About a Trucker

Let me tell you a little about the truck driver you just flipped off because he was unable to let you on the freeway because he had other vehicles all around him and could not get over safely, and you had to hit the brakes! (btw you are by law, required to yield).

His truck is governed at 65 miles an hour, because the company he leases it from believes it keeps him and the public and the equipment safer. (Governed means the truck is unable to go above 65 miles per hour!) Our truck was governed at 65 miles per hour.

The best these trucks do for fuel economy is about 7.5 miles per gallon, thats on straight highways, no wind, and no mountains. With fuel at almost $4 per gallon -- well, you do the math, and yes, that driver pays for his own fuel if he leases or owns. If he does lease or own he has approximately $1000 a week coming out of his paycheck before he even gets any take home money, and then still has to take his twenty percent taxes out!
Right now he needs to be 1,000 miles from where he loaded in two days, and he can't fudge his federally mandated driver log, because he no longer does it on paper; he is logged electronically.

He can drive 11 hours in a 14-hour period; then he must take a 10-hour break, and considering that the shipper where he loaded held him up for five hours because it is understaffed, he now needs to run without stopping for lunch or dinner breaks, no shower, and can barely stop for fuel. He already has five hours or more on his 14 hour clock, and he just lost money sitting on the dock. The customer does not want to pay detention pay, so he may make $25.00 an hour for sitting if his company pays detention, many DO NOT, because the customer will not. I know you think that is a lot, your thinking $25 an hour. Compared to what he lost not getting on down the road, it cost him money. Also he only would have gotten three hours of that detention! Five hours just cost him approximately $300, but he will only be paid $75 for his time if he is lucky enough to get that, and his time is just as valuable as YOURS, and now he is running late.

If he misses his delivery appointment, due to being on that dock so long he will be rescheduled for the next day, because the receiver has booked its docks solid (and has cut staff to a minimum). That means the driver sits, loosing about a days worth, and time he is not paid for.

Which means his profit will be cut, and he will take less money home to his family, not to mention now he is worried if he can make his payment, and if he will even have any money to give his family. Most of these guys are gone 10 days, and home for a day and a half, and take home an average of $500 a week if everything goes well. Sometimes, like my husband they stay out three weeks before being able to afford to take a couple days off. If leasing, and with this happening quit often, he is lucky to get any time off. My husband had ten days off all last year, and that was spent getting truck and personals ready to go again. He did not get to go camping, shopping, fishing, or hunting, not even a movie.

Many of you have said the trucker needs to pay more taxes! The trucker pays more taxes than most people. They pay a road tax for every state they run in, a fuel tax to those states, and a heavy usage tax to the IRS! They pay state and federal taxes quarterly, and yes they do get some deductions, but not as many as you think, and the public wants to take that away from them. If that happens, not one trucker will be able to run their trucks. NOT ONE!

Then many of you say, well let them work for a regular pay check from a company. Average hourly rate for a company driver is less then minimum wage! They see their families very little as well, and the divorce rate is very, very high. “Put it on rail” LET ME LMAO. Nothing in the grocery store would be fresh, and many shelves would be empty.

Everything you buy at the store, everything you order online, and your food and medicines moves by truck. Planes and trains can't get it to your house or grocery store. We are dependent on trucks to move product from the airport and the rail yards to the stores and our homes.

Every day, experienced and qualified drivers give it up because the government, the traffic and the greedy companies involved in trucking have drained their enthusiasm for this life, and drained their wallets. They do not get paid vacations, paid holidays, sick time, and being sick out on the road is horrible! They are separated from their families more than our military personnel.
They would take a job at a factory if they can find it, and are replaced by an in experienced youngster dreaming of the open road, seeing the country side, thinking it is easy work, a everyday vacation, where he goes where he wants, LMAO! This inexperience leads to late deliveries, causing shortages and higher prices at the store, and crashes that lead to unnecessary deaths. Today many trucking companies are putting untrained drivers behind the wheels. They are used in training as a team driver. The trainer gets all the trainee’s miles and most only care about those miles.

My husband and I have run into so many drivers that don’t even know how to fill out their paper work because the trainer did not train them, or how to use the computer, or how to check safety issues on truck, and so much more, they were used as a team driver to get all the miles the trainer could get. He drove while his trainer was in the sleeper, not up front making sure he knows his job etc. I myself have seen these team drivers with the worst blood shot eyes...since they each have fourteen hours to work, and 22 hours to drive, they run 24/7, they are the most fatigued drivers out on our roads today!

We had friends who were both killed because one driver fell asleep at the wheel, even though he had ten hours off, sleeping while truck is moving, stopping, bumping into dock, and so much more, is NOT restful sleep! They are exhausted! I know because I have been there myself.

So the next time you want to flip off a truck driver, or push a truck driver off the road, run him out of pavement, try to get him to hit you because you see the truck driver as a large pay check for you, think about where you would be without the trucker, where your family would be. THINK LONG AND HARD ABOUT THAT ONE! Also, I hope this makes you grateful for the job you have, you could be a truck driver yourself, MOST OF YOU WOULD NEVER MAKE IT.

SAME OL' TOO FAST FOR CONDITIONS

Here is a shot of a truck in the medium, the reason I grabbed the camera for this shot was that the trailer was pretty much gone. This was a 53 foot trailer, but only about one quarter of it was left.

This accident happened in Illinois. I took the shot through the windshield. The roads were quit slick in spots. Please slow down or get off the road. I saw way to many drivers, driving to fast for the conditions.

Winter 2009/2010

If you read any of my post from last year you know winter was no picnic. This year has been just about as rough, especially in the midwest, and the east. The picture was taken last week January 2010, in Indiana. The one difference this year, is that there is less truck traffic. Parking is not a problem. The truckers out here say the truck traffic has dropped by at least 40 percent. On the CB they say many drivers are taking jobs overseas, not sure why, and not just in Iraq. Drivers say that truck driving in the U.S. is changing, and may be a career of the past. I sure hope this is just one of those terrible rumors. Otherwise, we could be starving, and living under a bridge before we know it. I pray these drivers are dead wrong.

TRUCKER'S GET READY FOR CSA 2010

PLEASE GO TO CSA2010.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION.
THESE NEW LAWS GO INTO EFFECT JULY 2010. TO START THE DRIVERS SAFETY RATING THEY WILL BE GOING BACK ON YOUR RECORDS THREE YEARS. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT MORE THAN 175,000 DRIVERS WILL LOSE THEIR CAREERS DUE TO CSA 2010. GET YOUR EDUCATED NOW!

CSA 2010 BASICs:

Unsafe Driving — Dangerous or careless operation of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). Data includes driver traffic violations and convictions for speeding, reckless driving, improper lane change, inattention, and other unsafe driving behavior. (FMCSR Parts 392 and 397)

Fatigued Driving — Driving a CMV when fatigued. This is distinguished from incidents where unconsciousness or an inability to react is brought about by the use of alcohol, drugs, or other controlled substances. Data includes (1) hours-of-service violations discovered during an off-site investigation, on-site investigation, roadside inspection, or post-crash inspection, and (2) crash reports with driver fatigue as a contributing factor. (FMCSR Parts 392 and 395)

Driver Fitness — Operation of a CMV by drivers who are unfit to operate a CMV due to lack of training, experience, or medical qualification. Data includes (1) inspection violations for failure to have a valid and appropriate commercial driver's license or medical or training documentation, (2) crash reports citing a lack of experience or medical reason as a cause or contributory factor, and (3) violations from an off-site investigation or an on-site investigation for failure to maintain proper driver qualification files, or use of unqualified drivers. (FMCSR Parts 383 and 391)

Controlled Substances and Alcohol — Operation of a CMV while impaired due to alcohol, illegal drugs, and misuse of prescription medications or over-the-counter medications. Data includes (1) roadside violations involving controlled substances or alcohol, (2) crash reports citing driver impairment or intoxication as a cause, (3) positive drug or alcohol test results on drivers, and (4) lack of appropriate testing or other deficiencies in motor carrier controlled substances and alcohol testing programs. (FMCSR Part 392)

Vehicle Maintenance — CMV failure due to improper or inadequate maintenance. Data includes (1) roadside violations for brakes, lights, and other mechanical defects, (2) crash reports citing a mechanical failure as a contributing factor, and (3) violations from an off-site investigation or an on-site investigation associated with pre-trip inspections, maintenance records, and repair records. (FMCSR Parts 393 and 396)

Improper Loading/Cargo Securement — Shifting loads, spilled or dropped cargo, and unsafe handling of hazardous materials. Data includes (1) roadside inspection violations pertaining to load securement, cargo retention, and hazardous material handling, and (2) crash reports citing shifting loads, or spilled/dropped cargo as a cause or contributing factor. (FMCSR Parts 392, 393, 397 and HM Violations)

Crash Indicator— Histories or patterns of high crash involvement, including frequency and severity. Data includes law enforcement crash reports and crashes reported by the carrier and discovered during on-site investigations.
Recent roadside violations and violations that correlate most with crashes will be weighted more heavily than other violations. SMS will then rank carrier scores relative to their peers to determine which entities have specific safety problems.

1400 LEFT OUT IN THE COLD

[Best Syndication News] The Arrow Trucking Company stopped paying the gas cards for their drivers and have left some of their truckers miles away from home without any explanation as to why.

According to a report by The Christian Science Monitor drivers received only a brief recorded message on the company's main phone number saying that drivers of their Freightliner and Kenworth trucks need to return them to the nearest dealer and they can call a special number to get a bus ticket home. If they drove a Navistar truck they were told to call back for more information.

Tulsa World reported that 200 employees at the Oklahoma based Arrow Trucking were told to take their belongings and go home on Tuesday Morning.

1400 drivers lost their jobs, left stranded at Christmas, and not paid for about six weeks. This is the cruelest behavior I have ever heard. The upper management of Arrow need to be prosecuted, It is against the law to do this. Where is the federal government on this one. In the truckers forum they are hot about this one, and how these drivers were treated. I agree the drivers should have sold all they could off the trucks. One driver is still missing, his truck was found, but he is still missing. We do know what goes around comes around, it really does, I have seen it, over and over.

NO SNOW DAYS FOR A TRUCKER!

Truckers work 24/7. Most do not get much time off. Most people receive about 104 days off a year, this is just the regular two days off a week, not counting any of the paid holiday's most get, drivers don't get paid holidays. Last year my husband received a total of 15 days off all year long. Most of those days he slept, and got the truck ready for the next trips.

Many people are under the impression that truckers make BIG MONEY! I put a calculator to all his hours of service and what he actually brought home after taxes, it was less than minimum wage. They say if drivers were paid by the hour and paid what they are really worth, prices of goods would have to go up, because freight cost would sky rocket. The sacrifice these drivers make, and their families, is more than our military men and women make, because it is year after year, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. They live out on the road, under enormous stress.

Today, with some companies going electronic logging, it has cut down on fatigued drivers. The single drivers that is. The team drivers are some of the most fatigued drivers out on our roads, and single drivers that still us paper logs. They present a real danger to themselves and the public. Companies don't seem to care about this fact, you see it really is all about the bottom line, Money.

I myself have only been a driver with my husband a total of about six and a half years. We have only been driving together again the last three years. It is the hardest thing I have ever done, and it has taken a real toll on my health this last three years. Why do I do it you ask? Unfortunately, we feel at our age it is all we can do to survive. My husband left trucking once before, and took a job paying $9.00 a hr. He loved the company and his job, and his co-workers, alas the company went belly up, due to mismanagement and lots of in company theft. It hurt more than just us, many people lost their home and dreams.

At first just my husband went back to driving truck, but he really missed me, and did not want to see me only 15 days a year, so I left my home and job to be with him. It has been very hard! I hoped it would not be forever, but three years later here we are tonight in a snowstorm, wishing we had our home back up in our mountain and a $9.00 and hr. job. All we ever wanted was just enough to make a living, have a small home of our own, pay our way, and help anyone where we could.

You might want to say thank you to the next trucker you see. Without the truckers the lifestyle most of you have, well let's just say, it would not be what it is today. Without them, many would not have their jobs. Don't take for granted those precious days off from work you have to be with your family, especially at holiday times. Don't take for granted that hot shower you can take every night, don't take for granted being able to watch your children grow up, or being able to kiss your wife every night, or being able to take care of yourself comfortably when you are ill, like with the flu Don't take for granted having a home, any home. Out on the road, a driver suffers more than you will ever know. So PLEASE, THANK A TRUCKER TODAY. THEY DESERVE OUR RESPECT IN EVERY WAY.

ECONOMIC CRISIS HITS TRUCKERS!

Yes, of course, the economic woes of the country is effecting the trucking industry. Freight drops during a recession and depression, which ever it really is. Although we haul just food, even our freight has dropped off, which is a bit scary. More truckers, than freight, means less miles, which in turn means less income. Although most must be thinking with fuel cost down this would help the trucker, you couldn't be more wrong! When fuel went up, a fuel surcharge was implemented, which helped the companies and owner operators a lot. With fuel down, owner operators are actually making less money per mile, and per load. We are actually spending more out of our pockets for fuel. Seems crazy, but true. Even I was totally surprised by this fact. I keep the books for our business, and was in shock when I put my calculator to it, and did my charts. Biggest problem is while fuel is down, nothing else seems to be coming down, and should. Oh well we continue on, living in our truck, and bringing the food for your family tables.

BLACK ICE!!!

Today we had our first experience with black ice. My husband has been a truck driver since 1990, and he has had experience with ice, but had not hit black ice. We hit it today on I-35 heading south out of Albert Lea, Mn. My husband did not panic, he just turned into the slide, put on the gas, and what seemed like slow motion straightened the trailer and truck out. The scariest part was that there were several four wheelers in front of us sliding all over the road. They had hit the ice too, at a much higher rate of speed. Lucky they too were able to get their vehicles to the side in one piece, a few others were not as lucky. Little ways down the road another truck and four wheeler had hit one another. The truck had rolled on its side, and the pick up truck had his front in smashed in and was in the medium. We drove a long way at about 20mph, you can not see black ice, and there were patches of it for quite a ways. Tonight we are finally out of the freezing elements, just rain right now. Everyone drive safe and be careful, drop your speed, and get there in one piece. 

NO PLACE TO PARK

As we travel to deliver this country's food, one problem that continues to get worse for truckers is parking. We sometimes use parking lots, but as of late we see more and more signs; NO SEMI'S ALLOWED. It hurts, because sometimes, infact most the time, we need to eat, go to the bathroom, and we are unable to do this because of lack of parking. For us truckers life just gets harder and harder. One time I was so hungry, I had not been able to eat all day, and the night was looking bleak as it got later and later with no place to park to get something. I don't believe people know how hard it is for us. Next time you eat dinner, I do hope you think about how it got to your table.

A WONDERFUL FALL TRIP

Yesterday we received a load to go to a place called Chelan, Wa. It was a 190 mile drive from Sumner, Wa. We unloaded in Sumner right away, and was sent to this location to pick up a load of apples. It is harvest season, and I can see why God has such a joyous heart regarding the harvest. The groves, and mountains surrounding them is majestic. It reminded me of another apple orchard; Just about every fall our parents would pile my brothers and I  in the car for a trip to California's apple orchards, it was called Oak Glen. We would get apples, and syrup, and apple cider. It was always a beautiful drive, but then I have always loved going to the mountains. We are hauling our wonderful load of apples to Harrisonville, Mo. It was a wonderful experience to see the States apple orchards. Washington is the largest producer of apples for our nation. Every orchard owner is a great servant to the rest of us. The harvest looked to be a good one this year, at least what I saw looked good.

TUNNELS ARE SCARY

Today we had to go through mountains via tunnels, long, long tunnels. The lights and walls made me really a bit dizzy. It is a bit scary being under a complete mountain. We went through about four of these long long tunnels pretty much one right after another. We were driving through Pennsylvania. They have lots of tunnels that go through lots of mountains. The scenery was beautiful but I am a bit disappointed in the fall colors so far. The fall colors are already so vibrant and abundant in Utah, I guess I thought it would already be that vibrant in Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Now we are on our way to southern Illinois, and then on to Colorado. While traveling in the east we did see lots of awesome rural little towns, and beautiful old historical looking homes. The highways are trimmed to perfection, and it does smell like fall. Of course all we really get to see is from our windshield, lol. Honestly, I am glad to be going west again. Other than California, I think I love the west the best.

TRUCKERS SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

Today was such a sad day for America.  I am a hard working American. Oh, I know some out there think trucking is an easy job, I am here to tell you it is one of the hardest jobs I have ever done. It takes a lot of sacrifice to do this job, being away from family and friends, not having any kind of life. Never getting a vacation, or regular time off. Truckers serve a great purpose, and without them the Country would stop as a whole. Today our government officials voted yes on a bail out that most of the American people did not want. They ignored the people they serve, and voted to bail out the crooks. If I was unable to make my truck payment, is the government going to bail me out. I DON'T THINK SO! This is just a very sad day for all hard working Americans. Chat rooms are a buzzing, and most are going to the polls to vote all the ones who voted yes out of office. Even I downloaded the list of how our so called leaders voted, and I agree with most Americans and their feelings about this bail out. It is just plain wrong!!! The main count was 203 Democrats voted yes for the bail out, and 29 Republicans voted for the bail out. I plan on voting them all out of office. All the yay's get a nay from me.

NORTHEAST DOESN'T LIKE TRUCKERS MUCH

Today we took a load to Manchester, Pa. Not able to stop to eat, decided we get something when we got there. Unfortunately hard to find a truck stop, and so we found a Wendy's, one problem they would not serve us because we were not in a car. We told them our truck was to big, and we were starving, they shrugged their shoulders and said they could not serve us. We have had this kind of thing happen a lot to us, especially in the Northeast. Parking for a trucker who needs to sleep is a nightmare. If a trucker is out of hours and he can not find a place to park, he is in real trouble, and will be fined for a lot of money. This is how I believe they make their revenue, off the truckers. Truckers pay out so much, to bring the people their food, clothing, and much more. Taxes are a nightmare too. Truckers are taxed if they go into a State that they do not buy fuel in. If a trucker bought fuel in every State they entered they would never get anywhere, lol. Actually worse than the Northeast is the Southeast. Truckers have slept on the on ramps because parking is full in the truck stop, well now it is against the law and the trucker will be given a large fine. Parking around most of the nation is non existent for the trucker, and most hate the truckers, but what do you think you would do without them?  Let's not forget the new law in the West, truckers no longer allowed to idle their trucks to keep warm in the winter, or most important to me, cool in the summer. Several truckers this last summer got heat exhaustion, one police officer told me paying $1000.00 fine was better than risking your life. I must still be a bit naive, I just can not believe what some people say. 

Well tonight we finally found a place to drop the trailer and up one block was a little store, we went in to find something to eat, and it turned out to be a awesome place. Lots of healthy food, wish you could find this kind of food in a truck stop. The store was called Rutter's. I had a healthy wheat turkey wrap, and they had natural chips homemade no preservatives,  Gerald had a ham sub, with same chips, and of course milk.  Now with happy tummies, its time to relax for awhile before we start out on a longer day tomorrow. Good night to all, God Bless, and Keep all of you safe. Our thoughts and love are always with you all.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

I have leased a truck and started my own business. Funny how things work out. It is not something I enjoy at all. Trucking started out to be ok, but the older I get the harder it gets, and it does not allow you to have any kind of life. Problem is I married a truck driver, who seems to love it, or thinks it's all he can do. Not sure which it is. Fact is I love him, and will do anything for him, including doing something I hate. I have always wanted a normal life, but then again what is a normal life. I think what I hate about it, is no regular days off, it is so unappreciated, never get to be with family, living out on the road is hard, and it is very rough on ones health. I am so surprised at how many think it is such a glamorous job. I tell them it is the one of the most dangerous and hardest jobs you will ever do in your life. The saying is so true, if truckers stop, America would stop. Just as if Farmers stop growing, America would starve. If the military quit, America would loose its freedom. Think about it, think about the real people who serve the people of America. It is not your elected officials, they have only proven to be self serving.  Send your appreciation to the true working American who serves his fellow citizens everyday.