Law enforcement officials are investigating the possibility of a police impersonator in two recent murders on Mississippi interstates. If truckers running in that area witnessed suspicious activity, investigators would appreciate a call.
On Tuesday, May 8, 74-year-old Thomas Schlender, of Raymond, NE, was found shot to death in his pickup truck around 1:30 a.m. on Interstate 55 near Highway 6. Three days later, Lori Anne Carswell, 48, of Hernando, MS, was found shot to death at about 2:15 a.m. Her body was found on State Highway 713 near Interstate 69 outside her car.
Both drivers were alone on remote stretches of highway and neither vehicle had obvious mechanical problems.
Monday, the Tate County Sheriff’s office advised the public on its Facebook page, “We urge everyone to be cautious while driving, especially at night. If someone attempts to pull you over with flashing lights and you feel unsure of stopping, DON’T PULL OVER. Use your cell phone and dial 911. If it’s a real officer, then the dispatcher will confirm it for you. And if it’s not a real officer, they will send help to you. Our deputies have been told not to overreact if someone does not immediately pull over. Your safety is our primary concern.”
Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation told Land Line Now that MBI would appreciate help from truckers who may have been driving in the area.
“We’d certainly encourage anyone that may have seen something. At the time they thought that it was nothing to it, but in retrospect it may be pertinent to the investigation. We encourage those individuals to call 888-827-4637, the statewide crime stoppers line.”
Source: Landline
The national diesel average is at or below $4 depending on which survey you look at. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported the seven-day average at $4.004 per gallon on Monday, May 14, while a daily survey by ProMiles showed the diesel average dipping below the $4 mark to $3.995 per gallon.
The EIA reported an overall decrease in the average price by more than 5 cents for the past week, with regional decreases ranging from 3.4 cents on the West Coast to 6.5 cents in the Midwest.
Following is a roundup of the regional price averages reported by the EIA:
U.S. – $4.004, down 5.3 cents
East Coast – $4.054, down 5.4 cents
New England – $4.192, down 4 cents
Central Atlantic – $4.135, down 5.9 cents
Lower Atlantic – $3.969, down 5.2 cents
Midwest – $3.897, down 6.5 cents
Gulf Coast – $3.915, down 4.7 cents
Rocky Mountain – $4.004, down 4.3 cents
West Coast – $4.277, down 3.5 cents
West Coast less California – $4.192, down 3.4 cents
California – $4.385, down 3.6 cents
According to ProMiles, which tracks fuel prices daily in the continental U.S., the national average went down six-tenths of a cent over the weekend.
Including state and federal sales taxes, Washington state had the highest average Monday at $4.439 per gallon, while Missouri had the lowest average at $3.754.
Oil prices continue to decline, as well. On Monday, light sweet crude was trading at $94.42 in New York, down $1.71 over the weekend. European crude known as Brent crude was trading at $112 on Monday, down another dollar from last week. Those sources of oil are commonly associated with diesel production.
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
John Palazzolo has dreamed for years of moving to Florida and working as an over-the-road truck driver.
Palazzolo, an OOIDA member from Huntington Station, NY, has worked as a Long Island school bus driver for nearly seven years.
Since last fall, Palazzolo has posted his resume on several job websites hoping to land a job farther south on the East Coast. Such a gig could facilitate his moving from New York to Florida.
That hope, however, apparently made him an easy target for a likely scam.
In April, Palazzolo said he was contacted by a woman named Michelle who said she recruited drivers for a company called “Arrowhead Logistics.” The company supposedly had a job waiting for him when his semester with the school district finished up in mid-May.
To get the job, Palazzolo needed only to wire Michelle $159 for his background check.
After Palazzolo left several messages in late April, Michelle called him back and said the job was his. She told Palazzolo the company was waiting on his truck to arrive, and that he’d be refunded for the background check at orientation.
Palazzolo was told the company would be in touch during the first week of May.
“Here we are and I still haven’t heard from them,” he said Monday, adding that the company also pulled down its website.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website, one company by the name “Arrowhead Logistics LLC” exists in Gainesville, GA. That Arrowhead Logistics, however, has authority only as a broker. That company is listed on a Gainesville business website as a warehouse located on White Sulphur Road. The phone number listed is no longer a working number.
Searching online, Palazzolo said a friend came across a message board full of posts from other CDL-holders who had spent $200 to $350 on background checks after being contacted by a recruiter from Arrowhead Logistics. According to the message board, the drivers never heard from the company again.
“I should have known,” Palazzolo said. “Now that I’m thinking about it, it was too good to be true.”
Palazzolo is examining all his legal options, he said. He’s hoping to work the case together with other potential victims.
“I at least want them to pay us all back,” Palazzolo said. “I’m going to get some justice for all the fellow drivers who are looking for jobs. This is ridiculous.”
He does feel fortunate for one reason: He never quit his old job.
“Thank goodness,” he said.
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
A new rule in Alabama is intended to improve fairness for truck drivers doing business in the state. In Michigan, a similar effort also includes protections from certain unfair clauses in motor carrier contracts.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has signed into law a bill to do away with indemnification clauses in trucking contracts. The clauses are set up to protect shippers or hold them harmless from anything that happens with a shipment.
Previously HB339, the new law outlaws the provisions in contracts that provide for shippers to be indemnified for losses caused by their own negligence and make them “void and unenforceable.” It took effect immediately.
Alabama is the 33rd state to change rules covering truck contracts. South Dakota and Minnesota also acted this year to protect truck drivers from the clauses. The Minnesota rule took effect immediately. South Dakota’s protection is set to take effect July 1.
Supporters say that indemnification clauses require freight carriers to take on liability for the negligence of shippers. As a result, truckers are responsible for trailer packing, even though shippers actually do the packing.
They say the contract clauses are bad for the trucking industry. They also create a safety issue because the shipper’s incentive to perform its duties in a prudent and reasonably safe manner is eliminated.
Affected contracts in the Alabama bill are defined as “a bill of lading, contract, agreement, or other understanding” between a motor carrier and a shipper covering the transportation of property for hire by the motor carrier, entry on property to load, unload or transport property, including the storage of property.
The protection does not apply to intermodal chassis, containers, or other intermodal equipment.
In Michigan, a bill on the move also would protect truckers from the unfair clauses. The Senate Transportation Committee voted to advance a bill that defines affected contracts as “a contract, agreement, or understanding” between a trucker and a shipper.
The bill – SB873 – awaits further consideration on the Senate floor. If approved there, it would move to the House.
To view other legislative activities of interest for Alabama, click here. To view other legislative activities of interest for Michigan, click here.
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
A mechanic at an Iowa Pilot Flying J truck stop has filed a complaint with the city of Altoona, IA, alleging police failed to act in the best interest of a young girl whose mother appeared to be offering her for “extracurricular activities.”
According to The Des Moines Register, a Boss Truck Shop mechanic said that on Monday, May 7, shortly after he began his shift at the shop located at the Pilot Flying J, he noticed a woman with a young girl, who looked about 6 years old. Robert Peters works 4 p.m. to midnight at the shop in the truck stop on Adventureland Drive.
“The woman displayed a number of disturbing behaviors, ones I would normally associate with a truck stop prostitute, and others such as frog-marching this little girl towards a line of parked semi trucks,” Peters told The Register.
The newspaper reported that late Monday evening the woman approached the driver of the truck Peters had just finished repairing and “indicated she would like to entertain offers.”
Peters said police were called. Officers reportedly talked to the woman and let her and the girl leave, said Peters, who was “appalled at how police handled the situation.” This prompted his complaint to the mayor of Altoona.
Police Chief Jody Matherly declined to release the incident report to The Register, but told the newspaper that there was “no indication that the child was in danger from preliminary reports.”
“I think the police are treating this like the normal prostitute thing, where they come and just make her go away. But this one had a 6-year-old girl with her,” Peters told the newspaper. “This time, this lady needed to go to jail, I think.”
Peters’ supervisor who also witnessed the incident, told The Register he saw the girl resist and “throw a tantrum” when the woman tried to take her toward a truck. This happened around 10:30 p.m.
Matherly said the police department would have more information as the investigation progresses.
Pilot Flying J recently partnered with Truckers Against Trafficking, an organization dedicated to educating, equipping, empowering and mobilizing the trucking industry to fight human trafficking.
The truck stop chain has posted information from the growing organization in its more than 550 travel centers and travel plazas across the U.S. The truck stop in Altoona was formerly Bosselman’s. It was sold to Pilot Flying J in January.
Pilot Flying J also now includes general training about human trafficking and the organization’s resources to all company employees.
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
Brandon Jenkins, a 22-year-old driver from Kalkasha, MI, started last Friday like any other day, only to have it turn into “quite a day.”
He was hauling a load of potatoes for Jenkins Trucking LLC from the 1,300-acre Jenkins Potato Farm, both family businesses, when he got stranded in a flash flood on I-75 in Flint.
“We stopped, me and three other trucks, about 3:30 in the morning near the railroad viaduct. There was water in the road. I stopped 400 to 500 feet before that,” Jenkins told Land Line.
Heavy rains had flooded not only the interstate, but also the nearby Flint River, compounding the problem. He took pictures as the water got higher and higher. Jenkins called 911 because there were three trucks there.
“I was pretty calm about it. I wanted to get on the roof to see what was going on, so they knew I was still there. I didn’t want them to think I had gotten another ride.”
Before he was rescued, Jenkins had spent two hours on the roof of his truck. The police showed up about 7:30 a.m. to direct traffic. By then traffic was stacking up. The police were helping people back up and turn around.
“I was up front,” Jenkins said. “By the time they got to me, the engine flooded. The other trucks made it out. Mine was the only one that quit.” The water was three feet deep when the motor quit and reached four feet total.
Officers were in contact with Jenkins the entire time he was stranded. One officer stood on the overpass and talked to him while he was waiting for the rescue boat. There was still a current, and the motor on the boat went out. The boat was pulled to the median on the freeway wall in an effort to get to him. Jenkins said by this time the water was beginning to go down.
Jenkins is waiting to hear from his insurance whether the truck will be totaled. His trailer was serviced that afternoon, and friends at another trucking company loaned him a truck.
Jenkins said he was able to deliver his load of potatoes the next morning.
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
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The state of Indiana received $3.85 billion in 2006 by leasing its 157-mile toll road to private investors from Spain and Australia for 75 years.
And even though that money funded a 10-year transportation plan and helped many areas of the state catch up on transportation needs, the money and the interest it earned is going to dry up sooner rather than later. According to the latest reports, the up-front money the state received will be spent or committed to projects by June 2013. That means the next few generations will see no cash for their needs despite being stuck paying ever-increasing tolls to guarantee investor profits.
This shows that the Indiana Toll Road lease is the gift that keeps on taking.
Sure the 10-year highway and bridge project known as “Major Moves” is helping replace bridges, pave roads and relieve congestion, but it’s a one-time fix. There’s no way those projects will hold up through 2081.
And what of the Indiana Toll Road itself? According to truckers we’ve talked to, it has its share of needs and rough pavement. The investor is supposed to be maintaining and upgrading the highway, but their timetable may differ from a state DOT’s because they have shareholders to pay.
Highway users had every right to cry foul back in 2006 when Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the lease.
In an instant, users were on the hook for toll increases. The lease guaranteed truck tolls would more than double from $14 to $32 during the first five years. And for the duration, the lease guarantees toll increases will keep up with inflation to make sure the investors don’t lose a dime.
Despite the state of Indiana being able to live high on the hog from the lease proceeds for a few years, the windfall is about to dry up. Once the money is spent and is no longer drawing interest, Indiana will be right back with every other state looking for ways to fill gaps in the budget.
It’s a good thing they only had one toll road to pawn.
Source: Landline
Central Freight Lines of Waco, TX, has agreed to settle an age discrimination lawsuit that was filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after eight dockworkers were fired and replaced with younger workers.
According to the consent decree, Central Freight has “agreed to pay $400,000 to the claimants and to train management and supervisory personnel at the Central Freight Dallas and Fort Worth terminals on equal employment opportunity policies and procedures.”
The EEOC’s lawsuit alleges the dockworkers were fired by Central Freight because of their age by using a “reduction-in-force ruse.” Some of the dockworkers had been with the company for 20 or more years and were approximately 50 years or older.
The trucking company settled on the opening day of the eight-day scheduled trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas.
The EEOC press release issued on May 10 states that Central Freight supervisors prepared a list of the men to be terminated, and that company supervisors referred to the dockworkers as “grandpa” and “old farts” and other names. The EEOC complaint also stated that Central Freight changed its attendance and disciplinary policy so that those with few write-ups were “suddenly put on corrective action and eligible for termination under the new policy.”
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
A Pennsylvania House panel has advanced a bill to authorize faster travel on the state’s turnpike system.
The House Transportation Committee voted 18-4 to move a bill to the full House that could result in cars and trucks being authorized to drive 70 mph. If approved there, HB2119 would advance to the Senate for further consideration.
State law now authorizes all vehicles to travel 65 mph on the turnpike system. However, certain stretches of roadway are posted at 55 mph, including the east-west tunnels.
Sponsored by Rep. Joseph Preston, D-East Liberty, the bill would affect portions of the turnpike system posted at 65 mph. On these stretches, the turnpike commission would be given permission to perform an engineering analysis to determine where the speed limit could be safely increased to 70 mph.
In neighboring Ohio, speeds on the state’s turnpike were raised a year ago for all vehicles from 65 mph to 70 mph. Turnpike officials credit the 5 mph increase for an improved safety record on the 241-mile roadway.
Supporters say that better safety standards for vehicles and improved driving conditions mean the Pennsylvania Turnpike can accommodate faster travel.
Others say the advantages for the state do not end there. They contend that the higher limit could entice some travelers to choose to pay for the opportunity to make better time while driving through the state.
Critics question whether it’s a good idea to increase speeds to enable drivers to get to their destination earlier. They are also concerned that drivers will travel even faster.
Officials at the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association say the only speed limit policy that makes sense is to have all vehicles traveling at the same speed.
OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer said that requiring certain vehicles to drive at speeds slower than other vehicles does not promote safety.
“It does exactly the opposite by requiring vehicles to be constantly in conflict with each other,” Spencer said.
He also noted that “the majority of travelers drive at a speed they believe to be prudent and safe. For truckers and other drivers that equates to traveling at about 70 mph.”
To view other legislative activities of interest for Pennsylvania, click here.
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
A Philadelphia trucker involved in a 2009 fatal crash will spend 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to falsifying four sets of logbooks.
Valerijs Nikolaevich Belovs, 58, of Philadelphia, PA, caused a multi-vehicle crash in January 2009 on Interstate 76 near Conshohocken, PA, according to The Times Herald. The 1997 Kenworth’s brakes were worn, according to the newspaper, and Belovs failed to stop, plowing into stopped traffic. David Schreffier, 49, of Fort Washington, PA, was killed and several others were injured.
Belovs initially pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in 2010 and spent three months in prison.
However, he was also indicted on 15 counts of making false statements. The indictment stemmed from allegations that Belovs maintained four separate logbooks to falsify his hours-of-service compliance.
The first count of the indictment stated that Belovs’ logbook No. 3 showed him off-duty between Dec. 20, 2008 and Jan. 14, 2009 – just days before the fatal crash. In fact, he was driving in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana Jan. 6-10, 2009, as well as Jan. 12-14, 2009.
The second count of the indictment stated that Belovs’ logbook No. 4 showed him off-duty between Dec. 23, 2008 and Jan. 12, 2009. Again, he was on-duty driving during at least six of those days in five different states.
The third count stated that logbook No. 1 of Belovs’ showed he was off-duty Dec. 28, 2008 through Jan. 18, 2009. In reality, the indictment states he drove in eight states over a 12-day period that he had shown as off-duty.
The additional 12 counts continued to detail a pattern of alleging off-duty status in one or more logbooks, when actually driving and on-duty.
In addition to the 18 months in prison, Belovs was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a special assessment of $1,500.
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
A community is rallying around a truck driver who was injured Tuesday after a plastic cup that was thrown from an oncoming car shattered his windshield. It happened on U.S. 271 near Bogota, TX.
Jennifer Bolduc told Land Line that her husband, Richard Bolduc, was released from the hospital on Wednesday, but is still unable to drive after sustaining eye, face and back injuries. She said it’s still unclear what was in the cup that shattered his windshield.
She said that Richard has also met with an eye specialist, who removed pieces of glass from his eyes.
The Bolducs live in Saint Peters, MO, which is more than 600 miles from where Richard was injured. However, Jennifer said she has many new friends to thank in the community of Bogota, TX, who have supported her husband since the accident.
Richard is staying with Donnie Childers and his wife, Dana, owners of the feed store in Bogota. “Pastor Donnie” as he is called, is also a former truck driver and the pastor of the Full Circle Cowboy Church in Bogota.
The Childers were called to the accident scene by Kate Gibson of Bogota, and her boyfriend, Mitch Cannon, who were behind Richard on U.S. 271 and stopped to help him.
Pastor Donnie, who has a CDL, drove Richard’s truck to his parking lot at the feed store. He then drove nearly three hours to the hospital in Plano, TX, where Richard was flown by helicopter after the accident. He wanted to make sure Richard had his cellphone, wallet and other items out of his truck.
Dana Childers called Jennifer Bolduc to let her know that Richard had been in an accident, but was OK.
Gibson and Cannon, who is also a truck driver, are taking care of the Bolducs’ two Chihuahuas, who were with him in the truck, until he recovers.
“Everybody has been so great to us since this happened,” Jennifer said. “It’s hard for me to help him since the girls, who both have special needs, and I are so far away, but we are grateful for their help.”
The investigation is ongoing into the car and person who may have thrown the cup that shattered Bolduc’s windshield. Pieces of the cup and straw were found throughout his truck.
Richard, who has been an OOIDA member since 2001, was able to pull his truck over and out of traffic before he fell to the ground.
“We still aren’t sure when or if he will be able to drive,” Jennifer said. “We are just so thankful that he is OK, and that I still have a husband and my girls have their daddy.”
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
Mark your June calendars, the CVSA Roadcheck 2012 is less than a month away. The annual inspection event – the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 72-hour safety blitz – is scheduled for June 5-7.
CVSA sponsors Roadcheck with participation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Mexico).
Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial vehicles in the world, with approximately 14 trucks or buses being inspected, on average, every minute from Canada to Mexico during a 72-hour period.
Each year, approximately 10,000 CVSA-certified local, state, provincial and federal inspectors at 1,500 locations across North America perform the truck and bus inspections.
CVSA is made up of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor-carrier safety officials and industry representatives in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Since its inception in 1988, the roadside inspections conducted during Roadcheck have numbered more than 1 million. Learn more about the program at cvsa.org.
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
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