CPC training programme. They fear that drivers could leave taking their CPC accreditation with them, as it's the driver's qualification, not the company's.

And why would they suddenly leave?

Their concern is that companies who have made no provision for CPC training could offer better terms to poach drivers who have their 35 hours of training completed. So the responsible employer pays for the training, and another company could reap the benefits.

There is some early evidence to support this view. In 2009, one of our clients devised a five year plan to deliver seven hours of training every year, for five years. Two years in, and having delivered 14 hours of CPC training to 200 drivers, 40 people have already left the company. The 40 recently recruited replacements do not have a single hour of CPC training between them. His reaction has been to postpone the training until late 2014. His logic is that the later he leaves the training, the more sure he can be that his investment will at least give him 200 qualified drivers. He hopes that there will then be limited opportunity for competitors desperate to recruit CPC qualified drivers before the deadline, to poach is drivers. His last minute strategy will probably succeed because we are contracted to provide the training, and we will ensure that it is delivered. But for other companies who have a similar plan, or no plan at all, the dangers are that there simply will not be the training capacity available for the last minute rush.

We spoke to one company last week who simply has not heard of CPC training and was shocked to find out what this means to their operation. The owner's first reaction was to wash his hands of any responsibility. Ultimately it is the driver's responsibility to ensure that they get their 35 hours of training registered. But it did slowly dawn on him that it might after all be in his best interest to help his drivers with the training. After the deadline, drivers and their employers can be fined if they drive without their Driver Qualification Card. This is issued to the driver once the 35 hours of training have been registered with the DSA.

So will the UK haulage industry grind to a halt in September 2014? Will supermarket shelves be empty? It's unlikely. The major distribution companies are making the necessary level of investment now.

But hundreds of other distribution companies might want to start thinking about the consequences of not being able to find a training company able to accommodate them in the months leading up to the deadline.

Paul Beresford is Sales & Marketing Director for Defensive Driver Training Limited http://www.drivercpcgroup.com/ who specialise in corporate driver training programmes for company vehicle drivers. Over 150,000 drivers have attended defensive driving courses from more than 1500 organisations.

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Become a Transportation Operations Worker and Tap Into a $43 Billion Industry

When most people think of the trucking industry, they naturally think of truck drivers. But did you know that there's a vast operations support group behind every truck on the road? Did you know that the trucking industry is an increasingly computer-driven field that generates over $43 billion dollars in revenue a year in Canada?

There are a large number of employment opportunities in this exciting field, and many of them fall under the umbrella of "transportation operations". These jobs require a sound knowledge of the trucking industry, and the software systems used there. A great way to acquire this knowledge is to enroll in a Transportation Operations Diploma Program. Such programs are designed to give students the soft skills and technical knowledge they need to succeed in any of the numerous jobs found in transportation operations, including:

· Operations Manager

· Local Dispatcher

· Driver Manager

· Load Planner

· Safety and Compliance Officer

· Log Book Auditor

· Fleet Maintenance Manager

Programs typically last approximately 17 weeks. Students spend 50% of their time learning computer systems in a lab environment where they have an opportunity to get hands-on with the programs. Over the duration of their studies, students will learn more about the software that helps employees map optimal routes for trucks, register trucks to work in different provinces and states, manage drivers and equipment, and manage freight logistics. Specific software programs covered in a Transportation Operations Diploma Program would include:

· PC Miler

· Satellite Systems

· LoadLink

· International Registration Plan (IRP)

· Fleet Manager

· Freight Logix

Courses are comprehensive, and teach students everything they need to know about transportation operations. Typical programs include the following topics:

· Foundations in transportations operations

· Safety and compliance

· Maintenance and administration of fleets

· Dispatching, driver management

Because the program length is relatively short, Transportation Operations Diploma Program students can expect to get back into the workforce quickly. Many students, however, prefer to add an internship to their education. Typically lasting 8 weeks, these internships are an excellent way for graduates to gain valuable hands-on experience, differentiate themselves from other candidates, make contacts, and gain the confidence they'll need to excel in the trucking industry. In many cases, students who make a good impression during their internship are hired by the companies they worked for.

For people who are interested in mastering the knowledge needed to succeed in the dynamic field of transportation operations, enrolling in a Transportation Operations Diploma Program is a sound career move.

Contact the Canadian Automotive & Trucking Institute for more information on their Transportation Operations Diploma Program.

Mitch Conway is a freelance writer who works for Higher Education Marketing, a leading Web marketing firm specializing in Google Analytics, Education Lead Generation, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Mobile SMS Alerts, Social Media Marketing and Pay Per Click Marketing, among other Web marketing services and tools.

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Trucking Industry Unites as Jason’s Law is Re-introduced

Yesterday,  May 11th, 2011 was a victory and display of “Trucking Unity” in Washington D. C.  as supporters gathered for the official announcement of the re-introducing of Jason’s Law H.R. 1803

Joined together  at a press conference with Congressman Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) at the House Triangle outside of the Capitol Building stood Hope Rivenburg, widow of truck driver Jason Rivenburg, along with:

Todd Spencer, Executive VP, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)Lisa Mullings, CEO, National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO)Richard Henderson, Director of Government Affairs, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)Paul Oakley, Senior VP, American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) andMary Phillips, Senior VP, American Trucking Association (ATA).

The press conference occurred 1 day after the press release from Congressman Tonko’s office.  The press conference announced the introduction of the bill, Jason’s Law H.R.1803 which would provide increased truck parking facilities across the country, addressing the severe shortages which have been in existence for nearly 2 decades.

HR 1803 will be within an amended version of SAFTEA-LU within the new Transportation Bill.  Funds for the bill will be from an existing congestion mitigation air quality account which would address Republican concerns for “no new spending.”

Hope Rivenburg will be lobbying once again, gathering support for co-sponsors.  The Bill already has bipartisan support with Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-MN as an original co-sponsor.  HR 1803 has now been referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Jason’s Law would create a grant program of 20 million dollars per year over 6 years that would help alleviate the parking shortages and help pay for expansion and safety improvements at existing rest areas. Many of the country’s rest areas have been forced to close because of the lack of state funds which has added to the already critical shortage of truck parking.  Sections of HR 1803 will address these rest area closings as – “Truck Parking Inventory.”

The bill will address construction of new parking, improvements to existing commercial parking areas, tracking of open parking spaces and improvements to existing non-commercial parking facilities accommodating large trucks.

Two years ago a similar bill, HR 2156 was introduced by Congressman Tonko to Congress after one of his constituents of Schoharie County, truck driver Jason Rivenburg, was shot and killed as he parked to rest for the evening at an abandoned gas station in South Carolina. Because of the isolated location of the gas station, Jason was an easy target for crime (robbery) and his life was taken for a meager $7.00.

He left behind his pregnant wife Hope, a 2 year old son Josh and unborn twins. Unfortunately, this sort of criminal activity is way too common for many truck drivers as they struggle to locate safe haven to rest, finding themselves at many times, to be” sitting ducks” for criminal opportunists due to the truck parking shortages.

The lack of truck parking also causes highway risks as drivers are forced to drive tired attempting to locate available parking, forced to park on exit and entrance ramps and risk breaking federal HOS laws.

Hope Rivenburg spoke to us today and has expressed her gratitude for everyone coming on board with Jasons Law, including Lisa Mullings, CEO of NATSO who personally told her that NATSO is a strong supporter of Jason’s Law.

The bottom line is that the trucking industry is in agreement that the safety of truck drivers should be a major focus. The new federal regulations and proposals being placed upon drivers will greatly enhance the dangers of the truck parking shortages existing. As highway safety is a major concern of the DOT and FMCSA, the need for more truck parking is a vital and key piece to ensure their goal of safety for all.

Hope Rivenburg is a nominee for the “Making a Difference Award” which will be presented at the First Annual Truck Driver Convention in October in Tunica, MS.
Unity and Support for the professional CDL driver will be the theme of this ground breaking event.  Supporters and sponsors thus far for the event include IdleAir, Pilot/FlyingJ, T/A-PetroTravel Centers, Lone Mountain Truck Leasing, OOIDA, The Load Post, The Truckers Forum, Trans Products and Services and Hotels4Truckers.org.

© 2011, AskTheTrucker. All rights reserved.

: ata, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), hope rivenburg, HR 1803, Jason's law- H.R.2156 S971, Lisa Mullings, natso, ooida, paul tonko, truck driver convention, truck parking shortages, trucking

Tagged with: ata • Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) • hope rivenburg • HR 1803 • Jason's law- H.R.2156 S971 • Lisa Mullings • natso • ooida • paul tonko • truck driver convention • truck parking shortages • trucking

Filed under: FMCSA • Politics • Safety • Truck Stops • ooida • trucking life

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Truck Drivers Can Shape Industry One Pen at a Time

Jason's Law - Call to Action

During his address to Congress on August 12th, 1974, Gerald Ford said, “A government big enough to supply you with everything you need, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have.”

As our nation’s truck drivers face stricter regulations, one has to consider if truck driving can still be a viable career.  We are called professionals, yet we are labeled as unskilled by the U. S. Department of Labor.

Career is defined as “an individual’s course or progress through life.” Is long-haul trucking a career or is it simply another job?

I can remember when trucking was fun and CDL training was when you jumped in the truck and taught yourself.  I remember when ten drivers would stop along the road to help one trucker with a busted water hose and I can remember when the CB radio was the best tool for passing the miles away with thought provoking conversation and laughter.  I can not remember the exact time when truck drivers turned on truck drivers.

Talk among drivers concerning a major strike in the United States has been going on for years.  We have seen a few drivers strike with a 100 here or 500 there, but it is time to get pass the truck driver strike rhetoric.  A U. S. nationwide trucker strike will never happen, nor should it.  It could prove to be a horrendous act that would spin a country further down, what is already an economic chaos.  Truck drivers in America can do more to shape the industry standards to fit their needs than executing a strike.

They can do so through action.  Not action by force, but action first noted by Greek poet Euripides, who died around 406 B.C. when he said, “The tongue is mightier than the blade.” Through the writings of  Edward Bulwer-Lytton from the 1839 play, Richelieu, it has become better known as, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”

The FMCSA is accepting comments from truck drivers and industry execs concerning the implementation of speed limiters on all heavy duty trucks.  With approximately four million CDL drivers in the U. S. and another four million CDL holders, you would think that eight million people could flood the comment page to capacity.  Yet, at last count, only about 4,000 comments had been received.  This works out to be a response rate of only 0.0005 per cent.  Why would the industry regulators listen when basically nobody is responding?  Furthermore, these so-called 4,000 comments were largely from a form letter by some safety group organization, where many simply copied and pasted to the comment section, giving an appearance of 4,000 comments.  Politically motivated . . .

We can stand around at the shippers and receivers, we can sit together at our favorite truck stop or gather in the rest areas and talk about the over regulations of the industry and what its doing to the American truck driver, but nothing will change to better the industry for drivers unless we actually take the time to get involved and use the system as it was meant to be used.

How to submit comments to the FMCSA

To assist drivers in preparing comments submitted to the FMCSA, Truckers for a Cause, former FMCSA administrator John Hill and OOIDA regulatory affairs specialist Joe Raikovacz held a live conference call for drivers on Saturday, January 22nd, 2011 at 12:00 noon, Central Standard Time.

This was a live conference webinar meeting where drivers were able to ask questions and learn more about the best way to submit comments to the FMCSA.  The call was recorded and is available through the meeting archives at the Truckers for a Cause website.

Truck drivers need to come together and use the tool that is more powerful than any strike could summon . . . pick up the pen.

© 2011, AskTheTrucker. All rights reserved.

: career, FMCSA, fmcsa comments, ooida, speed limiters, strike, truck driving, truckers for a cause

Tagged with: career • FMCSA • fmcsa comments • ooida • speed limiters • strike • truck driving • truckers for a cause

Filed under: Jobs and Careers • Politics • Truck Driving Jobs • otr trucking • trucking • trucking blogs • trucking companies • trucking life

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Additional Fuzzy Math From The Obama Administration for the Trucking Industry

Despite what socialist leaning politicians and bureaucrats might have you believe, adding more regulations to business does not spur employment. What it does is it increases the costs to businesses, and therefore they have to raise their prices to consumers, and this ends up hurting the economy, and causing businesses to reach a price point where their clients will not partake. In other words, it kills businesses, industries, and jobs.

Nevertheless, socialist regimes use what they call empirical data to show otherwise, but is rather more like wishful thinking, fuzzy math, and the bogus concept that if you screw around with the flows of capital, labor, money, and production that you can build a utopian society without any unintended consequences. History shows that isn't the case, but these folks along with their academic co-conspirators constantly attempt to create such a fantasy, and then promote their agenda like there's no tomorrow, using fear tactics, media tricks, and rumblings from the masses.

In Industry Week Online News for Industry there was an interesting article posted on August 10, 2011 titled; "Obama Unveils Fuel-Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles," by Josh Cable, one of their best article writers in my humble opinion. The teaser sentence was; "White House predicts the new standards will save commercial-vehicle operators $50 billion."

Okay so, how does making mandatory regulations on an industry save commercial operators $50 billion when they are forced to ditch their old equipment and buy costly new equipment just to drive their trucks on the road? This socialist way of thinking has to stop, and it needs to stop soon if we are going to maintain our middle class. You see, when trucking and transportation companies have to spend more on new equipment just to stay in business, they end up raising their rates. In doing so it acts as a wholesale tax on every American.

Indeed, I found it most laughable when the Obama Administration told S&P that their math was off by $2 trillion and tried to intimidate them and character assassinate them in the media and market place. The reality is that nearly all the math that the Obama Administration uses to promote their agenda is "Fuzzy Math" from ObamaCare to the Budget Debt Deal.

Now then, the Administration might believe that this will create jobs in manufacturing for heavy truck makers, sure that makes sense, but we must be careful when governments start assuming they can create jobs by increasing regulations, because when the dust settles it is always the opposite which occurs. Indeed, it is my sincere hope that you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,444 articles by September 4th at 4:44 PM will be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

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Health Care Reform for the Trucking Industry - Oct 01,2009

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Aerodynamics in the Trucking Industry Are Paramount

Recently, the Obama Administration decided that over-the-road trucks needed better fuel economy, and thus, increased the MPG ratings for future trucks in the trucking and transportation sector. With new materials coming forth it appears this will be feasible, thus, no need for alarm. However, we also know that these latest materials will take a while to get to market - from the research centers developing new methods of manufacturing such materials to the real world.

Yes, I am speaking of carbon nano-tube construction, graphene coatings, and high-tech composites. This combined with better aerodynamics in the trucking industry are paramount. The combination of the two, along with the new propulsion technologies ought to be just the ticket indeed. Let's address the aerodynamic issues in trucking, specifically with over-the-road trucks for a moment.

There was an interesting piece in Bloomberg Business Week (July 18 July 24, 2011) published in the "Innovator Section" titled; "In the Flow" by John Tozzi which interviewed an expert in modeling airflows, Kambiz Salari who stated; "Streamlining trucks could save the shipping industry $24 billion annually." And it turns out that the DOE has given grants totaling $115 million in 2010 "to develop super trucks that are 50% more efficient by 2015."

Interestingly enough, I was having a conversation with an innovator a couple of years ago, who happened to read "The Future of Truck Technologies" eBook, and he contacted me at the think tank to discuss his revolutionary concept. It was an air-dam pass-through for a truck-trailer 18-wheeler rig. He'd patented the idea, and referenced some very interesting science on fluid technology from the expert in Germany who coined the niche fluid-dynamic science it used.

Indeed, just a couple of days ago, while I was considering that article above from Bloomberg Business week another gentleman contacted me and stated he had a very streamlined design; "Our bullet truck IP can double class 8 truck fuel economy (doubles it) and increase profit margin 45% to the independent trucker," and his concept was for a uni-body truck innovation "with super single tires; 10+ mpg at 80,000 lb highway weights should be achievable. Current fleet average is 5.4."

Okay so, I too believe that 10 mpg is doable by increasing aerodynamic efficiency in my views. At what speeds was he talking about you ask? Normal highway speeds 65-70 mph, and although they have not completed the prototype design model and have not run it through a wind-tunnel for co-efficient of drag tests, their fluid-dynamics, aerodynamic software graph certainly puts it within that possible range. Further, as new materials come due, we can expect lighter weight vehicles too, perhaps carrying loads of 45,000 to 50,000 lbs or more achieving the near 10 mpg figure.

Perhaps you noted that the Obama Administration had recently called for increased mpg figures in the future for over the road trucks. Some in the trucking industry were fit to be tied, but maybe they shouldn't get too upset just yet, because many of these future technologies are starting to come together and should arrive in the next 5-10 years, and as the aging fleets retire, they should be available. Not to mention the fact that rising oil prices will have trucking companies lined up to get these fuel efficient units.

Now then, with all that said, it just maybe that the free-market will solve all of these problems without government intervention at all. Of course, the government has already mandated higher miles per gallon fuel standards for over the road trucks, but I wouldn't give them credit for it when it does happen. After all, it will be the innovators and free-market capitalists which finally get this done. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,300 articles will be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

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Trucking Industry Controversy - Dan Rather Reports - Nov 05,2009

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Attracting Quality Drivers for the Trucking Industry - Nov 18,2010

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Trucking Industry Waits for CSA Implications

Rickey Gooch

By: Rickey Gooch

Two Days into CSA

At the Legal Benefits Group, Inc. phone center, they help drivers who need help disputing their CSA and PSP reports on the new DataQ System. Some carriers are helping their drivers, some drivers have figured it out on their own and for those who have no understanding of the DataQ, they provide the help needed.

But there is something else taking place on the phones. It’s drivers who have for what ever reason lost or quit their jobs just to find out that they can not get a job with another carrier because of past driving history. Just one infraction on their MVR and companies won’t take them. Another problem seems to be that some carriers believe that a drivers PSP score transfers with a driver if they hire that driver. That is not true. The PSP points stay with the carrier they have just left.

It took the FMCSA 5 years to roll out CSA. After 5 years you would think that the word, the information, the knowledge that drivers and carriers needed to know would have been properly taken care of? But no, carriers and drivers are floating down stream toward the largest water fall they have ever seen and the American public is going to go over the falls with them.

There are going to be thousands of drivers out of work this year because they were not paying enough attention. Carriers are going to be paying lots of fines and see a lot of down time for their fleets because they were not taking CSA serious enough. Who is at fault here?  The FMCSA.

CSA is so tough and is such a radical change in the regulations governing the trucking industry that the FMCSA actually held back on the strong language needed to get trucking’s attention. Because they did not strongly state the seriousness of CSA, the American consumer, the truck drivers and the carriers are going to have to pay with there hard earned money for all the FMCSA mistakes. All the jobs lost and all of the supply shortages that our country is going to face could have been avoided if the FMCSA had not been so soft on the explanation on how it would finally affect this industry.

The implementation of CSA that just took place is like the rumble before a massive earthquake hits. We know the damage is coming, we just don’t know who and where all of its going to hit and destroy.

© 2010, AskTheTrucker. All rights reserved.

: causes, CSA, DataQ, FMCSA, legal benefits group, Rickey Gooch, trucking

Tagged with: causes • CSA • DataQ • FMCSA • legal benefits group • Rickey Gooch • trucking

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Truck Driver Shortage is Industry Created

Allen Smith of Truth About Trucking, LLC

By: Aubrey “Allen” Smith

Truck driver shortage to reach 400,000

The main stream media needs to listen to truck drivers before reporting on a nation-wide shortage of drivers.   Reports of a truck driver shortage are now swelling to as high as 400,000 for 2011 and 2012.  The cause of the shortage is being blamed on the slow economic recovery, tighter regulations on drivers and the impending CSA.  Whatever the reasons, the catastrophic fear of a truck driver shortage always seems to appear every few years or so.

Shortage of truck drivers is industry made

Not that the main news outlets are really concerned with the truth about the truck driver shortage, let’s lay it out here anyway.  As I first publicly exposed nearly five years ago, that there never has been, nor is there . . . a truck driver shortage.  This shortage is a self-made fabrication, brought on by the industry itself, largely in part to continue the turning over of more experienced, higher paid drivers for the newer, inexperienced drivers at a lower pay scale . . . cheap labor.

The truck driver shortage myth has been thrown out there for years, mainly due to the ATA and their so-called studies.  Debunking the shortage fabrication is actually very simple to do, by looking at two factors :  freight rates and driver pay.

Cheap freight kills Owner Operators

Freight rates have stagnated for years now.  Coupled with the trucking company lease purchase scam, it has literally destroyed many of our nations’ owner operators.  A true truck driver shortage would cause freight rates to go up, yet that has never been the case.  The absence of any significant rise in freight rates would suggest the complete opposite of a truck driver shortage.  Furthermore, if a true driver shortage existed, shippers would be facing the problem of finding trucks to transport their goods and stores would be having trouble keeping their shelves filled with products . . . neither of which has ever happened.

Driver pay forces drivers to quit

In the past, the ATA has used the industry’s turn-over rate as one reason for the truck driver shortage.  The 2005, ATA commissioned study, The U.S. Truck Driver Shortage: Analysis and Forecasts, reported that driver pay is one of the main factors in the driver turn-over.  Before the recession, driver turn-over had reached a whopping 128%, higher than any other industry.  In the midst of the recession, this rate had dropped to 56% and eventually further to around 43%, with some estimates as low as 39%.  Not because things had gotten better for drivers, but because there were and is still no jobs to go to.  As freight begins to pick up and trucking companies step up their hiring process, the turn-over rate among drivers is once again beginning to rise.  If and when the economy ever stabilizes, I can assure you that the turn-over rate will eventually rise again to its previous levels, yet we will still see no appreciable difference in the pay rates offered by carriers.  Again, there has been no significant increase in truck driver pay in decades, thus debunking any facts for a real driver shortage.

Motor carriers focus on hiring, not retention

Motor carriers focus so much of their time and effort on hiring drivers and fail to focus on the real problem of retaining truck drivers.  Many of these companies have no interest in the retention of drivers.  The more experienced the driver, the higher the pay demand.  Cheap freight calls for cheap labor, thus the need for constant recruiting of the recent CDL school graduate.  There is literally more money to be made from Government subsidies and grants than there is by transporting the cheap freight.

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Training Grants (20.235) for example, is a grant provided to persons who train current and future drivers in the safe operation of CMVs.   It’s purpose is to promote the safe operation of Commercial Motor Vehicles, as defined in 49 U.S.C. 31301, through financial assistance.  This particular grant is not available to  individuals, only those who train individuals such as the CDL schools or trucking companies which have their own CDL training program.  It is offered through the agency of the D.O.T. and office of the FMCSA and authorized through SAFETEA-LU.  The amount of Grants range between $50,000 to $222,000.

If retention issues were really a cause for a driver shortage, driver wages would increase in order to retain the drivers.  All the actions being carried out by these motor carriers are a complete opposite effect to actually stop the rate of turn-over among truck drivers, and in attracting and maintaining experienced drivers.

Add to the equation the lifestyle of long haul truckers: away from home, living in a truck, poor diet, lack of sleep and rest, forced dispatch, the CFR’s, HOS rules, DOT, the general public’s attitude, the closing of rest areas, disrespect by carriers, shippers and receivers, along with low pay and cheap freight . . . no wonder truck drivers move on to other vocations.

The industry may be able to fool the media, but truck drivers know the real truth.

© 2010, AskTheTrucker. All rights reserved.

: ata, cdl training, driver pay, driver retention, freight rates, owner operators, truck driver shortage, Truck driving school grants

Tagged with: ata • cdl training • driver pay • driver retention • freight rates • owner operators • truck driver shortage • Truck driving school grants

Filed under: DOT • Dept. of Motor Vehicles • Jobs and Careers • Politics • Truck Driving Jobs • otr trucking • truck driving schools • trucking • trucking companies • trucking life

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Attracting Qualified Truck Drivers for Trucking Industry

The trucking industry is changing and that means for the drivers as well.  With a higher standard reaching out across the industry through the CSA, certain trucking companies are finding themselves in a much different position than ever before.  No longer will all the blame be placed on truck drivers for violating HOS rules, running faulty or dangerous equipment or placing all the responsibility on the professional driver.  Both driver and company will receive violation points through the CSA.

It is imperative that trucking companies operate in a safe and professional manner or risk intervention from the CSA and if they fail to comply, the company could face an Operations Out-of Service Order.  Due to this new initiative, many experienced, veteran drivers are finding themselves out of work due to companies anticipating that tests for BMI and sleep apnea will be included in future government mandates.  Although the FMCSA has stated that as of right now, these tests are not a part of the CSA regulations, we believe that they will be included sometime in the future. Many older veteran drivers with desirable PSP’s are finding it difficult to find work, either because of their age  or physical appearance (BMI),  as some companies are adding additional testing to their hiring requirements.

Companies who are carrying out these tests appear to be searching  for the “cream of the crop”and are  most likely doing so,  to lower their insurance rates and ultimately increase their bottom line.  With many of the veteran drivers either retiring, leaving the industry or as a result of not being hired and  losing their jobs due to the effects of CSA and their PSP,  a flood of inexperienced drivers are anticipated. Many will show a “perfect” PSP as they are new to the industry and will not have a 3 and 5 year look back of violations and crashes.  These perfect PSP records will then reflect a perfect driver safety score for the motor carrier as long as they do not receive violations once employed.

Trucking companies are reacting to the CSA ( including their anticipation for possible future medical mandates), and driver PSP, and  therefore  experienced truck drivers are being dismissed by many within the the industry.  Furthermore,  many  motor carriers are now very concerned about the lack of qualified truck drivers available to them.  Ironically, there are  trucking companies who are finding quality, professional drivers to hire and are not having these same problems.  I believe that the motor carriers who will eventually  have the most problems “finding” quality drivers, will not just be because of the driver PSP, but will be more to do with their treatment of drivers in the past and their unwillingness to change their ways.  Post CSA is here . . .

Grace Epting of Diamond Transportation System

Diamond Transportation System, based out of Racine, Wisconsin is a 100% owner operator specialized carrier who is seeking to draw quality drivers  to their company.  They have approached the CSA and PSP issues from a different standpoint, attracting female and male qualified drivers who are searching for a company, who not only respects them, but is taking an extra step towards their success.  So, what is Diamond Transportation doing differently?  How are they finding and keeping good, experienced and qualified drivers in today’s trucking environment ?

Grace Epting of Diamond Transportation System was our special guest on Truth About Trucking “LIVE” on Wednesday, November 17th, 2011.

We discussed what Diamond Transportation is doing to attract their drivers and assisting in their career success.  We knew that they offer enhanced locations and special services for their drivers, but we wanted to expand on these topics and hear how her company has set a standard in the way they are able to attract qualified drivers in light of the CSA.

Attracting Quality Drivers for the Trucking Industry

© 2010, AskTheTrucker. All rights reserved.

: blog talk radio, CSA, diamond transportation system, FMCSA, Grace Epting, hire, owner operator, truck drivers, trucking

Tagged with: blog talk radio • CSA • diamond transportation system • FMCSA • Grace Epting • hire • owner operator • truck drivers • trucking

Filed under: Jobs and Careers • Politics • Talk Radio Show • Truck Driving Jobs • Truck Stops • Trucking Company and Driving School Comments • otr trucking • trucking • trucking companies • trucking life

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Attracting Qualified Truck Drivers for Trucking Industry

The trucking industry is changing and that means for the drivers as well.  With a higher standard reaching out across the industry through the CSA, certain trucking companies are finding themselves in a much different position than ever before.  No longer will all the blame be placed on truck drivers for violating HOS rules, running faulty or dangerous equipment or placing all the responsibility on the professional driver.  Both driver and company will receive violation points through the CSA.

It is imperative that trucking companies operate in a safe and professional manner or risk intervention from the CSA and if they fail to comply, the company could face an Operations Out-of Service Order.  Due to this new initiative, many experienced, veteran drivers are finding themselves out of work due to companies anticipating that tests for BMI and sleep apnea will be included in future government mandates.  Although the FMCSA has stated that as of right now, these tests are not a part of the CSA regulations, we believe that they will be included sometime in the future. Many older veteran drivers with desirable PSP’s are finding it difficult to find work, either because of their age  or physical appearance (BMI),  as some companies are adding additional testing to their hiring requirements.

Companies who are carrying out these tests appear to be searching  for the “cream of the crop”and are  most likely doing so,  to lower their insurance rates and ultimately increase their bottom line.  With many of the veteran drivers either retiring, leaving the industry or as a result of not being hired and  losing their jobs due to the effects of CSA and their PSP,  a flood of inexperienced drivers are anticipated. Many will show a “perfect” PSP as they are new to the industry and will not have a 3 and 5 year look back of violations and crashes.  These perfect PSP records will then reflect a perfect driver safety score for the motor carrier as long as they do not receive violations once employed.

Trucking companies are reacting to the CSA ( including their anticipation for possible future medical mandates), and driver PSP, and  therefore  experienced truck drivers are being dismissed by many within the the industry.  Furthermore,  many  motor carriers are now very concerned about the lack of qualified truck drivers available to them.  Ironically, there are  trucking companies who are finding quality, professional drivers to hire and are not having these same problems.  I believe that the motor carriers who will eventually  have the most problems “finding” quality drivers, will not just be because of the driver PSP, but will be more to do with their treatment of drivers in the past and their unwillingness to change their ways.  Post CSA is here . . .

Grace Epting of Diamond Transportation System

Diamond Transportation System, based out of Racine, Wisconsin is a 100% owner operator specialized carrier who is seeking to draw quality drivers  to their company.  They have approached the CSA and PSP issues from a different standpoint, attracting female and male qualified drivers who are searching for a company, who not only respects them, but is taking an extra step towards their success.  So, what is Diamond Transportation doing differently?  How are they finding and keeping good, experienced and qualified drivers in today’s trucking environment ?

Grace Epting of Diamond Transportation System was our special guest on Truth About Trucking “LIVE” on Wednesday, November 17th, 2011.

We discussed what Diamond Transportation is doing to attract their drivers and assisting in their career success.  We knew that they offer enhanced locations and special services for their drivers, but we wanted to expand on these topics and hear how her company has set a standard in the way they are able to attract qualified drivers in light of the CSA.

Attracting Quality Drivers for the Trucking Industry

© 2010, AskTheTrucker. All rights reserved.

: blog talk radio, CSA, diamond transportation system, FMCSA, Grace Epting, hire, owner operator, truck drivers, trucking

Tagged with: blog talk radio • CSA • diamond transportation system • FMCSA • Grace Epting • hire • owner operator • truck drivers • trucking

Filed under: Jobs and Careers • Politics • Talk Radio Show • Truck Driving Jobs • Truck Stops • Trucking Company and Driving School Comments • otr trucking • trucking • trucking companies • trucking life

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Trucking Industry Needs better Recruiting and CDL Training to Survive

The Great Trucking Deception

One of the most important issues to date is the pending effects that the soon government implemented CSA (formerly called CSA 2010) will have on the trucking industry. Many experts are anticipating a massive shortage of truck drivers within the next few years.  Supposedly, many drivers will be leaving the trucking industry because of their undesirable CSA BASIC scores, leaving a void of drivers. Also, seasoned veteran drivers are said to be getting older and retiring which is also being leading up to more drivers in demand.  Finally, many veteran drivers have been starved out to be replaced by newer, lower paid CDL graduates.

Is it really just the implementing of CSA that’s created the shortage, or is there more to it? After all, there have been thousands of CDL training schools throughout the country and carriers have had training programs and schools in operation for a number of years, so the question remains,
“Why will there be a shortage?”   Where have all the CDL school graduates gone?

There are a variety of reasons that drivers are leaving the industry, but theoretically, with the amount of people who have entered into trucking, there should be an abundance of drivers replacing those who leave.
The fact is however, those entering the industry, starting from CDL training schools and then to company training programs, have a very high failure rate for their first year.  Here are some of the reasons:

1 Poor Career Recruiting Tactics Many people enter the industry without the real knowledge of a trucking lifestyle.  Many recruiting ads advertise great pay, benefits, freedom on the road, no boss, etc… After a very pricey 3 or 4 week training school program (which many fail or leave) they begin their company training.  It isn’t long before they realize that the many weeks spent over the road, the very low pay ( as low as 12cpm for new drivers), harsh treatment, long hours, lack of parking, shippers and receivers not keeping appointment times, etc…just wasn’t the life it was cracked up to be.

Solution: Both school and company recruiters need to explain the lifestyle more realistically, explaining what to expect after they graduate including the pay scale for their first year.  ( which is as low as 12/cpm) Those ads saying “Make as much as a college graduate” just don’t cut it… Or how about the ones saying, “You can be a truck driver in weeks with very little training.”  Really? Driving 80,000 LBS,  keeping up with HOS and CSA laws, and maintaining all your paper work doesn’t take much training?

There needs to be guidelines put into place, preferably by the trucking industry itself, with a list of statements and questions to ask future students. The “if you don’t ask we won’t offer the info” is not acceptable.

2 Poor Advice given to CDL School Applicants- It is not uncommon for a CDL applicant to tell the school that they either have a past felony or DUI and they are then advised “not to put it down” on the application. This is one of the most common complaints we get.

People have actually been hired upon graduation and then pulled off the truck because the background check found out about it. Some even tell the company that they were told by the school not to disclose the information, but it does not matter! The school still gets paid and now the graduate is stuck with a bill and a useless CDL.

Solution:  Disclosure to be signed by student which states that if they do not answer truthfully TO ANY QUESTION their is a very high chance that the false information will be found out and they will no longer be eligible for hire upon graduating. School also needs to sign stating they have informed the applicant to answer all questions truthfully.

3 Government Grants and Programs - These programs are designed to create jobs by offering new skills to people.   The problem is, the CDL schools target these government agency “vouchers” ($$) and not question the persons qualifications who is to be trained. The next part of the problem is that the agencies, many times know nothing about the lifestyle of trucking or the additional requirements that trucking companies place on drivers to be hired.  The schools do know the truth about the extra requirements that companies are searching for, but will not divulge that information for fear that the agencies will start “screening” their applicants more thoroughly and then not send the prospective students….thus….NO GOVERNMENT MONEY.

Solution: The agencies should be required to do a complete background and medical check and then match it with carrier and government requirements to ensure there is no reason not to be hired upon graduating.  This should be done before they give money to prospective students and CDL schools. Also the agencies should understand the lifestyle of trucking and make sure the applicant understands what he/she can expect.

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Training Grants (20.235) for example, is a grant provided to persons who train current and future drivers in the safe operation of CMVs.   Its purpose is to promote the safe operation of Commercial Motor Vehicles, as defined in 49 U.S.C. 31301, through financial assistance.  This particular grant is not available to individuals, only those who train individuals such as the CDL schools or trucking companies which have their own CDL training program.  It is offered through the agency of the D.O.T. and office of the FMCSA and authorized through SAFETEA-LU.  The amount of Grants range between $50,000 to $222,000.

Guidelines and laws must be added to these grants if this program is to continue!!

Here is an example of a reputable school and how they handled a situation.

Recently we had been contacted by a gentleman who graduated from a truck driving school in Orange Park, Fl Oct 8th.  He was born deaf and has limited speech, but with hearing aids can pass the hearing part of the DOT physical.  The government agency sent him to a CDL training school in Orange Park, FL called National Training Truck Driver School. We would like to note that this school, along with his personal advisor Tal Miller, went above and beyond the call of duty for this man. They explained to him that it would be very difficult for him to be hired. Being passionate about the desire to drive a truck, he signed a paper acknowledging that it would be difficult to get hired but wanted to go forth with the training anyway.

The school is working, along with many others, to find him a company willing to train him. The school told us that he is a phenomenal driver with natural abilities. We are in also in the process of making numerous phone calls to try and give this man a chance at a career in trucking.

NOTE: There are many schools that knowingly  take students without considering or revealing to the student that they may have a poor chance in getting hired, for whatever the reason.

4 Poor CDL company Training Programs Need standards—Many of the trucking CDL training programs, the way have been set up, are designed for failure. The programs appear to be designed for one purpose: Move freight cheaply. Most hires do not last a year, either because of the low pay, little home time, poor treatment, or a combination of all 3.

The carriers have learned to churn these new hires over and over, thus maintaining the low pay scale. These companies also receive tax breaks and government incentives for hiring new CDL graduates, so keeping the turnover rate going is a win –win for them. Many times the trainers themselves have only been driving 6 months, with very little “trainer” training themselves.

Sexual harassment alone has significantly stifled women succeeding in these training programs.  The recruitment of women has increased to 20% while the % of women in trucking has not increased in the past few years and stays at 6%.  Why?  Retaining the driver for extended lengths of time has not been a part of the “bottom line” company plan or strategy.

Solution:  Regulations and standards for CDL training.

The truth is that CSA is not the only reason that the trucking industry is in danger of having a truck driver shortage.  It’s their own cunning and scheming ways that have caused the possible driver shortage crisis. By creating a false driver shortage through the years and by starving out their good veteran drivers, they have kept wages down for drivers and maintained a consistent churning of new drivers, thus the existence of veteran drivers keeps decreasing.

SO there you have it!

Honest recruiting and create rules, laws and guidelines for CDL training which are designed to retain drivers rather than create high turnovers rates and churning of new drivers.  Now add to that better treatment and higher wages, and you just might not have a truck driver shortage.

© 2010, AskTheTrucker. All rights reserved.

: cdl draduates, cdl students, cdl training, company training programs, truck driver shortage, truck driving schools, trucking jobs. trucking companies, trucking schools

Tagged with: cdl draduates • cdl students • cdl training • company training programs • truck driver shortage • truck driving schools • trucking jobs. trucking companies • trucking schools

Filed under: Driver License • Education • Jobs and Careers • Woman Truckers • otr trucking • truck driving schools • trucking • trucking life

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Valuable Skills you need to Succeed in the Trucking Industry

Being a truck driver involves much more than sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle and driving all day. There are plenty of skills needed in order to do a great job at it. The image of truck drivers isn’t the best in society, and many drivers strive to change that mentality by always offering fast, friendly service.

Excellent communication skills make a great truck driver. You have to be able to talk with your dispatcher in order to get the right loads and to work out any delivery or pick up problems. You will also encounter people as you go about your job and you need to be able to get along well with them.

Navigation is a large part of driving a semi truck as there are particular roads that can be used and those that can’t. Truck drivers have to be able to read maps so they can find their destination. They also need to look for clearance information relating to bridges and bypasses to ensure their truck and trailer aren’t too tall to fit under them.

Truck drivers need to be responsible and reliable. Driving a semi truck can be dangerous for yourself and for other people on the road. Paying attention to the activity going on out there is going to help prevent accidents from happening. Obeying the rules on the road and following the speed limit is very important.

Motivation is very helpful for truck drivers because it helps them to get their job done correctly. It can be too easy to turn off that alarm and go back to bed when you are tired, but knowing you have a delivery to make is going to help you get moving. Truck drivers also need to be motivated to take care of their own health needs so they can perform as best as possible out there.

Organization is a key skill for successful truck drivers to do. There is plenty of paperwork that has to be done on a daily basis. The log book needs to be filled out correctly or you can end up in trouble with the law and with your employer. Trip packets have to be completed with all of the necessary paperwork or it can delay your pay for the work you completed. You also have to keep track of your expenses so you are able to use them as deductions on your income tax return.

It is useful if the truck driver has a basic understanding of how their semi truck operates. This way they can identify any problems that may be prevented as well as complete some of the necessary repairs. While this isn’t a necessity of the job, it definitely comes in handy and it can save a great deal of money for expensive repairs by a professional.

Truck drivers may be male or female, and they vary in age as well as experience. Having many of these skills will help ensure the individual does well in their role as a professional truck driver. These skills will also help keep the job enjoyable because no one wants to work in a profession where they aren’t happy. Working to improve any of these skills will result in parts of the job becoming easier and completed more efficiently.