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Our Forum is the all year around meeting place, where drivers and owners come for Information or discuss trucking and expediting related questions. Whether you drive a Tractor/Trailer, Expediter Straight Truck or Van, you are very welcome here in Expediter World. We bring you Expediting and Trucking News on a regular basis. Trucking Professionals as well as Newbie's enjoy our Photo Gallery and NEW Free Classifieds. You can also find the right job with our new website, please visit us at www.expediterjobsonline.com. You can also check diesel fuel prices with our National Truckstop fuel price locator. Join us in relaxing, having fun and playing games.
Truck Drivers Facing Covid Discrimination – Refused Service at Restaurants |  | 
Truck drivers have been on the frontline of Covid. At a time when the world called on people to shelter in place, drivers stepped up and faced exposure to the illness in order to keep stores and hospitals stocked. Now, truck drivers are facing discrimination because of their increased exposure to the virus. A restaurant in Canada refused to serve truck drivers because of their increased exposure to the virus. “It’s a bit disappointing to hear the adverse things directed at truck drivers in the province,” Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said. “We shouldn’t be stigmatizing truck drivers. We should be thanking them. They’ve kept our supply chains open. They’re taking risks,” said Roussin. Manitoba has 318 recorded Covid cases — eight of those are truck drivers, said the Manitoba Trucking Association. The trucking association said that it has received several reports of truck drivers being denied service. “One of the reasons Manitobans were able to stay home and self-isolate comfortably was because Manitoba truck drivers didn’t stay home,” said Executive Director of the Manitoba Trucking Association Terry Shaw. Amazon driver quits leaving his truck with packages and keys inside posting viral Twitter rant | |
An Amazon driver abandoned his delivery truck at a gas station after he says he was pushed to the breaking point. Lancaster recorded a Twitter rant afterwards, which went viral, as he wanted to take a stand against his former employer, Amazon. "I stepped out of the car and just wandered off," he said. FOX 2: "What was that feeling like?" Then, he posted on social media telling folks exactly where he abandoned the truck at the Marathon station in Southfield. The truck sat for a while, but was eventually picked up by Amazon. It is unclear if any packages were missing. Not everyone FOX 2 spoke to, thought it was a good idea. "Be an adult take care of your business, stop being childish and ignorant, maybe, I'm not sure," said one woman. Lancaster says he was worked too hard, pulling 12-hour shifts every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. delivering sometimes 200 packages. Lancaster said he earned $15.50 and worked full time with benefits and 401K. He also earned overtime pay, but adding to his stress was the COVID-19 pandemic and recently, the hot weather. Some teens saw his post on social media and give him credit. "I think it shows initiative, if I had a company and you're willing to abandon everything for your ideals like that, I would hire him," one told FOX 2. "Maybe not to drive a truck, though." FOX 2 contacted Amazon’s Oak Park office but have not heard back yet. "I'm going to see where life takes me," Lancaster said. "I'm 22, I just enrolled in school and I will focus on that." Tesla Enters the Auto Hauling Business | |
 A red Tesla semi truck was spotted in California hauling a load of Tesla Model Y and Model 3 cars. The truck was delivering Tesla cars to customers in California. In a Tweet, Elon Musk said that Tesla semi trucks can deliver Tesla cars to within California. Tesla announced plans for it’s Semi Truck in 2017 with intentions to be available to customers by 2019. After additional delays, Tesla announced that their electric class 8 trucks wouldn’t be produced and delivered until 2021. “It’s time to go all out and bring the Tesla Semi to volume production. It’s been in limited production so far, which has allowed us to improve many aspects of the design. Production of the battery and powertrain would take place at Giga Nevada, with most of the other work probably occurring in other states. Jerome and I are very excited to work with you to bring this amazing product to market,” Musk said in the leaked memo sent to employees. The Semi is boasted as being the “safest, most comfortable truck ever.” It has a 20 second 0-60 mph acceleration with 80k lb and gets 500 miles on a full charge. Arizona expands use of weigh-in-motion technology | |
The Arizona Department of Transportation has expanded its use of technology that screens moving trucks for weight and identifying information. The state had been using the tech at select rest areas, including McGuireville on Interstate 17, Sacaton on Interstate 10 and Canoa Ranch on Interstate 19. It is now being used at all of the state’s commercial ports of entry along I-10, I-40 and State Route 95 in Parker. “This truck screening system will allow our officers to focus on the commercial vehicles that need our officers’ attention,” said Jeff Stanhope, deputy director for ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division. “It helps us make better use of our resources and efforts while allowing trucks in compliance to go on their way.” The technology uses weigh-in-motion sensors, cameras that read USDOT numbers and license plates, and message signs. An additional feature at the Ehrenberg and San Simon ports of entry on I-10 also identifies commercial vehicles with tires that could be damaged or in need of repair. As a truck approaches a port of entry, highway signs direct the driver into the right lane. When the truck is a half mile from the port, the weigh-in-motion sensors and cameras capture the vehicle’s weight and identifying information and relay it to ADOT Enforcement and Compliance officers at the port. A computer checks the truck’s credentials against national and state databases, and if the truck is cleared and within weight limits, the message boards along the highway give the truck a bypass signal. If there is an issue identified with the truck, such as expired registration, federal out-of-service orders, or required permits not on file, the signs direct the driver to pull into the port for further inspection. Source of this article and other great articles
Truck Driver Attacked While Making Delivery In Salt Lake City | |
 A truck driver who was making a delivery in Salt Lake City suburb was attacked and stabbed. The truck driver had to be life flighted to a hospital. The incident occurred over the weekend in Vernal, Utah. While the driver was unloading a delivery to a Family Dollar store, Virgil Leon Carmickle reportedly began stabbing the truck driver. According to the truck driver, while he was unloading the trailer, Carmickle approached and was angry that the driver’s truck was blocking the roadway and he told the truck driver that was was going to get a knife. The truck driver said that Carmickle appeared intoxicated. Carmickle returned to the Family Dollar store moments later, carrying two knives. He reportedly told the truck driver he was going to kill him. A store employee called police. When police arrived, Carmickle was gone. He was later found hiding in a backyard near the store. “Virgil came out of hiding toward the officers. (A police sergeant) had a Taser out giving commands and Virgil was somewhat compliant but not following directions,” according to the affidavit. “At this point Virgil was detained in handcuffs and a knife was located in his back pocket that had blood on it.” The truck driver suffered a large laceration on his wrist. In an effort to save the driver’s hand, he was flown to a Salt Lake City hospital. Carmickle is facing charges of attempted murder. Supply Chain News: A Look at Nuclear Verdicts against Carriers by ATRI | |
A new report from the analysts at the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) find that large lawsuit awards against trucking companies are having a growing impact on the industry and will drive costs and capacity issues for shippers as well. ATRI says that large legal verdicts, sometimes called "nuclear verdicts" have been a part of the legal landscape of the trucking industry since 2006. Awards to injured plaintiffs of sometimes more than $10 million naturally stem from serious crashes involving massive injury and death. "However, these large verdicts can exist on tenuous legal grounds and can have negative effects on multiple parties," ATRI says. In fact, rising insurance costs is a key factor in pushing many trucking firms out of the industry. The report starts by noting some history, notably how the dollar awards to plaintiffs have grown enormously over time. If also reviews various types of negligence that a plaintiff can allege against a trucking company connected in some way to an accident, as well as various types of liability. These negligence and liability frameworks can combine to give plaintiffs an edge, ATRI says. For example, ATRI says that states with what is called joint liability (any liable defendant can be required to pay the entire damages award) may find that plaintiffs place the entire burden of the damages onto a carrier, despite the carrier being less negligent than other defendants. For this report, ATRI compiled litigation data for 600 cases to statistically analyze the key metrics of large verdicts in the trucking industry. This data was collected and amalgamated from multiple external sources in the industry, including a litigation database firm. Case information with jury awards over $1 million was inputted into an ATRI-developed spreadsheet; incorporated data included verdict amounts, crash/filing/publication details, and jury/litigation details. The data is interesting. Cases in which plaintiffs won awards of more than $1 million rose rapidly for a few years after 2010, to over 70 in 2013, as shown in the chart below from the report. Since then, the number of million awards has been generally been trending down, to about 35 in 2019. That is still much higher than levels seen pre-2010. The average award in the data pool of over $1 million verdicts was $3.1 million, with a median of $1.7 million, across the 451 cases analyzed. If a carrier is involved in an accident in which children are hurt or killed, awards gets really high, with average awards of over $40 million. On the other hand, when carriers use an expert witness, the amount of the awards falls dramatically. The analysis also showed that the time between the crash date and the verdict date increases the size of verdict. The report contains a significant amount of other data. What the industry should do about all this was not addressed. Source of this article and other great articles
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LA-LB gate fees to rise 4.2 percent Aug. 1 | |
Terminal operators will increase the traffic mitigation fee (TMF) used to fund night and weekend gates at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex by 4.2 percent starting Aug. 1. The TMF, which is adjusted each year based on the West Coast longshore contract, will increase to $33.47 per TEU and $66.94 per FEU on all non-exempt containers, the West Coast Marine Terminal Operators Agreement (WCMTOA) announced Tuesday. Exempt containers include empties, laden containers that transit the Alameda Corridor, and containers that are transshipped. Empty chassis and bobtail trucks are also exempt, WCMTOA said in a statement. In addition to the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekday gates that most US ports offer, the 12 container terminals in Southern California normally operate four weeknight gates and one weekend day gate. When it was instituted in 2005, the TMF was charged only on container moves made during the peak daytime hours when traffic on local streets and freeways was the heaviest. Originally, truck moves in the off-peak hours did not pay the fee, but that changed in late 2018. By discouraging daytime traffic, the TMF created operational problems, including truck “bunching” in the late afternoon as truckers queued up outside the gates, waiting for the fee to end with the beginning of the night shift. PierPass Inc., which manages the extended gates program for WCMTOA members, in late 2018 switched to a flat fee charged on all non-exempt truck moves, both day and night. John Cushing, PierPass president, told JOC.com last December that as a result of the new flat fee, truck bunching at terminal gates was eliminated, truck turn times improved, and the approximately 50-50 split between peak and off-peak hours remained. Steady improvement in LA-LB turn timesTruck turn times in Los Angeles-Long Beach have steadily improved over the past two years due to an outreach program by the Harbor Trucking Association (HTA) with terminal operators and, more recently, declining cargo volumes during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The average truck visit time in May was 59 minutes. That compares with turn average times of 90 minutes or longer in early 2019, according to the HTA. WCMTOA said revenue generated by the TMF only partially offsets the costs terminal operators incur for night and weekend gates. The consulting firm SC Analytics determined the TMF generated $223 million last year, but the 12 terminals in aggregate incurred $262 million in additional costs for operating the extended gates. When the PierPass extended gates program was established in 2005, Los Angeles-Long Beach was the only North American port complex with a standardized program of night and weekend gates. In addition to extending gate hours to accommodate growing cargo volumes, the off-peak program was developed in response to community pushback over port-generated traffic congestion and pollution. As other gateways in recent years encountered congestion and pollution problems, ports or their terminal operators in New York and New Jersey, Oakland, Montreal, and Vancouver, Canada, developed fee-based programs for extended gates. Source of this article and other great articles Amendment to stop trucker insurance requirements from skyrocketing to $2 MILLION fails | |
 Lawmakers have passed on a proposed amendment to halt controversial legislation that would more than double commercial vehicle minimum insurance requirements. Illinois Rep. Mike Bost recently introduced Bost Amendment 194 to a highway bill called the INVEST Act that became part of the $1.5 trillion Moving Forward Act proposed by House Democrats. Bost Amendment 194 would have essentially erased an amendment introduced by Illinois Rep. Chuy Garcia earlier this month to increase current minimum insurance requirements for commercial vehicle drivers from $750,000 to $2 million. Garcia’s amendment has been heavily criticized by the trucking industry, who say that it could force smaller carriers to close down. On Tuesday, the House Rules Committee chose not to vote on Bost Amendment 194, meaning that Garcia’s amendment — and the possibly devastating trucker insurance hike — stands. Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) says that the insurance hike will harm trucking and could lead to job losses:
OOIDA also said that Garcia’s amendment is “an unnecessary and excessive policy designed to further line the pockets of trial lawyers at the expense of truckers, farmers and manufacturers.” OOIDA says that they’ll continue the fight to ensure that the trucker insurance hike doesn’t make it into the final highway bill. 5 ways you can avoid being July 4th cargo theft victim | |
As with other long holiday weekends, this week’s Fourth of July observance is expected to cause an uptick in the amount of and value of cargo theft. CargoNet tracks such things and says that over the past five years, there has been more than $5.9 million worth of cargo theft during the July Fourth holiday. The company also suggests there are things that can be done to reduce the risk of drivers becoming victims of cargo thieves. CargoNet suggests:
Collar tracks your dog while on the road | |
Trucking, and especially over-the-road, can be a lonely business. Having someone to share the ride with can make it far less so. For many drivers, that trucking companion may be a dog. However, traveling with a pet can bring a huge problem: what if your dog gets free and takes off without you? You may well be on a schedule with little or no time to look for them in a strange place without friends or family to help. Putting a Fi collar on your pup can help increase your chances of getting your best friend back should they go astray on the road. The high tech collar has GPS so you can track your pup, and help facilitate their safe return. Waterproof and with a battery that holds a charge for as long as three months, the Fi collar also acts as a fitness tracker to ensure your dog gets the exercise it needs. Available in two colors (yellow and gray), the Fi collar comes in four sizes, from 11.5 inches on up to 34.5 inches. You can order online for $149. Source of this article and other great articles
Border Officers in Michigan Stop Canadian Trash Truck Carrying 418 Pounds of Pot | |
Michigan's marijuana laws are more mellow than they used to be, but a Canadian trash hauler allegedly pushed the envelope a bit Friday when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers said they found 418 pounds of pot in a truck. The truck was flagged for inspection around 4 a.m. after crossing into the United States on the Ambassador Bridge. An X-ray detected several odd shapes in the rear of the hauler, and an examination by border protection officers allegedly turned up 15 large trash bags full of pot. The recreational cannabis law passed by voters in late 2018 permits adults to travel with as much as 2.5 ounces of marijuana flower. The stash discovered at the Fort Street Cargo Facility was 2,675.2 times the Michigan maximum — though for the record, federal law prohibits crossing the border with drugs in any quantity. The driver, a 36-year-old from Cambridge, Ontario, faces prosecution for possession and transportation of illegal drugs, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The truck was bound for a waste facility in Wayne County, said border protection spokesman Kris Grogan. "It was not your everyday trash truck," he explained, but rather a standard semitrailer. The bust in Detroit followed the largest seizure in the history of the port of Buffalo, New York, on June 13. In that incident, an inbound truck at the Peace Bridge was found carrying more than 3,460 pounds of marijuana disguised as peat moss in 58 cardboard cartons. Source of this article and other great articles
Load restrictions on Snake River Bridge | |
WYDOT is working to address the economic and transportation needs of local businesses that need to take heavier machinery and loads across the bridge. JACKSON, Wyo. — In recognition that reduced weight limits on the aging Snake River Bridge on Highway 22 is restricting to a degree the trucking industry’s ability to get goods into Jackson Hole in a cost-effective manner, state officials are working to make a temporary fix. After a recent safety inspection of the Snake River Bridge on WYO 22 near the intersection of WYO 390, WYDOT began restricting heavier loads from crossing the structure. However, the Department of Transportation is working quickly to address the economic and transportation needs of local businesses that need to take heavier machinery and loads across the bridge. The Wyoming Transportation Commission recently dedicated funds to let a contract for repairs to the Snake River Bridge. With the improvements, the bridge will be able to accommodate normal operations until its replacement in 2023. The contract work will likely take a few months and work will hopefully conclude this fall. With the current restrictions, WYDOT is working with local businesses and drivers to accommodate one trip, one time, high-priority or urgent overweight loads. WYDOT takes each request and evaluates all possible options and alternatives for that load and will approve crossings on a case-by-case basis. These exceptions are not intended to be for daily or weekly crossings. Requests could take up to a week to approve. Those looking to make a request can contact Darin Kaufman at 307-352-3034. |
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- People are shooting at semi trucks in the south, drivers say
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