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Safety is critically important in trucking—not being safe can cost drivers their livelihood, not to mention all the other consequences that can stem from unsafe trucks out on the road. What are truck drivers seeing in their daily routines, and more broadly, what's happening in terms of safety among all drivers of commercial and work vehicles?

Looking at data over a two-year period from Oct. 2015 through Sept. 2017, fleet management systems provider Verizon Connect examined driving behaviors for more than 6,200 of its fleet customers. This included small and midsize businesses with two to 200 trucks, with vehicles of all kinds from light vans and pickups on up; the company turned up a few surprises.

Verizon Connect considered a number of factors including fatalities per vehicle miles traveled, average speeding events per day, and average speeding events per mile. Turns out the safest states in the U.S. for this range of commercial vehicle drivers mostly followed a region along the East Coast, even with its many consistent traffic problems along the I-95 corridor and elsewhere.

Counting up from number 10 to the safest, the leading states were Virginia, Washington, New Hampshire, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Meanwhile, the most dangerous states showed up in a swath of the South and Midwest, with the northern Midwest topping the list. In this broad look at commercial vehicles, the most dangerous states, starting at No. 10 on up, were Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, North Dakota, Mississippi, Kentucky, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

Commercial vehicle drivers had the fewest instances of "lead foot" in Vermont, followed by Virginia and Connecticut. Drivers sped most often in South Dakota, with North Dakota and Montana drivers just behind in the rearview mirror.

Considering safety factors like harsh acceleration, braking, and cornering, Verizon Connect also ranked the states based on the safest and most dangerous drivers.

Here's where they are:

Mixing among the heavy trucks

Another fleet management systems provider, Teletrac Navman, held a month-long contest asking truck drivers across the country to share their top safety concerns and tips to make the roads safer. The company launched a new driver safety module last month that uses a camera and GPS to pinpoint safety events along with its data analytics platform.

Many submissions repeated the same themes, the company said, providing insight into what truck drivers collectively are seeing—and worrying about.

In the most-cited concern, passenger cars are cutting off trucks or pulling maneuvers that cut it too close, leaving the truck too little stopping distance. Some 22% of truckers mentioned the importance of leaving enough space between their trucks and other vehicles.

Also, proper turn signal use is diminishing; using a turn signal when changing lanes can be especially important when pulling in front of a heavy truck.

"I haul a tank. Please don't jump in front of the truck and just stop in our lane because there is a gap in the traffic," one driver commented. "With the surge of our loads it makes it hard for the driver to stop. Be aware of the space you give us."

"I wish the average [passenger car] driver and truck driver alike knew that when a truck driver opens up their following distance, that doesn't mean you should jump in between the two vehicles," a female truck driver noted. "I try to maintain a safe following distance at all times not only to give myself an 'out' but to have time to react to a given situation ahead."

Not far behind that concern, truckers are seeing too much speeding; 19% of respondents encouraged other drivers to slow it down. Also, 19% said it's important for other drivers to be alert to their surroundings and changing conditions and be safe around big trucks.

"Anticipate what other drivers are going to do before they do it. You always have to be aware of what's driving around you at all times," a truck driver noted. "Keep looking at least a quarter mile ahead, not just at the taillights in front of you."

"When driving on the highway in a car or pickup, slow down or change lanes away from a disabled big truck," a driver urged. "If you see a big truck on side of the highway, they will have their reflectors out to warn you they are broken down. Save a life! Slow down if you can't change lanes."

Still that same amount—19%—of contest participants said other drivers need to take better care doing things like changing lanes, passing, and merging. And when passing a truck, get by quickly; don't creep along in a truck's blind spots.

"If you are going to pass a big rig, go on and pass. Stop just hanging right at the driver's door or our blind spots," a driver commented.

Driver fatigue (12%) and not texting or using a phone while driving (8%) also ranked high among truck drivers' concerns—including about other truck drivers. And, going back to leaving safe distances for heavy trucks to stop, remember that's especially the case in bad weather.

"Know your limits. If you are fatigued or drowsy, you should stop driving. When you pull into a safe spot you can get out and walk around your truck and trailer to wake up and get the blood flowing," a truck driver wrote. "You should also know your limits with inclement weather. When you have a light load, you need to make sure you get to a safe area if the wind picks up and starts pushing your truck all over the road.

"Hopefully you get somewhere safe before that happens," he continued. "You should also slow down and give more following distance when it is torrential rain or heavy snow. Doing these few things to keep you safe not only lets you keep a safe driving record, it also keeps you moving so you can keep making money."

Source of article click here : Fleet Owner

When those of us in the trucking industry think about truckers, terms like “road warriors” and “highway heroes” come to mind. Unfortunately, public perception is not as positive. Recent national headlines involving humanitarian efforts by truckers will hopefully help shift public perception.

I’m preaching to the choir here when I say that truckers get a bad rap. Ambulance-chasing attorneys specialize in truck-involved crashes in virtually every city in the United States, airing commercials that demonize truck drivers.

Even lawmakers cast truckers in a negative light by essentially blaming them for crashes by way of passing overreaching legislation that adds burdensome regulations on an already overregulated industry. This charge is led by self-proclaimed safety groups that have mastered the art of anti-trucker propaganda.

Every profession and industry has a small percentage of bad apples. However, very few industries are defined by the minority of bad actors. As a journalist, I see this a lot. One journalist screws up a story, and instantly all journalism is put into question.

Truckers draw even more disrespect from public perception than journalists.

Yes, a tiny percentage of truckers fall under some Hollywood cliché. I never met one, because like the dishonest journalist, they’re a needle in a haystack. I always meet the majority of truckers, i.e., the clean, well-spoken professional.

Drivers steering an 18-wheeler do tremendous things for our communities beyond the obvious and ultimate benefit to society: Delivering literally everything we own. Truckers literally save lives as well.

In the last two months, truckers have made national headlines in two separate situations involving banding together to save a suicidal person on a bridge.

Land Line Associate Editor Mark Schremmer reported on a story out of Michigan along Interstate 696 in April. In that situation, 13 truckers parked underneath an overpass to prevent a man from ending his life by jumping onto the road from the bridge. The man survived.

Almost exactly two months later, the Akron Beacon Journal published a similar story involving the drivers of two tractor-trailers. In that incident, the truckers blocked the southbound lane of Interstate 76/77 to prevent a women from committing suicide. The woman is still alive as there was no chance of an unsuspecting car striking her.

Those two incidents are just the tip of the iceberg of what truckers do every day.

Every year, Goodyear honors truck drivers who put themselves in harm’s way to help others with its High Hero award. There is no shortage of nominees in any given year as truckers are constantly sacrificing their lives to save others’. After all, truckers spend practically their entire life on the road, so they are more likely to witness a terrible accident on the highway than your typical motorist.

Let’s not forget about Truckers Against Trafficking. Because of their presence on the interstates, rest areas and other places common for traffickers, truckers have voluntarily taken on the responsibility of recognizing trafficking victims and contacting the appropriate authorities. Truckers are saving many more lives due to this noble effort.

In addition to saving lives, the trucking industry has done an amazing job serving communities in various ways. Take Trucker Buddy, for example. The nonprofit organization helps educate and mentor schoolchildren through a pen pal relationship. According to its website, the program enhances students’ skills in reading, writing, geography, mathematics, social studies and history.

Charities are receiving millions of dollars because of truckers.

Earlier this year, more than 500 trucks participated in the Mother’s Day Truck Convoy in Lancaster, Pa., for the Make-A-Wish foundation. That convoy resulted in nearly $500,000 for the charity this year alone.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association sponsors Truckers for Troops, which raises funds for sending care packages to service personnel in combat zones. Since 2007, OOIDA members have raised nearly $600,000 to send packages to our troops overseas and veterans’ homes.

Considering 1) truckers are among the safest drivers on the road and 2) truckers are among the most charitable and altruistic people in general, how on earth is public perception anything but positive?

If trucking jobs lose to automation, truckers will not be the only losers. Society may be the biggest loser in that scenario. The general public will not know what they are missing until it’s gone. Trucking can be a thankless job, which makes truckers all the nobler.

Source of article click here : Landline

U.S. Border Patrol agents in Arizona found 18 undocumented immigrants hiding inside a box truck near Hereford while being smuggled into the country on Saturday, officials said.

The group, including two children, were discovered by agents in the Coronado National Memorial area in southeastern Arizona after they "observed a group of suspected illegal aliens walking through the desert towards Montezuma Canyon Road," U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said in a press release Tuesday.

Agents also saw a box truck stopping several times along that same road, officials said.

An agent followed the truck, eventually pulling it over and searching the truck with permission from the driver, officials said.

After the driver opened the rear door, the agent found 18 people in the rear of the truck, officials said.

Among the people discovered were 13 Mexican nationals, three Guatemalan nationals and two unaccompanied Mexican national children, inside the rear of the box truck, officials said.

The truck had no light, no fresh-air ventilation nor air-conditioning, no water, and there was no means of escape from the inside of the truck, officials said.

The 56-year-old male driver was arrested on suspicion of human smuggling, officials said. All of the undocumented immigrants were transported to the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station south of Bisbee to be processed for immigration violations, officials said.

Source of article click here : az central

The LHS offers more miles and complements Goodyear Endurance LHD drive tire.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has added another product to its Endurance family of high-mileage long-haul tires with the introduction of the Goodyear Endurance LHS steer tire.

The roll-out of the Goodyear Endurance tire lineup for the long-haul sector began with the Goodyear Endurance LHD drive tire in 2017, based on data from a survey of 600 long-haul fleets that identified long miles to removal, even tread wear and fuel efficiency as the three key attributes fleet were looking for in a long-haul tire. The new LHS steer tire compliments the LHD.

“Long-haul fleets are the biggest segment of the North American trucking market,” said Mahesh Kavaturu, marketing manager. “When it comes to tires, these companies measure every mile. And they want to get as many miles as possible out of their tire investment without sacrificing other performance benefits like fuel efficiency, even wear and traction. We believe the Goodyear LHS and LHD is best combination of steer and drive products for long miles to removal. Their key attribute is long miles to removal."

The LHS will replace the G399A, the current product in long-haul steer family. The LHS uses the same tread design as the 399A because it's a trusted and true design with decoupling grooves in the shoulders and sipes to even-out tire wear, Kavaturu says. "Goodyear will build on that by bringing new compounds and a new casing to the tire that will maintain a consistent footprint for consistent wear."

The new casing features new ply geometry to reduce tread wear along with low-rolling resistance compounds to improve fuel economy. Traditionally carbon black is used as a tread reinforcement, but Goodyear is moving away from that and replacing it with silica materials to reduce the friction inside the sidewall to keep the tire running cooler, Kavaturu noted.

Optimized to help provide long miles to removal, the Goodyear Endurance LHS features:

• A new, wear-resistant tread compound;
• A new dual-layer tread with uniform stiffness for slow, even wear;
• New rigid casing construction for a consistent footprint; and
• New casing compounds for low rolling resistance

The Goodyear Endurance LHS is available now in the following sizes:

• 295/75R22.5 (Load Ranges G and H)
• 11R22.5 (Load Ranges G and H)
• 11R24.5 (Load Ranges G and H)

An additional size, 285/75R24.5 (Load Ranges G and H), will be available in July.

Source of article click here : Truckinginfo

The Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association just posted this to its Facebook page:

All Oversize-Overweight (OSOW) permits (single and multiple) are suspended in Ashland, Bayfield Douglas and Iron counties until further notice due to flooding and system damages related to the recent storms. All carriers and drivers should check 511 before any transit as the affected list of counties may increase as weather conditions continue and further system evaluations are convened. Legal loads should also check 511 for structural restrictions and alternate route information. 511 will continue to be updated as conditions change.

Permit suspension does not apply to equipment and materials needed for system restoration efforts. Carriers need to identify that when submitting applications.

Source of article click here : Truckers News