Truck Driving Jobs

Oct 11, 2011

Truck Driving Jobs Highway Angel

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Highway AngelIt was July 31 in Lawrence, Kansas, and truck driver Nicholas Lewis was driving in a construction zone. Luckily, it was about 10a.m., between the morning and afternoon rush hours, and traffic was flowing steadily enough. It was starting out to be a day just like any other, when suddenly a car shot past Lewis along the shoulder of the highway.  He shook his head, thinking some people need to learn patience, when the car suddenly swerved directly in front of him;the shoulder it was driving on had come to a sudden end.

The car was too close and Lewis was going too fast to be able to stop in time.  He knew the massive weight of his truck would crush the little car, and most likely the man inside. Using some quick thinking, Lewis jerked his steering wheel to the right and drove straight into a ditch. Fortunately, neither Lewis nor his truck were damaged, and the car drove away not knowing how close it had been to danger.

Highways across the nation are dotted with stories just like this one. The trucking industry is a place where drivers get the chance every day to show that there are still people out there care.Nicholas Lewis risked his life to save a driver who didn’t seem to pay him a single thought, and for that he has been named the Truckload Carriers Association’s newest Highway Angel.

The Highway Angel program is one where truck drivers like Lewis receive well-deserved recognition for their good deeds on the road. These deeds don’t always involve saving life,some of them are simple acts of kindness such as helping a stranded driver change a tire. However, each of these deeds did make a difference and each one of them deserve recognition.

Truck drivers often seem to get a bad reputation. Society sometimes looks down on them, not realizing the risks and sacrifices they make every day. The Highway Angel program is one which will show the public who truck drivers really are.

Any truck driver can be nominated for the program. Those nominated will receive a lapel pin, clothing patch and personalized certificate of appreciation as a Highway Angel.

If you notice a truck driver who displays an act of kindness that you feel goes above and beyond, you can nominate that driver by filling out the Highway Angel nomination form at https://www.truckload.org/index.asp?bid=34.

To read more about Nicholas Lewis and other Highway Angels, visit http://www.truckload.org/index.asp?sid=8.

Aug 12, 2011

Monthly Menu Management

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As a truck driver, you burn anywhere between 100-200 calories per hour while driving. The recommended calorie intake for an adult ranges from 1800-2600 per day. Knowing how many calories you need to get through the day is an important factor to healthy living. Knowing how many calories you eat a day is also important. While you may not want to count every single calorie, having a ballpark figure will also help you understand how close you are to eating the way you should. To get an idea of how healthy your eating is, think about what you eat. Sometimes truck driving jobs may make it virtually impossible to eat healthy. Sometimes your only option is fast food.

When the need to eat fast food arises there are plenty of choices to be made on where to go and, once there, what to order. Many drive through restaurants these days offer a range of salads on their menus along with other healthy choices such as apple slices instead of French fries.  Eating fruits and vegetables is always a healthy choice, but the honest truth is that a salad doesn’t always cut it.

When you’ve been driving for hours on end and you feel faint from hunger, you want something solid. You want something you can really sink your teeth into and you want there to be a lot of it. So, when you are looking over the menu, intending to buy the whole shebang of burger, fries and a soda, it is important to be sure you know what you are ordering.

When eating fast food frequently, you should know the many items on a menu and what each of them really will do for you. Which selection on the menu has the most calories? Which one has the least? Which item will keep you full longer and which item will get your stomach rumbling again in a few hours?

To help you as a truck driver better understand what you are eating, we will be doing a number of Monthly Menu Management articles. These articles will provide a breakdown of a different fast food menu each month, including information such as the largest and smallest items on the menu and which items will keep you full longer. This Monthly Menu Management is simply for your information and is neither encouraging nor discouraging the purchase and consumption of fast food.

It’s time you understood what you are eating every day. Truck driving jobs are hard enough without having to count the calories on a fast food menu. Instead, take a break and we’ll do the counting.

Dec 14, 2010

Fuel Rates Will Rise at the End of 2010

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In hoping to keep the United States from going into another economic down slide, the Dept. of the Federal Reserve just bought $600 billion in bonds.  They hope that investors will buy the bonds in the near future and new money will enter our economy, creating less pressure on the American taxpayer.

As much as having more money in the system sounds good to those looking for the money, the trucking industry is concerned that this will raise the fuel rates due to inflation (the dollar is worth less because there is too much of a supply).  With the holidays coming right around the corner and thus creating higher rates in fuel due to demand, this makes even higher prices in fuel costs.

The trucking industry is doing well right now in this economy.  More drivers are needed to ship the product that needs to go out across the country.  The cost of the fuel will hurt the now growing freight industry, but with the emergence of new freight needed, drivers will still be needed.  The overhead of trucking companies will rise, but most companies will be fine.

Think about it.  More freight brings in more revenue for a company.  But in the new revenue are higher costs from more expensive drivers due to lack of drivers and higher cost of fuel due to inflation.  A company will still end up in the black on budgets.  Everyone still wins even with the negative of the economy, just less net on the books.  As the economy keeps growing, inflation will disappear and the future looks good for the trucking industry.

Nov 26, 2010

New Regulations will Lower Fuel Cost for Truck Owners

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According to the article, “Big-rig fuel rules” by the toledoblade.com, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department are looking for trucking industry fuel consumption to be lessened by 10 to 20 percent. They are also expecting emissions to diminish 10 to 20% between 2014 and 2018. The two departments realize that the new trucks with diesel engines will be more expensive, but worth the cost for everyone. They believe the fuel costs will be so much cheaper that the more expensive trucks will pay for themselves within one full year.

Glen Kedzie, a vice-president in the American Trucking Association, is quoted as saying, “We’ve been flatlined at 6 to 6.5 miles per gallon for years,” talking about a loaded tractor-trailer.

The article goes on to state:

“According to the trade group, that amounts to about 16 gallons of diesel fuel consumed per 100 miles traveled. Large tractor-trailers tend to be driven as much as 150,000 miles a year, making them ripe for improved efficiency.

“Tougher fuel-economy standards for heavy trucks, the White House plausibly argues, not only will help sustain trucking companies, but also will reduce the nation’s dependence on oil and cut greenhouse gas emissions tied to global warming.

The trucking association says the proposed standards can be achieved with current technology. That assessment should drive the program for greater truck fuel efficiency into high gear.”

With the American Trucking Association supporting President Obama’s administration on fuel regulations, the federal government has a much better chance of convincing the trucking industry that fuel rulings are a good direction for the United States and the freight industry as well. The article made some estimates.

Better gas mileage can be a huge windfall for drivers if freight rates stay the same. Check out CR England’s truck driving jobs with training if your looking for a new career in the industry.

http://toledoblade.com/article/20101030/OPINION02/101029522/-1/OPINION

Oct 27, 2010

Safety is the Number One Priority

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On October 1, 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration launched the Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA 2010), which gathers data on truck driver’s crash and inspection violations.  This includes smaller infractions which include mud flap violations as well as the failure to wear his or hers seatbelt.

Some see this as a wonderful step to better safety while others find it an attack on an already heavily burdened regulated industry.  Either way, it is here and the trucking industry is moving forward with this federal program.

The fear from the trucking industry is that we are moving into a new era of driver shortage and with more scrutiny, come fewer drivers wanting to be a part of the system.  The program is scaring off good drivers and the baby boomers are retiring, leaving students as the major source of drivers.  The turnover is costly and the training is as well.

On the flip side, more regulation is weeding out bad drivers and creating a safer road environment for all.  There was an article in NorthJersey.com called “New system has truckers worried about job security” by Meredith Mandell.  In this article, it explains the concerns the people have through this one interview: “There’s been an under reporting of data,” said Larry Simon, a Ridgewood-based lawyer who represents people injured in trucking accidents. The system, he said, will weed out an entity even more deadly than a drunken driver — a distracted one.  You can imagine the danger of a driver who is texting and using a laptop while they are driving an 80,000-pound vehicle at a fast speed,” he said.

There are both sides of the concerns, but both sides also realize that safety is the number one focus and the transportation industry is working hard to train drivers to drive safely.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/104134124_New_law_may_curb_truckers.html?c=y&page=2

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