Distracted Driving: A threat to truckers AND anyone on the road

 Distracted Driving is not just a threat to truckers and the trucking industry, but to everyone. According to Truckinginfo.com the statistics on the destructive impact of distracted driving are staggering. 

• 10% of all accidents are because of distracted driving
• 18% of all accidents where an injury occurred when distracted driving was involved

The statistics in the article go on from there. The message is clear. Driving while texting or using a cell phone increases your chance of getting in an accident exponentially. The penalties for driving distracted will probably get worse and worse as these numbers intensify. My guess is that if it does not abate, there will be penalties rivaling drunk driving. That may seem outlandish but the impact of distracted driving has become significant.

 For more information here is the link to the original article
http://truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=78110&news_category_id=12

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Update: Mexican Trucking Stalling

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A CNN report says the Mexican trucking program is failing. I am not surprised. My guess is their trucking companies cannot afford the same regulations American companies are choking on right now. I mean how can trucking companies in Mexico, paying $10 to $15 an hour wages (if that), are going to stomach 5 billion dollars of regulation?

There is no way that trucks that require tens of thousands of dollars of repair are going to go through hundreds of inspection stations in the 48 states and pass. Consider that records are electronic and they travel with you. It would become a joke among American truckers about what is the fastest time a Mexican trucking company gets put off the road, if they can even meet basic DOT inspection.

The only way this program has ANY hope of working is

• if the trucking companies spend a fortune to upgrade their trucks
• Guarantee the safety of unarmed DOT officers, who, last I checked, have tovisit at least 50% of these trucking companies in Mexico for inspection
• Must guarantee their is no organized crime or cartel involvement, tampering,or utilization of these trucks for illegal purposes or drug trafficking

My advice to these companies: Buena Suerte  (Good Luck)


http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/04/us/mexico-trucks/index.html

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Trucker Health

 Whats at Stake with Driver Health

Incredible article about the health risks truckers face just by being truckers. The hazards that

are threatening the national pool of truck drivers are riskier than you might think. According to 

a USA today article:

• Approximately 1 in 3 of all drivers are Obese
• Over 80% are overweight
• The insurance costs of healthier truckers are almost 50% less expensive than obese truckers
• Obesity is linked to sleep apnea

I can tell you that it will not be long before most trucking companies mysteriously screen out heavier drivers for insurance costs alone

 
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2012-08-09/truckers-health/57194472/1

Trucking and the Fear of Gas Increases

A phrase that strikes fear into the hearts of anybody who depends on a vehicle for a living...fuel prices. The price of fuel has dipped a little bit offering only a slight bit of relief for the trucker community. The trend still favors an upward climb

Fleets Find Benefits in EOBRs - Truckinginfo.com

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Fleets Find Benefits in EOBRs - Truckinginfo.com

Great story on how a trucking firm is using on board recorders to monitor fatigue and stay out of trouble with the hours of service rule. While I like the idea of an individual trucking firm doing this by their choice, I have trepidation with the government requiring it. Being watched every second is an unnerving feeling..

 Fleets Find Benefits in EOBRs - Truckinginfo.com

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The reality of Truck Weight Increases..Will The Interstates Become Drop Zones

Very few things rival the mass of a fully loaded Auto Transport. One area of discussion that has come up is increasing truck weights. So I did a scan to find out how dangerous could increasing truck weights be to an Auto Transport. Well I pulled this from the Dayton Daily News:

Ohio Bridges as reviewed by Ohio County Engineers Assoc.

Over 6,000 , about 25% of the bridges in Ohio:

• are no longer opened
• have been cut down to one lane
• marked for load reductions 
• ruled structurally deficient

With 6,000 bridges not making it now... can you imagine what would happen with heavier trucks in Ohio alone?  Ohio would be known as the drop zone state. There would be jokes about the real Ohio lottery being the people taking a chance going over the bridges. We would be the only state where you would need a parachute that inflates in addition to the airbag. Nobody would want to drive through Ohio And this is only one state

To read the original article click here

Trucking And The Economy: Big Payloads Often Mean Economic Growth...

Trucking is the lifeblood of any economy. It moves the goods back and forth. Whatever product your using or holding was..brought on a truck.

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On a bigger scale large truck payloads are often signs of economic stimulation and prosperity. I am placing a link to a story about a construction equipment haul by a specialized hauling truck. While not all that glamorous, it means someone, somewhere is building something for some reason..which isnt a bad thing

Click Here to go to the story