Posts Tagged ‘Truck Driving Jobs’

« Older Entries

The FMCSA Safe Driving Manual

Monday, October 10th, 2011

In a single day a truck driver will face multiple instances where they narrowly avoid an accident. Whether by their actions or by an other’s, truck drivers are constantly placed in situations where one move can save or take a life. When the stakes are this big, it is important to know what you are doing.

To help truck divers improve their driving safety and accident avoidance, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has an “Accident Countermeasures Manual” on their website. In this manual both drivers and employers can find sections on accident prevent-ability, defensive driving, and important maintenance and inspection procedures.The main point covered in the manual is avoiding and distinguishing preventable accidents. The FMCSA broadly defines a preventable accident as one which occurs because the driver fails to act in a reasonably expected manner to prevent it. Each section of the manual will educate truckers on different areas of preventing an accident.

The first section, Accident Preventability Evaluations, includes information on educating yourself on preventable accidents. The definition of a preventable accident can, at times, vary from company to company as each employer has different safe driving standards. If you are a company driver, make sure you are well informed of your company’s safe driving standard. Also, familiarize yourself with your company procedure for evaluating accidents and determining whether they were preventable or not.

The second section is called Defensive Driving, and includes driving tips and questions for managers to improve their company driving practices. For drivers, some of the tips include recognizing hazardous situations, continually scanning the road around you, and always assuming other drivers will make errors. Doing this won’t guarantee you’ll never get in an accident, but it can help you do your part to avoid it.

The last section in the manual covers Preventive Maintenance and Inspection Procedures. Before heading out on the road, it is always important to inspect your truck. Also, when you are driving make sure your brakes work before getting in the freeway. By doing these small inspections along with others found in the manual, and keeping up on regular maintenance you can more readily avoid accidents.

Safe driving in one thing that is never overrated. The FMCSA has provided helpful guidelines to improve the driving standard of the trucking industry. To read the manual in full, visit http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/research-technology/publications/accidenthm/accidentman.htm. CR England truck driving jobs

Tags: ,
Posted in Trucking Information | No Comments »

Monthly Menu Management

Friday, August 12th, 2011

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.

Tags:
Posted in Truck Driving Jobs | No Comments »

Fuel Rates Will Rise at the End of 2010

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

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.

Tags: ,
Posted in Truck Driving Jobs | No Comments »

Truck Driving Jobs Are Recession Proof

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

There’s an article out there called “Despite recession, there’s still plenty of work for truck drivers” in the Star-Ledger Wire Services that really tells it like it is.  Truck driving jobs are always available, whether the economy is good or the economy is bad.  Just like other jobs that are needed no matter what, trucks move product from one part of the country to another.  Medical and safety are required fields like transportation.  The public will always want them.

The article uses Shore Tractor Trailer as an example for the need of drivers and the popularity of becoming a truck driver right now.  Since the beginning of the recession, they have been seeing people from all types of fields turning to truck driving as a career.

On the evening news, you see where people can’t find jobs anywhere and yet there is actually a shortage of drivers right now.  The trucking industry here in the United States are looking for qualified drivers and willing to pay money for good drivers.  They have product that needs to be shipped and can’t find enough truck drivers.  As more products are needed moving with the improved economy, more drivers are needed.  Baby boomers are retiring and the need is greater right now.

According to Shore Tractor Trailer, drivers start their careers “up to $50,000” yearly.  That’s better than starting figures with a bachelor’s degree.  Shore Tractor Trailer even states that seasoned drivers can earn at least $90,000.

For those that want to be home on weekends, truck driving jobs have changed in that regional runs are becoming more of the trend.  Drivers can be home more often than ever before.

http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/10/despite_recession_theres_still.html

Tags: ,
Posted in Truck Driving Jobs | No Comments »

Truck Driving Jobs, More On Heavy Hauling

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

We thought we would post a little more news on this issue since Truckinginfo.com announced 9/20/10 that President Obama’s Administration has asked to have the truck weight increase permanently.

Read their article:

“The Obama Administration has included a provision in the Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Resolution that formally asks Congress make permanent two pilot programs that give heavier, six-axle trucks full access to interstate highways in Maine and Vermont.

Prior to the pilots, introduced last year by Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patrick Leahy (C-VT), commercial vehicles weighing over 80,000 pounds were often barred from interstate travel and diverted onto state and local roads.

In its message to Congress, the administration credited the pilot programs, set to expire in December, – with having improved safety and productivity on Maine and Vermont highways: “Continuing the program will improve safety on local roads and increase efficiency of commercial trucking in the region, “the administration said in its request.

“The administration’s efforts represent a significant breakthrough in the fight for trucking industry safety and productivity,” said Coalition for Transportation Productivity Executive Directory John Runyan. “CTP members know first-hand that heavier trucks belong on better-engineered interstate highways, and we would like to thank President Obama and Sen. Collins for their efforts to make sure the transportation networks in Maine and Vermont remain safe and efficient for motorists, truckers and pedestrians.”

Runyan also said other states deserve the same chance to improve highway safety and productivity. CTP supports federal legislation called the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act (SETA) because it would extend this same opportunity to all states. Originally introduced by Rep. Mike Michaud, SETA would give each state the option to raise interstate weight limits for six-axle, higher productivity trucks.

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=71703&news_category_id=3

Tags: ,
Posted in Heavy Haul | No Comments »

« Older Entries