This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending July 13, 2019.
We welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.
After trucker Clint Collins "refused to drive in hazardous weather and got fired for it", the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) stepped in.
According to a July 5, 2019, article, "OSHA found the firing violated the STAA and ordered [Collins' trucking company] to offer Collins reinstatement without retaliation" and the award listed in the article.
A regional administrator with OSHA stated, "Forcing drivers to operate a commercial motor vehicle during inclement weather places their lives and the lives of others at risk."
I am delighted every time I read that a trucker was vindicated for his decision to stand on principle like this!
The attorney who won the case was Paul O. Taylor of Truckers Justice Center.
We cover more about the Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) -- 49 U.S.C. §31105 -- on these pages on our site:
More about this legal decision was written here.
According to a July 8, 2019, article, "The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's annual Operation Safe Driver Week, which focuses on unsafe driving of both trucks and cars, will take place July 14-20, with a focus on speeding."
Please bear in mind that drivers of commercial motor vehicles are subject at any time to having their behavior, log-keeping, trucks, and more inspected.
A July 4, 2019, article described decreasing downtime by doing preventive maintenance on trailers.
If you are an owner-operator hauling your own trailer -- and if you have acquired a trailer with the kind of "more advanced and durable materials" described in this article -- would you please write a truck parts review to let us know about the pros and cons?
For example, as a result of the upgraded materials:
Thanks in advance for your review.
Human smuggling and trafficking is back in the news.
Do not smuggle or traffic humans -- ever!
A July 8, 2019, article stated:
Though some local reports have indicated that the truck driver woke to find himself submerged in the flood waters, video was captured at the scene that appears to show the truck driver deliberately driving into the water.
Another article about this was written here -- and included photos of the trucker actually standing "atop his cab".
Here are 3 reasons why you should never attempt to drive in flood waters:
The tack of the writer of a July 5, 2019, article -- in which a video is embedded -- was that the trucker took "evasive action to avoid what could have been a very serious pileup crash" by driving on the left shoulder around stopped traffic.
The left shoulder is not intended for that kind of use.
Had the median had any softer or steeper of a surface beyond the pavement, the truck could have fallen over on its side.
But the main point here is this: It is obvious based upon what the video shows that the trucker was driving too fast for conditions and did not have his truck under control.
Continually pay attention to conditions and be prepared to stop for slowing and stopped traffic.
"National Truck Driver Appreciation Week [NTDAW] will be held this year during the week of Sept. 8-14 to honor America's truckers," stated a July 8, 2019, article.
According to this article, "National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, an annual celebration of America's 3.5 million professional truck drivers, is the motoring public's opportunity to thank truck drivers for delivering critical goods to their communities."
Now Mike and I appreciate truck drivers year-round.
But still, it's good when others appreciate truckers, too.
While I will be reporting on special discounts, freebies and giveaways for truckers throughout NTDAW, you may find some that I don't find.
If you offer any specials during NTDAW, please share your truckers savings news.
Thanks in advance.
What will the North Carolina truck driver who won a lottery payout of over $141,000 (after taxes) do with the money?
According to the article, "he plans to retire in a year or two", so it looks like he won't be quitting his trucking job right away (as other lottery winners might be tempted to do).
Will this trucker put his winnings in the bank or what?
We document on "Planning to Retire from Trucking One Day, Trucker?" how much money it would take in the bank in accounts earning various interest rates in order to get various monthly payouts.
For instance:
Is it time to consider starting to earn a second income from the cab of your truck?
Just as I was about to congratulate my home state of South Carolina for not having made it on the list of the "top 10 states for bad drivers", I found that it was tied for 11th place!
{Sigh!}
According to a Canadian trucking website's July 5, 2019, article, the cost of fuel there is higher because:
As of April 1, the federal government has applied its carbon pricing system to Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba (all other provinces already had a carbon pricing system in place by that date).
Now, the article states, "The carbon tax should not change where you should buy fuel", but I disagree.
Truckers and trucking companies should always be savvy about where they purchase fuel.
The "carbon pricing system" part of the cost of fuel may not change, but fuel prices can change often.
Work to get the highest quality fuel you can at the lowest price.
My husband Mike and I wish you -- and all professional truck drivers -- safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.
Return from TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2019.07.13 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.