My (not so) Profound Thoughts

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year !!!!!

Out With The Old, In With The New

From my family to yours, my 2012 be a great year for you.

**********************************************************

New Year’s Reflections

Looking back on the months gone by,
As a new year starts and an old one ends,
We contemplate what brought us joy,
And we think of our loved ones and our friends.

Recalling all the happy times,
Remembering how they enriched our lives,
We reflect upon who really counts,
As the fresh and bright new year arrives.

And when I/we ponder those who do,
I/we immediately think of you.

Thanks for being one of the reasons I'll/We'll have a Happy New Year!

By Joanna Fuchs

**********************************************************

In The New Year

In the New Year,
we wish you the best year you’ve ever had,
and that each New Year
will be better than the last.
May you realize your fondest dreams
and take time to recognize and enjoy
each and every blessing.

Happy New Year,
And many more!

By Joanna Fuchs

**********************************************************

Pieces of Time

New years come and new years go,
Pieces of time all in a row.
As we live our life, each second and minute,
We know we’re privileged to have you in it.
Our appreciation never ends
For our greatest blessings: our family and friends.

Happy New Year!

By Joanna Fuchs

Poem Source: http://www.poemsource.com/new-years-poems.html

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T22:57:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!
Merry Christmas To You!!!!

Thank You

2011-11-11T08:58:00.002-05:00

First Annual Truck Driver Social Media Convention

2011-06-26T13:45:00.000-04:00

Simple Man

2011-01-05T13:10:00.001-05:00

Been thinking about this song lately.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man

Songwriters: Van Zant, Ron;Rossington, Gary

Mama told me when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say.
And if you do this
It will help you some sunny day.
Take your time... Don't live too fast,
Troubles will come and they will pass.
Go find a woman and you'll find love,
And don't forget son,
There is someone up above.

(Chorus)
And be a simple kind of man.
Be something you love and understand.
Be a simple kind of man.
Won't you do this for me son,
If you can?

Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul,
And you can do this if you try.
All that I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.

(Chorus)

Boy, don't you worry... you'll find yourself.
Follow you heart and nothing else.
And you can do this if you try.
All I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.

(Chorus)

Baby be a simple, be a simple man.
Oh be something, you love and understand.
Baby be a simple, kind of man. (Fade Out)

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-01T00:00:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas !!!

2010-12-25T16:40:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone and may God bless you everyday of the year.

Be careful out there.

Alex Debogorski from Ice Road Truckers

2010-12-02T11:29:00.005-05:00

Truckin Tedybehr / Alex Debogorski

If you have me on Facebook than you already know that I got a chance to meet Alex Debogorski from Ice Road Truckers at a book signing he was doing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, Ohio last night. He has written a book about his life called “King of the Road: True Tales from a Legendary Ice Road Trucker “. I’ve just started reading it but it has been entertaining so far.

He was schedule to begin at 7:00 PM last night but according to the lady at the bookstore that was running things, he actually showed up around 4:00 PM. He was hanging out, signing books and chatting with people and taking pictures with them. At about 8:00 PM after signing all the books, he spoke to the crowd for about 40 minutes. He talked about his life a little. He talked a little about his parents and their Polish heritage and what it was like for his parents and grandparents in Poland during WWII. He talked about his family (11 kids and they are expecting their 11th grandkid). He talked about his views on life. He spoke a little bit about the Northwest Territories in Canada where he lives (twice the size of Texas but only has around 40,000 people – 18,000 or so in Yellowknife…I believe is what he said).

It was really interesting to hear him speak. The show kind of portrays him as a country hick but he is really insightful and very knowledgeable. When he was speaking he seemed to be just speaking from off the top of his head. No note cards or anything. He took some questions at the end and they would get him going again.

He was very entertaining to talk to and to hear him speak and yes we heard his trademark laugh many times through the night.

If you would like to learn more about Alex then you can check out his web site at http://www.iceroadtrucker.ca/ and of course go get his book.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T17:24:00.000-05:00

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Woot.com

2010-10-21T14:15:00.001-04:00

(I also posted this over on the forums at PumpkinDriver.net but thought I would put this here for those that don't visit PumpkinDriver.net. Please note: I am not being compensated in any way. I'm in no way affiliated with Woot.com nor with Amazon.)

If you've never heard of Woot.com, it is a site that normally only sales one item a day. An item is posted at 12:00 AM Central Time and sales until it sells out or until 11:59 PM Central Time. At 12:00 AM Central Time, they put up a new item. Sometimes it is an item that companies want to liquidate, sometimes it is items exclusive to Woot.

They also have what is called 'Woot Offs'. This is were they will be selling multiple items in a day. These are usually items that didn't sell out previously. Once an item sells out, they put up another item until it sells out and so on and so on. A 'Woot Off' is indicated by flashing lights and an indicator bar that gives an indications the quantity of the item remaining.

They offer both new and refurbished items so make sure you know be for you order. Shipping is always only $5.00. I've ordered from them several times with no problems what so ever.

Their product information is usually in the form of some humorous story so don't be surprised. They give you all the information but they try to make it entertaining. Sometimes I will ready the description even if I'm not interested in the product.

They were bought by Amazon a few months ago but Amazon says they will leave the site alone and let it run as it is.

You never know what they will be selling each day. It could be a vacuum cleaner one day, a computer the next, a kids toy the next, an LCD TV the next or maybe even some high-end kitchen knives. It is VERY versatile offering.

OK now that I've rambled on, I'll post some info from their web site. There is more on the page so be sure to take a look at it but this is just some general info.

Check them out.

Also check out shirts.woot.com for humorous (at least to me) t-shirts where they also only offer one particular shirt a day as well but you do have the ability to buy some of the previous shirts as well under the ‘Reckoning’ section.

{source}

General

What is Woot and who's behind it?
Woot.com is an online store and community that focuses on selling cool stuff cheap. It started as an employee-store slash market-testing type of place for an electronics distributor, but it's taken on a life of its own. We anticipate profitability by 2043 – by then we should be retired; someone smarter might take over and jack up the prices. Until then, we're still the lovable scamps we've always been. But don't take our word for it: see what the online community has to say at this Wikipedia article.

I see only one item, do you sell anything else?
No. We sell one item per day until it is sold out or until 11:59pm central time when it is replaced (see next entry for details). However, each item we sell is in stock and typically ships within 2-3 business days.

What is the schedule for new items?
The short answer: we offer a new item every single day. The details: a new product is released every morning at 12am central time, seven days a week. (If you're not a morning person, this can be described as every night at midnight. Better?) If a product sells out during its run, a new item will not appear until the next release time. You will know if a product is sold out, because the main page says "SOLD OUT" instead of "I want one". (Clever, eh?)

I missed yesterday's item, can I still get one?
No. Each woot.com product is discontinued at 11:59pm central time. That's that. Period. We may get more at a later date if we're lucky, but we offer no guarantees, we allow no backorders, and we have no waiting/notification lists. Too bad.

I want to talk to a live person there, can I call you?
No. We are busy sourcing new products and shipping orders. You can post a comment to our community board, but we don't guarantee we'll respond. You should Google for the manufacturer contact to get product answers – we suggest a dating service, magic 8 ball, or ouija board for general life solutions.

Will I receive customer support like I'm used to?
No. Well, not really. If you buy something you don't end up liking or you have what marketing people call "buyer's remorse," sell it on eBay. It's likely you'll make money doing this and save everyone a hassle. If the item doesn't work, find out what you're doing wrong. Yes, we know you think the item is bad, but it's probably your fault. Google your problem, or come back to that product discussion in our community and ask other people if they know. Try to call the manufacturer and ask if they know. If you give up and must return it to us, then follow on to the next FAQ entry.

How do I return a defective product?
Unless we specifically tell you not to, call the manufacturer of the product you bought. You will likely get a replacement of a new model or better item from them. If we still haven't dissuaded you, email rma@woot.com with your woot order number, the name of the product you are returning, and the detailed problem with the item. We will respond with return authorization by the next business day. Because we aren't likely to have a replacement in stock, you should be prepared for a refund-only option if that's all we can do. Know that return freight will be at your expense. Again, you will probably get a better deal from the manufacturer, or whoever else handling member service for that product.

Can Woot start listing sale prices in the blog entries?
No, not any time soon. Certain portions of our database have been seized by INTERPOL as part of an ongoing investigation into bootleg cigarette trafficking. Or, possibly, the Russian mafia has hacked our blog and disabled the price-listing function because it was somehow interfering with their spam operation. Or maybe we just don't feel like it. In any case, the answer is no.

Will Woot ever tell us how many units remain available in a given sale?
No. That would spoil the fun. But we will give you one hint, which brings us to...

Why is the "I Want One" button bouncing around?
Ah, that means we're in Urgent Mode. Act fast - a sellout is approaching! The bouncing button is like a nutty old prophet guy on the street wearing a signboard that says "THE END IS NIGH," only cleaner, less crazy, and more orange.

I see some orange flashing lights on the main page – what do they mean?
No, you aren't seeing a side effect from your allergy medication. You have found a Woot-Off, a short term frenzied mutation of our product posting procedure. In Woot-Off mode, a new product is launched immediately after the sellout of the previous deal. There is a half-Woot-life of 12 hours maximum on any product within a Woot-Off that does not sell out. The number of Woot-Off items, sequence, and quantity will not be announced. When Woot-Off mode is over, the orange lights will disappear and our normal schedule will resume. Depending on its success, this may be a mode we would go into once or twice a month for a relatively short duration of time (24-72 hours generally.)

Does Woot offer an RSS feed? Hey, what's an RSS feed anyway?
To answer your first question, yes. Simply subscribe to http://www.woot.com/blog/rss.aspx in your RSS reader to receive updates of all of our new items and new blog posts. Your life will immediately, measurably improve in ways you never thought possible.

To answer your second question: if you don't know what RSS is, how'd you ask the first question? Never mind; RSS is a way to receive headlines and article links whenever your favorite blogs and news sites update their content. All the cool kids are using it. To join in, you need to download and install an RSS reader – download your choice from this handy guide and follow the installation instructions. Once that's rolling, subscribe to http://www.woot.com/blog/rss.aspx. You'll never miss a Woot again, unless you do something foolish like fall asleep.

CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver starts this Sunday

2010-10-13T13:38:00.001-04:00

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October 12, 2010

CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver starts this Sunday

You may see extra law enforcement out on the highway beginning Sunday, Oct. 17, and continuing through Saturday, Oct. 23.

The annual Operation Safe Driver campaign put on by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance focuses on trucks and also on four-wheelers driving dangerously around trucks.

The selective traffic enforcement program emphasizes enforcement in high-crash corridors with high traffic volumes, moving violations, driver infractions and aggressive driving behaviors.

For more details on this year’s Operation Safe Driver, click here.

Check out the PDF from the CVSA’s web site for more information

Finally We Meet #2

2010-10-10T10:58:00.005-04:00

(I'm really late getting this posted. We met on Wednesday, Oct 6th.)

Once again I have finally gotten to meet up with a truck driver I have known online and via phone calls and text messages for several years now...one Mr. Aaron M. (a.k.a. - "Disgruntled" over at www.PumpkinDriver.net) Aaron is a tanker-yanker. He normally runs local runs and is from the southwest corner of New York state but got the chance to do an OTR run down to Hamilton, Ohio.

His company let him get a room for the night and luck would have it that he was able to shutdown for the night just 6 or so miles from Wilmington. He stayed at the Budget Inn at I-71 / US-68. The Holiday Inn at Roberts Centre was booked (gun and knife show going on) *** Insert Redneck Joke Here *** A word of advise...if you are looking for more than a bed to sleep in and a toilet that flushes, than you probably want to avoid the Budget Inn there. Definitely not the Ritz ... hell, it isn't even a Motel 6.

Aaron ... it was good to finally meet you in person and I look forward to doing it again soon.

As I've said before....

As for the rest of you out there, if you find you will be near Wilmington, Ohio and have a little extra time, give me a shout. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee or a soda or ice tea or something and we can chat for a little while. About the easiest place to meet up is there at I-71 and US 35 (Love’s and a T/A) which is just a little north of Wilmington, or there is a rest area south of Wilmington. There is a VERY small Pilot at I-71 and US 68. VERY SMALL Pilot…parking for maybe 10-12 trucks if you squeeze them together really close. Basically, if you find yourself about 1/2 hour or so from Wilmington, I’ll do what I can to meet up with you.

Wilmington, Ohio

New Poll: Are You An Organ Donor?

2010-09-10T17:03:00.004-04:00

I've put up a new poll.

Check it out.

<----------- Over there, near the top.

Are You An Organ Donor?

If you are not, I humbly request that you check out http://organdonor.gov/ and consider becoming one. If you are one, please make sure your family, friends, loved ones, etc know your wishes.

And Yes, I am an organ donor!

Blogs I Follow

2010-09-10T16:28:00.002-04:00

Decided to put up a page listed some of the blogs that I follow. If you get a chance, check out some of them.

There is a link in my 'Pages' section or you can find it by clicking here.

Terms of Use Page

2010-09-10T15:00:00.002-04:00

Not sure why but I saw something that made me think about disclaimers and terms of use, etc so I thought It might be a good time to add a little coverage for myself by adding a 'Terms Of USE' page to the blog.

It is listed in my 'Pages' section but you can also find it by clicking here.

I’m International (Well, My Blog Is)

2010-09-08T18:37:00.001-04:00

Sorry it has been a while since I've posted. I'm doing fine just been REALLY busy.

Thought I would share something I found interesting. My blog is international. I found these stats regarding my blog. It shows the top 10 hits I've gotten from different countries.

United States 426

Taiwan 60

United Kingdom 53

Canada 36

Australia 28

Germany 23

China 12

Ukraine 12

Latvia 10

New Zealand 9

Sweet!!!

I also looked to see where my traffic was coming from and besides Google and a few other search sites, I would like to give a shout out to the following bloggers who's blogs directed traffic my way. I hope my blog has done the same for you.

In no particular order:

If you haven't already, why don't you take the time to stop over and check out their blogs. I have.

8/9/10

2010-08-09T20:05:00.001-04:00

Happy 8, 9, 10.

8/9/10 that is.

Expedite Expo 2010 - Pictures

2010-08-01T17:36:00.001-04:00

I took a bunch of pictures at the Expedite Expo 2010 a couple weekends ago. Below is a slide show of them. You can also see the slideshow on PhotoBucket:

http://s277.photobucket.com/albums/kk62/truckintedybehr/Expedite%20Expo%20-%202010/?albumview=slideshow

Finally We Meet

2010-07-07T12:20:00.001-04:00

I finally got to meet up with truck driver and fellow blogger Sam from www.SamHuss.com and from the forums over at www.PumpkinDriver.NET. We’ve known each other online for a few years now but this is the first time we’ve had a chance to meet in person. He had been in my area a few times before but one thing or another prevent us from meeting. We ran over to the Bob Evans across from the Prime Outlet mall at I-71 and US 35 and got something to drink and chatted for about 1 1/2 hours. Closed the place down…LOL (they closed at 9:00 PM).

Sam … it was really good to finally get to meet you. I enjoyed chatting with you and look forward to doing it again soon.

Wilmington, Ohio

Happy Independence Day

2010-07-04T14:24:00.001-04:00

Please take the time to thank someone who has served or who is serving to protect our right to equality.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its
powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is
their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. -- Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove
this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our
legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province,
establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as
to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same
absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty
& Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract
Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which
Independent States may of right do. -- And for the support of this Declaration,
with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge
to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

-- John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Sand and Stone

2010-06-04T14:21:00.001-04:00

I’m not sure who wrote this but I thought I would share.

Sand and Stone

Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument; and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand; “Today my best friend slapped me in the face.”

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone; “Today my best friend saved my life.”

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now you write on a stone. Why?”

The friend replied, “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where the winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for use, we must engrave it in stone where no win can ever erase it.”

Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone.

Estimated speed is enough for Ohio cops to write tickets

2010-06-03T09:04:00.002-04:00

I read this a few minutes ago and I'm majorly ticked off. So to keep from saying something that I may wish I hadn't posted, I will just say that this is TOTAL BS!

{Source}

Estimated speed is enough for Ohio cops to write tickets

The Supreme Court of Ohio has ruled that police officers can issue speeding tickets based on visual estimates of speed and without any other form of proof such as radar.

The practice is allowed as long as an officer has been trained and certified in visual speed estimation by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, a 5-1 majority of court justices ruled Wednesday, June 2.

Back in 2008, Officer Christopher Santimarino of Copley, OH, issued a speeding ticket to motorist Mark Jenney of Akron based solely on a visual estimation of Jenney’s speed.

Jenney challenged the ticket as any rational person would, but following a series of rulings and appeals, the state Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision siding with law enforcement.

“(A) police officer’s testimony regarding his unaided visual estimation of a vehicle’s speed, when supported by evidence that the officer is trained … (is) sufficient to establish beyond a reasonable doubt the defendant’s speed,” Justice Maureen O’Connor wrote on behalf of the majority.

Trucker and OOIDA Member Daniel Roar of Dayton, OH, said the court ruling stacks the deck against highway users in his home state.

“Our constitutional rights are being taken away from us every day,” Roar told Land Line.

“You can’t tell how fast a car or truck is going just by looking at it. If you’re going to catch me for speeding, show me proof.”

Justice Terrence O’Donnell, the lone dissenting voice in the case, wrote that an officer’s credibility, just like a defendant’s, should be subject to determinations by a jury or another fact-finder that may choose to believe all, part or none of the testimony.

– By David Tanner, associate editor
david_tanner@landlinemag.com

Windows Live Writer

2010-05-30T00:01:00.000-04:00

(I am in no way being compensated for posting this. This is just my own opinion. By using this software, or taking my advise in anyway, you do so at your own risk; i.e.- I ain’t responsible.)

Found a nice tool that some of you bloggers out there might find useful as well…Windows Live Writer. It is part of the Windows Live Essentials programs.

This is a free tool from Microsoft that you can use to write, post and edit your blog entries. It works with Blogger, Windows Live, Wordpress, LiveJournal, TypePad and others.

Now how many times have you just about completed that awesome post that was sure to win you a Bloggie Award or a Blogger’s Choice Award when you lost your connection and it was gone? This tool allows you to write your post even if you are offline. This can be VERY useful for those of you that find yourself with a less-than-idea internet connection (like the back of the parking lot at the truckstop). With this tool, you don’t have to worry about losing your post if you lose you internet connection. You can save it to your computer and post it later when you get a better connection.

I’ve used it for a few post (including this one) and it is really easy to use. Now my experience is, of course, with Blogger, so I can speak of how it works with some of the other blog sites, but the integration of features is really nice. When you connect it to your blog the first time, it will look at your layout so that it can show you a preview of what your blog will look like when you post it. It will pull in your ‘labels’ so you can select ones that you’ve previous created or you can create new ones.

So far I haven’t found any features from Blogger that I can’t do from within Windows Live Writer.

Now, if you are interested in trying out this little program, it can be downloaded from here. The Windows Live Essentials installer program will also give you the option to download/install some other programs but you do have the ability to select what you want and what you don’t want to install.

Below are the system requirements as listed on the Essentials: System Requirements page.

Windows Live Essentials require the following:
Operating system: Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (32-bit edition only), Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit editions), Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit editions), or Windows Server 2008.
Note
Windows Live Movie Maker and the slide show feature of Windows Live Photo Gallery are not supported on Windows XP.

Processor: 1 GHz or higher for Windows 7 or Windows Vista; 800 MHz or higher for Windows XP.

Memory: 512 MB of RAM for Windows 7 or Windows Vista; 128 MB (256 MB or more recommended) for Windows XP.

Resolution: Minimum 1024 x 768

Internet connection: Internet functionality requires dial-up or broadband Internet access (provided separately). Local or long-distance charges may apply.

Browser: Windows Live Toolbar requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, or Internet Explorer 8.

Graphics or video card: Windows Live Movie Maker requires a video card that supports DirectX 9.0 or higher, and Shader Model 2.0 or higher.

Additional requirements
The following components are needed for specific Windows Live programs, and may be installed for you if they’re not already on your computer.

For Writer: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or higher*

For Photo Gallery: SQL 2005 Compact Edition and Windows Imaging Codecs*

For Photo Gallery and Movie Maker: Some components of DirectX9.

* Not required when installing on Windows 7 or Windows Vista.

R.I.P. Mr Hopper

2010-05-29T21:17:00.002-04:00

As you may have already heard, Dennis Hopper passed away today at the age of 74. Film and TV have lost one of the greats. Rest In Peace, you will be missed.

Dennis Hopper
May 17, 1936 - May 29, 2010
R.I.P.

Watch Out For Them Animals

2010-05-16T22:38:00.004-04:00

Hey, be careful out there. You never know when an animal is going to come out of no where. Most of the time, there isn't anything you can do about; it is how you handle things after it happens.

Salena over at 'The Daily Rant' got a deer on Saturday. Her and Ed are OK. They got some damage to the bumper of the truck which just missed their steer tire. Things could have been a lot worse. God was looking out for them.

Ruthann over at 'All Things Bradbury' had a wild turkey end up in their driver's side windshield shattering it. Her and Brad are OK. Luckily Ruthann wasn't hurt by the flying glass. Once again, things could have been a lot worse. God was looking out for them as well.

I'm glad they are all OK.

I hope everyone out there stays safe and you all are in my thoughts and prayers.

‛Tis the Season to Review Work Zone Safety

2010-05-15T17:03:00.001-04:00

Saw this over on the J.J. Keller web site and thought it was a good idea to post it. We all (truckers and 4-wheelers) need to remember to be safe in work zones.

{Source}

Posted May 3, 2010

‛Tis the Season to Review Work Zone Safety with your Drivers

In 2008, there were 720 fatalities and 40,000 injuries in work zones. With road construction season in full swing throughout the country, now is a good time to review work zone safety with your drivers.
The following are some work zone safety tips you can share with your drivers.

Stay alert. Full attention should be on the road.

Slow down and follow the posted speed limit. As well as being one of the major causes of work zone crashes, many states have enhanced their fines and penalties for exceeding the speed limit in a work zone.

Maintain a safe following distance. Don’t tailgate. Anticipate sudden stops.

Avoid sudden lane changes. Do not change lanes unless absolutely necessary.

Expect the unexpected. Normal speed limits may be reduced, traffic lanes may be changed, and people may be working on or near the road.

Obey road crew flaggers. A flag person has the same authority as a regulatory sign. A driver can be cited for disobeying a flag person’s directions.

Keep up with the traffic flow. Maintain a smooth traffic flow by merging as soon as possible in advance of a lane closure. Don’t drive right up to the lane closure and try to barge in.

Practice good trip planning and time management. Schedule enough time to safely make the trip. Stay informed on current conditions. Remain patient. Stay calm. If possible use an alternate route.

Maintain a safe distance from construction workers and equipment. Use the lane furthest from the work zone when possible.

MSNBC.com: Opportunities in trucking? That's a big 10-4

2010-05-06T09:08:00.005-04:00

So what do you think? Is the truck driving industry going back to it's old tricks of hiring cheap labor or has freight actually picked up enough that new drivers are needed or has too many experienced drivers left the industry or maybe a combination of all three?

*** Edit: added the poll results below ***

Poll Question: Is the trucking industry going back to hiring cheap labor?

0 ( 0%) - Yes
1 (33%) - No, the freight has picked up
1 (33%) - No, too many experienced drivers have left
1 (33%) - All of the above
0 (00%) - I don’t know

{source}

MSNBC.com

Opportunities in trucking? That’s a big 10-4
Hiring is increasing and attracting many who have seen careers dry up
By Anne Wallace Allen
The Associated Press
updated 6:06 p.m. ET, Wed., May 5, 2010

Porfirio Colindres has worked in construction and cleaning jobs long enough to weather several economic downturns, starting with 1989 when he moved to the United States from El Salvador. But the prolonged one where he now lives, near Boise, Idaho, has made steady work hard to find since 2007.

This month, after a 150-hour course, Colindres earned his commercial driver's license, or CDL, and started looking for a truck-driving job.

The hiring outlook is improving for trucking, experts say, and it is attracting many people from fields where jobs have dried up. As many professions become more specialized, truck driving continues to require few classroom-based skills.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, median hourly wages for heavy truck drivers were $17.92 in May 2008. But drivers don't even need a high school diploma to be hired.

"The trucking industry doesn't require it, and we don't," said Robert McClanahan, director of Central Tech Transportation and Safety Education, a public truck driving school in Drumright, Okla. "We do ask that they have a certain math and reading level, about sixth or seventh grade."

Applicants for truck-driving jobs do need a relatively clean driving record, a stable work history, some mechanical ability, and the strength and stamina to drive for long stretches and help with loading and unloading cargo if needed.

And they must be prepared to be away from home, unless they can land a coveted short-haul driving job.

"When you have a family ... you deal with a lot of guilt because you're probably not going to be there for every special occasion," said Alice Adams of Austin, Texas, a transportation writer and author of several guidebooks and manuals for truckers.

Trucking was hit hard in the recession. "This is one of the strangest times I've seen in my 40 years" in the industry, said McClanahan. "We've seen a lot of trucking companies go out of business. Trucking has always had a need for good drivers, and here all of a sudden they've had a freeze on hiring. It's just been a strange situation in the past year and a half."

But things appear to be turning around. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects overall growth of 9 percent in truck driving jobs between 2008 and 2018. Since the trucking market nationwide is huge, that's significant, representing about 291,000 new jobs. Trucking is one of the largest occupations in the country, with 3.2 million jobholders.

Industry observers also see business picking up. Orders for Class 8 trucks — the largest tractor-trailers — rose 28 percent this March over March 2009, said Clayton Boyce, a spokesman for the American Trucking Associations in Washington, D.C.

"What that means is we'll be pressured to hire more and more drivers," said Boyce. "Predictions are there may be a real capacity shortage."

McClanahan, whose school saw its student body drop from 600 to 300 during the recession, said hiring suddenly increased at the beginning of April.

"The companies were trying to hire the really good experienced drivers, and they've been able to do that for the last year," he said. "But now that pool has dried up. Now they're starting to come back to the schools looking for entry-level students."

That's also the case in Michigan, where unemployment hit 15 percent in March.

"In the last 90 days, things have picked up, and employers are much more favorable to entry-level students than they were, say, a year ago," said David Wehman, coordinator for the truck-driving program at Baker College, in Flint.

In Idaho, where Colindres is job-hunting, truck-driving jobs are expected to grow 17.5 percent by 2019, faster than the national average. That's because of an expected increase in agricultural production, said John Van Dyke, an economist at the Idaho Department of Labor.

So who is applying for trucking jobs now?

McClanahan, a former truck driver, says most of his students are men changing careers in their mid-40s. Many have at least some college.

"We've had people in here with master's degrees," he said.

Ralph Dean, who runs the truck-driving program at the College of Western Idaho, a community college near Boise, has seen many builders come in lately. He also has taught a lot of people from Micron, a Boise microchip maker that laid off about 3,500 workers in 2008 and 2009.

"They've got a great background," Dean said. "But they're used to being home every night, so this is a real transition. There is good money but they've got to be gone to make it."

That's a problem for Colindres, who has three children, two in elementary school. He doesn't want to spend nights away from home. But "if there's nothing else, I'll do what I have to do," said Colindres, who left school at 10 or 11 in El Salvador to work. He later took adult education classes in California and easily passed his truck-driving classes at Sage Technical Services in Caldwell, Idaho.

Long-haul driving jobs are often the only ones available to new drivers. With seniority, they can move to positions closer to home.

After 32 years and 3.7 million miles behind the wheel, Jeff Thompson drives a tractor-trailer for FedEx but makes it home to his wife every night. Thompson, who lives in Kansas City, Mo., drives halfway from Kansas City to Chicago, where he meets a Chicago driver, trades trailers, then turns around and goes home.

"It took me a long time to get to this point, but I made it," said Thompson, an Oklahoma native who grew up driving farm trucks. He works 60 to 65 hours a week and makes $75,000 to $80,000 a year, he said.

"It's a good way to make a living, but it's a hard way to make a living," Thompson said. "When I started out in the 1970s, we used to travel all over the country, all 48 states."

A MeMe Questions Challenge (Ask A Trucker)

2010-05-04T14:21:00.006-04:00

OK ... a challenge for all you truckers out there. Gi-Gi over at Gi-Gi Roxx answered some "MeMe" questions on her blog.

Since I'm not a truck driver YET, I'm going to challenge the drivers out there to answer them. So here is what we will do. If you have a blog of your own, copy the questions below, answer them and then come back an post a comment here with a link. If you don't have a blog, you can e-mail me the answers if you want (truckin.tedybehr (at) gmail.com). If you e-mail them, please let me know if it is OK for me to post your answers on my blog...it can be anonymous if you would like. If you have by chance already answered these questions on your blog, post a comment with a link.

So what do you think....up for the challenge? Good, I thought you would be.

(PS - If you haven't already, go check out Gi-Gi's blog.)

=============================

1. What is your favorite interstate to travel??

2. Pilot, T/A, Flying J or Loves??

3. If you had to travel cross-country (East-West or West-East) would you prefer to take the Northern Route (I-80 or I-90) or the Southern Route (I-10 or I-40)?

4. When driving, do you prefer to see the sunrise or the sunset?

5. Favorite state to drive through?

6. Least favorite state to drive through?

7. What do you think is the most truck friendly state?

8. What do you think is the least truck friendly state?

9. What is your favorite town to layover in?

10. Las Vegas, Reno or Atlantic City?

11. Atlantic Coast or Pacific Coast?

12. Favorite type of freight to haul?

13. Favorite company/industry to haul for?

14. Most annoying traffic related gripe regarding truck drivers?

15. Most annoying traffic related gripe regarding four wheelers?

16. Do you drive solo or as part of a team?

17. What kind of truck do you have and what color is it?

18. How many gears does it have?

19. Does your truck have a name?

20. Do any pets travel with you? If so, what kind and what are their names?

21. What is your favorite drive in the entire country?

22. What state do you currently live in and were you born and raised in that state?

23. What kind of trailer do you pull?

24. What is your favorite truck stop?

25. What jobs did you do before you became a truck driver?

26. Have you ever been to Canada and if so, which is your favorite Province/Territory? Why?

27. What type of weather do you dislike driving in?

28. What do you listen to while driving? Type of music, talk shows, etc.

29. Who is your favorite talk show host?

30. What is your CB handle?

=============================
** Edit **
Below are some links to some other bloggers, in no particular order, who have answered the questions. If I missed your post, let me know, I would love to add a link here.
(If anyone objects to me linking to their blog, please jet let me know and I'll remove it.)

Gi-Gi Roxx

All Things Bradbury

The Daily Rant (I think Salena is actually the one who started all of this...lol)

Lipstick Trucker

Trucking Tiger's Life on the Road

My Sometimes Daily Blog

Expedite Expo scheduled for late July

2010-05-01T15:51:00.001-04:00

I hope to see some of you there. If you find you can make it, let me know. I would love to meet up with ya.

Expedite Expo scheduled for late July

The 10th annual Expedite Expo is planned for July 23-24, 2010. The event will be held at the Roberts Convention Centre in Wilmington, OH.

The event features a number of driver workshops. Here’s the schedule:

Friday, July 23, 2010
10 a.m. Where´s the Freight? A Detailed Look at the Numbers
Stu Sutton, president, GPSNet Technologies Inc.
Franklin Room 1

11 a.m. Expedite Trucking 101 – The Essentials to Starting and Succeeding in 2010
John Mueller, safety director, Premium Transportation Logistics LLC
Franklin Room 2

1 p.m. The Road Map to Buying and Financing Your Truck
John Lalonde, truck specialist, Fyda Freightliner
Franklin Room 1

2 p.m. Keys to Successful Business Operations
Dave Corfman, fleet owner
Franklin Room 2

3 p.m. Extending the Life of Your Truck – A Fresh Look at Maintenance
Heath Wood, sales and finance manager, Middle Georgia Freightliner-Isuzu
Franklin Room 1

Saturday, July 24, 2010
11 a.m. Networking & Roundtable Discussion – Expediting in the New Economy
Host: Linda Caffee, ExpeditersOnline.com forum moderator
Franklin Room 2

1 p.m. Smart Economics: Idle-Reduction Tips, Tools & Facts
Ray Lawrence, president, Espar of Michigan Inc.
Franklin Room 1

2 p.m. Is It Time to Consider Your Own Operating Authority?
John Mueller, safety director, Premium Transportation Logistics LLC
Franklin Room 2

More show events
The show also offers entertainment for the whole family. For the third year in a row the troupe from the Amazing Portable Circus will be on hand to offer super skills and mind-blowing tricks. This year APC will feature Chris the Amazing Magician, A Living Elvis Statue, Fire Juggler, Stilt Walker and Eric the Caricature Artist.

Radio personality Dave Nemo will be broadcasting live from the Expedite Expo 2010 on The Open Road Channel 171 which is heard on XM Satellite Radio.

Live music will be provided by Pure Grain and the Radio Ramblers, who will perform on the new entertainment stage.

As with everything at Expedite Expo 2010 – including the parking – it’s free.

For more information and to register, visit www.ExpediteExpo.com or call 859-746-2046.

Comments With Links

2010-05-01T15:00:00.003-04:00

I moderate all comments before I allow them to post to the blog. This is to make sure that spammers, hackers/crackers, etc aren't putting things that could effect me and my readers.

I do NOT moderate the comments to prevent comments that disagree with me, etc. If a comments is legitimate then I will approve it to be posted.

I've been getting comments lately on every post I make that contain links hidden in them. Since they are hidden, I consider them spam and I reject the comments. I don't mind links in the comments as long as they are relevant to the post or it is intended to be of use or interest to me and/or my readers.

If you want to include a link in your comment, don't hide it. Make if clear and give some info on what the link is.

I truely believe that those doing this are spammers, etc because each of them have had names containing oriental characters.

I welcome all comments...just keep it civil.

Thanks for reading.

Jason's Law

2010-04-29T23:26:00.001-04:00

Help support 'Jason's Law' by signing the iPetition.

Jason's Law

The Petition
Jason Rivenburg (35) was shot and killed in his truck in South Carolina on March 5,2009 in an abandoned gas station that was frequently used as a rest area. From our tragic loss we are hoping to create and pass "Jason's Law." The purpose of Jason's Law is to provide secure areas along our nation's highways for truck drivers to rest
and/or wait to unload their trucks. Please help us to bring this issue to the attention of our legislators so that we may save another family from enduring such pain. Jason leaves behind his son,(2) his wife,and soon to be delivered twins.

We the undersigned,are requesting that the U.S. Government enact legislation that will protect truck drivers within the United States. We are requesting that truck stops be required to have adequate lighting and cameras and businesses be required to provide a secure common area for them to wait to unload.

Rozzi Fireworks - 04/24/10 - Clinton County Fairgrounds Wilmington, Ohio

2010-04-24T22:07:00.003-04:00

(Sorry for the quality...this was off of my cellphone.)

Rozzi Fireworks was having a 'Shooter School' training people in fireworks at the Clinton County Fairgrounds. I didn't know they were going to be putting on a show. We heard them going off so we drove over to the fairgrounds and found out they were going to be doing a larger show in a few minutes. This is the last ten minutes of the larger show. Wait for the finale...WOW!!!

3 y/o Drummer - Howard drum show!!!

2010-04-24T19:42:00.001-04:00

Little Howard Wong is 3 years old when this was taped. Amazing!!!!!!!!!!

Where have I been / What I am reading

2010-02-02T17:23:00.000-05:00

OK...so what has been keeping TTB away for so long. The answer is simple, family and work. That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Just Kiddin!!!

Where Have I Been?

Back in April '09, I was asked to take over a different department at work. This required some additional attention from me to get things running the way I think they should be. The department seems to be running a lot smoother now even though I do have some 30, 40 and even 50 year old "kids" that work for me. (I wish people would just come to work and work.) Some of them have a problem with minding their own business but you'll have that just about anywhere.

The last half of 2009 were very busy for my department hence why there hasn't been any REAL post since the end of October. It seems like a lot of companies and government agencies wait until the end of the year to spend their budgets.

Work isn't the only thing that has kept me busy. I'm not sure if I've ever posted it or not, but my wife has been a gestational surrogate for several couples that have not been able to have their own babies. The 'gestational' part of that means that it is not her eggs (nor has it been my sperm)....not our genetic material. Each of the babies she has carried has been either the intended parents egg and sperm or a donor's.

I want to make it clear that I'm not here to discuss the topic of surrogacy vs. adoption. If you have any questions regarding surrogacy, I will do my best to answer them but keep in mind that somethings may be best discussed via e-mail. You can also check out Wikipedia.

My wife has been carrying a baby for a couple that she carried for once before. She gave birth (via c-section) on January 16th. For privacy reasons, all I will say is that it was a baby girl and she is healthy (as is my wife). The parents are happy and so is the new big sister.

So as you can see, I've had my hands full with a pregnant wife and helping with our two kids, helping around the house, etc.

============================

I guess I will make this a two part post. The first part, if you didn't notice, is up above this which you hopefully have already read before getting to this part. The second part is, not too surprisingly, below this. I know, I know...I can be a real smart @ss when I want to. =-)

============================

What am I reading?

Been reading a lot lately. I just started reading "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris. It is the first book in the 'The Southern Vampire Mysteries' (aka - The Sookie Stackhouse Novels / Chronicles). This is the book series that the HBO series "True Blood" was based on.

Wikipedia - Series: 'The Southern Vampire Mysteries'
Wikipedia - Book: "Dead Until Dark" (Cover - one of many)

Just before that, I read book 11 (of 13) in the 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' book series, "The Grim Grotto", by Lemony Snicket (the nom de plume of American author Daniel Handler). I will pickup one of these books when I need some light reading before moving on to something else. I know these books are really intended for children but I find them entertaining. I guess they appeal to my childish nature. =-p

Wikipedia - Series: 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'
Wikipedia - Book: "The Grim Grotto" (Cover)

Before that, I jumped on the bandwagon and read the 'Twilight' series of books. I would read one of the books and then my daughter would read it. Yes, I know that the books appeal to the "tween" age group but I still enjoyed them.

Wikipedia - Book Series: 'Twilight'
Wikipedia - Books:
"Twilight" (Cover)
"New Moon" (Cover)
"Eclipse" (Cover)
"Breaking Dawn" (Cover)
Wikipedia - Movie Series: 'Twilight Saga'

I think that is enough for now. I love comments, so please leave me a note.

I'm Sorry

2010-01-21T19:49:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry for my absences. I'm still alive and well. Work has been EXTREMELY busy and so has my family life. Throw in the holidays, and I haven't had much time for blogging. I promise that I will have a fresh, new and hopefully interesting post soon.

Let's Say Thanks In Support Of Our Troops

2009-10-30T10:44:00.002-04:00

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?

Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them. This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you.

Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's.

Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

Brochure intended to help truckers around restricted routes in NY

2009-10-29T11:06:00.002-04:00

Story Link

Brochure intended to help truckers around restricted routes in
NY

There’s ongoing confusion for truckers in New York about driving along certain routes. The problem has drawn the attention of multiple agencies, as well as Gov. David Paterson.

The New York State Department of Transportation and New York City Department of Transportation have put together a brochure, which is intended to benefit truckers who are looking to avoid situations where they might get caught up on restricted routes.
The brochure provides phone numbers and Web addresses for truck drivers in need of additional information or trip planning. Highlighting the concerns of bridge strikes on these routes, it also includes tips on what do when approaching a low overhead clearance. The restricted downstate parkways are listed and shown on a map.

Possible punishments and repercussions for getting caught on restricted routes also are listed.

The brochure stresses that relying solely on GPS units or online mapping is not advised, and it includes a plea to “always obey posted signage.”
In addition to the brochure, the agencies are working with the New York State Police and Westchester County as part of the Bridge Strike Mitigation Task Force. The groups are looking for solutions to the ongoing issue with truckers using restricted routes.
While the brochure is in line with the task force’s attempts to help educate professional drivers, Gov. Paterson has opted to pursue legislation that relies on hitting truckers in their pocketbooks.
The governor announced in mid October he is pursuing legislation that would require all large trucks to be equipped with enhanced GPS units to direct truckers away from restricted routes.
He says action must be taken to address the growing number of truckers who take routes with low clearances, resulting in so-called bridge strikes.
Truckers and their companies found in violation of the proposed rule would face numerous penalties, which could include confiscation of the truck, possible jail time, and the trucking companies or their insurance carriers footing some of the costs for repairing damaged bridges.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association was pointed in its assessment of Paterson’s proposal. The Association says efforts like this in New York are causing quality trucking jobs to go elsewhere, as well as raising costs to consumers throughout the state.
– By Keith Goble, state legislative editor
Editor’s Note:
Please share your thoughts with us about the issue included in this story.
Comments may be sent to statelegislativedesk@ooida.com.

Trucker Buddy drivers needed

2009-10-27T09:28:00.004-04:00

(Poll closed - Results below )<------------- Check out the Poll on the top left side of the page. It will be open until 11/28/09.

I found this article over at LandLineMag.com. If your not a member of the Trucker Buddy program, now would be a good time to start. Trucker Buddy is a penpal program that matches up truck drivers with school class rooms. It gives the students a look at the world through the eyes of the drivers. They use the drivers letters to study reading, writing, geography, mathematics, social studies, and history. This also helps to improve the image of the "truck driver". The driver gets a little companionship while out on the road.

Since I'm probably not helping the cause by writing this in my own words, check out the brochure. You can get it here (PDF).

{Link}

Trucker Buddy drivers needed

The Trucker Buddy program needs a few good men and women, quite a few in fact. Since 1992, Trucker Buddy has been matching truckers with classrooms in schools across the country.

“We’re seeing an amazing level of growth in terms of teachers interested in this program – the number has at least doubled, if not tripled, in a matter of weeks. And that’s a great opportunity for trucking,” said Mark Reddig, Trucker Buddy board member and host of OOIDA’s Sirius XM satellite radio show, Land Line Now.

“This program is absolutely key to improving the image of truck drivers with the general public. Getting to kids at an early age with a positive image of truckers – and getting that same message across to their parents – not only helps us now, it will help us make this a better world for truckers 20 years down the road.”

Teachers use the program as an educational tool, often tracking their trucker’s travels on a map. Reddig reports a number of teachers signed-up this fall, and now they need about a hundred truckers to do the same.

“And it’s a great way for the kids themselves to learn a whole variety of subjects while having some fun,” said Reddig. “The folks already taking part in Trucker Buddy have proven this over and over. I would really strongly encourage folks to join that effort and help us expand the good work to even more schoolchildren.”

Trucker Buddy International has helped educate more than a million schoolchildren by introducing them to professional truck drivers. The ongoing success of the program is due to driver volunteers, participating teachers, and the contributions of sponsors, including OOIDA. There is no cost to the drivers or teachers to participate in the program.

Click here for more information.

Edit: 01/21/10 7:59 PM
Poll Results:

Are you a 'Trucker Buddy' (www.truckerbuddy.com)?

Yes - 0 (0%)
No - 1 (25%)
What the heck is that? - 1 (25%)
No but I think I'll join - 2 (50%)

Still Around - Check out "Driving"

2009-10-13T10:27:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to drop a line and let everyone know that I'm still alive and well. Nothing really new to report just that things have been VERY busy at work. I'm behind on not only posting to this blog but reading all the other great blogs out there. Rest assured that I have not forgotten about all of you and I will be trying to get caught up soon.

In the mean time, checkout the poem posted on Brad's blog, "Politically Correct.....not". He posted it in March but I'm just getting around to reading it.

You can find the poem here. It's called "Driving" and I think the point comes acrossed rather well.

Never Forget!!!

2009-09-11T08:40:00.002-04:00

Please take the time today not only to remember those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on 09/11/2001 and the heroes that lost their lives trying to save others but also the many, many soldiers and civilians who have lost their lives in the two wars that followed.

You do not have to agree with the wars but please support those who are forced to fight them.

(Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry)

"Crackberry" Addict

2009-08-16T15:43:00.002-04:00

Hello. My name is TTB and I'm a "Crackberry" addict. (Crackberry is the nickname for Blackberry)

I just got a Blackberry Storm and I love it.

Saw This At Wal-Mart Yesterday

2009-08-16T13:21:00.002-04:00

Saw this at Wal-Mart yesterday
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Getting to know each other!

2009-07-31T20:01:00.002-04:00

If you've been tagged or you are reading this, you have the honor of copying all these goofy questions, writing your own response, and tagging 25 other victims. You have to tag me so really you just need 24 more people. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you - but not in a creepy stalker kind of way.

You can feel free to post your results in a comment or if you have your own blog, post it there and post a comment here so I know you've done it.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6 AM

2. How do you like your steak? Medium Rare

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Monsters Vs. Aliens and Star Trek at the drive in

4. What is your favorite TV show? too hard to pick one ... (in no particular order) Smallville, Eureka, Ice Road Truckers, Dollhouse, Heros, True Blood, House

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? a Caribbean island

6. What did you have for breakfast? Full Throttle energy drink

7. What is your favorite cuisine? is steak a cuisine?

8. What foods do you dislike? I'm a fat guy so there isn't much.

9. Favorite Place to Eat? LoneStar

10. Favorite dressing? Ranch or Russian

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? 2000 Chrysler Cirrus

12. What are your favorite clothes? A pair of jeans and a button-down shirt

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Greece, Russia, Japan, Hawaii, Caribbean

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full

15. Where would you want to retire? Caribbean island or maybe Montana

16. Favorite time of day? night

17. Where were you born? Wilmington, Ohio

19. Who do you think will not tag you back? Not sure

20. Person you expect to tag you back first? Not sure

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Everyone

22. Bird watcher? Only if it is a cooked bird on my plate

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night

24. Do you have any pets? do kids count....OK, 2 hampsters

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? nope...boring as ever

26. What did you want to be when you were little? rich

27. What is your best childhood memory? I don't remember too much.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? depends on the animal

29. Are you married? Yes

30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes

31. Been in a car accident? Yes

32. Any pet peeves? toilet paper roll going under, the thin plastic they put on things to protect them (remotes, etc)

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? MEAT

34. Favorite Flower? MEAT ... WHAT!?!?!? Meat isn't a flower....then no preference

35. Favorite ice cream? Chocolate with brownies with chocolate with fudge with chocolate

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Burger King

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Didn't...I almost aced it (100% on written, 95% on road) (my 4-wheeler license...haven't done the CDL yet)

38. From whom did you get your last email? Facebook Notification

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? I no longer have credit cards.

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Spontaneity...hmmm...I'll have to put that in my calendar

41. Like your job? Some days

42. Broccoli? raw and cooked

43. What was your favorite vacation? Orlando

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? wife and kids

45. What are you listening to right now? Two and a Half Men on TV

46. What is your favorite color? black or green

47. How many tattoos do you have? one

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? any one who reads this and a handful of others.

49. What time did you finish this quiz? 7:47 PM EST

50. Coffee Drinker? YES!!!!!!!!!!!

NOW, YOUR TURN

2009-07-23T21:20:00.002-04:00

A couple news articles to bring to your attention:

Troopers Become Truckers In Undercover Operation
Indiana State Police said 56 percent of all wrecks that involve a tractor-trailer and a passenger car or truck are caused by the driver of the car

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/20139742/detail.html

Stopping aggressive drivers around commercial trucks
Starting next week, the Idaho State Police are increasing enforcement to see if you got the message.

http://www.kidk.com/news/50980577.html

It's All In How You Ask The Question

2009-07-15T19:45:00.001-04:00

I read an interesting post over at Land Line Media Blog talking about a poll that was done regarding increasing the size and weights of heavy trucks on the highways. The questions in the poll were definitely designed to lead the taker in responding in favor of the increase.

I recommend you check out the post which you can find here.

You can check out the poll questions here.

You can also find an in-depth piece that appears in the July issue of Land Line Magazine on the subject of increasing the size and weights of heavy trucks on the highway here.

So what do you think about increasing the size and weight limits?

If a stealth bomber crashes in a forest, will it make a sound?

2009-07-12T20:03:00.000-04:00

(This post is not about religion, it is about standing up for what you believe in. So please read it all.)

I was raised with the idea: "The squeaky wheel doesn't always get the grease, sometimes it gets replaced." Silence is gold or so they say but it seems that in today's society, those who scream the loudest get their way.

A good example of this is religion or the lack thereof. There has been a trend in this country (and I'm sure in others) where a small group of people who are against the idea of having anything to do with religion being a part of government, schools, sporting events, etc., seem to be winning. It seems like there is always something on the news about prayer being banned or the word "God" being removed from something. In a country that was built on the ideal of freedom of religion, more and more is being done to remove any sign of religion.

Now pick up any phone book and look up churches and see how many listings are there. I'm sure you will find a lot of listings. Or drive through town and see how many churches you see. There is a small town not far from me that in 2007 had a population of about 1,400 people and at one point had about 5 churches. I've also seen poll after poll after poll that shows a majority of people believe in God.

So, if so many people believe in God, why is anything to do with religion becoming taboo and politically incorrect? Why, because the smaller group screams the loudest.

If a group has a larger number of people, why don't they scream louder than the smaller group? That can be explained easily with the phrase, "someone else will do it". Yep, so many people are willing to sit back and let someone else take care of things. We are more than willing to sit back and complain but we aren't willing to do anything about it. We aren't willing to "scream". If you believe in something, do something. Make your voice heard....SCREAM. Get other people to scream too.

You would think that "organized religion" would be able to organize and stand up for what they believe in but I've seen a lot of churches that are willing to "scream" while in church, be it from the pulpit or wherever, but they aren't willing to organize and do things outside the church to stand up for what they believe in.

OK ... so where am I going with this you might ask?

The truck driving community needs to take a page from the anti-religion group. We need to "scream" louder not just sit around and complain. We all agree that truck drivers are targeted unfairly for a lot of things whether it is the environment or taxes or accidents. We need to organize. I'm not saying unionize...organize. Too many people say that truck drivers can't organize because they are always moving. In today's technological world, you don't need to be in the same physical place for meetings or rallies, etc. I'll let you in on a little secret … a secret called the Internet. Have you heard of it? How many of you have met and exchanged ideas with people not only across the country but across the world?

We can use the Internet to exchange ideas and to organize. How do we do that you might ask? We can do that in many, many ways. You can do things like posting blogs, joining forums, posting on major media outlets. You can keep up on current legislation proposals. You can use it to contact Congressmen, Senators, Governors, legislators. Don't just contact the officials from your home state; contact those that are sponsoring the legislation. (Check out the Contact Elected Officials page over at www.usa.gov.)

Join organizations that support what you believe in. OOIDA is a good example of a group that helps support truck drivers. They don't only support owner/operators, they support all truck drivers even company drivers. They actually go and speak with legislators. They follow the legislations that affect truck drivers. (Check out the OOIDA “Issues and Actions” page.) But, they can't do it alone. We must be willing to do our part not just sit back and figure “someone else will do it". Write your representatives. Call them. Stop at their offices. And I repeat, not just the ones from your home state. Let them know the problems that you face and where you stand on certain legislation. Do so in a calm, professional manner. Get non-drivers involved.

Truck drivers as a group are smaller than non-truck drivers but we can scream louder, if we choose too. Most of the time, we are fighting against ignorance.

Educate others outside of the industry. I said "educate". You don't want to come across as complaining. Believe me, before I became interested in truck driving, I didn't have any idea of the problems that faced the industry. I've researched a lot. I've read a lot of blogs and forums. I've had people who have helped to "educate" me. I may not be a truck driver (heck, I've never even ridden in a big rig) but I still try to do my part to educate people on the problems truck drivers face.

We have to make sure the “4-wheelers” of the world learn about the problems that truckers are faced with. They need to know that some laws and industry policies can actually make a driver unsafe. Yes, the driver of that 80,000 lbs missile they are driving next to is a professional driver, but they must do their part to help keep everyone safe. They need to know about the “No-Zones”. They need to know what it takes to stop a big rig. They need to know that anti-idling laws are endangering everyone on the road by making it harder for drivers to sleep. They need to know the dangers that truckers face by not having safe places to park (Jason’s Law).

Leave information or a copy of ‘Land Line Magazine’ in the doctor’s office waiting room or at the mechanics. Print out information, such as fliers available at the “No-Zones”, and put them up on the bulletin board at the grocery store or at the gym.

By educating “4-wheelers”, maybe, just maybe we will add more voices to our “scream”. We need all the voices that we can get. We must be heard. There have to be changes not only for the safety and well being of truck drivers but also for their families and for the families in the SUV driving next to that big rig with the driver who had to try and sleep in 100° temperatures without air conditioning.

Blog Changes

2009-07-11T23:41:00.003-04:00

Made some changes to the blog (colors, etc). Let me know what you think of them.

You can leave me a comment or use the "Reactions" buttons below ('good', 'bad', 'try harder').

Truck Driver DAC Report – Stop the Abuse

2009-07-10T20:13:00.002-04:00

<----- please take part in my poll. It will be open until 07/24/09

I found this over at AskTheTrucker.com

Trucking companies abuse the DAC reporting system which can end the career of professional truck drivers. Please sign the petition to STOP False DAC Reporting. We believe this abuse by many trucking companies and the DAC Services is in violation of The Fair Credit Reporting Act and employee rights. Help end this DAC reporting abuse . . . sign the petition.

All Men Are Created Equal

2009-07-03T13:40:00.003-04:00

I sit here pondering the 4th of July holiday and I'm sure that I'm not the only one that sees that too many people see this holiday as a time for fireworks and backyard BBQ.

I read something today that I thought was interesting. It was said by a man who wasn't even an American and who had only visited the United States on official business. That man was Pope John Paul II.

On December 16, 1997, Pope John Paul II was welcoming the Ambassador from the United States to the Vatican. The Pope gave the Ambassador (The Honorable Lindy Boggs) a little history lesson.

"The Founding Fathers of the United States asserted their claim to freedom and independence on the basis of certain 'self-evident' truths about the human person: truths which could be discerned in human nature, built into it by 'nature's God.' Thus they meant to bring into being, not just an independent territory, but a great experiment in what George Washington called 'ordered liberty:' an experiment in which men and women would enjoy equality of rights and opportunities in the pursuit of happiness and in service to the common good."

He went on to say:

"Reading the founding documents of the United States, one has to be impressed by the concept of freedom they enshrine: a freedom designed to enable people to fulfill their duties and responsibilities towards the family and towards the common good of the community. Their authors clearly understood that there could be no true freedom without moral responsibility and accountability, and no happiness without respect and support for the natural units or groupings through which people exist, develop and seek the higher purposes of life in concert with others."

I find it a little disconcerting that someone that never lived in America and wasn't an American citizen seems to understand the meaning better than most Americans.

This day is not to celebrate a day off work; nor is it about setting off a bunch of fireworks; nor a bunch of festivities and food; it is about the founders of the United States declaring that we would no longer be under the tyrannical rule of the King of England. It is about declaring that 'all men are created equal'. Now I know it took a long time before MOST people were equal in the eyes of the law and that there are still some groups are not equal in the eyes of the law and that as a society, there are still a lot of groups of people that are STILL not treated equally.

I think that if more people would take that time to read and think about the Declaration of Independence, maybe, just maybe, people would be more open to the ideal that ALL men and ALL women, "are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".

Now I'm the first to admit that I do not necessarily like a lot of people but I still believe that they have certain rights, deserve a certain amount of respect and equal opportunities. By opportunities, I'm not saying that because a person is a member of a certain race, etc that they should be given special considerations for opportunities. Equality should be the same for EVERYONE. What has happened is that in order to try and promote equality, some groups have been given special privileges/opportunities that are causing other groups to be discriminated against. A good example of this is one group has a special college fund that is specific to a particular race. Now, let another race do the same thing and it is considered racism. By trying to promote the equality of one group, we've become blinded to the idea that we are in turn causing racism and inequalities to other groups.

Critically acclaimed actor, Morgan Freeman said in an interview with "60 Minutes" that aired back in December 2005 that the only way to get rid of racism is to "stop talking about it". "I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man," Freeman says. What I believe he is saying is that as long as we keep categorizing people in groups by race or groups by religion or groups by sexual orientation, inequality will continue to exist. We are all guilty of saying 'my black friend said' or 'my white friend said' or 'my Jewish friend said' or 'my gay friend said'...during most of our conversations, does it really matter what race or religion or sexual orientation a person is that we are talking about? No it doesn't. We should just say, "my friend said" and stop dividing people into groups unnecessarily. I'm not saying that a person shouldn't be proud of their heritage but a person's heritage shouldn't give them any special rights. Should I go around calling myself a German-American because my family lineage can be traced back to Germany? Heck no!!! Should I be given special considerations or be treated differently because my family lineage can be traced back to Germany? Heck no!!! I'm an American. Should it matter if I'm black or white or brown or yellow or red, etc? Heck no!!! I AM an American. Should it matter if I'm straight or gay? Heck no!!! I AM AN American. Should it matter if I'm male or female? Heck no!!! I AM AN AMERICAN!!!!

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

I look at my children and I'm thankful that they do not see people as black or white or gay or straight. They see people as just that people. They don't understand why a person should be treated differently because of their race or religion or sexual orientation or gender. I hope that this is a sign that future generations will truly understand equality and that race, religion and orientation won't matter.

I think I've rambled on enough but let me leave you with this additional thought:

There have been a lot of people who have died and sacrificed so that America can have the opportunity for its citizens to be treated equally. Because of those people's sacrifice, I have the right to post this. You have the right to read this.

Please take the time to consider what the 4th of July holiday is about. Please take the time to consider what equality is SUPPOSE to be not what it currently is being represented as. Please take the time to thank someone who has served or who is serving to protect our right to equality.

By Our Poems, Not Our Corpses

2009-06-14T21:48:00.002-04:00

Here is a little philosophy for ya. I read this passage recently and thought I would share it. It was written by Robert Ardrey. He was an American playwright and screenwriter who returned to his academic training in anthropology and the behavioral sciences in the 1950s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Ardrey

But we were born of risen apes, not fallen angels, and the apes were armed killers besides. And so what shall we wonder at? Our murders and massacres and missiles, and our irreconcilable regiments? Or our treaties whatever they may be worth; our symphonies however seldom they may be played; our peaceful acres, however frequently they may be accomplished. The miracle of man is not how far he has sunk but how magnificently he has risen. We are known among the stars by our poems, not our corpses.

SiteMeter Counter

2009-06-12T20:33:00.003-04:00

Noting much going on at the moment. I added a visitor counter at the bottom of the page. Got it through SiteMeter.com. Unfortunately, it started counting today so I don't have any historical data.

Help me get my counter number up and recommend my blog to your friends.

Hybrid vehicles’ silence seen as posing peril

2009-06-08T11:57:00.003-04:00

As "Knights of the Road", there are many drivers out there that will not hesitate to stop and help at an accident scene. The article below point out some hidden perils when it comes to hybrid or full electric cars.

Besides being a potential problem for those who are sight-impaired, they also could put someone responding to an accident in danger as well.

As the article states, one of the problems is knowing if a hybrid/electric are still on. Since an electric motor makes virtually no noise, it can be hard to tell if it is still on. “If it’s in gear, it can lurch forward and injure someone,” said James Surrell.

"In addition to a standard 12-volt battery under the hood, a typical hybrid engine uses another battery under the back seat that packs as many as 600 volts — more than enough to cause instantaneous death."

If you are a "Knight of the Road", please educate yourself so you can minimize the additional threats that a hybrid/electric car pose.

{Source}

MSNBC.com

Hybrid vehicles’ silence seen as posing
peril
Emergency workers share concern of advocates for blind
over quiet motors
By Alex Johnson
Reporter
msnbc.com
updated 7:53 a.m. ET, Mon., June 8, 2009

As the car crept up to them, the students didn’t react. It wasn’t until it was about to run them over that they even knew it was there. And that was only because it hit their white canes.

The hybrid car’s electric motor had kicked in. And the students, all of whom are blind, couldn’t hear it.

“It came up, and it was right there. We had no idea it was even coming,” said Chad Wilburn, one of students, who took part in a demonstration of the new hazard posed by the quiet hybrid vehicles earlier this year in Salt Lake City by the Utah Center for the Blind.

Advocates for the sight-impaired say the vroom of a conventional engine is the only sure way a blind pedestrian can know that he or she may be walking into the path of an approaching car. They have been pushing for safety measures for several years, and Congress is considering a bill that would order the Transportation Department to make sure hybrids and the coming generation of all-electric vehicles make enough noise to be heard.

But they’re not the only ones worried about the silence. Emergency workers are raising the alarm, too, saying it can be hard to tell whether a hybrid’s engine is still running at the scene of an accident.

“If it’s in gear, it can lurch forward and injure someone,” said James Surrell, a physician at Marquette General Hospital in Michigan, who teaches hybrid safety classes for rescue workers and emergency medical technicians.

Hybrids’ electronic motors offer several other challenges for emergency workers at the scene of an accident. The biggest is that they are electronic motors.

In addition to a standard 12-volt battery under the hood, a typical hybrid engine uses another battery under the back seat that packs as many as 600 volts — more than enough to cause instantaneous death.

There have been no documented reports of any emergency worker’s having been electrocuted by a hybrid battery in the United States. But in literature they publish for emergency responders, nearly all manufacturers include vivid warnings like this one in the first-response manual for the Nissan Altima Hybrid: “Failure to disable the high voltage electrical system before emergency response procedures are performed may result in serious injury or death from electrical shock.”

First puzzle: Is it a hybrid?
On the road, government safety tests indicate that hybrid vehicles are just as safe as their gas-powered counterparts. Any concerns come from what to do once one of them has been in an accident.

The high-voltage batteries are thoroughly sealed in protective metal, and there is little chance that they could leak or explode. In fact, hybrid engines are packed with automatic sensors designed to stop the flow of electricity on impact or whenever the side-impact air bags deploy.

But that assumes the sensors themselves haven’t been damaged.

In its guide for emergency responders, Toyota, whose Prius popularized hybrids in the United States, warns crews to “never assume the Prius is shut off simply because it is silent.”

Emergency agencies across the nation have added specialized training for workers responding to accident scenes involving hybrids, like a hybrid safety seminar last month at the Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont, Texas. That’s because “we’re worried about forced entry into a hybrid and using the jaws of life,” said Brad Pennison, a captain with the Beaumont Fire Department.

At these seminars, crews learn that the first difficulty is recognizing that a vehicle is, in fact, a hybrid, which calls for different procedures.

Most contemporary hybrids are built to resemble their conventional counterparts — a design philosophy the industry calls “mainstreaming.” Many can be identified only by a badge or a small logo; if that’s damaged or hidden by debris or another vehicle, rescue crews may have no obvious clue that there’s a high-voltage battery lurking in the wreckage.

If the “hybrid” badge is missing from the door of its Silverado and Sierra trucks, Chevrolet details a four-step inspection process that crews should follow to determine whether they’re dealing with a hybrid or a conventional engine. Steps 3 and 4 require opening the hood, assuming the emergency workers can get to it.

Saturn, meanwhile, suggests finding the vehicle identification number on its Vue sport utility. “If the eighth digit is a five (5), this signifies the vehicle is a Hybrid,” its responder guide says.

Just how do you turn this thing off?
Once crews know they’re dealing with a hybrid, the next step is to make sure it’s turned off. All manufacturers say simply switching off the ignition and removing the key is the best way to disable the system. But that’s not foolproof.

For example, even when the motors are disabled, “power remains in the high voltage electrical system for 5 minutes after the HV electrical system is shut off” in the Prius, Toyota says. On the Lexus GS450h, it can be as long as 10 minutes.

And those instructions assume that the key or the ignition system is accessible. If it isn’t, the next option is to disable the standard 12-volt battery, blocking power to the bigger, more dangerous battery.

Different vehicles have different ways to do that, information that rescuers must either know when they arrive at the scene of an accident or be able to quickly retrieve.

On Honda hybrids, crews are advised to remove the main fuse (they must have a Phillips-head screwdriver handy) and cut both cables on the 12-volt battery.

On Lexus’ GS450h, however, they have to remove a yellow fuse in the engine junction compartment block. On the Lexus RX400h, it’s a red fuse. But on the Lexus LH600h L, they should remove the IG2 relay.

Other hybrids call for non-intuitive steps that crews must take before they can even
try to disconnect the 12-volt battery. In the Nissan Altima, for instance, they first have to move the power seats and operate the power trunk release.

‘You need to know these little things’
If, in the worst case, emergency workers have to go near the big battery cables, they’re generally in luck. Nearly all hybrids color-code their battery lines in orange,
an easy visual clue. But in some Saturns, some of the cables are blue.

The color isn’t set by any law, meaning not only that there isn’t 100 percent consistency, but there’s no guarantee that manufacturers planning to enter the market will observe the unofficial orange standard.

Complications like that mean emergency crews have to take extra time to assess an accident scene, even if injured victims need rescuing.

“There’s this tremendous amount of electrical energy,” said Surrell, of Marquette General Hospital. “You need to know these little things about hybrids because of the potential electrical danger to the victim of the accident and the rescuer alike.”

Expedite Expo 2009

2009-06-03T19:56:00.002-04:00

Why Attend?
Everything you need to see is here under one roof!
Expedite Expo 2009 is the best way to discover and meet the leading carriers, suppliers and vendors of the expedited trucking industry.

And it that is not reason enough, here are the
Top Ten reasons YOU can't afford to miss the
best and biggest Expedite Expo yet:

If it's new in expediting, it'll be here.
Exhibitors will demonstrate their products and services for you.
Get first tabs on the newest products, including expo-exclusive specials.
Find out who the new service-providers are and how they can help you.
Get the latest news and trend reports about expediting.
Hear what industry experts have to say about excelling at what you do.
Meet the carriers who are looking for owner operators.
Meet the owner operators who are looking for carriers.
Relax and enjoy Dave Nemo and other live music events.
Free registration, free parking and free admission to our cool, comfortable indoor expo.
Save time when you arrive: REGISTER ONLINE NOW!!

Heavy, drowsy truckers pose risk on the road - Another sleep apnea scare tactic

2009-06-03T11:59:00.008-04:00

*** EDIT ****
Poll Results:

I only had 4 votes:

Is Sleep Apnea a real problem for truck drivers?

Yes! I think every truck driver should be tested. - 1 (25%)
Yes, I think ALL drivers should be tested (including 4-wheelers) - 2 (50%)
I don't know. - 0 (0%)
No, it is just another way to try and add more regulations to the industry. - 1 (25%)
No, It is just another way to get my money! - 0 (0%)
What were you saying? I dosed off. - 0 (0%)

=========================================

I would love to see your comments on this issue. Also, please take the poll (It should be right over there <-------- some place). The poll will be open until midnight on June 17th, 2009. {Source}

Heavy, drowsy truckers pose risk on the road
Scientists call for apnea screening; industry says weight isn't only factor

By JoNel Aleccia
Health writer
updated 8:34 a.m. ET, Wed., June 3, 2009

Truck driver Kenneth Armstrong is a big guy with a bigger problem.

At age 55, he stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 308 pounds, which doctors say helps to explain why he's been diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea, a dangerous disorder that puts him at high risk for health problems — and falling asleep at the wheel.

"It was mild, but has worsened as I have gotten older," says Armstrong, a Michigan man who weighed 190 two decades ago, but gradually has put on pounds.

Fortunately for Armstrong — and the people on the road around him — his employer Swift Transportation Corp. of Phoenix is one of a small but growing number of trucking firms that voluntarily screen drivers at risk for sleep apnea and then pay to treat and monitor them for the potentially life-threatening condition.

Armstrong, for instance, wears a mask hooked to a machine that inflates his airways and restores his oxygen levels every night as he sleeps in his rig.

"I feel that I'm a much better and safer driver because of this CPAP," he said, referring to the continuous positive airway pressure machine.

But that's the exception, not the rule, according to sleep scientists at Harvard University, who have renewed a call for federal rules requiring mandatory testing of obese drivers. They say research shows there's a strong link between fat drivers and sleep apnea and that screening could help prevent truck crashes that kill more than 5,200 people and injure more than 100,000 each year in the U.S.

"It's a major public health issue and it's becoming more common with the obesity epidemic," said Dr. Stefanos N. Kales, medical director of employee and industrial medicine at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge, Mass.

Kales, who is also an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, is the senior author of a study published this spring in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. It's the latest to find that obesity is a strong predictor for sleep apnea, and that many drivers are likely to underreport symptoms or to fail to follow through on sleep study referrals and treatment.

"Screenings of truck drivers will be ineffective unless they are federally mandated or required by employers," said Kales, who studied more than 450 commercial drivers working for more than 50 firms.

New federal rules for obese truckers?
Regulators with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have been considering for more than a year new rules that would require screening for drivers whose body mass index — a metric based on weight and height — exceeds 30, the baseline for obesity.

A BMI of 30 means 221 pounds for a 6-foot man. Kenneth Armstrong's BMI equals 43. Researchers estimate that more than 40 percent of commercial drivers have a BMI of 30 or higher.

But the FMCSA has yet to act on the January 2008 recommendation by a medical review board, which frustrates groups representing victims of trucking accidents, who say that fatigue in general and sleep apnea in particular are under-recognized threats on the road.

"A driver is impaired by fatigue long before he falls asleep," said Jeff Burns, a lawyer representing the Truck Safety Coalition, a safety advocacy group.

"Every time I'm in the vicinity of a large truck on the highway, I believe my life is in danger. I give trucks a very wide berth," Burns added.

Trucking industry officials reject such comments as scare tactics, noting that the number of truck and bus accidents has held steady at about 161,000 annually for several years, despite more miles traveled, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

They argue that obesity is only one of many indicators of sleep apnea and that safety standards should be based on driver performance, not body size.

"There is no direct relationship between a person's body weight and his ability to drive an 18-wheel truck," said Tom Weakley, director of operations for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which represents about 160,000 drivers. "Show me where that's a better predictor than a person's driving record."

Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes a person's airways to collapse during sleep, cutting off breathing dozens — or even hundreds — of times a night. Because sufferers wake over and over, they're never fully rested and their bodies are chronically deprived of oxygen. That can cause health problems ranging from heart disease to diabetes and symptoms that include daytime sleepiness and a tendency to nod off during normal activities.

"It can be a microsleep for few seconds," said Kales. "That can be enough to throw a truck off the road."

In such cases, the results can be devastating.

In May 2005, a Kansas mother and her 10-month-old child were killed when a truck collided with their sports utility vehicle, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. The driver had been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, but he went to another doctor who issued a medical certificate because the driver didn't disclose his condition.
In July 2000, a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer died when a truck struck his police car as he guarded a highway work zone, the GAO said. The patrol car exploded on impact. The driver of the truck had previously been diagnosed with sleep apnea and had had a similar crash three years earlier, when he struck a patrol car in Utah.

Nearly one in three drivers has sleep apnea
Sleep apnea increases the risk of an accident by two to seven times, and up to 20 percent of truck crashes are estimated to be caused by drivers who fall asleep, Kales said.

Prevalence studies suggest that up to 28 percent of commercial drivers have mild to severe sleep apnea. That works out to as many as 3.9 million of the roughly 14 million commercial drivers licensed in the United States, Kales indicated.

It's a much higher than rate than for the general population, where an estimated 4 percent of men and 2 percent of women between the ages of 30 and 60 in the U.S. have sleep apnea, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association. Overall, about 18 million Americans have the problem, although only about 10 percent of sufferers actually are diagnosed.

In the survey Kales led, 456 commercial drivers from 50 companies were studied for 15 months. During that time 78 drivers, or 17 percent, met screening requirements for sleep apnea. They were older and more obese, with higher average blood pressure. Of the 53 drivers referred for sleep studies to test for apnea, 33 did not comply and were lost to follow-up, researchers said. The remaining 20 were all confirmed to have sleep apnea, but, after diagnosis, only one driver complied with treatment.

It's not clear when the FMCSA will take up the issue of screening obese drivers.

"We are taking the Medical Review Board's recommendations under thoughtful advisement, and supplementing those recommendations with additional research in order to develop sound regulatory proposals," Candice Tolliver, an agency spokeswoman, responded in an e-mail.

But neither Tolliver nor Dr. Mary D. Gunnels, director of the agency's office of medical programs, responded to questions about a timeline, or about why sleep apnea doesn't appear on the agency's list of pending agenda items.

However, critics and supporters of the agency say the reason for the long lag is clear: Officials are leery of any proposal that could affect, or even idle, 40 percent of the truckers on the road. Costs for conducting sleep studies, paying for equipment and monitoring drivers could cripple independent truckers or small firms, said Weakley, of the independent truckers' association.

Link between obesity and crash deaths isn't clear
"Until you can show a direct relationship between sleep apnea and deaths on the road, they can't do anything about it," he said. "It won't fly."

The American Trucking Associations, a group representing some 38,000 members, is more circumspect. Christie Cullinan, director of workplace and fleet safety, said the organization recognizes that sleep apnea is a public safety issue and that the group supports the idea of guidance to detect and correct the problem.

After all, the average cost of a large truck crash involving a fatality is $3.6 million, FMCSA figures show. A crash with injuries costs nearly $200,000. And the average cost of all large truck crashes is about $91,000.

Still, any guidance has to be the right guidance, Cullinan said.

"I don't think there's a CEO that doesn't know that screening for sleep apnea banks your safety dollars," she said. "But there's a balance that needs to be met."

As it stands now, sleep apnea screening is left to a single, easily dodged question on a certification exam, Kales and others said. As his study showed, many drivers simply ignore referrals for sleep studies, or they ignore the treatment. Some resort to "doctor-shopping," seeking certifiers who will overlook sleep apnea. That's primarily because they're afraid of losing their licenses, people on all sides of the issue agree.

"Truckers have quite a fear of disclosing that they get sleepy when they drive because it might mean their livelihood," said Wendy Sullivan, vice president of Precision Pulmonary Diagnositics, a Houston company that created a sleep apnea screening tool used by at least two trucking firms that have started testing their drivers.

One trucking firm, Schneider National Inc. based in Green Bay, Wis., became an industry leader on the issue after a pilot project begun in 2003 showed that screening drivers reduced crashes, cut liability costs, increased retention — and trimmed employee health expenses by more than $500 a month.

Now, the firm screens all of its 15,000 drivers and treats and monitors the 1,400 or so diagnosed with sleep apnea, said Don Osterberg, Schneider's vice president of safety and driver training.

'You're going to feel better and you're going to be safer'
"We want to remove those barriers," he said. "Come forward, let us help you get treated for this. You're going to feel better and you're going to be safer."

But officials at Schneider and Swift Transportation, the firm Kenneth Armstrong works for, acknowledge that change will come slowly, despite danger, unless it's mandated.

"The science speaks for itself. We know there's an issue out there," said Scott E. Barker, vice president of safety, recruiting and driver services for Swift, which launched its pilot project this year. "I believe there's going to be regulation. We're just trying to get out ahead of it."

Armstrong said he tries to do his part to inform fellow truckers about the benefits of sleep apnea detection and treatment. In the meantime, he's starting work on losing weight.

"I tell them, 'Get it done,'" he said. "You can't treat sleep apnea like a bad haircut, that time will solve it. It won't solve itself.'"

Ready to be a First Observer?

2009-05-30T13:19:00.003-04:00

I saw this over at LandLineMag.com

Ready to be a First Observer?

OOIDA is playing an important role in a federal program to involve truckers with homeland security issues. The program is now ready to register participants.

OOIDA is a subcontractor for First Observer – the Transportation Security Administration’s trucking security program. First Observer aims to develop training modules for highway professionals, train them for anti-terrorism and security preparedness, and receive information from those drivers.

If you have access to a computer, the best way to register as a First Observer is to go to the Web site, http://www.firstobserver.com/

. If you don’t have access, call the 24/7 number at 888-217-5902, and an operator will help you register.

The First Observer program is run by HMS Co. under a contract funded by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

OOIDA will provide training and outreach to its nearly 160,000 membership of small-business and professional truckers. Other subcontractors under HMS Co. include the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Total Security Services International Inc., and Patton Boggs LLP.

“The Homeland Security award for the program was based on the strength of the team, and largely on the ability of OOIDA and the Teamsters to recruit, train and communicate effectively with highway professionals,” said Rick Craig, OOIDA director of regulatory affairs. “We’ll be working with HMS Company to train many truck drivers, who obviously have a unique position in being the eyes and ears on U.S. highways.”

OOIDA will be a program partner of First Observer, which will be based in the Washington, DC, area. First Observer has a staffed call center in the DC area, which is trained to gather pertinent information from trucking professionals.

Craig said the Association will use its resources to help recruit and train First Observer members and assist in outreach efforts to various other interested stakeholders.

OOIDA’s TRACER system, a stand-alone program that is funded and operated solely by the Association, is capable of communicating security-related messages, Craig said.

TRACER stands for Transportation Alert Communications and Emergency Response.

“In instances where Homeland Security issues an alert, OOIDA’s TRACER system could be used to push out the communication from the Highway Information Sharing and Analysis Center and other sources to First Observer participants,” Craig told Land Line.

Doug Morris, OOIDA director of security operations, is leading the Association’s First Observer efforts.

Morris said he expects many OOIDA members to participate in First Observer.

“OOIDA members will be encouraged to participate in the program’s diverse security training modules and to take advantage of the planned two-way focused communication,” Morris said.

– By Charlie Morasch, staff writer

charlie_morasch@landlinemag.com

Editor’s note: Again, for more information on First Observer, go to FirstObserver.com or call 888-217-5902. You can also call OOIDA at 800-444-5791.

Minnesota law bans large trucks from Stillwater Lift Bridge

2009-05-30T13:01:00.001-04:00

Heads Up!!

Saw this over at LandLineMag.com

May 28, 2009

Minnesota law bans large trucks from Stillwater Lift Bridge

A new law in Minnesota makes a lift bridge northeast of Minneapolis off-limits to truck drivers.

Previously SF1091, the new rule restricts the length of commercial vehicle combinations using state Highway 36 in downtown Stillwater, MN, to 55 feet. It is common for truckers to use the route to access the Stillwater Lift Bridge, which crosses the St. Croix River.

Signs notifying truckers of the length restriction are required to be posted by July 1. The restriction will not apply to specially permitted vehicles.

Advocates say the ban was necessary to crack down on truckers using the Stillwater bridge to avoid inspections at the St. Croix Weigh Station/Hudson Port of Entry on Interstate 94.

Others say it will alleviate congestion downtown and reduce wear and tear on the aging structure.

“I regret having to impose restrictions on commercial trucks accessing the bridge, but until we can get a new river crossing there is simply no other choice. Public safety must be our number one concern, and we are hopeful these new limits will reduce the risk of personal injury and property damage in downtown Stillwater,” Sen. Ray Vandeveer, R-Forest Lake, said in a written statement.

Critics say it is bad public policy to prohibit vehicles from roads that are paid for with taxes. Trucking officials in the state say there’s no quick and easy alternate route.

Linda Marotz, part owner of DL & S Carriers in Stillwater, doesn’t buy that argument.

“They can go around,” Marotz told Land Line. “How hard is it for somebody to drive five miles down the road to go across the I-94 bridge at Hudson?”

Marotz, wife of OOIDA member Donald Marotz, said the ban is long overdue.

“As far as I’m concerned, they should have banned trucks on that bridge 10 years ago. It just makes sense,” she said.

To view other legislative activities of interest for Minnesota in 2009, click here.

– By Keith Goble, state legislative editor

Editor’s Note: Please share your thoughts with us about the legislation included in this story. Comments may be sent to statelegislativedesk@ooida.com.

Thank you!!!!

2009-05-24T20:53:00.002-04:00

Roadcheck 2009 Is Coming

2009-04-29T18:46:00.002-04:00

From a J.J. Keller Newsletter:

Get Ready Now for Roadcheck 2009 -
It Happens June 2-4

During a 72-hour period during the first week of June, over 8,500 inspectors will be inspecting over 60,000 vehicles.

That's a little more than 14 vehicles every minute.
Some facts to consider regarding last year's Roadcheck event:
A record 67,931 inspections were conducted.
Of the vehicles inspected, 20.8% were placed out of service for mechanical problems (that's about 14,130 vehicles).
The driver out-of-service rate was 5.3%, mainly for hours of service violations (that's approximately 3600 drivers).
Roadcheck 2009 is only a month away.

Lost Generation

2009-04-24T22:16:00.003-04:00

This is incredible - as you listen intently follow along with the words forward and then backward...... Make sure you read as well as listen.

This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20 year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50". This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awestruck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and watch it.

Akiane: child prodigy, artist, poet

2009-04-09T20:27:00.004-04:00

Akiane: child prodigy, artist, poet
(Pronounced: AH-KEE-AH-NUH)

http://www.artakiane.com

Akiane is an amazing artist and she is only 13 years old. You MUST check out her work. I can't even do her art justice. Please, Please, Please go check it out. She is amazing.

In case my pleas were not enough to convince you to check out her work, below is one of many pictures she has done and below it is a quote from her site.

Footsteps to EternityAcrylic on canvas, Age 13 (2008) 48" x 60"

• An internationally recognized 13-year-old prodigy, considered the only known child binary genius, in both realist painting and poetry.

• Selected as 1 of 20 most accomplished visual artists in the world by Tribute Entertainment (London) and ABI (United States).

• Kids Hall of Fame inductee.

• World Council for Gifted and Talented Children inductee.

• A best selling author of two books "Akiane: Her Life, Her Art, Her Poetry" and "My Dream is Bigger than I - Memories of Tomorrow"

International
Television Appearances
•The Oprah Winfrey Show
•Good Morning America
•World News Tonight with Peter Jennings
•The Glenn Beck Show - CNN
•The Lou Dobbs Show - CNN
•TBN
•The Montel Williams Show
•Co-host on the Wayne Brady Show
•Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
•Fox Magazine - Fox News
•Hour of Power
•Reflections - Crystal Cathedral
•“Indigo Revolution” (Documentary)
•Life Line - Miracle Channel (Canada)
•Extreme Prophetic - Miracle Channel (Canada)
•Record Television (Brazil)

National Television Appearances
•J.C. And Friends, Gannet Television - CBS
•Life Today
•Fox News Rising
•Time Warner Cable News
•KING TV - CBS
•KREM NEWS - CBS
•KETV - ABC
•WBTV - NEWS 3
•KONG TV - ABC
•SEATTLE LIVE
•Northwest Afternoon - ABC

A featured celebrity in
•Time Magazine
•Today's Christian
•Voice of the Prophetic
•Sun
•The Scotland's Weekly News
•Yen Akuel/Turkey
•The Weekly Reader
•Spokesman Review
•The Southeast Outlook
•The Press
•The Daily Bee
•Idaho Magazine
•Business Journal
•The Omaha World Herald
•Missouri Valley Times
•The Daily Nonpareil
•The Heartland Gatekeeper
•The Grit
•Yahbooks
•Life Site News
•The Winner
•The Trojan News
•The Evening Magazine
•Charlotte Women
•Charlotte Weekly
•and numerous other publications around the world.

• Solo art exhibitions at the age of 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 in Idaho, North Carolina, Iowa, California, Washington,Virginia, Oregon, Arizona and Utah.

• Solo art exhibition at age 10 and 11 at the Museum of Religious Art, Iowa.

• Group art exhibitions in Missouri, Florida and Toronto, Canada.

• Akiane donates a substantial portion from the sales of her paintings to select charities. The reproductions, prints on canvas, are available in limited editions on all images. To purchase the originals or giclees, please call ART AKIANE, LLC at: 208-687-1777 or email at: love@artakiane.com

• Exhibition at Art in the Embassies Gallery for USA in Singapore.

• Akiane's web site receives on average 150 million hits a year.

On Elephant Sanctuary, Unlikely Friends

2009-03-16T19:08:00.002-04:00

On Elephant Sanctuary, Unlikely Friends
CBS Evening News: Steve Hartman Looks At What Difference A Couple Of Tons Makes - Or Doesn't - For Two Old Friends

{Source}

(CBS) When elephants retire, many head for the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald,Tenn. They arrive one by one, but they tend to live out their lives two-by-two.

"Every elephant that comes here searches out someone that she then spends most all of her time with," says sanctuary co-founder Carol Buckley.

It's like having a best girlfriend, Buckley says - "Somebody they can relate to, they have something in common with."

Debbie has Ronnie. Misty can't live without Dulary.

Those are pachyderm-pachyderm pairs. But perhaps the closest friends of all are Tarra and Bella.

That would be Tarra the 8,700 pound Asian elephant. And Bella. The dog.

"This is her friend," Buckley says, scratching Bella's tummy. "Her friend just happens to be a dog and not an elephant."

"Bella knows she's not an elephant. Tarra knows she's not a dog," Buckley adds. "But that's not a problem for them."

Bella is one of more than a dozen stray dogs that have found a home at the sanctuary. Most want nothing to do with the elephants and vice versa. But not this odd couple.

"When it's time to eat they both eat together. They drink together. They sleep together. They play together," Buckley says.

Tarra and Bella have been close for years -- but no one really knew how close they were until recently. A few months ago Bella suffered a spinal cord injury. She couldn't move her legs, couldn't even wag her tail. For three weeks the dog lay motionless up in the sanctuary office.

And for three weeks the elephant held vigil: 2,700 acres to roam free, and Tarra just stood in the corner, beside a gate, right outside that sanctuary office.

"She just stood outside the balcony - just stood there and waited," says Buckley. "She was concerned about her friend."

Then one day, sanctuary co-founder Scott Blais carried Bella onto the balcony so she and Tarra could at least see each other.

"Bella's tail started wagging. And we had no choice but bring Bella down to see Tarra," Blais says.

They visited like that every day until Tarra could walk. Today, their love -- and trust -- is stronger than ever. Bella even lets Tarra pet her tummy - with the bottom of her enormous foot.

They harbor no fears, no secrets, no prejudices. Just two living creatures who somehow managed to look past their immense differences.

Take good look at this couple, America. Take a good look world. If they can do it - what's our excuse?

English Language Unity Act - Bill # H.R.997

2009-03-03T18:07:00.005-05:00

I just took action on this issue and thought you might find it interesting too.

Click on this URL to take action now
http://capwiz.com/proenglish/utr/2/?a=12660406&i=92031988&c=

Congressional Legislation
English Language Unity Act of 2007
Bill # H.R.997

Original Sponsor:
Steve King (R-IA 5th)

Cosponsor Total: 121
(last sponsor added 10/03/2008)
7 Democrats
114 Republicans

About This Legislation:

H.R. 997 would protect English as our common language by making English the official language of the United States.

ProEnglish supports this bill because it would:

Protect English by giving it an "official" status in law that it has never had before.
Repeal the "multilingual mandate," Executive Order 13166,which currently requires federal agencies and funds recipients, including state and local governments, to provide translations and interpreters for non-English speakers in their native language.
Reform U.S. naturalization requirements by directing the Department of Homeland Security to develop a standardized English exam that would be given to candidates for naturalization.
Enable taxpayers to sue the federal government to stop bureaucrats from violating the law.

Nasty Truck Stops

2009-02-26T21:46:00.002-05:00

I guess this sight only started a few days ago.
http://www.nastytruckstops.com/

{'from NastyTruckStops.com'}

Enough is enough!!! Join the fight against the disgusting facilities. We get raped by their obscene prices and put up with the awful service-- Now its time for PAYBACK!!

With enough cooperation from fellow drivers we can shame these places into shaping up-- or at least make the headquarters aware of the store's poor performance.
Truck stops caring about cleanliness??! Ok, that is crazy. At least we can have some type of warning for each other to know where NOT to go. Did you see a worker not wash their hands? Mishandle food? Let us all know!!

18-Wheeler Plow Through An Obstacle Challenge

2009-02-18T15:33:00.002-05:00

Plow Through An Obstacle Challenge

SEASON 12 / EPISODE 1 November 02, 2008 LENGTH 4:08

In another test of their truck-driving skills, Jeremy, Richard and James must accelerate, plow through an "obstacle" and stop on a dime. Is there a medic in the house?

If the embedded doesn't work, here's the link:

http://www.topgear.com/us/videos/more/the-plow-through-an-obstacle-challenge

18-Wheeler Challenge: Powerslides

2009-02-18T15:30:00.003-05:00

18-Wheeler Challenge: Powerslides

SEASON 12 / EPISODE 1 November 30, 2008 LENGTH 3:08

After choosing their own, personal 18-wheelers, Jeremy, Richard and James arrive at a skidpad to powerslide the hulking barges. Believe it or not, this is not the lorries' forté.

If the embedded doesn't work, here's the link:

http://www.topgear.com/us/videos/more/18-wheeler-powerslides

18-Wheeler Alpine Challenge

2009-02-18T12:42:00.003-05:00

18-Wheeler Alpine Challenge

SEASON 12 / EPISODE 1 November 02, 2008 LENGTH 7:54

Jeremy, Richard and James race the stunning Alpine course in custom 18-wheelers hauling delicate cargo. Who will master his truck's 18 gears and win the challenge? The better question is: Who goes up in flames?

If the embedded doesn't work, here's the link:

http://www.topgear.com/us/videos/more/the-18-wheeler-alpine-challenge

Top Ten Deadliest Stretches of Road in America

2009-02-13T18:45:00.002-05:00

Here is a safety reminder.

{source}

Top Ten Deadliest Stretches of Road in America
Wednesday, February 11, 2009

By Maxim Lott

While Congress is busy hammering out the details of the $838 billion-and-counting economic recovery bill, the 50 states are already releasing their wish lists for the projects they want to see funded. Among those are numerous roads and highways that they want to see improved.

But where do you start? Which pothole do you fill first?

FOXNews.com analyzed data from crash reports over the last five years to determine which stretches of the nation's roads had the highest number of deadly accidents.

Not too surprisingly, the most populated state, California, had four of the top 10 roads in numbers of fatalities. And three of those top 10 were stretches of the same Interstate — I-10 in California and Arizona.

Click here to see fatality rates on highways in your state.

Eight of the top 10 were in Western states — California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas. The other two roads were in Florida. And all but the last road on the list were major Interstates.

If you live in the neighborhood, you probably already are aware of the danger that lurks ahead. If you don't, but you're planning on doing some cross-country travel, be alert:

Roads With the Most Fatalities Over The Last 5 Years, By County

1) 346 deaths: I-15 in San Bernardino County, California

Ironically, many fatalities on this stretch of I-15 may be because the road is so straight and wide.

“That road will put you to sleep,” said Baker Fire Station Chief Dan Tellez, whose station deals with all the emergencies along 75 miles of the highway. “And a lot of people tend to be speeding because it's so wide and so straight.”

Alcohol also plays a role in this highway's death toll. “We get a few people driving under the influence, coming from Vegas after partying all night,” Tellez said.

An accident last week killed two people when their car crashed into water barrels lining the freeway.

2) 182 deaths: I-10 in Riverside County, California

Two people were killed and four were injured in a four-car crash here in January, after a pickup truck veered into oncoming traffic.

But don't blame the road design, local officials say.

"Most of it doesn't have to do with the road per se," said California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Chris Blondon, whose area includes part of I-10 in Riverside. "It more has to do with the drivers. Most of the crashes we see along that area are due to unsafe speeds. They're going too fast for the road conditions."

3) 178 deaths: I-10 in Maricopa County, Arizona

A local musician was killed in September after an 18-wheeler turned over in front of him.

State officials say the road is too narrow for the amount of traffic it now handles. Some parts are already being widened, and the state is asking for $61 million in federal stimulus funding to widen the rest of the road and do minor repairs.

"The purpose of the I-10 widening is to transform it from a rural style highway to an urban one," Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman Timothy Tait said. "Right now it has two lanes in each direction, which is very inadequate for a place like Phoenix."

4) 158 deaths: I-5 in Los Angeles County, California

On Oct. 12, 2007, a speeding truck crashed into a concrete barrier in a tunnel near Santa Clarita, causing a chain reaction of crashes. Three people were killed and 26 vehicles were destroyed in an inferno that engulfed the tunnel. The fire shut down the highway for two days.

This week, a California Highway Patrol report determined that speeding was the primary cause of the accident — at least 13 of the vehicles were going over the speed limit.

But Saia Motor Freight, the company that owned the truck that started the chain reaction, told the Los Angeles Times that poor lighting conditions in the tunnel and inadequately maintained warning signs were to blame. The California Department of Transportation said it has since improved conditions in the tunnel.

5) 153 deaths: I-45 in Harris County, Texas

A man was killed last month when he was speeding and missed a turn on I-45 near Fuqua. The car rolled over at least twice and ended in a ditch, FOX 26 reported.

State officials say the sheer amount of traffic on the road is the main problem.

"[I-45] is a major traffic corridor through the city of Houston. Whenever you have more cars, you're going to have more crashes," said Mark Cross, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation.

The Texas DOT has identified $3 million in safety improvements, such as signs and pavement markings, that it would like to see funded with federal stimulus money.

6) 148 deaths: I-15 in Clark County, Nevada

Two men died in a head-on collision in September, caused by one of the drivers going in the wrong direction on the freeway.

But this road is getting better: Fatalities fell from 39 in 2006 to 19 last year.

Kevin Honea, a trooper with the Nevada Department of Public Safety, attributed the decline in fatalities to increased police activity, which has been particularly focused on this stretch of I-10 going from California to Las Vegas.

“Biggest reason is an increased officer presence out there,” Honea said. “We’ve got a very aggressive group of guys out there.... People see our officers, and they know they had better buckle up.”

Scott Magruder, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said major projects to widen the highway and add an express lane are under way and due for completion next April. Less congestion should improve safety even more, he said, as drivers feel less of a need to weave between lanes.

The state is planning another widening of the road between Tropicana and State Road 160, which would cost up to $250 million. Magruder said funding from the proposed stimulus bill may help pay for that.

7) 131 deaths: I-95 in Palm Beach County, Florida

The driver of a gasoline tanker truck was sentenced to 35 years in prison in December after being found responsible for an accident in which his truck turned over on a car, exploded, and killed four people.

Prosecutors said the driver was going 25 miles per hour over the speed limit and had not taken the mandatory rest breaks for truck drivers.

The Florida Department of Transportation has listed $160 million in additions and repairs to I-95 in its wish list for federal stimulus money.

Tied for 8) 118 deaths: I-10 in Pinal County, Arizona

Local firefighters who respond to calls on the road say a main problem is bored drivers who fall asleep.

"It's probably one of the straightest sections of I-10 there is," said Assistant Fire Chief Jim Morgan of the Casa Grande Fire Department. "This stretch of the road is basically the center point between Tuscon and Phoenix. It's a long-distance trip, and we're at the middle point.... Most people who survive wrecks usually tell us they were getting fatigued."

Tied for 8) 118 deaths: I-5 in San Diego County, California

A pregnant woman was killed in January after another car clipped her vehicle while switching lanes. The offending driver will stand trial for speeding and driving recklessly.

10) 102 deaths: US-1 in Miami-Dade County, Florida

A woman was sentenced to three years in jail in 2007 after making a U-turn that led to the death of a motorcyclist. She was also sentenced for possession of cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

The state stimulus spending wish list includes over $100 million for US-1, the only non-Interstate road on the list.

Coffee Filters - Who Knew!

2009-02-13T15:06:00.001-05:00

COFFEE FILTERS

Coffee filters ...who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing. I haven't tried all of these but they sound reasonable.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. They make excellent covers.

2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they leave windows sparkling.

3. Protect China. Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.

4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a filter to prevent soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.

13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.

14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."

OH YEAH THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS.

Flaming Semi Rig Shuts Down I-71 For Hours (Cincinnati)

2009-01-23T19:39:00.001-05:00

{Video from Fox19.com}

{Images WLWT.com}

{Story Source WLWT.com}

Flaming Semi Rig Shuts Down I-71 For Hours
Truck's Tire Blew Out, Caught Fire Near Taft Rd.

A semi truck caught fire Friday afternoon on southbound Interstate 71.

The driver said he heard a popping sound and noticed smoke, so he pulled his 1999 Freightliner onto the shoulder just north of the Taft Road exit.

The entire vehicle soon became engulfed in flames, and heavy black smoke poured from the truck.

Investigators said the right tire blew out and caught fire, and crews battled the blaze from the Lincoln Avenue overpass.

All southbound lanes and the exit ramp were closed for nearly two hours, and police also blocked access to I-71 from the Dana Avenue-Montgomery Road entrance ramp.

Three lanes were reopened before 4 p.m., but drivers still encountered lengthy delays during rush hour and motorists were urged to use the Norwood Lateral to reach a detour on Interstate 75.

The vehicle was considered a total loss, with $50,000 damage, but the trailer's contents were not damaged and no injuries were reported.

Operation LifeSaver

2009-01-17T15:05:00.004-05:00

Operation LifeSaver

Rail Safety is important to all of us. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there were 2,728* collisions at rail crossings in 2007. This resulted in 339* fatalities and 986* injuries. This is an improvement over previous years.
(*Most Current Information as provided on the Operation LifeSaver web site.)

Sorry the table is so small. You can find it here.

IMHO, almost all Highway-Rail incidents can be avoided. As co-occupants of the road, it is all of our duty to be observant, to follow the laws and share the roads. Sharing the road also includes sharing that space where the rail crosses the road.

-------------------------------------------

What is Operation Lifesaver?

From their web site

Operation Lifesaver is a non-profit, international continuing public education
program first established in 1972 to end collisions, deaths and injuries at places where roadways cross train tracks, and on railroad rights-of-way. Operation Lifesaver programs are sponsored cooperatively by federal, state, and local government agencies; highway safety organizations, and the nation’s railroads.

Nearly half of all highway-rail crashes occur when the train is traveling under 30 mph.
64% of all collisions occur in daylight hours.
Three of four collisions occur within 25 miles of the driver's home.
In the USA, approximately every 2 hours a collision occurs between a train and vehicle or A train and a pedestrian.
At 55 mph, the average freight train may take mile or more to stop.
Nearly 50% of all collisions occur at crossings equipped with automatic warning devices.
You are 20 times more likely to die in a collision with a train than in a collision involving another motor vehicle.

Please visit their web site and encourage others to do the same. Highway-Rail incidents and be eliminated.

Now...how about some PSA videos and posters:

YouTube: TrainManTy

YouTube: kevin2472

YouTube: rl1401

You can find more vintage posters from Operation LifeSaver on their web site.
If you would like to see a bigger version of these vintage posters, click on them for a PDF version.
(Adobe Acrobat Reader required. You can get it here.)

Happy New Year !!!!!

2009-01-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

I would like to wish you and yours a VERY happy and prosperous 2009.

Finally Got Moved (My Blog That Is)

2008-12-29T22:37:00.004-05:00

Edit (01/02/09 @ 8:21 PM): Decided it was best to remove the names of the websites I originally included in this post...I don't need anyone getting some "legal bug" up their rumps and decide to sue me.

Well I finally got my blog moved.

The site I originally posted my blog to was....we'll just call it HB. The main problem with the site was there was no traffic. The last "Latest HP News" is dated 05/12/2005 so as you can tell, it appears the site is pretty well running on auto-pilot. I did meet a few good friends over there and I will be providing them with my new blog home shortly. If you read any of my older post that I migrated over here, you will notice that I included the original comments from those friends. I had to put them as part of the post.

I had checked out a truck driving oriented site (we'll call in TS) as a home for my blog. I made three post: 1) About me, 2) About my original blog site (HB) and 3) a news story relating to the trucking industry. After that third post, I get a message from the administrator stating that they had removed all the links in my first two post that referenced my old blog (or any external site). In addition to this, the administrator moved my third post to the forums. This was all done with out any advance notice to me. Now, I don't know about you but I don't like someone coming in and making changes to my blog. You don't have to agree with it or like something I put in it, but I'll be d@mned if anyone is going to come in an change it.

I also received notification last week that TS has merged with another site. I have nothing against this other site, but I don't feel like chancing the issues that could come along with the merger.

So, with deciding to move my blog; Looking around for a new blog home; The issues at TS; Worrying about the economy; Being busy at work; And a bunch of other excuses that I'm sure I could think up, you can see why there has been such a gap in my post.

I've met (virtually that is) a lot of good people here on BlogSpot and I hope I'm able to meet a lot more. Feel free to leave me a comment or ask a question. If you prefer, you can e-mail me: truckin.tedybehr (at) gmail (dot) com.

Until next time. -TTB

The James and Daddy's Million Friends Challenge on Myspace

2008-10-16T14:05:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted on Thu, Oct 16 2008 @ 2:05 PM [EST]

The James and Daddy's Million Friends Challenge on Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/bizwiz68

James is a young boy with leukema. Him and his dad started up the challenge to get one million friends on their Myspace page. The quote below is from their page explaining the challenge.

If you are on Myspace, please go add them as a friend.

This is from their Myspace page:

Why the one million friends challenge I get asked the questions, Why 1 million friends? What will it achieve? on a regular basis so i thought i would try to explain. James and I used to come onto myspace to listen to music and look at the videos just before he was diagnosed and added a few friends. When James was diagnosed and we came to terms with the fact that his cancer and its treatment was going to take over our lives we needed a distraction and the "James and Daddy" page was born. I asked James if he thought we could get one hundred friends and then one thousand and the ten thousand. When we reached ten thousand friends i asked James to set the next target. James said ONE MILLION. We will gain nothing financially from this page but have gained friendship from people around the world and we have shared our story with you all and in return shared your stories. This page has helped us as a family deal with the tough times and share the good times. Now as a father i feel i have to achieve this challenge as i made a vow to James the day after he was born that i would never let him down and i would only make him a promise if i could keep it. So there you have it, the reason for the challenge and why i need you to help me get more friends. We have tried the celebrity route with minor success so all we can do is keep sending out the bulletins and searching out the profiles that have loads of
friends and big hearts.

Comments

Its a done deal...
Comment By: VM on Fri, Oct 17 2008 @ 7:24 AM [EST]

Thanks VM
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Mon, Oct 20 2008 @ 1:42 PM [EST]

.

Then The Lord Created The Truck Driver

2008-09-27T13:34:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted on Sat, Sep 27 2008 @ 1:34 PM [EST]

I found this on a friend's Myspace page. He found it on the Net and said I could share it.

Then The Lord Created The Truck Driver

When the Lord created Truck Drivers, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the spec on this order?"

"A truck driver has to be able to drive 10-12 hours per day, through any type of weather, on any type of road, know the highway traffic laws of 48 states and 10 provinces, he has to be ready and able to unload 40,000 lbs of cargo after driving thru the night and sleep in areas of cities and towns that the police refuse to patrol."

"He has to be able to live in his truck 24 hours a day 7 days a week for weeks on end, offer first aid and motorist assistance to his fellow travelers, meet just in time schedules, and still maintain an even and controlled composure when all around him appear to have gone mad."

"He has to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee and half-eaten meals; he has to have six pairs of hands." The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands... no way."

It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "it's the three pairs of eyes a driver has to have." "That's on the standard model?" asked the angel. The Lord nodded. " One pair that sees the herd of deer in the thickets 3 miles away" "Another pair here in the side of his head for the blind spots that motorists love to hide in; and another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at the bleeding victim of a drunk driver that crashed into his bumper at 70 MPH and say, " ' You'll be all right ma'am,' when he knows it isn't so."

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow." "I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can drive 650 miles without incident and can raise a family of five without ever seeing them, on 30 cents a mile."

The angel circled the model of the truck driver very slowly, "Can it think?" she asked.

"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of every HAZMAT load invented; recite Federal Motor Carrier Regulations rules and regulations in its sleep; deliver, pickup, be a father, offer timely advice to strangers, search for missing
children, defend a woman's or children's rights, get 8 hours of good rest on the street and raise a family of Law respecting citizens, without ever going home ... and still it keeps its sense of humor."

"This driver also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with delivery and pickup areas created from scenes painted in hell, coax a lumper to actually work for his money, comfort an accident victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how truck drivers are nothing more than killers on wheels and have no respect for the
rights of others while using the nations highways."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the driver. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."
"That's not a leak," said the lord, "it's a tear." "What's the tear for?" asked the angel. "It's for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the flag, for justice, for the family without its father."

"You're a genius," said the angel.

The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there."

Comments

Thats pretty cool..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Sun, Sep 28 2008 @ 3:23 AM [EST]

.

Survived Ike

2008-09-15T18:27:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted on Mon, Sep 15 2008 @ 6:27 PM [EST]

I never thought I would have to worry about a hurricane while living in Ohio.

Well...we lost power at around 3:00 PM Sunday and when I say 'we' I mean most of Southwestern Ohio. Wilmington and several other cities were completely without power. We didn't get power back on at home until around noon today (Monday). Work was a whole different situation. We have two warehouse buildings at the DHL airpark. Building 3 (B3) has a generator and Building 4 (B4) does not. Of course I work in B4. Well we regained power in B4 around 10:30 AM today and but B3 was still on generator. We didn't have communications (inside or out) until about noon when Verizon connected a generator to the substation that controls the communications for the "Smart Park" telecom setup. Things are slowly getting back to normal around here. A lot of trees and power lines down.

Below is some information regarding the wind damage in the area.

Source

Quick Bytes: Latest Wind Storm Updates

WLWT.com
updated 6 minutes ago

CINCINNATI - So, here's the basic rundown of what happened Sunday and Monday:

About 928,000 homes and businesses lost power at some point during the wind storm. From Louisville to Columbus, that number is 1.5 million.
At 11 a.m., the number still without power was slightly over 600,000. (This
number does not include 12,000 Owen Electric Coop customers)
Duke Energy says it may be a week before all power is restored.
All told, more than 90 percent of the company's customers lost power. This
is the biggest outage in Duke Energy history. Check here for updates.
Some Duke Energy crews were en route to the Gulf Coast to assist in Hurricane Ike recovery. The company said it's trying to recall some crews, bring others from elsewhere and hire contractors.
Gov. Ted Strickland has issued a state of emergency for several southwest Ohio counties.
Officials in Fairfield warned residents to conserve and boil water after the power outage reduced the city?s clean water supply.
Officials in Hamilton urged residents to conserve water, and residents in the vicinity the Wasserman Road Elevated Tank are under a boil advisory. This includes the following subdivisions: Sterling Estates, Twinbrook, Cardome Hills, New London Hills and Britton Ridge.
People in Clinton County can get water at the main water plant on Lowes Drive.
People in the Southwest Regional Water district are asked to conserve water and remind people that if you have low or no water pressure, boil the water you get before consuming or cooking it.
Mason-area residents also asked to conserve water.
Same goes for Cincinnati and Hamilton County, especially the northeastern parts of the county.
reminder: Some people who have power now could lose it for a time because power crews sometimes have to take down one part of the grid to repair another part.
A woman in Mt. Healthy was killed when a tree fell on her home. Her name has not been released.
Two more people were killed when their motorcycle was hit by a falling tree in the Hueston Woods State Park. The pair, Stephanie Bobinger and her husband,
Tom Bobinger, daughter and son-in-law of Fairfield Fire Chief Don Bennett, were riding as part of the Heroes Ride Bike Run.
The Associated Press said that a fourth person was killed by a falling tree in Ohio County, Ind., but had no further details.
A 10-year-old boy in Louisville was killed by a falling limb as he mowed grass.
Butler County remains under a level 1 emergency until further notice.
Clermont County officials declared a state of emergency on Monday afternoon.
Postal deliveries will be attempted, but officials said downed trees and power lines could temporarily prohibit carriers from making some deliveries. Nearly 60 post office brances remained without power by late Monday afternoon.
Metro says all buses are running, but some will have to make detours due to closed roads.
Rumpke will continue regular trash collection where possible.
Road obstructions may cause some delays in service, and a power outage closed the company's offices on Monday. For updated information about your neighborhood, click here.
Urban Active offered free usage of their shower facilities to anyone whose power or water service was interrupted.
Employees should call their workplace before going to work, as there's a decent chance it won't have power.
Many schools, including Cincinnati public schools, have closed for Tuesday.
See the list here.
Lines formed at gas stations that still have power. One caller reported lines of cars outside a Sharonville station at Crescentville and Mosteller roads last night. At 8 a.m., a dozen cars were lined up for the pumps at the same station. Many stations are still closed Monday morning.
A man in Springboro was injured by a falling tree. No further information is available.
Kenton County and the city of Newport are under states of emergency.
Sharonville residents unable to stay in their homes can call 513-563-0252 to get shelter information.
Warren County--Four men hurt while trying to hold roof on Lemon Township mobile home. One seriously hurt.
Fire destroyed Elks Lodge in Cheviot, damaged Captain D's restaurant.
Fire damaged buildings near Findlay Market -- market sustained minor damage.
Fire damaged Grammer's in OTR.
Former News 5 photographer reported boats blown from moorings in rookville
Lake, some sunk.
Dearborn County, Switzerland County under travel emergency.
Jewish Hospital reported several people being hurt while outside checking storm damage.

Comments

I was in that wind storm only about 8 ft in front of Tom & Steph. I have seen other blogs on here stating how dumb we were to be in that wind. With you being here in OH you know the 76 mph winds came out of nowhere. It has been almost 3 weeks since that unbelieveable day. I heard that CRACK & by the time I got my bike stopped Tom & Steph was gone. That huge 100 ft tree had swallowed them up. We were riding in the Hero's Ride. Tom & Steph are my hero's. They will live on forever within me. My thought, the good Lord only takes the good ones. Tom & Steph, we love you & Abby is being taken good care of.
Comment By: sunshines06harley on Fri, Oct 03 2008 @ 7:55 AM [EST]

9/11 (2008)

2008-09-11T18:40:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted on Thu, Sep 11 2008 @ 6:40 PM [EST]

Well it is hard to believe that I've been doing this blog for a little over a year, but I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here just to remember that fateful day 7 years ago. Last year, I put things very simply and I think I will just repeat those words again this year.

My words will not do the meaning of today justice, so I will keep it short.

Remember those that lost their lives on this day. Remember those who gave their lives trying to save others. Show your thanks to all of your heros.

Peace!!!!

-TTB

Comments

I remember where I was when I heard the news..I was at work when a guy told me two jets crashed into the WTC..Never Forget..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Mon, Sep 15 2008 @ 3:40 AM [EST]

I was in bed asleep and I didn't hear until around noon. I worked 3rd shift and the wife and kids were watching the Disney channel. She changed it to the news at noon and ran in and woke me up saying we had been attacked. It was very weird going to work that night since I work at the Airborne Express airpark (now the DHL airpark) between the two runways. Not a plane in the sky. Very creepy.
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Mon, Sep 15 2008 @ 6:37 PM [EST]

.

The forums at Highwaychat.com

2008-09-11T18:37:00.001-04:00

Originally Posted on Thu, Sep 11 2008 @ 6:37 PM [EST]

Truckin Tedybehr says:
"Check out http://highwaychat.com/forums/"

If you are a truck driver or interested in becoming one, check it out.

It is a new forum by truck drivers for truck drivers, but if you don't drive a truck, check it out anyway. You never know what you might learn. If you have a family member that drives, come on over and share your point of view.

Hope to see you over there.

R.I.P. Jerry Reed

2008-09-02T15:26:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted on Tue, Sep 02 2008 @ 3:26 PM [EST]

{Source}

Entertainer Jerry Reed dead at 71
By John Gerome

2:00 PM EDT, September 2, 2008

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Jerry Reed, a singer who became a "good ol' boy" actor opposite Burt Reynolds in car chase movies like "Smoky and the Bandit," is dead at age 71, according to his longtime booking agent.

Carrie Moore-Reed, who is no relation to the star, says Reed died early Monday morning of complications from emphysema.

Reed was a gifted guitarist who later became a songwriter, singer and finally an actor.

As a singer in the 1970s and early 1980s, he had a string of hits that included "Amos Moses," ''When You're Hot, You're Hot," ''East Bound and Down," and "The Bird".

In the mid-1970s, he began acting in movies like "Smokey and the Bandit," ''Gator" ''Hot Stuff," ''High Ballin" (with Peter Fonda), "The Survivors" (with Walter Matthau), "BAT-21" (with Gene Hackman) and "W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings."

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Comments

Thats from the "Golden Age" of trucking...When a sense of brotherhood existed..I still believe in it and practice it..He will be missed..Vm-out!
Comment By: VM on Sun, Sep 07 2008 @ 4:56 AM [EST]

One Dead, Traffic Blocked For Hours In I-71 Crash

2008-08-28T10:54:00.001-04:00

Originally Posted on Thu, Aug 28 2008 @ 10:54 AM [EST]

Source

WLWT.com
updated 36 minutes ago

CINCINNATI - A crash on southbound Interstate 71 closed a section of highway for more than 10 hours, killed one person and led to homicide charges against a truck driver. Officers said that a tractor-trailer was going too fast when it overturned on the southbound I-71 ramp to the Brent Spence Bridge and trapped a sport utility vehicle underneath its trailer just after 8:15 p.m.

The driver of the SUV, Susan Struwe, 57, was transported to University Hospital with minor injuries and released. The rear passenger of the SUV, Rhenda Driver, 52, was flown by Air Care to University Hospital with serious injuries.

The front seat passenger, Rhonda Gandy, 52, was pronounced dead at the scene.

There was no access to northbound or southbound Interstate 75 until almost 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

Emergency crews had a tough time getting to the victims and had to park their trucks under the accident scene and extend ladders up to get to the crash site.

The truck's driver, Chi Chow, 46, was hospitalized for minor injuries. He's been charged with vehicular homicide and vehicular manslaughter.

Chow will be arraigned on Thursday.

.

"Common Sense" by Thomas Paine

2008-08-27T09:42:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted on Wed, Aug 27 2008 @ 9:42 AM [EST]

Lately, in addition to anything I can lay my hands on regarding the trucking industry, I've also been reading some historical documents. The latest was a pamphlet writen by Thomas Paine call "Common Sense".

A description of the pamphlet follows:

{Source}

Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was first published anonymously on January 10, 1776, during the American Revolution. Common Sense presented the American colonists with an argument for independence from British rule at a time when the question of independence was still undecided. Paine wrote and reasoned in a style that common people understood; forgoing the philosophy and Latin references used by Enlightenment era writers, Paine structured Common Sense like a sermon and relied on Biblical references to make
his case to the people.[1] Historian Gordon S. Wood described Common Sense as,
“the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era.”[2]

Notes
[1] Gordon Wood, The American Revolution: A History (New York:
Modern Library, 2002), 55-56.
[2] Wood, American Revolution, 55.

I thought this was interesting reading and it does help paint the picture of some of the reasons why it was a good idea for the American colonies to seek independences from Britian.

The complete text is a little too lengthy to post it hear. In pamplet form, it was about 132 pages. Printed on regular paper, it is about 22 pages.

You can find the complete text here

Summary of it at Wikipedia

Determination

2008-08-22T09:43:00.001-04:00

Originally Posted on Fri, Aug 22 2008 @ 9:43 AM [EST]

Comments

How the hell did he do that?..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Sat, Aug 23 2008 @ 6:48 AM [EST]

Well if I'm not mistaken, that is a Canadian truck and he might have had flash backs of traveling the ice roads!!!
Comment By: Roadhzrd on Tue, Aug 26 2008 @ 5:41 PM [EST]

I've seen some other pictures of this and it appears that he made a wrong turn or something and decide to cut across a field and then attempted to drive over the tracks. Now I cannot confirm that story so it could VERY easily have a different explaination. -TTB
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Wed, Aug 27 2008 @ 8:58 AM [EST]

I got hit by a train and walked away without a scratch..God Loves Me for some reason..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Thu, Aug 28 2008 @ 8:38 AM [EST]

Rant That Started Out About Immigration But Became About More

2008-07-31T10:55:00.001-04:00

Originally Posted on Thu, Jul 31 2008 @ 10:55 AM [EST]

I was reading a thread over at www.pumpkindriver.com titled they're everywhere, they're everywhere!!! regarding immigration.

It can be found here.

Below is a copy of my post that I thought I would share with anyone who reads this blog.

My opinion is plain and simple, if you want to come into ANY country, do it LEGALLY. Legally being the key word. I don't care where someone is from. I don't
care what color their skin is. I don't care what their religion is. I don't care what their sexual orientation is. I don't even care what country you are trying to get into. Just do it legally. Everyone one has their own reason for wanting to go into another country whether it be for vacation or to live but it should be handled legally. (Have I stressed legally enough yet. :D ) I do understand that there are a lot of countries that are WAY less fortunate than the United States but there are people suffering in pretty much every country on this planet including the United States, Canada, Britain, etc.

I am not one to normally talk about politics or religion except for with a few select people. I do have some pretty strong opinions about immigration; about religious
freedom; about poverty; about a lot of things. Are my opinions correct? Maybe not. Are my opinions the only correct ones? Absolutely not.

I'm not a "Left"; I'm not a "Right"; I'm not a "Conservative"; I'm not a "Liberal"; I'm
not a "Democrat"; I'm not a "Republican". I, my fellow PD'ers, am a person who happens to have been born in the United States of America, in North America, in the Northern Hemisphere on a planet we call Earth in a solar system in the Milky Way galaxy. I do believe that as long as this planet continues to divide itself into groups, whether it be countries, political parties, etc, we will continue to fight and suffer. No one country, no one religion, no one political party is going to change things. The only thing that will change things is "One Planet".

I may have just started a firestorm, but I feel it will be worth it if just one person will read what I've said and start an intelligent conversation about it with another person. (Intelligent being the key word here.) Do I make any apologies for what I've said? No I Don't! If you've made it this far, thank you for reading all of my rant.

Comments

I consider myself an equal opportunity racist. I dislike everybody. That way nobody will feel left out!!! I'm sure somebody will take offense to that remark and think I'm terrible for saying that. Well as my brother would say,"Joke "em if they can't take a f>?@!!" I agree that every man woman and child should be able to go where they want as long as it's done legally. I have met many interesting people over the years and I always enjoy hearing the stories about where they came from.If you ever start thinking how bad things are, just talk to somebody from another country. For many a weeks pay at a minimum wage job is more than they ever made in months back home.
Comment By: roadhzrd on Fri, Aug 01 2008 @ 6:40 PM [EST]

Your 'equal opportunity racist' comment reminded me of what a comedian said once, "Why should I hate you for the color of your skin? There are so many other reason I can hate you."
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Mon, Aug 04 2008 @ 10:08 AM [EST]

I hate everyone too..I just want immigration done legally..I hate every skin color, nationality, and sex equally..So no one can call me a biggot..I really get bugged out when I have to be around a group of people..I just don't have it in me to be social..But then, when there is a party my wife notices I talk to everyone..Kind of a quandry eh?..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Mon, Aug 11 2008 @ 4:16 AM [EST]

Money!?!?!?

2008-07-30T12:56:00.001-04:00

Originally Posted on Wed, Jul 30 2008 @ 12:56 PM [EST]

A not so wise man (me) once said:

"We never have money, we are just holding it for the next person"

Anyone up for a discussion regarding that statement?

Comments

I'll be glad to hold yours and anybody else's that's willing to hand it over!! just don't expect me to give it back anytime soon!!!
Comment By: roadhzrd on Wed, Jul 30 2008 @ 1:54 PM [EST]

I hear ya there, but right now I'm holding a lot of the financial institutions' money in the form of debt. ;-) -TTB
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Wed, Jul 30 2008 @ 2:30 PM [EST]

XM Satellite and Sirius complete merger

2008-07-29T08:49:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted on Tue, Jul 29 2008 @ 8:49 AM [EST]

New company plans to change its name to Sirius XM Radio Inc.

07/29/08 8:30 AM EST

NEW YORK - XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio said Tuesday they have completed their long-pending merger.

The combined company plans to use the name Sirius XM Radio Inc. Its stock will continue to be traded on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol SIRI. They first announced their deal in March 2007.

XM shareholders will receive 4.6 shares of Sirius common stock for each share of XM.

The combined company reaffirmed its guidance for the deal in a statement. It expects cost savings of about $400 million in 2009 and to post earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of more than $300 million. It also plans to achieve positive cash flow, before satellite capital expenditures, in 2009.

The corporate headquarters will be located in New York, and XM Satellite Radio will remain headquartered in Washington, D.C.

The new company said it has 18.5 million subscribers.

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SOURCE

Comments

I think all this money is imaginary..300 million there 400 million here..Big Deal its just numbers..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Wed, Jul 30 2008 @ 8:24 AM [EST]

A not so wise man (me) once said, "We never have money, we are just holding it for the next person" -TTB
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Wed, Jul 30 2008 @ 12:42 PM [EST]

FCC approves satellite radio merger in 3-2 vote

2008-07-26T16:04:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted on Sat, Jul 26 2008 @ 4:04 PM [EST]

Land-based radio industry lobbied hard against Sirius buyout of XM

updated 7:31 a.m. ET, Sat., July. 26, 2008

WASHINGTON - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.’s $3.3 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. will mean millions of subscribers will be able to receive programming from both services, while executives say it will create huge cost savings for the industry.

Federal regulators formally approved the merger of the nation’s only two satellite radio operators Friday.

“I think it’s going to be, in the end, a good thing for consumers and be in the public interest,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin told The Associated Press. “Consumers will enjoy a variety of programming at reduced prices and more diversified programming choices.”

Subscribers will not have to buy new radios to receive a mix of programming from both services, according to the companies. But if they want to pursue a special pay-per-channel a la carte option, they will need new sets.

The FCC voted 3-2 to approve the buyout, with the tiebreaker coming Friday night from Republican commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate.

Tate had insisted that the companies settle charges that they violated FCC rules before she would approve the deal. The companies agreed this week to pay $19.7 million to the U.S. Treasury for violations related to radio receivers and ground-based signal repeaters.

The long-running regulatory review was watched closely by exasperated investors anxious for a resolution as well as 18 million-plus satellite radio customers with questions about what impact the merger would have on their service.

Blow for land-based radio industry
The approval was a major blow for the land-based radio industry, which lobbied hard against the buyout. It was also opposed by consumer groups, various members of Congress and state attorneys general, all of whom argued a satellite radio merger would hurt consumers and was not in the public interest.

“They kept each other on their toes,” Democratic commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said of the two companies. “I hope they keep their edge and don’t become a fat and happy monopoly.”

Adelstein voted against the buyout as did fellow Democrat Michael Copps. Joining Martin and Tate in approving the deal was Republican commissioner Robert McDowell.

The companies said the combination would create hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings and lead to greater choice in programming for subscribers and flexible pricing options.

Tate released a statement Friday night praising the commission’s decision to punish the companies for rules violations before acting on the merger and supporting pro-consumer conditions imposed on the deal.

Under the terms of the consent decree, XM will pay $17.5 million and Sirius will pay $2.2 million to resolve interference complaints and violations related to land-based signal repeaters the companies operate to deliver programming.

The final merger agreement did not require the combined company to include a chip in its radios that will allow customers to receive digital signals from land-based radio stations, which would have helped the land-based radio industry.

Tate, who was lobbied intensely by the industry in the final weeks, said she “could not in good conscience support a government-mandated requirement on the backs of American consumers at this time.”

Few changes to deal
Martin said the agreement is nearly identical to what he circulated among other commissioners when he first recommended approval for the deal more than a month ago.

The companies first applied for permission to combine in March 2007. The Justice Department approved the deal in March of this year without conditions, saying the companies don’t really compete because customers must buy equipment that is exclusive to either XM or Sirius, and subscribers rarely switch providers.

DOJ also agreed with the companies’ argument that they compete with other forms of audio entertainment, including digital radio, Internet-based radio stations and even devices like Apple Inc.’s iPod.

FCC approval faced a steeper climb because the companies were prohibited from combining under terms of their licenses. The agency struggled to come up with a way to show that allowing a satellite radio monopoly was in the public interest.

The companies voluntarily agreed to a set of conditions, including a three-year price cap and an 8 percent set-aside of “full-time audio channels” for public interest and minority programming. They will also adopt an “open radio” standard that may lead to a greater variety of features in radios and greater competition among manufacturers.

Sirius and XM also have promised to include a limited “a la carte” offering that would be available within three months of the close of the deal and allow listeners to pay only for the channels they want to receive.

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25856170/

Comments

It's about time! This has dragged on long enough.
Comment By: Roadhzrd on Sat, Jul 26 2008 @ 10:50 PM [EST]

When I drove full time it was worth spending the money on satellite radio..No fadeout..No BS..Just programming..Since I don't drive that much anymore my old XM reciever is still in my car w/o a subscription..I'd recommend it to someone who drives all the time I liked it..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Sun, Jul 27 2008 @ 2:35 AM [EST]

Hopefully by the time I make it into a truck, they will have the new receivers out for a resonable price. The new receivers are suppose to allow a la cart options so you can have a little more control over the stations you pay for. -TTB
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Sun, Jul 27 2008 @ 3:37 PM [EST]

Expedite Expo

2008-07-24T12:48:00.001-04:00

Originally Posted on Thu, Jul 24 2008 @ 12:48 PM [EST]

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Not much to report. I've been doing a lot of studying while I wait to make the jump. I haven't really had anything interesting to say.

I will be attending the Expedite Expo this weekend (July 25th and 26th) that will be held around here. You can get some info by visiting http://www.expediteexpo.com/

If anyone is going to be heading to the Expo, drop me a line (truckin.tedybehr@gmail.com). Right now I plan on attending on Saturday (07/26).

Before you say it, no, I'm not looking at getting into expediting at the moment. I'm pretty sure I would need some experience before I even consider that. But I figure any trucking related events I can attend, the more info I get.

Be safe out there. Keep the rubber side down. Later -TTB

Comments

There is good money to be made in expediting. But with any job I think a person needs to get with just the right company to make it work.
Comment By: roadhzrd on Fri, Jul 25 2008 @ 1:29 PM [EST]

That is what I hear but I figure getting out on the road and learning the ropes before trying to run as an expeditor would be best.
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Sat, Jul 26 2008 @ 3:03 PM [EST]

Happy 4th of July or the US Declaration of Independence

2008-07-04T16:02:00.003-04:00

Originally Posted on Fri, Jul 04 2008 @ 4:02 PM [EST]

I've been sitting here today reflecting on the "4th of July" holiday and what it is suppose to represent. Also, what it means to me. Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with my insights.

Some people just look at it as a day to have some fun, maybe cook out and watch some fireworks. Most people know that it is a celebration of the signing of the 'Declaration of Independence' that took place on July 4, 1776. As it's name suggest, it was a document declaring the American Colonies independence from Great Britain. Since I doubt that many people have actually read the 'Declaration of Independence', below is the text. If you haven't read it, I hope you will. If you haven't read it recently, I hope you will re-read it.

Now I'm not here to get into a political discussion on how things were or how they are today, but I can say that without the 'Declaration of Independence' and what it brought about, the world would be a much different place (whether it would be better or worse, I dare not say).

I hope that you all are having a safe and happy holiday. Be careful out there. Watch out for the drunks and crazies out on the road.

http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/index.htm

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen
united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. -- Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a
right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent
States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. -- And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

-- John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Happy Dad's Day

2008-06-15T10:49:00.002-04:00

Originally Posted on Sun, Jun 15 2008 @ 10:49 AM [EST]

I've always thought the name of "Father's Day" was incorrect. It really should be "Dad's Day" because anyone can 'father' a child but it really does take a special person to be a 'dad'. To be a father all you have to do is provide some sperm. The title of 'dad' is something you have to earn.

This is the first "Dad's Day" without my dad. (Thank you, I'm doing fine.) Pops (as EVERYONE called him) did not earn the title of 'dad' until I was about 14 or 15 years old. Growing up, he wasn't necessarily a good person to live with. He could be abusive at times and his discipline was extreme to say the least. I was actually the lucky one of us three boys. My two older brothers had it ALOT worse than I did. As a matter of fact, it wasn't until me and my wife were together for a few years when she was talking about her childhood, that all of a sudden, I realized that my childhood F*#kin Sucked. I had always compared my childhood to that of my brothers and compared to theirs, mine was pretty darn good. Once I compared my childhood to that of my wife's, I realized what my childhood was like. My wife's childhood wasn't anything spectacular. It was a pretty normal childhood (what ever 'normal' is in this world of the abnormal).

I could go into why I think my childhood "F*#kin Sucked" but there is no need to do so. It may not have been a good childhood but it truly did help make me the man and dad I am today. Most men become the person they are by learning what to do from their dads but at least one of my brothers and I learned what not to do from our dad. (I say 'at least one of my brothers' because my oldest brother didn't 'fall far from the tree' as far as being a father.)

I've got a couple of great kids and I believe I'm a pretty good dad. I believe the reason I'm a good dad is because I looked at all the things I believed Pops did wrong and do my best not to make the same mistakes. Now, before you start thinking I'm one of these "time out" parents, I am not. I do believe in the saying "spare the rod, spoil the child" but it is just I don't actually use a rod. I do discipline my kids. I do use 'time outs' but I also have lit my kids up on occasions as well. (Before you go calling children's services on me, don't waste your time. Spanking a kid and beating a kid are two different things.)

People want to wonder why we have the problems today such as school shootings, etc. I do believe the problem is that we have way too many parents that are either one extreme or the other. Either they discipline their kids by beating them (spanking a kid is not beating a kid) or they are the extreme 'time out' parents. Heck, some parents don't even do 'time outs'. I won't even get into the prayer and religion (or the lack there of). Some parents are more worried about being 'friends'. My kids may not always like what I say but I believe they not only respect me, but they love me as well.

I truly loved Pops and as he got older he became one of the best people anyone could have hoped to have known. And most people did like him when I was growing up but they didn't see how he treated us boys.

Just so you know, Pops and I talked about all of these things before he died. We did not wait until his last days to discuss this. We discussed it several times over the years. Too many people end up regretting what they never got to say while their parents were alive. (Check out Mike and the Mechanics -- "The Living Years")

OK...I've rambled on long enough...Heck, I'm not even sure if all of this even makes any sense but hopefully it does.

I want to wish all of the dads out there a Happy Dad's Day. And to all the "fathers" out there, it is time to step up and earn the title of dad. -TTB

PS - I also hate the term "Deadbeat Dad" because a deadbeat dad isn't a "dad" at all. It should be "Deadbeat Father".

Comments

I agree with you on the discipline of todays kids. The time outs might have it's benefits but a good old fashioned butt whooping will get any child's attention and will have them think twice about doing something wrong. I think it is Washington that has tried or has passed a bill making it illegal to spank a kid. Like you said,there is spanking and there is abuse. I have been the recipient of many a butt warming along with many other things as a kid. I want to a catholic grade school where the nuns made use of yard sticks and wooden pointers to get kids attention. Now a teacher dare not even look at a kid the wrong way!! It's a real shame that kids can get away with so much now.
Comment By: Roadhzrd on Sun, Jun 15 2008 @ 9:19 PM [EST]

I spank my kids on occasion but I do not give them the belt like my dad did me..My dad was Zorro with a belt..I felt it gave me a mean streak..So I don't do it..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Mon, Jun 16 2008 @ 3:46 AM [EST]

By the way TT, I know what it's like with no dad around for fathers day. This was also my first without my dad being around.
Comment By: Roadhzrd on Mon, Jun 16 2008 @ 8:22 AM [EST]

You might get a phone call from me later this morning. I'm in Cincy once again and will be heading to columbus to pick up my next load with a stop at the Flying J in Jeffersonville for fuel. If I'm out of here early enough I'll be giving you a call with an eta.
Comment By: Roadhzrd on Mon, Jun 16 2008 @ 8:35 AM [EST]

Sorry ... I had to share this =-)

2008-06-11T20:52:00.002-04:00

Originally Posted on Wed, Jun 11 2008 @ 8:52 PM [EST]

What you can do with your GI Joe Action Figures

Comments

Any letter in the mail yet?...I hope not but it hasn't been a week..I SWEAR TO GOD it happened to me...VM-out! By the way that is a Giant Squirrel standing in front of those brave men who took it down..Man I hope I don't see any of those trying to steal my peanuts when I'm drinking beer..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Sat, Jun 14 2008 @ 8:05 AM [EST]

No letter yet ... yet being the key word. I'd give the squirrel my peanuts. I just hope it doesn't decide it wants MY nuts. -TTB
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Sat, Jun 14 2008 @ 10:18 PM [EST]

Made in the USA: Spoiled Brats by Craig R. Smith

2008-06-06T23:11:00.001-04:00

Originally Posted on Fri, Jun 06 2008 @ 11:11 PM [EST]

Craig R. Smith

The following essay was written by Craig R. Smith. I do not know anything about him and honestly I don't care who he is or what his beliefs are but this essay really does say a lot.

A version of his essay has been floating around in e-mails stating it was written by Jay Leno. I was able to find out who actually wrote it over at Snopes.com.

I found the essay here

Whether you agree with the essay or not, all I care is that it makes you think.

Made in the USA: Spoiled Brats

Posted: November 20, 2006 1:00 am Eastern

By Craig R. Smith

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? The same magazine that employs Michael (Qurans in the toilets at Gitmo) Isikoff. Here I promised myself this week I would be nice and I start off in this way. Oh what a mean man I am.

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, "What we are so unhappy about?"

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a "general" discharge, an "other than honorable" discharge or, worst case scenario, a "dishonorable" discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they are going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did … insane!

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes in 1953:

"What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, 'the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.' Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs."

I suggest this Thanksgiving we sit back and count our blessings for all we have.
If we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to
future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not
careful this generation will be known as the "greediest and most ungrateful generation." A far cry from the proud Americans of the "greatest generation" who
left us an untarnished legacy.

I will be the first to admit that I complain WAY too much and that I don't like President Bush, but this essay (even if it is a couple years old) has really made me think and I hope it has made you think a little as well. You don't have to agree with it but I hope you will think about and discuss it with others.

God Bless The USA!!!!!!!!!!!

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Comments

We do have it mighty fine compared to other countries. The biggest right we have is to complain about things we don't like, to publicly speak out about the way our government handles our tax dollars, and what we think of our president. Our families don't have to worry about retaliation from some government agency for what one member of the family said.
Comment By: Roadhzrd on Sat, Jun 07 2008 @ 5:35 AM [EST]

I agree with you that our freedom of speech is one of the greatest things that we have but we have to worry about that right as well. Seems like the government listens to a hand full of people more than they do the general population. 'Political correctness' is the greatest example of this as well as 'religious freedom'. Yes, we have the right to worship how we wish as long as no one else can hear us. I believe that our government is getting too involved in some things and isn't involved enough in others. One question that I've always wondered about was, 'Why does the USA have to act as the worlds police and protector?' I do not believe it is possible for us to issolate ourselves from the rest of the world, but we do need to stop getting involved in EVERTHING going on in the world. God Bless The USA!!!! -TTB
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Sat, Jun 07 2008 @ 4:18 PM [EST]

FREEDOM OF SPEECH, I laugh at that notion..Expect a letter from the IRS, I complained twice only to recieve a letter from the IRS about some BS back taxes..Uh oh I see a black helicopter got to go VM-out! I am as serious as a heart attack about this..I'll bet you'll get a letter in the mail..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Tue, Jun 10 2008 @ 3:27 AM [EST]

I hope not VM but we shall see.
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Wed, Jun 11 2008 @ 5:35 PM [EST]

Truckers Beware ... In Ohio (Roadcheck 2008 Begins Tuesday)

2008-06-03T23:43:00.001-04:00

Originally Posted on Tue, Jun 03 2008 @ 11:43 PM [EST]

From WCPO.com

Roadcheck 2008 Begins Tuesday

Last Update: 6/02 10:34 am

Reported by: Hagit Limor
Web produced by: Ian Preuth

If you drive a commercial vehicle, watch out for the Ohio State Patrol. Tuesday through Thursday this week, it’s going to conduct its Roadcheck 2008, 72 hours of
continuous commercial vehicle inspections.

“Although certified safety inspectors perform this work every day on Ohio roads, Roadcheck places a special emphasis on commercial vehicle and driver safety issues,” according to Colonel Richard H. Collins, superintendent of the Patrol. He said troopers will be including safety belt compliance, all in the effort to save lives on Ohio
highways.

Not only will troopers man at least 20 inspection sites along major Ohio highways, but Collins said roving patrols will inspect vehicles and drivers traveling other highways. And it’s not just trucks, but other passenger carrying vehicles, including charter buses.

Last year, troopers and motor carrier enforcement inspectors conducted 2,025 inspections in Roadcheck 2007. They issued 4,740 safety violations on Ohio roadways, and of those inspections, 564 commercial vehicles and 109 drivers were placed out of service for various violations.

Copyright 2008 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Comments

Most of the areas that I run haven't been doing anything. I've yet to pull on to a scale. I don't think some of the states are funding the extra help needed to do it. Politicians aren't about to take money out of their pet projects to fund something related to safety. They may lose out on some campaign money.
Comment By: Roadhzrd on Wed, Jun 04 2008 @ 8:24 PM [EST]

Looks like Ohio is broke too..They have to fleece somebody..Just like California..I can manage and know all the backways of the scales..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Thu, Jun 05 2008 @ 5:54 AM [EST]

Interstate Overpass Crash Could Cause Months Of Detours

2008-05-21T08:43:00.001-04:00

Originally Posted on Wed, May 21 2008 @ 8:43 AM [EST]

From MSNBC.com - posted 05/21/08:

WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP, Ohio - A crash involving an interstate overpass in Whitewater Township on Tuesday evening could have major implications for travelers and commuters. Truck Crash Seriously Damages Interstate Overpass

The tractor-trailer, carrying an 80-ton railway locomotive, completely knocked out at least one concrete support beam underneath the roadway.

Officials said the trailer became unhooked from the truck pulling it just prior to the crash.

"The trailer veered off to the right, and when it hit the pillars, it sounded like four cannons going off, smoke from the cement and stuff flying," witness Charlotte Lykins said.

The locomotive came off the trailer and continued forward, smashing at least two support columns and bringing a support beam down on top of it.

"I didn't have time to freak out. It all happened so fast. When it was all said and done and I was out of the car, I was shaking," Lykins said.

Officials said several other supports were damaged, which may have compromised the structural integrity of the Interstate 275-Interstate 74 interchange.

Portions of I-74 in both directions were closed near southbound I-275 until officials can determine whether the roadway is safe and make any necessary repairs.

On Wednesday, the ramps from westbound I-74 to southbound I-275 and northbound I-275 to westbound I-74 are all closed. Also, easbound I-74 is closed at I-275 -- all traffic must exit to southbound I-275.

An investigator who spoke with the Ohio Department of Transportation told News 5 on Tuesday that it could cost $50 million to repair the bridge, but ODOT said Wednesday that the initial repair estimate was $500,000 to $600,000.

ODOT also said Wednesday that repairs would take about three months.

Indiana-to-Ohio commuters will also be facing a three-month closure of State Route 1 in the coming weeks.

No injuries were reported, and the crash remains under investigation.

Here is some video report from one of the local news stations:
Truck Crash Seriously Damages Interstate Overpass

Comments

OOPS!! Looks like someone did some poor planning or they resurfaced the road and it rose up two inches too many..With an 80ton load that requires special permits and designated routes..Somebody screwed up..It may not have been the drivers fault..He may have been going the designated route..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Fri, May 23 2008 @ 7:53 AM [EST]

The trailer separated from the tractor. Not sure if it was at the 5th wheel or if it was where the drop trailer separates. Of course, it has to do it near an overpass. It couldn't do it when there was an empty field. -TTB
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Fri, May 23 2008 @ 9:49 AM [EST]

If your going to have something happen, do a good job of it!!
Comment By: Roadhzrd on Sat, May 24 2008 @ 4:52 AM [EST]

Jevic Suspends Operations

2008-05-19T15:58:00.001-04:00

Originally Posted on Mon, May 19 2008 @ 3:58 PM [EST]

Jevic Transportation Inc. will be discontinuing operations.

From their web site:

Categories: General
Date: May 19, 2008
Title: Jevic Suspends Operations

Dear Valued Jevic Customer:

I regret to inform you that Jevic Transportation Inc. will be discontinuing operations. The current high fuel costs, economic downturn, increasing insurance costs, and tightening credit markets have made this decision necessary. Jevic will stop providing pickup service effective Monday 5/19/08. However, we will continue operating to deliver all freight within our system prior to closing.

Operations and Customer Service:

*Jevic will not be accepting pickup requests after Friday 5/16/08 and the web and EDI pickup functions will be disabled.

*We will continue to provide Customer Service through the wind down period at
888-Go-Jevic. We ask that you please utilize the automated voice response system
as much as possible as the number of calls is expected to be high and there will
be longer hold times.

*The Jevic website will remain active and will be updated during the period as well and that should be your primary point of contact for tracing and needed documentation.
We greatly appreciate the loyalty of our many Jevic customers. It has been our pleasure to provide solutions to your transportation needs over these many years. We are committed to providing the prompt delivery of your shipments in our system and professional customer service for all your needs during this process. Thank you
again.

Sincerely,

David H. Gorman
President and CEO

Jevic is a hybrid truckload and less-than-truckload provider with 1,185 power units and 1,230 drivers.

Comments

That is a sign of the times. Even big well established companies have a hard time.

Comment By:Roadhzrd on Tue, May 20 2008 @ 4:47 PM [EST]

Its a battle of who's got the deepest pockets thats going to win..VM-out!

Comment By:VM on Wed, May 21 2008 @ 5:04 AM [EST]

Everybody keeps talking about a recession. I don't see it as that.I think it's going to be more like a depression. With all the jobs moving out of the country and prices going up the way they are, people won't have money to pay bills or to buy anything. The number of houses being repossessed is going up at an alarming rate. This economic stimulus B.S. won't do a bit of good. It's just a political vote getter. Try to make the economy look good long enough to get people voted back into office.

Comment By:Roadhzrd on Wed, May 21 2008 @ 8:58 AM [EST]

I agree with you Roadhzrd. Unless something drastic is done and done soon, we are headed into a full blown depression and heading for it fast.

Comment By:Truckin Tedybehr on Wed, May 21 2008 @ 10:14 AM [EST]

theCDLtest.com

2008-05-07T18:47:00.001-04:00

Originally Posted on Wed, May 07 2008 @ 6:47 PM [EST]

(I am in no way affiliated with www.thecdltest.com, www.idrivetrucks.com or www.cdlcollege.com. This is an independent review provided with the hopes that it will provide you with the information necessary to decide if the CDL courses at idrivetrucks.com will benefit you in your Class A CDL Permit test studies. This is my opinion and mine alone. This review has not been endorsed by any company or individual other than me.)

I had the opportunity to go through the Class A CDL complete course at http://www.idrivetrucks.com/. The courses have now been moved to http://www.thecdltest.com/ and are now free (they were charging $29.95 for 30 day access). The site has several different e-learning courses designed to give you the information that is needed to pass the Class A CDL permit test (including Endorsements) in all 50 states. They do offer Class B CDL and other courses, but in my opinion, if you are going for the Class B CDL, you should take the extra time and effort to get you Class A CDL which will allow you to drive a Class B vehicle. This way you are not limited in the future.

So, what is theCDLtest.com? Here is the answer to that question from their web site.

theCDLtest.com is an online e-learning platform for CDL College, a Commercial
Driving School located in Aurora, CO. theCDLtest.com utilizes the latest
E-Learning techniques to help you learn and retain the knowledge required to get
your CDL and Endorsements. Our courses are simple to use and are easy to
understand no matter what your learning style is. You will read it, see it, hear
it, and use it in our courses. Each course comes with interactive quizzes to
help you test and retain the knowledge you have gained. The days of reading the
CDL manual are over. We take the effort out of learning with the design of our
courses. You just sit back and follow along and you will have gained all the
knowledge required with little or no effort. Most students can take this course
and pass their tests on the first try.

The Class A, Class B, Class B with Passenger Complete courses have over six hours of learning material. You can view the courses as many times as you want for free. All you need to view the course is an Internet connection and the Adobe Flash Player which you can get here.

I provided Ray at theCDLtest.com a lot of feedback and I allowed him to see this review before I posted it. Below is his response:

…thanks for the review. We did end up taking a lot of the comments you talked
about and fixed them, as well as some other ones we found. We also moved all the
courses for the permit test and skills test over to our other site called
thecdltest.com and are now offering all the courses for free nationwide. We will
continue to improve the courses with updated pictures and video. All test
questions in all courses have now been corrected (some where missing words, some
had misspelled words, some had wrong answers). This should be a great benefit to
anyone trying to get their CDL. We also changed the colors of the courses to be
easier on the eyes. Thanks for all your input; it has helped us improve the
courses…

Go to the web site (http://www.thecdltest.com/), click on the course you wish to take. Click on the course lesson you would like to view. One thing I do not like is there is nothing to indicate what course lesson you’ve already completed or which lesson you started but haven’t finished yet. Of course it is pretty easy to make yourself a note of where you left off.

The course works similarly to a slide presentation with a narration. During different sections, a picture or video may be displayed in addition to the main “slide” and narration.

The course screen has a very simple layout and contains 4 main parts:

You have the ‘Main Window’ where most of the information is displayed.
The ‘Controls’ which let you pause and restart the presentation you are currently viewing. There is a slider bar that will let you move forward or backwards within the current section and there are forward and back buttons that allow you to move to the previous or next sections. You can also move to different sections within the lesson by clicking on the area you want to go to in the outline.
The ‘Outline’ lists the different sections within a lesson. You can click on a section listed in the outline to go to that section.
The ‘Picture/Video’ area only displays if a picture or video is being displayed for that particular section.

As you go through the sections, there are quizzes you can take to be sure you have obtained the knowledge of the previous lessons. In addition to the quizzes they have inside the course lessons, they also have a section on the web site with over 160 questions and answers broken down into several sections; General Knowledge, Air Brakes Endorsement, Combination Vehicles Endorsement, Driving Skills Test and Passenger Endorsement.

As I was going through the course, I made notes of any issues that I saw and provided them to Ray. Most of them were minor issues and only one or two of them actually affected the accuracy of the information they were providing. As you can see by Ray’s respond listed above, they took my feedback as well as the feedback of others and made updates and changes to the courses.

I did find the narration to be rather boring and it does appear that the narrator is just reading from a script. I also found that sometimes the main windows aren’t always synced up with the audio. Sometimes the bullet points in the main window will either appear several items before or after the audio. Sometimes the main window seems to change too quickly to the next window and can cause the final bullet point to only appear for a fraction of a second before it switches. Now this issue could be caused by connectivity issues but I feel pretty confident that it was not my computer or internet connection since I have a very high-end system and a fast 6 mbps internet connection. It could be caused by either the software they used to make the lesson or with the servers/connection speed of the site itself.

Some of the lesson segments have pictures or video to accompany the main window and narration. There is an issue where occasionally, the main window and narration will not start once the video loads. To fix this, all you have to do is restart the segment by clicking on it in the ‘Outline’. I believe they are aware of this glitch as information regarding it does appear in some of the later lessons. Hopefully they will provide this information at the beginning of each of the lessons that contain video.

I compared the content of the course with the Ohio CDL Handbook (which can be found here). The course appears to cover everything contained within the Ohio CDL Handbook and appears to do so accurately. Some states may have some slight differences from what Ohio requires but most states pretty much require the same information for their permit test. Any major differences will come after the permit test during the skills test such as during the pre-trip inspection. The course is really only able to provide you with the information for the permit test and provide you with some basic information regarding the skills test. Most of the requirements to pass the skills test will be learned during training at a truck driving school (either a private school or a company operated school).

I would like to see some more video and maybe some animations added to the course particularly when they are covering the pre-trip inspection. I would also like to see them expand the HazMat endorsement section some. It does pretty much cover what the Ohio CDL Handbook does but then again, I feel they should expand their coverage of the topic as well. I know that additional training is require before actually driving a placard vehicle transporting hazardous material but I still feel that this information should be expanded. According to Ray’s response listed above, they plan to continue to improved and expand the courses.

So, do I feel that you can take the course and pass the CDL permit test? Well, that does depend on you personally. They’ve tried to include different elements (pictures, text, video and narration) into the training to cover the different ways that people learn. I do feel that it is possible to take the course and pass the permit test without studying anything else, even though I would not personally try it. Then again, I’m the type of person that will study and study in an attempt to not only pass a test but ace it. I recommend taking the course but also read your state’s CDL handbook.

Comments

Sounds like it is a good site to at least get a good idea of what to expect on the tests. Hope it has helped you out. It's much better than getting second hand info that may be way off track.
Comment By: Roadhzrd on Wed, May 07 2008 @ 7:54 PM [EST]

I'm sure you'll ace it, there are a lot of dummy's that get a CDL..You write pretty intelligent so it'd be a breeze for you..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Thu, May 08 2008 @ 5:48 AM [EST]

By the way when are you gonna take the plunge and JOIN US?..(Thinking of the Star Wars movie with Darth Vader) Come to the dark side and be a trucker?..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Thu, May 08 2008 @ 5:50 AM [EST]

You may recall from one of my early post is that one of the reasons for me delaying is that my wife is going to be a gestational surrogate for a couple that can not carry a child themselves. That has been postponed several times. As of right now, looks like they will be doing the transfer at the end of this month which puts me at making the plunge in the summer of 2009. Hopefully the freight/economy will be better by then as well.
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Thu, May 08 2008 @ 9:44 AM [EST]

Speaking of joining the dark side, I saw a funny t-shirt the other day. It said, "Come to the dark side....we have cookies."
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Thu, May 08 2008 @ 9:45 AM [EST]

I feel pretty confident as far as taking the permit test. I've done a lot of studying and so far when I take any practice test, I'm in the mid to upper 90%s on all the test and endorsements.
Comment By: Truckin Tedybehr on Thu, May 08 2008 @ 9:46 AM [EST]

I'm sure you'll do fine..Me thinks your getting to worked up over nothing..You'll pass first time out I'm sure..I did and I have ADHD...VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Sat, May 10 2008 @ 6:22 AM [EST]

VM you have something but I'm not so sure there is a name for it though!!
Comment By: Roadhzrd on Sun, May 11 2008 @ 4:53 AM [EST]

I know I march to my own drummer..Usually I am in VM land up inside my head..So correctomundo Rdhzrd..Vm-out!
Comment By: VM on Sun, May 11 2008 @ 5:25 AM [EST]

New Air-Weigh Entry-Level Scale

2008-05-07T15:13:00.002-04:00

Originally Posted on Wed, May 07 2008 @ 3:13 PM [EST]

It would be nice if this was on every truck.

New Air-Weigh Entry-Level Scale

Eugene, OR, March 27, 2008 - Air-Weigh is expanding their on-board scale product family with the addition of a new entry-level weighing solution. The new scale, named QuickLoad, incorporates state-of-the-art hardware and software technology packaged in a compact in-dash display. The QuickLoad Scale offers many desirable on-board weighing features currently offered by Air-Weigh in an affordably-priced configuration. QuickLoad is designed for use on dedicated tractor-trailer configurations and straight trucks.

Up to four axle groups (including steer, drive and trailer axles) can be monitored on the in-dash display and the scale automatically calculates GVW and net payload. Weight information consisting of steer axle weight, drive axle weight, trailer axle weights, gross vehicle weight, and payload weight is displayed in the cab. Like other Air-Weigh scales, QuickLoad features warning and overweight alarm outputs, dual-point calibration, and easy installation. There are several air and axle deflection sensor kits available that allow you to tailor each QuickLoad scale to a variety of truck, tractor, and dedicated tractor trailer configurations.

The QuickLoad on-board scale converts tractor and trailer suspension loads to an accurate on-the-ground weight. By comparing empty and loaded axle group weights with empty and loaded suspension pressures, the scale can be calibrated to display accurate weights at any suspension load. QuickLoad accuracy is not affected by altitude, temperature, or humidity and is easy to operate, install, and calibrate.

All Air-Weigh on-board scales, including QuickLoad, feature a patented dual-point calibration system. Coupled with several unique proprietary technologies, this allows customers to accurately know their specific axle group weights at the loading site. Air-Weigh eliminates weight-related costs including fees, time, out-of-route miles, fuel, overweight fines, and delays in truck stops.

QuickLoad configurations are available starting as low as $400. Product deliveries are scheduled to begin in April 2008. For more information on QuickLoad or other Air-Weigh products go to www.Air-WeighScales.com or call 1-888-459-3444.

About Air-Weigh Air-Weigh is the leading provider of on-board weighing technology for the transportation industry. Air-Weigh scales provide accurate and dependable operation for many vehicle types, including standard tractor-trailers, flatbeds, bulk haulers, tank trucks, refrigerated trailers, straight trucks, dump trucks, and refuse vehicles. Air-Weigh is a factory option at over one hundred tractor, trailer, and truck OEMS worldwide.
For more information, contact Air-Weigh at (888) 459-3444 or visit us online at http://www.air-weighscales.com/.

Quoted from:
Air Weight Scales

Fuel management lesson available to drivers for free

2008-05-07T12:52:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted on Wed, May 07 2008 @ 12:52 PM [EST]

This is from eTrucker.com

Fuel management lesson available to drivers for free
By CCJ Staff

Instructional Technologies Inc. announced today, April 11, that it is joining the trucking industry’s efforts to save on fuel costs by offering to all professional drivers in the United States and Canada its Pro-Tread “Fuel Management” lesson for free, from June 1 through June 21.

ITI’s client fleets already have paid for more than 13,000 drivers to complete this half-hour lesson, which the company says soon will be updated for the latest equipment and with new fuel-saving techniques and ideas. Current ITI clients have been offered this lesson for free as of April 9 and will be allowed to take the updated
lesson again at no cost during June.

“We speak with drivers and with fleet owners constantly, and all we’ve heard in the past few months is ‘fuel, fuel, fuel,’ " says Jim Voorhees, chief executive officer of Vancouver, Wash.-based ITI. "We can’t lower the cost of diesel, unfortunately, but we can help drivers burn less of it. With our ‘Initiative Save-Green,’ we’re delighted
to be able to give something back to the drivers and to the fleets that not only have helped make ITI such a success, but who also keep America’s arteries flowing with everything we all need and want."

To take advantage of this offer, drivers simply have to go to www.protread.com and follow the sign-in instructions. They’ll be taking the lesson within a minute of arriving at the website, and completion takes about half an hour, according to ITI.

"We hope that every driver on the road will find time between June 1st and June 21st to stop for half an hour, get on the Internet and take this lesson," Voorhees
says. "Together, we can greatly reduce our industry’s fuel costs.”

Check your antilock brakes before a trooper does

2008-05-02T14:32:00.002-04:00

Originally Posted on Fri, May 02 2008 @ 2:32 PM [EST]

I found this on the J J Keller web site and thought it was some good information.

Check your antilock brakes before a trooper does

Antilock brake systems (ABS) began appearing on commercial vehicles more than a decade ago. When working properly, ABS is designed to prevent skidding and wheel lockup and help drivers maintain control during emergency and low-traction stops. This in turn helps prevent jackknifing and loss of vehicle stability.

But according to a recent analysis of 1,000 vehicle inspections by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), one of every six power units and one of every three trailers is operating with defective ABS.

Those alarming statistics are one reason enforcement personnel are now paying more attention to ABS during inspections, and one reason you should make sure this important safety feature is operational on all your commercial motor vehicles.

The indicator
Because ABS only activates under specific operating conditions, drivers would have difficulty knowing whether they are functional if it weren’t for the malfunction lamps. Located on the instrument panel of trucks and buses and the left exterior of trailers, the amber ABS malfunction indicator lamp burns steadily if there is a problem with the system.

The ABS conducts a self-test — and the lamps turn on momentarily — whenever power is initially applied. A vehicle defect and possible violation exists if an ABS malfunction lamp fails to turn on at all, or turns on and stays on. State and federal
inspectors are beginning to pay more attention to these self-tests, and motor carriers and drivers should do the same, repairing any systems that indicate a defect.

Which vehicles?
Not all commercial motor vehicles on the road today are equipped with ABS. Refer to the following table to determine which vehicles need ABS and indicator lamps under the requirements of 49 CFR §393.55:

Vehicle Type: Truck or bus
Brake Type: Hydraulic
Manufacture date: Before March 1, 1999 ABS Required? No
Manufacture date: On or after March 1, 1999 ABS Required? Yes

Vehicle Type: Truck tractor
Brake Type: Air
Manufacture date: Before March 1, 1997 ABS Required? No
Manufacture date: On or after March 1, 1997 ABS Required? Yes

Vehicle Type: Single-unit truck or bus; trailers and converter dollies
Brake Type: Air
Manufacture date: Before March 1, 1998 ABS Required? No
Manufacture date: On or after March 1, 1998 ABS Required? Yes

Vehicle Type: Trailers and converter dollies
Brake Type: Air
Manufacture date: On or after March 1, 1998 ABS Required? Yes, and must
have exterior ABS indicator lamp.

Vehicle Type: Trailers and converter dollies
Brake Type: Air
Manufacture date: On or after March 1, 2001 ABS Required? Yes, and must be capable of transmitting ABS signal to towing vehicle.*

Vehicle Type: Towing vehicles
Brake Type: Air
Manufacture date: On or after March 1, 2001 ABS Required? Yes, and must
have ABS indicator on instrument panel for towed vehicle.*

*Note that on a towing vehicle manufactured on or after March 1, 2001, connected to a trailer manufactured on or after March 1, 2001, the ABS indicators (on the instrument panel) for both the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle should illuminate during the self-test. The lamp will not illuminate if a towed vehicle is not attached, or if the towed vehicle is older than March 1, 2001.

Older vehicles may have a variety of ABS types, or none at all, that operate in a variety of ways.

Check your antilock braking systems today and every day, before an inspector does it for you!

Comments

An ABS light on is no big deal..I really don't care if it is on or not..I just care about if the brakes are adjusted properly..I could take a tractor brand spanking new and find something wrong with it if I wanted too..There is always something wrong with a truck..Do you want to sit?..Is the other question..As long as I feel safe driving the vehicle I don't care what a dummy light says..VM-out!
Comment By: VM on Sat, May 03 2008 @ 7:11 AM [EST]