The Trucker Newspaper - December 15, 2017

Vol. 30, No. 24 

www.thetrucker.com December 15-31, 2017 

30 years of history 

With this issue, we conclude our 

series of articles celebrating the 

30th anniversary of The Trucker. 

We’ve looked at some of the key 

events in trucking during that 

time, we’ve put our anniversary in 

perspective by letting you know 

what was going on in 1997 and 

2007 as we celebrated tenured 

milestones, and in this issue, we 

review some of the key stories 

during those 30 years. Thank you 

for being part of our publication 

with your continued readership. 

Navigating the news 

ELD hearing...........................3 

Trucker ELD protest ..............4 

Proposed cell ban...................6 

Honor Roll..............................8 

Ohio speed study.................12 

Tonnage index up.................25 

Daimler promotions..............28 

Integrating technical data.....33 

Around the Bend..................41 

Courtesy: IESHA HAWKINS 

Roadworthy calling 

Iesha Hawkins has always been 

goal-oriented. She had the plan 

of serving in the military, then 

working in maintenance. Both 

were stable career choices, cut 

and dried for someone with her 

unfailing work ethic. But one day, 

the road called. 

Page 41 

Trucking industry has gone through ‘hell and high water’ 

during past 30 years, but it is still going as strong as ever 

Editor’s note: This is the last in a series of articles 

on the past 30 years in trucking commemorating 

the 30th anniversary of The Trucker. 

Dorothy Cox 

dlcox@thetrucker.com 

Over the past 30 years, professional truck drivers 

and the industry itself have come through hell 

and high water and lived to tell about it. Some 

situations they even volunteered for. 

In the storm-tossed days of late August 2005, 

for example, 27-year-old trucker Shaun Thomas 

heeded then New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin’s call 

on Fox News satellite radio to help Hurricane Katrina 

flooding victims. 

The Kensington, Georgia, resident had just 

completed a haul to Washington, so he borrowed 

an aluminum boat and spent five days helping 

New Orleans police take medicine and supplies 

to stranded citizens, paddling through stinking 

brown water so toxic it gave him a headache, he 

told The Trucker. 

Indeed, there’s been a lot of toxic water under 

the bridge during the past 30 years in trucking: If 

not downright toxic, at least stormy, politically 

and otherwise, from the ups and downs of diesel 

prices, through the making, unmaking and remaking 

of Hours of Service — which is still going on 

as sleeper berth flexibility is being studied — to 

the formation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration, through 9/11, the launch of tough 

emissions regulations, to the disaster that was the 

Transportation Worker Identification Credential, 

or TWIC card, to permitting Mexico-domiciled 

trucks to travel past narrow trade zones, through 

the creation of CSA, the advent of Qualcomm, 

autonomous vehicles and need we say it, to the 

See 30 Years on p16 m 

Courtesy: SIPHIWE BALEKA 

Siphiwe Baleka, right, developer of the Fitness 

Trucking system, demonstrates to a truck driver 

a move to tighten and tone the core. 

Courtesy: KENWORTH 

Courtesy: TESLA 

One of the more dramatic developments during the 30-year run of The Trucker is advancement 

of the tractor design. On the left is a Kenworth from the 1987-1989 era. Notice the exhaust stack, 

which disappeared from tractors as emissions grew cleaner. Tractors of that era formed the foundation 

for today’s aerodynamic tractors, but there are significant differences between the Tesla 

electric truck introduced this year and modern counterparts. 

Critical Mass: Trucking’s slow cultural 

shift toward a healthier driving lifestyle 

Editor’s note: This is the first of four articles 

on the lack of fitness in the trucking industry and 

what’s being done about it. 

Klint Lowry 

klint.lowry@thetrucker.com 

“Everyone talks about the weather, but no one 

does anything about it.” 

Not too many years ago, that old saying, generally 

credited to Mark Twain, could have described 

the trucking industry when it came to driver health 

and fitness. All that time sitting behind the wheel, 

not eating right, not enough sleep, too much tobacco, 

too much stress — you didn’t need a medical 

degree to know that couldn’t be good for a body. 

Not that anyone was claiming otherwise. Most 

of the industry took an “it is what it is” attitude — 

that’s the trucking lifestyle, what can you do? 

But since the turn of the 21st century, America’s 

obesity problem has accelerated. As the numbers 

on bathroom scales across the country continue to 

rise, so does the level of concern. Studies conducted 

this year estimate the national adult obesity rate 

to be approaching 40 percent. 

As bad as that is, truckers still stick out from the 

general population like a pot belly flopping over 

a belt buckle. Nearly nine out of 10 truck drivers 

are overweight, and 69 percent are obese. Not co- 

See Fitness on p10 m

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Nation December 15-31, 2017 • 3 

Small-trucking representatives make 

case against ELDs before House panel 

Klint Lowry 

Klint.lowry@thetrucker.com 

WASHINGTON — With the electronic logging 

device (ELD) mandate three weeks away, 

the U.S. House Committee on Small Business 

met November 29 for a hearing titled, “Highway 

to Headache: Federal Regulations on the 

Small Trucking Industry.” 

While the title was a bit broad, there was no 

doubt that the topic of the hearing was ELDs, 

specifically the argument that the rule set down 

by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 

requiring most long-haul truckers use 

ELDS as of December 18 places an unfair burden 

on small carriers. 

The meeting followed an emergency petition 

sent a day earlier from the Small Business 

in Transportation Coalition (SBTC) 

to Department of Transportation Secretary 

Elaine Chao requesting an exemption to the 

ELD mandate for all motor carriers with fewer 

than 50 employees. 

In the letter, the SBTC made the argument 

that by insisting that logs be kept electronically 

and no longer allowing paper logs, the 

mandate infringes on drivers’ First Amendment 

rights to commercial free speech. The petition 

also makes the argument that the wording of 

the rule only requires motor vehicles to be 

equipped with ELDs but does not specify that 

drivers must only use ELDs. 

The petition requests that the FMCSA reconsider 

its interpretation of the ELD rule and 

that a stay be issued on the December 18 deadline 

until Chao rules on the petition 

Appearing before the committee were 

Monte Wiederhold, president of B.L. Reever 

Transport, on behalf of the Owner-Operator 

Independent Drivers Association; Marty Di- 

Giacomo, owner of True Blue Transportation, 

testifying on behalf of the National Association 

of Small Trucking Companies; Stephen 

Pelkey, CEO of Atlas PyroVision Entertainment 

Group Inc., representing the American 

Pyrotechnics Association; and Robert Garbini, 

president of the National Ready Mixed 

Concrete Association. 

Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, opened the 

meeting by saying the purpose of the meeting 

was to examine how federal regulations affect 

small businesses in the trucking industry. 

“Our witnesses today will provide real examples 

of what it’s like for small business to 

navigate the confusing regulatory landscape,” 

Chabot said. 

Several issues were touched upon during 

the discourse, including Hours of Service, driver 

training requirements, infrastructure spending, 

traffic congestion, speed limiters, safety 

ratings, sleep apnea screenings, greenhouse gas 

emission standards, the truck parking shortage 

and the driver shortage. 

But it was clearly understood that ELDs 

were the topic of the day, and the conversation 

never strayed for long. 

There was no mention of the SBTC petition, 

nor was the free speech question repeated, 

and no one specifically called for an exemption 

for fleets of 50 or fewer. 

“We’re not looking for any kind of advantage,” 

Wiederhold said, “like we want the rules 

to apply to the big guys but not to us.” 

Instead, all four repeatedly referred to the 

inherent unfairness and impracticality of “onesize-fits-all” 

regulations on small carriers. 

Garbini and Pelkey pointed out that in their 

industries, the employees who drive also perform 

other functions. Driving is just a small 

component of what they do and only takes up a 

small portion of their working hours, they said. 

“There’s got to be a greater examination to 

give relief to some of these situations,” Garbini 

said, adding that the FMCSA needs to be working 

with small businesses to come up with rules 

that make sense to everyone. 

See Hearing on p11 m 

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4 • December 15-31, 2017 Nation 


As implementation day nears, coalition of small trucking 

companies mounts nationwide protests of ELD mandate 

Klint Lowry 


With little time to go and few options 

left before the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration’s electronic logging device 

(ELD) mandate goes into effect, truck drivers 

opposed to the mandate took to the streets 

— and to truck stops — across the country 

December 4 to bring greater attention to the 

mandate and their arguments against it. 

The protests, which took place at more 

than 40 locations across the country, were 

organized in part by the Small Business in 

Transportation Coalition (SBTC). 

The FMCSA’s ELD final rule, which applies 

to most motor carriers and drivers who 

are required to maintain records-of-duty 

status (RODS), was published in December 

2015 and requires trucks to be equipped and 

logs to be kept with ELDs as of December 

18. Among the few exceptions are trucks 

already equipped with automatic onboard 

recording devices (AOBRDs), which have 

until December 2019 to switch to ELDs. 

While many companies had already been 

using ELDs and others used the two-year 

window to prepare for the deadline, another 

portion of the industry — mostly small carriers 

and independent owner-operators and the 

organizations that represent them — have 

spent the past two years trying to get the 

mandate reversed or at least delayed. Legal 

options have been exhausted, and attempts at 

legislative relief have stalled. A bill by Rep. 

Brian Babin, R-Texas, has yet to make it to 

the House floor for a vote. 

The protests were something of a followup 

to a letter sent by the SBTC on November 

20 to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao 

requesting an exemption for all motor carriers 

with fewer than 50 employees, to reconsider 

the mandate on First Amendment 

grounds and to grant a stay on the December 

18 effective date until the secretary rules on 

the SBTC petition. 

A press release by SBTC President James 

Lamb announcing nationwide protests touted 

them as a “media blitz” to draw greater public 

awareness to the ELD issue. While ELDs 

have been the biggest issue in trucking during 

the past year, the general public has virtually 

no knowledge of the topic. 

The apparent strategy was for the protests 

to introduce the ELD issue and to make their 

case to the general public to drum up public 

support to tip the scales and to convince the 

DOT and/or Congress to act in their favor. 

Among the arguments, some of which 

were included in the letter to Chao and repeated 

in Lamb’s press release, was the 

contention that forcing drivers to use ELDs 

rather than the paper logs they’d been using 

violates their right to commercial free 

speech. Another is that while the FMCSA’s 

Final Rule makes it mandatory that trucks be 

equipped with ELDs, there’s nothing in the 

wording that actually demands they must be 

used over paper logs. 

In interviews with various news outlets, 

Courtesy: SMALL BUSINESS IN TRANSPORTATION COALITION 

Truck drivers gather in Richmond, Virginia, at one of more than 40 protests nationwide 

December 4 organized by the Small Business in Transportation Coalition as a show of 

opposition to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s electronic logging device 

mandate. 

Related article on Page 3 

drivers raised talking points that have become 

familiar within the industry: that mandating 

ELDs places an unfair financial burden 

on small carriers compared with large 

fleets, that the mandate is less about safety 

as it has been presented but is more about 

strict enforcement of Hours of Service rules 

in such a rigid way that will cause more 

problems than it remedies, that ELDs represent 

an invasion of privacy, and that the 

ELD mandate is a one-size-fits-all rule in an 

industry where business as usual has far too 

many variations from one carrier to the next 

for such blanket rules. 

The protests did garner some mainstream 

media attention, particularly local media outlets 

that covered protests in their areas. Many 

of the arguments ELD opponents have been 

making and refining for the past two years 

were heard by a new audience through interviews 

with individual drivers at those protests. 

In a press release December 5, Lamb declared 

the blitz a success. 

“We did what we set out to do. Media 

came, and the drivers spoke — very well, 

mind you,” Lamb said. 

The press release went on to say that the 

protest organizers were hitting the phones 

the day after the protest, contacting the 

White House and members of Congress to 

drill home their anti-ELD message. 

The press release suggested the group 

may try to stage a shutdown December 18 

through January 4 to protest the mandate. 

Lamb stated in the press release that the 

SBTC “is not involved in such efforts,” but 

he “doubted there is much anyone can do at 

this point to stop such a drastic move” unless 

Chao grants the emergency stay SBTC 

requested in its letter. 

David Heller, vice president of government 

affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association, 

commented that with the ELD mandate 

just days away, “it’s crunch time,” and 

opponents are scrambling to find ways to be 

heard, including the protests, the Chao letter 

November 20 and at a hearing a day later of 

the House Small Business Committee. 

In football terms, Heller said, it’s late 

in the game and they’re throwing “Hail 

Mary’s.” 

“The reason they are listening to them is 

that every once in a while, one of those Hail 

Mary’s is caught,” Heller said. “Ask Doug 

Flutie about that.” 

Flutie gained national attention in 1984 

when he led the Boston College Eagles to 

victory in a high-scoring, back-and-forth 

game against the Miami Hurricanes. Miami 

staged a dramatic drive to take the lead 45– 

41 in the closing minute of the game. Boston 

College then took possession at its own 22- 

yard line with 28 seconds to go. After two 

passes moved the ball another 30 yards, only 

6 seconds remained. On the last play of the 

game, Flutie scrambled away from the defense 

and threw a “Hail Mary pass” that was 

caught in the end zone by Gerard Phelan, 

giving Boston a 47–45 win. Flutie said that 

“without the Hail Mary pass I think I could 

have been very easily forgotten.” 8 

USPS 972 

Volume 30, Number 24 

December 15-31, 2017 

The Trucker is a semi-monthly, national newspaper for the 

trucking industry, published by Trucker Publications Inc. at 

1123 S. University, Suite 320 

Little Rock, AR 72204-1610 

Vice President / Publisher 

Ed Leader 

edl@thetrucker.com 

Trucking Division General Manager 

Megan Cullingford-Hicks 

meganh@targetmediapartners.com 

Editor 

Lyndon Finney 

editor@thetrucker.com 

Assistant Editor 

Dorothy Cox 


Associate Editor 

Klint Lowry 


Production Manager 

Rob Nelson 

robn@thetrucker.com 

Graphic Artist 

Christie McCluer 

christie.mccluer@thetrucker.com 

Special Correspondents 

Cliff Abbott 

cliffa@thetrucker.com 

Aprille Hanson 

aprilleh@thetrucker.com 

Jack Whitsett 

jackwhitsett81@gmail.com 

National Marketing Consultants 

Jerry Critser 

jerryc@targetmediapartners.com 

Dennis Ball 

dennisb@targetmediapartners.com 

Kelly Brooke Drier 

kellydr@thetrucker.com 

Erin Garrett 

erin.garrett@targetmediapartners.com 

John Hicks 

johnh@targetmediapartners.com 

Meg Larcinese 

megl@targetmediapartners.com 

Greg McClendon 

gregmc@targetmediapartners.com 

Telephone: (501) 666-0500 

Fax: (501) 666-0700 

E-mail: news@thetrucker.com 

Web: www.thetrucker.com 

Single-copy mail subscription available at $59.95 

per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at Little Rock, 

AR 72202-9651 and additional entry offices. 

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Nation December 15-31, 2017 • 5



Massachusetts governor backs bill to 

ban holding cellphones while driving 

Bob Salsberg 

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker has thrown 

his support for the first time behind a proposal 

that would ban motorists in Massachusetts from 

holding their cellphones while they drive. 

Baker, a Republican, endorsed the Senatepassed 

bill while also urging drivers to use caution 

and avoid distractions while traveling over 

the holidays. 

“During the holiday season, millions of 

people will travel across the Commonwealth 

to be with loved ones, and we are making it 

a priority to keep the roads safe,” Baker said 

in a press release. “We encourage everyone to 

travel safely and limit dangerous behaviors like 

distracted or impaired driving.” 

The bill would make it illegal for motorists 

to use their cellphones, GPS or other electronic 

devices except with hands-free technology. An 

exception would be made for emergency calls. 

It also would be illegal to access social media, 

make video calls or use any camera function 

while driving. 

Drivers would be allowed a single touch or 

swipe to activate a hands-free mechanism. 

When asked about the legislation in the 

past, Baker has been noncommittal, saying 

only that he would “carefully review” the bill 

if it reached his desk. 

In February during his monthly “Ask the 

Governor” program on WGBH-FM, Baker 

said that while texting and driving was clearly 

a problem, he wasn’t sure that talking on the 

phone posed the same hazard. 

The Senate approved the measure in June but 

it has yet to be debated in the House. The Legislature 

is currently on recess until January. 

More than a dozen states require hands-free 

cellphone use by drivers, including Connecticut, 

New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. 

Current Massachusetts law bans texting 

Courtesy: STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS 

In a prepared statement, Massachusetts 

Gov. Charlie Baker encouraged everyone to 

travel safely during the holiday season and 

limit dangerous behaviors like distracted or 

impaired driving. 

while driving and any cellphone use by drivers 

under 18. 

Cellphone use is considered one of the leading 

causes of distracted driving, which claims 

thousands of lives in the U.S. each year, according 

to the National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration. 

Baker also announced that he was filing two 

other bills related to traffic safety. One would 

give state transportation officials greater authority 

to establish and enforce lower speed 

limits within active road construction sites, and 

double fines for speeding within work zones. 

The other bill seeks uniform standards for 

the admissibility in court of a type of vision test 

sometimes given drivers suspected by police of 

being impaired. 

Secretary of Public Safety Dan Bennett said 

fatal crashes have been increasing in recent years. 

“Stronger laws deter unsafe and impaired 

driving behaviors and help assure that police 

have the ability to keep our roads safe,” said 

Bennett. 8 

Stop being just a truck number. Bring your career to 

Skelton Truck Lines. Make more money and enjoy a 

better quality of life. 

We Require: 

3 Years Driving Experience 

Hazmat Endorsement 

Passport or enhanced CDL 

Good MVR 

Clean Criminal Record 

NoW HiRiNg 

Team Owner-Operators & Team Company Drivers 

We Pay: 

Fuel Surcharges 

Safety Incentives 3cpm 

Pickups/Deliveries 

Company Promo Clothing 

Medical 

Company Paid Insurance 

US/Canadian Border Crossings 

Layover/Waiting Time 

401k Contributions 

Paid Orientation 

Owner-Operator Teams average $1.80/hub mile 

Company Teams average $0.76/hub mile 

Call or e-mail Lesia Shyshko: 800.387.9796 ext.231 • lesia@skeltontruck.com. 

Or Call Senior VP Ron Skelton: 647.828.1178 or fax your information to 905.895.1314

OOIDA FullpgHole 11_2017 11/6/17 3:12 PM Page 1 



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Representation • Information • Truck Insurance • Medical Benefits 

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800-444-5791 • www.ooida.com



Courtesy: NCI 

DAWN ROBERTS 

Courtesy: NCI 

JEFF GUTZLER 

Courtesy: NCI 

RUSS REINHARD 

Courtesy: NCI 

STEVE NEAL 

Courtesy: YRC WORLDWIDE 

DON WAGNER 

NCI Drivers of the Month 

National Carriers has named Dawn Roberts, 

Jeff Gutzler and Russ Reinhard as 

Drivers of the Month. 

Roberts drives a company truck on National 

Carriers Southwest Regional Fleet and 

lives in Houma, Louisiana. 

A former airline flight attendant, Roberts 

was employed as a flatbed driver when 

she noticed National Carriers trucks on the 

road. She was impressed with the trucks and 

said she made herself a promise that one day 

she’d drive for NCI. 

Later, she and her driving partner joined 

NCI. After a short stay, he decided to return 

to pulling flatbed trailers and she went to care 

for her sister who had become paralyzed. In 

June 2016 she returned to drive solo. 

“The first time I saw National Carriers 

trucks I was impressed,” Roberts said. “I 

thought to myself that someday I would drive 

for them. Once my sister’s situation was resolved 

I called National and was delighted 

when they rehired me. I enjoy driving trucks 

and the automatic transmission in my current 

Kenworth is a great thing. I’ve worked in the 

airline business and the oilfield business, but 

once I decided driving Class A trucks was 

what I wanted to do, I grew into being a truck 

driver.” 

Gutzler operates a company truck within 

NCI Hides Division, where he recently celebrated 

his 10th anniversary. He and his wife 

Billie are residents of Portales, New Mexico. 

“I am always looking behind, looking to 

each side, looking ahead, looking far ahead, 

always on the lookout for the other driver 

who may not be paying attention or who is 

driving dangerously,” Gutzler said. “Defensive 

driving cannot be overemphasized. I am 

thankful the opportunity NCI has given me 

and I also appreciate being recognized as 

driver of the month.” 

Reinhard has driven safely for NCI the 

past 10 years while setting a high standard 

for on-time pickup and deliveries. 

A resident of Southern California, he 

focuses on delivering packaged beef from 

southwestern Kansas throughout the nation. 

“Everything I need to be successful is 

here. I like the people I work with, the income 

is good, and National Carriers truly 

wants drivers to succeed,” Reinhard said. 

Each Driver of the Month is a finalist 

for NCI Driver of the Year 2017 with each 

monthly winner receiving a $500 bonus. National 

Carriers Driver of the Year is awarded 

a $5,000 prize at the NCI Driver of the Year 

Banquet held in Arlington, Texas, in the 

spring of 2018. 

NCI safety awards 

National Carriers has recognized Colorado 

resident Steve Neal for driving 3 million 

miles without having a reportable accident. 

Neal began his driving career at NCI over 

21 years ago. He has driven as a fleet driver, 

an owner-operator and now as a company 

driver. 

NCI Director of Safety Jill Maschmeier, 

made the presentation on behalf of National 

Carriers. 

NCI has also recognized Laura Mc- 

Cullough, Roger Alexander, Mike Wylie and 

James Johnson with safety rings in recognition 

of five years of accident-free driving, 

while Robert Mallard was recognized for 10 

years. 

Swift Diamond Drivers 

Swift Transportation has celebrated its 

highest honored drivers — Diamond Drivers 

— at its 40 terminals across the country. 

Swift’s Driver Ranking Program recognizes 

drivers based on miles driven, commitment 

to safety, on-time deliveries, low 

customer service failure rates and total 

days of employment. Rankings range from 

bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond 

driver status. Diamond drivers are the highest-achieving 

drivers in the driver ranking 

program, recognized for going above and 

beyond in the way of safety, efficiency and 

excellence in their driving for the company. 

At terminals throughout the continent, 

Swift has honored its 207 diamond drivers. 

“Diamond Drivers are our most exceptional 

drivers, with the strongest records of 

dedication to safety, efficiency and service 

to our customers. We are honored to have 

the opportunity to applaud these drivers and 

recognize them for this incredible achievement,” 

said Scott Barker, vice president of 

driver engagement at Swift Transportation. 

New Penn 3 million-miler 

New Penn professional driver Don Wagner 

recently achieved the feat of surpassing 

3 million consecutive miles without a single 

preventable accident. 

Wagner is the only active New Penn driver 

to reach this elite milestone. To offer some 

perspective on Wagner’s accomplishment, 

driving three million miles is equivalent to 

driving across the United States, coast-tocoast, 

more than 1,000 times in a row or 12 

consecutive round trips from the earth to the 

moon without an accident. 

According to data from the U.S. Department 

of Transportation, it would take the average 

American driver over 220 years to log 

that many miles. And unlike Wagner, in that 

time, the average driver would be involved 

in over 13 accidents. 

“We are extremely proud of the threemillion-mile 

safe driving record Donnie has 

achieved,” says Howard Moshier, New Penn 

President. “His constant attention to safety 

combined with being a great team player 

helps set New Penn apart from other carriers. 

We thank him for his continuous commitment 

to safety.” 

Wagner’s professional driving career has 

spanned 37 years. He has driven for New Penn 

31 of those years with no sign of stopping. In 

fact, he looks forward to reaching an unprecedented 

four million consecutive accident-free 

milestone. He currently operates as a linehaul 

driver out of the New Penn Reading, Pennsylvania, 

service center, driving about 2,500 miles 

per week. His 3 million consecutive accidentfree 

miles represent only miles accumulated 

while driving for New Penn. 

New Penn Reading, Pennsylvania, Terminal 

Manager Greg Gettle, said: “Donnie is 

the consummate professional driver. He is always 

well-prepared both mentally and physically 

to perform his job. He comes to work 

every day with a great attitude. He takes 

pride in doing a good job every day but is 

not boastful about his accomplishments. He 

is truly a dedicated professional, concerned 

for his safety and the well-being of the people 

he shares the road with.” 

According to Wagner, the key to keeping 

safe behind the wheel is to: “Stay completely 

focused on your driving. Pay attention. Look 

ahead and keep your eyes moving.” 8



Unchecked, driving lifestyle can put truckers on the fast lane to poor health 

Klint Lowry 

klintl@thetrucker.com 

A former college athlete who came within 

one second of making the U.S. Olympic 

swim team in the 100-meter freestyle, 

Siphiwe Baleka was shocked when he became 

a truck driver and immediately saw 

the toll the job was taking on his body. 

He has since made it his career and personal 

mission to help fellow truckers avoid 

and reverse the effects long associated with 

life behind the wheel. As he developed his 

Baleka Method, which is the foundation of his 

Fitness Trucking program, Baleka looked at 

what happens at the start of a typical driver’s 

career, which he condensed into “The 9 Steps 

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search: The Trucker 

Related Article on Page 1 

of Creating an Unhealthy, Unsafe Driver”: 

1. In the first week of a driver’s career, 

the stress increases cortisol levels, initiating 

the first hormonal change. 

2. In the next two to four weeks, irregular, 

interrupted sleep results in accumulated 

sleep deprivation. After just four nights of 

sleep deprivation, insulin sensitivity drops 

by as much as 16 percent and fat-cell sensitivity 

to insulin drops by 30 percent. This is 

the equivalent of metabolically aging someone 

10 to 20 years. 

3. After four weeks in the driver’s seat, 

the hip flexors tighten and shorten, causing 

bad posture, and improper force on joints, 

plus ankle, knee, hip, lower back, neck and 

shoulder injuries. 

4. After three months, the driver’s serum 

leptin and serum ghrelin levels have been 

altered and the driver’s body is unable to 

regulate hunger properly. Glucose reserves 

are full and the body can only store consumed 

carbohydrates as fat. 

5. By this time, drivers start skipping 

meals to keep the truck rolling. As the body 

goes into starvation mode, low leptin levels 

signal to the brain that the body needs feeding. 

Thyroid hormones fall, while cortisol 

and ghrelin hormones rise, causing lower 

metabolism and an increase in appetite and 

fat storage. So, the driver alternates between 

starving himself and overeating. 

6. After six months on the job, the driver 

has gained significant body fat while losing 

lean muscle. This decreases the body’s ability 

to extract oxygen from the blood for the 

aerobic production of ATP, the cells’ usable 

fuel for producing energy. The driver feels 

more fatigued and has less energy. 

7. From six months to one year, a truck 

driver has now gained 7 percent of his body 

weight and has increased his risk for 60 

medical disorders, including 12 cancers. 

Along the way: 

• Blood pressure increases by 10 percent 

• Blood cholesterol level increases by 8 

percent 

• High density lipoprotein (HDL, the 

“good cholesterol”) decreases by 15 percent 

• Triglycerides increase by 18 percent, 

and 

• Metabolic syndrome risk increases by 

18 percent. 

8. Once drivers become “obese” (BMI 

over 30.0), they join 69 percent of drivers 

and have a three-fold increase in the above 

numbers. 

9. Once the driver is obese, he has a 20- 

to 30- percent greater likelihood of developing 

severe obstructive sleep apnea, and 

with it a sevenfold increased risk of being 

involved in a motor vehicle accident. 8 


Siphiwe Baleka, developer of the Fitness 

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with a minimum of space and little or 

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b Fitness from page 1 b 

incidentally, while the life expectancy for an 

American male is about 76 years, truckers can 

only expect to make it to the ripe old age of 61, 

and to face higher rates of heart disease, high 

blood pressure, diabetes and a laundry list of 

other debilitating conditions in that truncated 

time. 

Recognizing the threat to the quality of 

their lives and livelihoods, attitudes in recent 

years in and around the trucking world have 

gone from “What can you do?” to “Something 

has to be done.” 

More people are talking about the problem, 

and that’s a first step in itself toward transforming 

the culture of the industry to one that supports 

and encourages truckers to live a healthy 

lifestyle. 

The question is, what’s it going to take to 

get more truck drivers to start doing something 

about taking better care of themselves? 

PC 122046 


Siphiwe Baleka demonstrates how truck 

drivers can use weights to get in a little 

workout anywhere on the road. 

Siphiwe Baleka, owner of Fitness Trucking, 

and Bob Perry, founder and COO of Rolling 

Strong, have emerged in recent years as two of 

the leading voices of authority on driver wellness. 

Baleka, a former college swimmer, started 

driving for Prime Inc. in 2008. After gaining 

15 pounds in his first two months on the job, he 

began to study the physiological effects driving 

has on the body and developed a set of exercises 

and nutritional guidelines for truckers to 

counteract the impact of life on the road. He 

began teaching the Baleka Method at Prime 

Inc. in 2011 before creating his own company 

and writing a book, “4 Minute Fit.” 

He says his mission is “to take the most unhealthy 

occupation in America and make it one 

of the healthiest occupations.” 

Perry came from a family of truck drivers. 

He found his calling after seeing the toll the 

driving lifestyle took on his father. He began 

Rolling Strong 10 years ago, coaching individual 

drivers before being hired as fitness coach 

at Covenant Transportation. From there he’s 

developed Rolling Strong, branching out to 

other carriers, staging health events around the 

country and forging affiliations with retailers, 

pharmacies, clinics and other businesses. 

The mission of Rolling Strong has always 

been clear, Perry said. “It’s to show these men 

and women simple tips they can use each day 

to live healthier.” 

Today, both Rolling Strong (rollingstrong. 

com) and Fitness Trucking (siphiwebaleka. 

com) offer fitness products and coaching services, 

and Perry and Baleka are regarded as 

two of the industry’s resident experts on trucking 

fitness. 

Perry has served for several years as chairman 

of the American Trucking Associations’ 

Health & Wellness Working Group. Baleka 

and his system have been featured on National 

Public Radio and in Men’s Health, Sports Illustrated 

and Swimmer magazines. The Atlantic 

declared him the “fitness guru of the trucking 

industry.” 

They’ll both tell you it wasn’t always that 

way. “Ten years ago, there was a certain level 

of driver culture resistance,” Perry said. When 

he started speaking at trade shows, he “had to 

chase people down the hallway. I couldn’t pay 

people to come. Now it’s to the point where 

they’re coming up to me and offering their 

cards to get information. It’s very gratifying.” 

Baleka agrees more people are listening, 

but emphasizes there’s still that hurdle between 

knowing something should be done and getting 

them up and doing it. 

“There’s more articles, in that way there’s 

more awareness, people are talking about it, but 

they’re not going beyond that,” he said. Those 

magazine articles about him and his training 

method tend to draw more interest from people 

outside trucking who are concerned about their 

sedentary lifestyles. 

“Why am I getting more business and solicitations 

from other sectors of the economy, but 

not the one that I’m dedicated to helping that 

needs the most help?” he said. “That’s what I 

find perplexing.” 

Baleka believes a unified, industrywide initiative 

is needed to tip the truck-driving culture 

toward adopting healthier lifestyles. 

“Sixty-nine percent of drivers have what 

the American Medical Association calls the 

disease of obesity, the highest level of metabolic 

syndrome and the lowest life expectancy 

of any occupation in America,” he said. “If 69 

percent of your family had a disease, you’d be 

doing something about it. That’s an epidemic. 

The industry should be treating this as an emergency 

crisis.” 

As he points out, the health of the industry 

depends on the health of the people who make 

it run. Drivers need to pass a physical to retain 

their CDLs. The whole sleep apnea testing issue 

is basically a response to the obesity epidemic. 

“A truck-crash causation study in 2007 

showed three of the top 10 factors involved in 

truck crashes involved medication, illness or 

fatigue, figuring into a third of all accidents,” 

Baleka said. “Healthy drivers would eliminate 

all three factors.” 

“Why isn’t the FMCSA coming to me saying, 

‘Siph, how do we make your program 

standard throughout the industry?’ Imagine if 

NASA sent astronauts out into space without 

a spacesuit. That’s what this industry’s doing, 

sending good men and women out into a known 

environment, knowing it’s going to upset their 

circadian rhythms, their hormone production. 

“Imagine every single day you saw these 

3.5 million truck drivers turning on their metabolism. 

We could cut the obesity rate in this 

industry in half in a year or two.” 

Perry agrees a widespread cooperative effort 

is needed to increase a trucking industry 

fitness movement. That’s the vision for Rolling 

Strong, he said, to develop an “ecosystem” of 

information and services through partnerships 

encompassing every aspect of wellness. 

Stay tuned for the second article: Building 

momentum to get drivers moving. 8


b Hearing from page 3 b 


Pelkey said the fireworks industry gets an 

exemption to HOS rules during an 11-day window 

around the Fourth of July, when they do 

the majority of their business for the year. He 

contended that using an ELD would in effect 

revoke that exemption. And if a driver, who 

may only drive three days out of the year during 

that busy season were to commit a violation, 

it could jeopardize the company’s hazardous 

materials safety permit, which would put 

them out of business. 

“We’re handed regulations, and then told 

‘deal with it,’” Pelkey said. “Dealing with it, 

you tend to make mistakes. You’re trying to 

comply and trying to figure out how to comply.” 

But too often, despite your best efforts, he 

added, you don’t get it right “and there you go, 

a $2,500 fine, better luck next time.” 

Cost was another recurring theme, the relative 

hardship the cost of ELD represents to 

a mom-and-pop operation compared to large 

operators. 

“I think I got a real good pulse on a lot of 

trucking companies, some that I brokered loads 

to just this week, that are pleading, ‘stop this 

ELD mandate,’” DiGiacomo said. 

DiGiacomo questioned why, if safety is the 

main reason for mandating ELDs, that it needs 

to be a blanket mandate. 

“You’ve got all these drivers with millions 

and millions of [safe] miles,” he said. “How is 

the ELD regulation going to make them any 

safer?” 

Even the FMCSA says there is only a small 

percentage of carriers that are egregious HOS 

violators. It’s like if you had a town that had a 

couple of habitual drunk drivers, DiGiacomo 

said. Put Breathalyzers in their cars, why put 

them in everyone’s? 

At the top of the meeting, Chabot said: 

“There may be differences of opinion from 

some organizations on some of the regulations 

that will be discussed in today’s hearing, particularly 

from the American Trucking Associations,” 

(ATA) and he invited them to submit a 

statement to be added to the record. 

Soon after, ATA released a response from 

Collin Stewart, president of Stewart Transport 

Inc., on behalf of the ATA. To read that letter, 

in its entirety you can visit www.trucking.org/ 

ATA%20Docs/News%20and%20Information/docs/ATA%20Comments%20to%20 

House%20Small%20Business%20Committee%20-11-29-17%20Hearing%20-%20 

Final.pdf 

Committee member Rep. Judy Chu, D- 

Calif., submitted another letter of opposition 

to delaying the ELD mandate, endorsed by 

several organizations including the leaders of 

Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, the 

International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Advocates 

for Highway and Auto Safety, the Federal 

Law Enforcement Officers Association, the 

National Safety Council, Road Safe America 

and others, as well as several survivors of truck 

crash victims, citing driver fatigue as a leading 

cause of truck crashes. 8 

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Report says faster speeds cause more wrecks, Ohio targets 70 mph limit 

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio will target 

high-crash roads that have 70 mph limits following 

a report that found a sharp increase in 

accidents after Ohio raised the limit from 65 

mph. 

The analysis of those efforts could lead to 

a temporary reduction of the limit back to 65 

mph in selected areas, according to the State 

Highway Patrol and the Department of Transportation. 

A patrol report released recently found 

a 24 percent increase in crashes on 70 mph 

roads, including 22 percent more fatal and injury 

crashes following the change to the higher 

speed limit in 2013. 

The state will use overtime to increase the 

number of troopers working in three high-crash 

areas and will launch a $100,000 ad campaign 

urging drivers to slow down. 

“Stop Speeding Before It Stops You” and 

“Obey The Sign Or Pay The Fine” are among 

the messages the campaign will promote, according 

to the state public safety and transportation 

departments. 

Troopers will focus on stretches of I-70 in 

Licking County east of Columbus, I-71 in Ashland 

County in northern Ohio and U.S. 33 in 

Union County northwest of Columbus. 

Officers will watch for aggressive driving, 

including following too closely and improper 

passing; speeding; safety belt violations; distracted 

driving; and driving while impaired. 

“Roadway safety is a shared responsibility,” 

said patrol spokesman Lt. Robert Sellers. 

If those efforts don’t reduce accidents, the 

patrol may seek permission from Republican 

Gov. John Kasich for a temporary reduction to 

65 mph in those areas. 

At some point, the patrol may also test a reduction 

to 65 mph in a fourth area. 

The Ohio Insurance Institute, which opposed 

the increase to 70 mph, welcomed the 

patrol’s proposals. 

“There is an obvious correlation between 

the rise of Ohio crashes and the 70-mph speed 

limit increase,” said institute president Dean 

Fadel. 

Last year in Wisconsin, a report found that 

fatalities, injuries and accidents were up since 

the state raised the speed limit to 70 mph on 

most interstate highways in 2015. 

“When speed limits go up, crashes and 

deaths on those roads increase, and when 

speed limits are reduced, crashes and deaths 

© 2017 Fotosearch 

decrease,” said Russ Rader, spokesman for the 

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. 

Ohio insurance agent Tony Schroeder 

questions the impact of the 5 mph increase 

on crashes, and says he considers distractions 

from electronic devices “a far more significant 

threat.” He says he drives 5-7 mph on either 

side of posted limits, but usually above. 

Schroeder, 52, who lives in rural Putnam 

County, says how fast you go depends on 

where you live. 

“The vast land area of Ohio is very rural — 

you may encounter a handful of vehicles when 

you’re making a half-hour drive,” he said. “I 

think the higher limit makes a lot of sense, and 

in almost every circumstance.” 8 

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EPA proposes to repeal glider kit emissions requirements; comments requested 

Dorothy Cox 


WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) is backtracking 

on its emissions standards for 

heavy-duty glider kits, with EPA Administrator 

Edward Scott Pruitt November 9 signing 

a proposal to repeal the glider kit emissions 

requirements, the agency said last month. 

A public comment period on the proposal 

is open through January 5, 2018. EPA held a 

public hearing December 4 on the proposal 

at EPA’s Washington campus at 1201 Constitution 

Ave., NW. 

A “glider” uses a previously owned powertrain, 

including engine and transmission 

and often the rear axle, but uses body parts 

such as the tractor chassis, frame, front axle, 

brakes and cab, from a “donor” vehicle, and 

can be from a different manufacturer than the 

OEM of the glider kit. 

Commenters’ responses to the Phase 

2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions said, 

among other things, that glider vehicles, kits 

or engines shouldn’t be considered “new motor 

vehicles, new motor vehicle engines” or 

“incomplete new motor vehicles” under the 

Clean Air Act, which was EPA’s initial interpretation. 

According to EPA’s explanation in its 

November 9 announcement, commenters 

questioned the agency’s authority to regulate 

gliders as new vehicles. 

Commenters, largely glider industry representatives, 

said EPA “assumed” that nitrogen 

oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) 

for glider vehicles using 2007 engines would 

be 10 times higher or more than emissions 

from equivalent trucks being produced with 

brand new engines with “no actual data” to 

back up the assumption. 

They referenced a study by Tennessee 

Technological University that found gliders 

Find us on 

Facebook 

Related article on Page 39 

would emit less than 12 percent of NOx and 

PM emissions for all Class 8 heavy-duty vehicles 

rather than the 33 percent EPA estimated. 

The commenters also told EPA that rebuilding 

an engine and transmission uses 

85 percent less energy than manufacturing 

them new and that glider vehicles improve 

utilization and reduce the number of trucks 

required to haul the same tonnage of freight. 

In addition, they asserted that glider vehicles 

with newly rebuilt engines “produce 

less” NOx and GHG emissions. 

EPA stated in its proposal to repeal the 

standards for gliders that its rationale had been 

that glider vehicles were marketed and sold 

as “brand new” trucks. However, the agency 

stated that it failed to consider the “most important 

consideration,” which was whether or 

not Congress meant to include gliders in its 

definition of “new motor vehicles.” 

The agency went on to say that its interpretation 

of statutes (such as the Clean Air 

Act) are “not set in stone” and that it “must 

consider varying interpretations and the wisdom 

of its policy on a continuing basis. This 

is true when, as is the case here, review is 

undertaken in response to … a change in administration.” 

For more information contact: Julia MacAllister, 

Office of Transportation and Air 

Quality, Assessment and Standards Division, 

Environmental Protection Agency, 2000 

Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105. 

Or call (734) 214-4131. E-mail is hearing¬_ 

registration-asd@epa.gov. 8 

Merry 

Christmas! 

This season, we hope all Truck Drivers and their families enjoy 

many blessings, a happy and safe holiday season, and a 

beautiful Christmas. 

search: 

The Trucker 

1-888-374-8445 

www.mercertown.com



G 

c 

a


Nation December 15-31, 2017 • 15 

GAO: DOT needs to develop 

comprehensive plan addressing 

automated vehicle challenges 

THE TRUCKER STAFF 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department 

of Transportation needs to develop a comprehensive 

plan to better manage departmental 

initiatives related to automated vehicles. 

So says the General Accounting Office in 

a report titled “Automated Vehicles: Comprehensive 

Plan Could Help DOT Address Challenges” 

that was released by the GAO November 

30. 

Recent legislation included a provision for 

GAO to review automated vehicle policy and 

DOT’s readiness to address challenges. 

The GAO said DOT agreed with its recommendation. 

Automated cars and light-duty trucks — 

from vehicles already on the road equipped 

with driver assistance technologies to fully 

driverless cars still in development — pose 

safety and infrastructure challenges for policymakers, 

according to literature GAO reviewed 

and stakeholders GAO interviewed, the report 

said. 

“For example, policymakers will need to 

decide if the current approach to vehicle testing 

and standards is sufficient to ensure adequate 

vehicle safety, according to many stakeholders 

GAO interviewed,” the GAO said. “Further, 

policymakers may want to address how automated 

vehicles interact with other road users. 

Courtesy: GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE 

In its report on potential issues with automated vehicles, the General Accounting Office cited several examples of potential driving scenarios 

that could pose policy challenges related to automated vehicles, including, left, the difficulty pedestrians and automated vehicles have 

communicating intentions at intersections, and right, what would happen if an automated vehicle follows the posted speed limit and fails to 

keep up with traffic. 

Likewise, automated vehicles may require infrastructure 

changes, and policymakers will 

need to decide what changes to pursue, while 

also providing for conventional vehicles since 

many stakeholders expect conventional vehicles 

to remain on the roads for decades.” 

GAO acknowledged that DOT had made 

efforts to respond to some of these challenges 

of automated vehicles. 

For example, the National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration has conducted defect 

investigations and pursued recalls of some 

driver-assistance technologies. And, in September, 

DOT issued new voluntary guidance 

that provides technical assistance for states and 

suggests a framework for industry-led safety 

testing. 

“However, DOT does not have a comprehensive 

plan that sets clear goals, that establishes 

when and how it will act, or that indicates 

how it will monitor progress,” the report 

said. “According to officials, DOT recently 

formed a group to lead policy development in 

the future, but has not announced a detailed 

timeframe or scope of work. Without a comprehensive 

plan, it is unclear whether DOT’s 

efforts are adequately tackling automated vehicle 

challenges. 

In preparing the report, the GAO said it reviewed 

selected literature and interviewed 27 

selected stakeholders to identify policy challenges 

and views on DOT’s efforts. 

The GAO said it judgmentally selected these 

stakeholders — including state transportation 

officials, academic experts, and industry representatives 

— to obtain a wide range of perspectives 

and expertise. The GAO said it also 

reviewed DOT’s policy and program documentation 

and interviewed agency officials. GAO 

compared DOT’s efforts with leading planning 

principles identified in prior GAO work and federal 

internal control standards. 8 

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b 30 Years from page 1 b 

electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. 

Probably nothing has been as stormy as the 

Hours of Service rules. Oh sure, they were established 

in 1939 by who else, the federal government, 

and sailed along calmly for more than 

30 years. But then in 1995 Congress rocked the 

boat by ordering the U.S. Department of Transportation 

to craft new rules that were more in 

line with the latest science on human fatigue 

and alertness. 

And that boat has been tossed to and fro 

ever since. 

For years, The Trucker ran a little round 

button in each issue of the newspaper that 

showed how many days had gone by without 

new Hours of Service rules. And not only do 

HOS regulations continue as a hot topic today, 

they bleed into other top issues, such as ELDs. 

Carrier executives, and some drivers, argue 

that it’s not ELDs that are the problem, 

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it’s the inflexibility of HOS, while many truckers 

maintain ELDs only show when a truck is 

moving and therefore don’t do anything to increase 

safety. 

This fight will likely continue long after the 

ELD deadline of December 18 has come and 

gone, with both the FMCSA and ELD critics 

like the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers 

Association determined to have their way. 

Of course, FMCSA should be used to a 

little boat-rocking by now. It was born in a tumultuous 

time in 1999, when the federal Office 

of Motor Carriers and Highway Safety didn’t 

have a place to hang its regulatory hat. Then 

President Bill Clinton signed a budget bill that 

cut off funding for it until a separate agency 

could be set up within the Department of 

Transportation, with language inserted by Rep. 

Frank Wolf, R.-Va., saying the enforcement 

agency wouldn’t get its full share of funding as 

long as it was located within the Federal Highway 

Administration. 

Much of the furor was caused by the Citizens 

for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) 

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and other so-called safety advocacy groups 

who said the current motor carrier agency was 

way too chummy with trucking, which they 

were supposed to be regulating. 

And still the trucks kept rolling. 

Finally, after much wrangling in the House 

and Senate, FMCSA was born on January 1, 

2000, “pursuant to the Motor Carrier Safety 

Improvement Act of 1999,” an article in The 

Trucker stated at the time. 

FMCSA’s purpose was to cut truck-related 

fatalities in half by 2007, although the Act said 

simply that “FMCSA’s highest priority is the 

assignment and maintenance of safety.” 

If you’ve ever wondered how the mantra, 

“safety is our No. 1 priority” or “safety is our 

highest priority,” came to be, now you know. 

Joseph M. Clapp was its first administrator, 

appointed by the president and in fact, the 

legislation that created the agency said each 

FMCSA administrator must be appointed by 

the president. Clapp was followed by Annette 

Sandberg, John Hill, Anne S. Ferro, T.F. Scott 

Darling III and now Raymond Martinez. 

Martinez faces a far different industry than 

did Clapp. Today’s trucking landscape is chock 

full of technology such as collision mitigation, 

rollover prevention, data communications, 

engine diagnostic technology, trailer tracking 

devices, onboard cameras and other datacollection 

devices, not the least of which is the 

ELD, itself. 

Qualcomm was founded in 1985, just two 

years before The Trucker began as a regional 

paper covering trucking in the ArkLaTex area. 

In August 1988, Qualcomm launched Omnitracs, 

a satellite-based data communications 


system for the transportation industry that enabled 

truck fleets to track and monitor their vehicles 

in the field. 

At the time, truckers still lined up at pay 

phones to find loads because although laptop 

computers and cell phones existed, they weren’t 

being widely used by the general public. 

Both HELP and its PrePass service can trace 

their origins to a safety demonstration program 

that also began in the ’80s. The program was 

originally known as the Crescent Project, in 

which state DOT directors and trucking executives 

sought a way to prescreen and weigh 

qualified, safe commercial trucks at highway 

speeds to provide efficiencies to both trucking 

and state enforcement agencies. 

It was not only a truck safety preclearance 

service but also a vehicle-to-infrastructure program, 

technologies that were both ahead of 

their time. 

All the while, the trucks continued to roll. 

In May 2015, Daimler Trucks North America 

introduced its Freightliner Inspiration Truck 

with autonomous technology from the Mercedes-Benz 

Future Truck introduced in Europe 

the year before. 

That grand announcement, made to press 

at the Hoover Dam and using the dam’s rocky 

39,000 meters as a background for projections 

of the new vehicle, meant the autonomous ship 

had officially sailed in the U.S. 

In actuality, however, safety technology 

such as active cruise with braking, cameras 

and radar, collision mitigation and so forth 

had been paving the way for autonomous vehicles 

long before that, Fred Andersky told The 

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and looking for a 

partnership? 

The Trucker file photo 

Annette Sandberg was the second administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. 

It was under her watch that the agency developed the first new Hours of Service 

regulations in some 40 years. 

b 30 Years from page 16 b 

Trucker this past spring. Andersky is Bendix 

director of government and industry affairs. 

The systems all work together and keep 

adding “intelligence” to commercial vehicles, 

he said. 

ZF last year partnered with Wabco to test 

Evasive Maneuver Assist, or EMA, technology 

that stopped ZF’s “Innovation Truck” before it 

hit a line of stopped vehicles, simulating a traffic 

jam. 

This past June Nikola Motor Co. designed a 

chassis from the ground up, removed the diesel 

engine and transmission and made the cab out 

of carbon fiber panels. The Nikola One has a 

335-hp electric motor and a dual gear reduction 

at every wheel in its 6x6 configuration. 

The electric motors are powered by a liquidcooled 

320 kWh, lithium-ion battery pack 

(over 30,000 lithium cells), which is charged 

by a Nikola Motor Co. turbine powered by 

natural gas or other fuel. 

Then last month Tesla introduced the muchheralded 

Tesla Semi, which will have Tesla’s 

autopilot system and can maintain a set speed 

and slow down automatically in traffic. It also 

has a system that automatically keeps the vehicle 

in its lane. Tesla plans a worldwide network 

of solar-powered “megachargers” that would 

give the trucks enough juice to travel 400 miles 

after charging for 30 minutes. Where that will 

fit in to HOS, no one is saying, although J.B. 

Hunt has preordered some of the Semis and 

Walmart says it, too, is on board. 

There’s also platooning, which several 

heavy-duty truck OEMs have been testing. It’s 

an autonomous system “enhancement” which 

enables two or more tractors to follow one another 

at closer-than-normal distances to lower 

aerodynamic drag and save fuel. The trucks are 

electronically “synched” together so that when 

one stops or slows down, the other does the 

same thing — almost simultaneously. 

How safe is it? 

For now, the jury’s still out, although platooning 

trucks are said to have a reaction time 

down to 0.2-0.3 seconds, much faster than humans 

can respond. And, proponents of these 

types of “intelligent technologies” maintain 80 

percent or more crashes are caused by human 

error, which they say autonomous vehicles will 

eliminate. 

There are many, many problems to work 

through first. For example, autonomous vehicles 

need to communicate with sensors embedded 

in roads and bridges and operating in other vehicles 

and also need to be able to see the yellow 

lines on the road in order to know where to go. 

In a country where roads and bridges are 

crumbling and infrastructure funding is scarce, 

it makes one wonder how long it will take to 

get these sensors embedded and who will pay 

for them. 

And what happens if there’s a — gasp — 

crash involved? Who’s liable if there’s no 

driver? 

Of course the question that’s top-of-mind 

for readers is where’s the driver in all of this? 

Derek Rotz, director, advanced engineering 

for DTNA, said the Inspiration “is a test bed 

for level 3 autonomous testing,” reminding us 

that for a level 3 autonomous system, the driver 

must be in the position to regain manual control 

of the vehicle when prompted and that “a 

driver is integral to the system.” 

Proponents say autonomous and driverless 

vehicles (which would be a level 4 system) 

aren’t the same thing, that with autonomous 

vehicles drivers can manage paperwork, bills 

of lading and other tasks until it’s time to take 

over the driving, leaving them more rested than 

today’s drivers. 

Andersky commented that drivers will be 

needed for a long time to come and that he isn’t 

going to let his CDL lapse anytime soon. 

Trucking has a lot of other things on its plate 

in the meantime, anyway, like ELDs, split sleeper 

berths, lack of parking, potholes, CSA, sleep 

apnea guidance, etc. You get the picture. 8 

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Perspective December 

15-31, 2017 • 18 

Letters 

Driver shortage laughable; it’s really a 

question of not being paid for work done 

I have been driving trucks for more than 

25 years and I always hear about a driver 

shortage but never seen one. Your recent article 

reported American Trucking Associations 

chief economist Bob Costello claiming 

a chronic driver shortage that currently 

approaches 50,000. This is a false narrative 

the ATA perpetuates to gain favorable political 

policies that doesn’t even pass the “laugh 

test” and is a blatant insult to every CDL 

holder. Seeking political favor is understandable. 

Pushing a lie to get it is despicable. 

When there is a shortage of something 

the price increases. That’s fundamental high 

school economics but apparently the ATA 

thinks we are all too dumb to know better. 

The price of labor is wages, benefits, vacation, 

fringe benefits, treatment, and working 

conditions. 

The shortage of registered nurses in the 

’80s was due to aging baby boomers needing 

medical care induced over two decades of 

skyrocketing wages, highly sought-after rotating 

work schedules, significant time off, a 

very high level of national awareness and increased 

respect. As a result, tens of thousands 

were attracted to the profession, including a 

much higher percentage of men then the historical 

norm. That’s how the law of supply 

and demand works. Very simple and we all 

know it. 

Anyone who has paid for a motel on a 

Tuesday and then a Saturday is well aware 

of supply and demand. Anyone who has had 

their truck towed, had road service, bought 

fuel when OPEC cuts oil production, hired 

a contractor, been to the DMV, or bought 

pharmaceuticals unfortunately understands 

the law of supply and demand all too well. 

Anyone who has worked (or knows someone) 

in the oil fields knows the good side of 

the law of supply and demand. The examples 

are endless and every reader has their own to 

add and gets the point. 

Now let’s look at the stark contrast of 

trucking: A major national carrier was recently 

sued for violating the federal minimum 

wage statute and most others border this 

threshold when factoring the real hours we 

work and are calculated for overtime requirements. 

Driver wages have remained stagnant 

for well over a decade and the recent token 

raises barely cover the rate of inflation and 

cost-of-living index for one year, let alone 

over a decade. They are as much an insult as 

a pay raise. Another major carrier pathetically 

and shamelessly rescinded a week of vacation 

time for drivers with five years tenure, 

even though due to uncontrolled turnover 

that represents only a small percentage of 

their workforce. They attempted to absolve 

themselves from moral and ethical culpability 

by claiming they were merely “going back 

to the industry standard.” Wow. At least that 

See Letters on p19 m 

FMCSA wants to study CMV drivers’ commute times 

Lyndon Finney 


Eye on 

Trucking 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 

recently issued a Federal Register notice 

that is seeking approval from the Office of 

Management and Budget for a survey about the 

amount of time a commercial vehicle operator 

should be allowed to commute to work. 

The issue of commute time came to the 

forefront in June 2014 when Kevin Roper 

slammed into the rear of a limo carrying comedian 

Tracy Morgan. 

The crash killed comedian James McNair 

and seriously injured Morgan and others. Morgan, 

a former “30 Rock” and “Saturday Night 

Live” star, suffered brain trauma, broken ribs 

and a broken leg. 

A report by federal transportation safety 

investigators said Roper was driving 65 mph 

in the 60 seconds before he slammed into the 

limo van. The speed limit on that stretch of the 

turnpike is 55 mph and was lowered to 45 mph 

that night because of construction. 

An NTSB investigation concluded in August 

that Roper hadn’t slept in the 28 hours 

before the crash. 

Roper lived in Georgia, but was based out 

of Delaware. 

Officials said he spent a portion of the 28 

hours commuting from Georgia to Delaware 

People seem to think it’s about Hours of 

Service. It’s not, it’s about constantly being 

monitored like a criminal or a child. I can’t 

lie: There are a lot of steering wheel holders 

these days that need this. They need to 

be babysat. Some of us, though, have been 

doing this for a number of years and have 

millions, yes plural, millions of safe miles. 

We don’t need this. It’s a joke. 

— Nathan Hoff 

to pick up his load. 

There is no way he could have been in 

physical or mental shape to drive a truck for 

another 11 hours. 

The FMCSA is proposing a survey to inquire 

about driver commuting practices to fulfill 

Section 5515 of the Fixing America’s Surface 

Transportation Act, 2015 (FAST Act). 

Section 5515 of the FAST Act requires 

FMCSA to conduct a study on the safety effects 

of motor carrier operator commutes exceeding 

150 minutes. 

The agency is proposing to receive comments 

on the proposal on or before January 26, 2018. 

The survey would include the number and 

percentage of drivers who commute, the distances 

traveled, time zones crossed, time spent 

commuting, and methods of transportation used; 

research on the impact of excessive commuting 

on safety and CMV driver fatigue; and the commuting 

practices of CMV drivers and policies of 

motor carriers. 

The administrator would submit a report to 

Congress containing the findings of the study. 

The FMCSA said the survey would require a 

one-time response per commercial vehicle operator, 

with an estimated total of 500 respondents 

(250 each of freight drivers and passenger bus 

drivers). 

In its request, the agency noted that in the 

past two decades, as the number of workers has 

increased and the distance to affordable housing 

has also increased in most metropolitan 

areas, commuting times have increased in the 

United States. 

Truckers from all across the U.S. took time out December 4 to 

protest the mandated use of ELDs. Did you participate? Tell us 

why or why not and if you are for or against the mandate. 

I’ve spent 10 years or so on them and 

I haven’t had a problem. They don’t bother 

me. I was pulled over by the DOT; he wanted 

to see my last seven days. Boom! There it 

was on the screen. But I also get why people 

don’t want them. I think, like all things, 

changes are coming, whether we want 

them or not. 

— Sam Spade 

According to the 2015 Urban Mobility 

Scorecard, travel delays because of traffic congestion 

caused drivers to waste more than 3 billion 

gallons of fuel and kept travelers stuck in 

their cars for nearly 7 billion extra hours (42 

hours per rush-hour commuter). 

The FMCSA said the objective of the proposed 

survey would be to learn more about the 

following CMV driver characteristics: 

• Work history 

• Commuting time, transportation mode, 

and recording of that time 

• Driving schedules 

• Rests and breaks 

• Miles driven annually, and 

• Demographics. 

The FMCSA said long commuting times can 

adversely affect CMV drivers in multiple ways. 

The agency cited two examples: 

Compromising off-duty time. Long commuting 

times can reduce a driver’s available 

off-duty time for sleep and personal activities. 

This can lead to excessive fatigue while 

on duty, creating safety concerns for both the 

CMV driver and others on the roads. 

Impacting driver health. A recent study was 

conducted that monitored 4,297 adults from 12 

metropolitan Texas counties. In this region, 90 

percent of people commute to work. The study 

found that the drivers who have long commuting 

times were more likely to have poor cardiovascular 

health and be less physically fit. This study 

showed that people who commute long distances 

to work weigh more, are less physically active, 

and have higher blood pressure. 8 

I did not know there were any protests 

today. I lease my truck onto a small company 

with 67 owner-operators. They just had 

us put them in our trucks November 1. As a 

business, I’ve had a couple issues already, 

but it’s still too early to note a business impact. 

I do feel like a prisoner, one who cannot 

make an intelligent decision. The settings 

are set way too high; you cannot even 

move the truck. Any movement is logged as 

on-duty, on-duty yard move, drive, or offduty. 

They can’t be changed any more [than 

that]. 

— Kevin Tobin

thetrucker.com 

Perspective December 15-31, 2017 • 19 

b Letters from page 18 b 

furthers my argument. Thanks. The major 

company’s own written policies state when 

there is a problem such as shop time or cancelled 

loads, drivers must volunteer 48 hours 

of their life sitting a thousand or so miles 

from home before any pay is given. 

Why are the civil attorneys not pouncing 

on that massive class action opportunity? 

About half or more of our days are spent 

dodging and compensating for horrible drivers 

on dilapidated roads that almost make a 

rodeo horse feel comfortable only to show 

up at a customer and often get treated like a 

third-class citizen. 

The time-off policy in OTR trucking is 

nothing short of inhumane at best and frequently 

highly destructive to a driver’s physical 

and mental health, as well as their dignity 

and relationships. The evidence is not 

hard to find, just look around. You’ll be hard 

pressed to find any occupation with a work/ 

life imbalance comparable to trucking. Even 

those who wish to exercise find it nearly impossible 

to find time, yet there’s a token push 

in the industry for driver fitness that’s almost 

laughable. Many people outside of trucking 

question how such labor abuse including no 

pay for so much of our time working is even 

legal? Good question. My only answer is 

that CDL has come to mean “Cancel Decent 

Life.” 

The struggle against the pervasive labor 

abuses in trucking is such that despite nearly 

a complete lack of issue advocacy, some 

states have implemented hourly pay laws 

to offset labor abuses, which of course the 

trucking industry is fighting to have reversed 

using the catchphrase excuse of “patchwork 

legislation” as their rallying cry. I guess the 

long-standing “patchwork legislation” for 

bridge law isn’t a problem for the ATA because 

it affects drivers and not stockholders. 

Thanks to a freight rate “race to the bottom,” 

tens of thousands of drivers must and 

are expected by their companies to work illegally, 

unsafely and like robots, often fighting 

cumulative sleep deprivation and fatigue 

due to 100-hour work weeks responsible for 

crashes and massive turnover just to earn a 

barely living wage working for companies 

that ironically pay good lip service to highway 

safety. Many become caffeine and/or 

nicotine addicts in order to cope. That’s all 

a far cry from what happens in a workforce 

shortage. 

If there were a driver shortage even a 

fraction of the figure Mr. Costello reports, 

there would be hundreds of thousands of 

loads per month that would not get moved, 

causing manufacturing delays and massive 

merchandise shortages at the retail level. It 

would be a national disaster and dominate 

the news. The fierce competition for getting 

freight hauled would cause an immediate 

spike in freight rates and trucking companies 

would necessarily increase driver wages and 

improve working conditions to maintain or 

get more market share or lose their drivers to 

the companies that did so, none of which is 

even remotely happening. 

In fact, drivers are being pushed harder for 

more profit as if urinating in bottles to save 

time isn’t an indication enough is enough. 

We’re forced to eat unhealthy fast food 

while we drive or choose between a sit-down 

meal or a shower, and often can get neither. 

We see so many trucks dangerously “drag 

racing” on their speed governors, blocking 

the passing lane in attempts to free up some 

time to get out of the truck due to forced dispatch 

software that does not take into account 

all of the problems and delays we encounter. 

Safety and human dignity be damned! 

The real-world evidence I’ve outlined and 

of which drivers are well aware, unequivocally 

proves not only is there not a driver 

shortage there is an over-supply of drivers. 

As most know, this has been induced primarily 

by the exponential loss of manufacturing 

jobs over several decades. 

Trucking companies can correctly claim 

individually that they have a driver shortage 

because they have empty trucks, and 

the more drivers they have the more loads 

they can book, but that does not translate 

into a shortage across the industry, which is 

currently, and much to the driver’s dismay, 

subject to the free market law of supply and 

demand. 

I would apologize if this high school economics 

lesson rains on the ATA’s bulls*** 

parade but I won’t because I’m not. I will 

never apologize for the truth nor refrain from 

speaking it. 

Mr. Costello did correctly outline the 

things it would take to attract drivers such as 

increased pay, more time off and better working 

conditions (specifically the way we are 

treated), so it baffles me how he recognizes 

the law of supply and demand on one end of 

the equation but not the other. 

I know my sentiments do not reflect those 

of every driver, but I’ve been around long 

enough to know they represent most, at least 

in large part. Unfortunately, many drivers 

have never known another life and are not 

even aware of the extent to which they are 

being taken advantage of. It’s no secret how 

much truck drivers complain, just ask anyone 

who has talked to one, but the profession 

isn’t one big bitching session because we are 

all genetically predisposed, but rather because 

we have been pushed beyond the limit 

and the push-back is coming. 

Fortunately, some recent high-profile media 

attention has made some equally highprofile 

members of Congress aware of the labor 

problems the aforementioned “race to the 

bottom” has induced. (Yes, I know that’s port 

trucking but there are many people working 

to extrapolate the awareness to OTR), and 

we may finally see some long overdue positive 

changes for a large and legally underrepresented 

class of workers who keep the 

entire economy moving but have been marginalized 

as subhumans. 

— Darren Aberson 8 

Got an opinion on a key 

trucking issue? 

Send it online to: 


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7/27/17 10:10 AM

20 

AT 

THE TRUCK STOP 

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Being safety-minded has served seasoned trucker 

Norman Breland well in his career 

Story and photo 

by Aprille Hanson 

Special to The Trucker 

aprilleh@thetrucker.com 

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Trucker 

Norman Breland still finds the awe-inspiring 

Hoover Dam and what is just around the bend 

from it, one of his favorite sights on the road. 

“You can’t go over it in the big truck anymore 

but back in the ’90s you could. And 

like 2 o’clock in the morning you round that 

curve that lets you go over the Hoover Dam 

and you come over the hill and then you see 

Las Vegas just lit up, all the lights of Vegas.” 

The freedom and seeing sights around the 

country is why Breland jumped into trucking 

in the first place. That was 27 years ago, 

and the 50-year-old driver from Purvis, Mississippi, 

was going through his first week of 

orientation as an owner-operator for Oakley 

Trucking out of North Little Rock, Arkansas, 

when The Trucker caught up with him at the 

TA/Petro truck stop in North Little Rock, 

Arkansas, now called the Idella M. Hansen 

Stopping Center. 

“Excited, nervous; I’ll be taking on a lot 

more responsibility,” he said. “I’m most excited 

about being able to go home when I 

want to and make the money that I make; I’m 

making it for me and nobody else.” 

Breland bought a 2015 International ProStar 

and will pull a pneumatic trailer, hauling 

grain or whatever is needed. He has traveled 

the lower 48 and into Canada. 

“I grew up on a farm driving trucks and 

tractors” in Mississippi, he said. “You have 

to be very safety conscious, especially 

around combines, when you’re harvesting.” 

That same safety-minded attitude has 

served Breland well in his career, particularly 

in bad weather. When he was 19 years old, he 

was caught in an ice storm in Salt Lake City. 

“We had to sleep on the interstate and 

that was crazy,” he said. “Once we got to 

the truck stop it was so cold, it was like -40 

[with the] wind chill. It was crazy cold and 

the truck kept gelling up, the diesel fuel was 

freezing and wouldn’t run. That was the most 

miserable trip ever.” 

Breland said the longest traffic back-up 

he’s experienced was actually not in his rig. 

“I’ll tell you what, the worst traffic was Katrina, 

when Katrina hit New Orleans,” he said 

of the hurricane that hit in 2005. “I was working 

in New Orleans and I was trying to get 

home. It’s usually an hour and a half drive and 

it took me six and a half hours. And that was 

in my car; I wasn’t even in my truck … it was 

just everyone trying to evacuate New Orleans.” 

The trucking industry is ever evolving, 

different than it was more than 20 years ago 

when Breland chose this career. 

“People are not as friendly as they used to 

be. It used to be if you saw somebody broke 

down you could stop and help them. Now 

you don’t know if it’s a trap,” he said. “… 

There’s no communication anymore.” 

To get away from it all, Breland enjoys 

hiking and kayaking with his wife and three 

adult children in Tennessee and out West. 

Some of his favorite trips have been hiking 

at the Grand Canyon, the North Cascades 

in Washington state and whitewater rafting 

on the Ocoee River in Tennessee. “We liked 

whitewater rafting there and kayaking down 

the creeks,” he said, adding his dream hike 

would be the Appalachian Trail. 

For now, the latest adventure is being an 

owner-operator and Breland said he hopes to 

stay in the industry another 10 to 15 years. 8

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Dorothy Cox 


Women In Trucking’s November Member of 

the Month Sherri Squier never in her wildest 

dreams intended to go into trucking. 

Instead, the CEO of All State Express in 

Kernersville, North Carolina, believed she had 

found her true calling as a nurse. 

“I have always been a person who loves 

helping others,” she said, adding that she was 

always close to her maternal grandmother who 

“taught me so much, and to be kind, gentle and 

a hard worker and honest person.” Always treat 

others as you would want to be treated, her 

grandmother told her, and she took it to heart. 

Nursing seemed a no-brainer since Squier 

loved anything related to the medical field 

and math. She took health occupation classes 

in high school, working as a Certified Nursing 

Assistant both during high school and college. 

Ending up as a nurse manager for an infusion 

therapy company, which sent nurses to treat 

critically ill cancer and transplant patients in 

their homes, Squier learned firsthand the true 

meaning of “time-sensitive.” These patients’ 

medicines had to be administered by needle or 

catheter because they were so seriously ill they 

couldn’t be treated with oral medications. 

“There was no exception for the medications 

to not be delivered on time,” Squier said, and 

it wasn’t cost-effective for the nurses to drive 

back to Winston-Salem from patients’ homes 

to pick up their medications. 

“Everything had a sense of urgency,” she said. 

So she took it upon herself “to provide a 

The Women In Trucking Association is a nonprofit organization 

focused on the transportation and logistics industry. Our mission? 

To encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, 

promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by 

women working in the trucking industry. WIT is proudly headed up 

by President and CEO Ellen Voie. 

quality, reliable, trustworthy service for timecritical 

medications.” 

Hence, All State Express started out as a 

medical courier service in February 1996. 

“I was filling a need in a niche business,” she 

said. They then reached out to the American 

Red Cross to handle their expedited deliveries, 

picking up from North Carolina branches 

and delivering to all the region’s hospitals. In 

addition, “we managed the Winston-Salem/ 

Durham blood bank shuttles as a dedicated 

route five days a week with a Duke Hospital 

pharmacy route five days a week.” 

As the medical courier business continued to 

grow, she felt more confident to leave nursing 

behind and dedicate herself to the expediting 

business fulltime. 

The company was incorporated in in 1998 and 

expanded into the expedited segment in 2001. 

They now have a fleet of 200 units, including 

“tractor-trailers and straight trucks equipped 

with DOT sleeper berths and Sprinter vans and 

cargo vans also with sleepers,” Squier said. 

All State Express now handles automotive 

and heavy truck, manufacturing, energy and 

utilities, aerospace and defense, chemicals, 

packaging and paper and consumer goods as 

well as pharmaceuticals and healthcare-related 

products and has been recognized by Inbound 

Logistics as a Top 100 Carrier since 2010 and 

as one of the 50 fastest-growing companies in 

the North Carolina Triad area in 2012 and 2013. 

Their drivers haul to the lower 48 states 

and Canada, and Squier said although drivers 

don’t often make it into the office unless it’s for 

orientation, she keeps in touch through e-mail 

and social media websites such as Facebook. 

It should be noted that Squier claims a “Type 

A” personality and said she can be obsessivecompulsive 

about her work. “If I set my mind 

to something, I will watch it go through to 

fruition, no matter how hard I have to work to 

accomplish it.” 

And although she didn’t know anything 

about the trucking industry in the beginning, “I 

understood logistically how to manage deliveries 

from the medical side,” she said, being very 

“hands-on” and asking questions constantly — 

doing whatever it took to educate herself. 

Plus she found her college minor in business 

came in very handy. 

“I used to always joke about the fact that I 

had a minor in business from Gardner-Webb 

University [Boiling Springs, North Carolina] 

and that I didn’t know why other than I loved 

math,” she noted. “In the end, God has a bigger 

plan for us and I ended up utilizing that degree 

more than my nursing degree.” 

Squier welcomes the help Women In 

Trucking has provided and said now is a better 

time than ever to enter the trucking industry 

and it’s “becoming a better time to be a woman 

entering the industry, and we intend to be 

leaders in both areas by accelerating our growth 

and working diligently as an organization to be 

a good place to work for all genders.” 

“The WIT organization is going further to 

help us and other trucking companies attract 

women into the office, operations, sales and 

driver roles” with WIT’s training programs and 

their push for better and safer accommodations 

for women truck drivers, she said. 

Squier and her husband Spencer — who 

helped her launch the expedite business — 

live in Winston-Salem and are the parents of a 

son, Brandon, 26, who works in the company’s 

operations department, and twin girls,13. 

They are active members of Center 

Grove Baptist Church in Clemmons, North 

Carolina. 8


Help, my son wants to buy a house with 

his roommate. I don’t think this is such a 

good idea but wanted to ask if this is something 

you would recommend. 

I would not oppose the purchase if, and 

only if, they are using it as a business to rent 

the house to a tenant. If this is a business 

deal, it becomes an asset and they should 

incorporate their business to protect themselves. 

This would be no different than you 

and I going together to buy a truck and hiring 

someone to drive it. 

Buying a home with his roommate to live 

in has a whole other set of concerns, if the 

buyers are not married. If they are married 

then there are laws to protect them from 

each other in case of a divorce. A judge will 

determine who gets the house, who pays 

for the house and who owes the outstanding 

debts. There is no legal support for those 

unmarried persons who buy a home together 

unless they have a contract that addresses all 

those issues. 

I can understand why your son wants to 

purchase a house. Buying a home has advantages 

over renting such as the mortgage 

interest and property tax deductions on income 

taxes. Rents are climbing now, which 

makes buying a home even more tempting. If 

you consider the current low interest rates it 

makes some people feel they must act now or 

lose the opportunity to purchase. 

Issues your son should consider before he 

buys a home with his roommate are splitting 

costs. How will they split the down payment, 

the taxes, utilities and of course the always 

present repair and maintenance of the home? 

Who makes the most money may be stuck 

paying a larger share even if the other one 

does the repairs like plumbing, roof or even 

mowing the lawn. Will they accept the work 

of one as equal to the money of the other? If 

the contributions are unequal then should the 

home ownership be unequal also? 

How will they hold title to the property? 

Will the title be in one person’s name, will it 

be as tenants in common, or even joint tenants 

with rights of survivorship? If the property 

is in one person’s name that person owns 

the house, then the roommate becomes just a 

renter. Everything else could be the same but 

one person is responsible for the home and all 

its debts. 

Tenants in common is another way to own 

the property. This type of ownership allows the 

two or more tenants to own equal or unequal 

percentages of the property with the debts of 

the property flowing to those percentages. 

The concern with the tenants in common 

ownership is if one of the owners dies, their 

part of the property passes to their heirs. The 

Perspective December 15-31, 2017 • 23 

Buying house with roommate may be 

tricky unless they rent it out to tenant 

Jim Klepper 

exclusive to the trucker 

Ask the 

Attorney 

problem is that the heirs may not want to own 

the property with the remaining original owner 

having to either buy out the heirs or put the 

whole property up for sale. 

Joint tenants allows the full title of the 

property, upon the death of one of the joint 

tenants, to pass to the remaining tenant 

without probate. A home is a very big asset 

and unmarried people may not want to leave 

that large an asset upon their passing, while 

married people like the joint tenant since it 

passes the property to the spouse without 

probate. 

What happens if one of the roommates 

moves out for any reason? It depends on 

who stays with the house, who “owns” the 

house, and if the person moving away will 

still be responsible for the debts of the property. 

Should the person moving out fail to 

pay their share of the debts on the property 

such as mortgage or taxes, then the other 

owner is responsible for all of them and can 

try to collect from the one who moved out. 

This is similar to co-signing for a loan with 

another person. The bank does not care who 

pays but will sue both people if they are not 

paid. 

My suggestion is to have your son and 

his roommate sign a pre-purchase contract 

that will address all of the following (this 

list is not complete but just an example of 

things the contract should address). Decide 

how to hold the title, the mortgage and who 

pays it if one moves out; if they are no longer 

roommates the property should be either 

sold immediately or refinanced, if possible, 

with only the one name on the title, who 

pays the real estate fee if sold or the refinancing 

fees. The more things you consider 

the better it will be if something doesn’t go 

as planned. Real life is not always “and they 

lived happily ever after” you see in the Disney 

movies, so you must plan ahead. Hire a 

real estate or property lawyer now while it 

is cheap to write your pre-purchase contract, 

because hiring a lawyer to split up property 

when the two sides are fighting costs so 

much more. 

Or they could just marry and let a divorce 

lawyer work it out later if they break up. 

Jim C. Klepper is president of Interstate 

Trucker Ltd., a law firm dedicated to legal 

defense of the nation’s commercial drivers. 

Interstate Trucker represents truck drivers 

throughout the 48 states on both moving and 

non-moving violations. He is also president 

of Drivers Legal Plan, which allows member 

drivers access to his firm’s services at 

discounted rates. A former prosecutor, he is 

also a registered pharmacist, with considerable 

experience in alcohol and drug related 

cases. He is a lawyer that has focused on 

transportation law and the trucking industry 

in particular. He works to answer your legal 

questions about trucking and life over-theroad 

and has his CDL. 

For more information contact (800) 

333-DRIVE (3748) or interstatetrucker.com 

and driverslegalplan.com. 8

24 • December 15-31, 2017 Perspective 

thetrucker.com

Business 

December 15-31, 2017 • 25 

ATA’s Truck Tonnage Index (Seasonally Adjusted; 2000=100) 

145.0 

140.0 

135.0 

130.0 

125.0 

120.0 

117.5 

OCT - 12 

JAN - 13 

APR - 13 

JUL - 13 

OCT - 13 

JAN - 14 

APR - 14 

JUL - 14 

OCT - 14 

JAN - 15 

APR - 15 

JUL - 15 

OCT - 15 

JAN - 16 

APR - 16 

JUL - 16 

OCT - 16 

JAN - 17 

APR - 17 

JUL - 17 

OCT - 17 

Daseke adds three ‘top-tier’ flatbed, 

specialized carriers to growing family 


ADDISON, Texas – Daseke Inc., the leading 

consolidator and largest flatbed and specialized 

transportation company in North America, 

announced December 4 it has added three toptier 

flatbed and specialized carriers to its family 

of companies. 

The three carriers are Tennessee Steel 

Haulers & Co. (TSH & Co.), The Roadmaster 

Group and Moore Freight Service. 

Daseke president and CEO Don Daseke 

called the additions a “significant milestone” 

that raises the company’s fleet size; total revenue; 

and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, 

and amortization (EBITDA). 

“We’ve added three exceptional organizations 

to our family of operating companies focused 

on unique sectors with promising growth 

characteristics,” Daseke said. “We are very 

proud to be consistent in our flatbed and specialized 

focus, while adhering to our conservative 

risk management philosophy to achieve 

the growth goals that we presented to the market 

when we became a public company this 

past February.” 

See Daseke on p29 m 

The Trucker: KLINT LOWRY 

Cass Information Systems says the trucking industry provides one of the more reliable 

reads on the pulse of the economy because it gives clues about the health of both the manufacturing 

and retail sectors. 

Tonnage index rises 3.3% in October 

over September, up 9.9% over 2016 

Lyndon Finney 


ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Trucking 

Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted 

(SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index rose 3.3 

percent in October, following a 1.9 percent decline 

during September. In October, the index 

equaled 147.6 (2000=100), up from 142.9 in 

September. 

Compared with October 2016, the SA index 

surged 9.9 percent, which was the largest yearover-year 

increase since December 2013. 

In September, the index increased 6.3 percent 

on a year-over-year basis. Year-to-date, 

compared with the same 10 months in 2016, 

the index is up 3.1 percent. 

ATA also revised its September decline in 

the index down to a 1.9 percent drop from the 

previously reported 0.9 percent decrease. 

The not seasonally adjusted index, which 

represents the change in tonnage actually 

hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, 

equaled 151 in October, which was 5.1 

See Tonnage on p29 m 

Courtesy: DASEKE 

Daseke Inc. has added glass-hauling specialist Moore Freight Service to its family of companies, 

along with The Roadmaster Group and Tennessee Steel Haulers and Co., the company 

announced December 4. 

October sees continued positive outcomes in 

shipment volume, freight, consumer spending 


ST. LOUIS — Both the Cass Information 

Systems Shipments and Expenditures Indexes 

extended their run of positive year-over-year 

comparisons during October, the latest month 

for which data is available at press time. 

Shipment volume turned positive 11 

months ago, while expenditures turned positive 

10 months ago. 

“Throughout the U.S. economy, we are continuing 

to see a growing number of data points 

suggesting that the economy continues to get 

incrementally better,” the Cass report said. 

“The 2.9 percent year-over-year increase in the 

October Cass Shipments Index is yet another 

data point which confirms that the first positive 

indication in last October [before the election] 

was a change in trend. In fact, it now looks as 

if the October 2016 Cass Shipments Index, 

which broke a string of 20 months in negative 

territory, was one of the first indications that a 

recovery in freight had begun.” 

Cass said the October 2017 shipments index 

surpassed three of the last four Octobers 

and was in line with the recent record high October 

established in 2014 (the previous record 

was set in 2007). 

“We should point out that 2014 was during 

an extraordinarily strong freight market overall 

and was before the industrial recession, which 

started in December 2014, had begun,” the report 

said. 

Although more positive than May and June, 

the October year-over-year percentage change 

looks less encouraging because the freight recovery 

started in the second half of 2016, Cass 

said. 

The report noted that data continue to suggest 

that the consumer is finally starting to 

spend a little, albeit not with brick and mortar 

retailers. 

It also suggests that, with the surge in the 

price of crude in October of last year, the indus- 

See Cass on p29 m

26 • December 15-31, 2017 Business 

Courtesy: HORNADY TRANSPORTATION 

In addition to regular compensation, Hornady 

drivers such as John Bridgwaters 

also receive over-dimension, holiday and 

clean-inspection pay, accrue merchandise 

in a company rewards program and receive 

bonuses for referring drivers and customers 

to the company. 

Hornady increases per-mile pay for current 

and new-hire drivers and ups incentive wages 


MONROEVILLE, Ala. — Hornady, a Daseke 

company, is increasing per-mile pay for 

both current and new-hire drivers and increasing 

other incentives to further enhance what is 

already one of the industry’s top compensation 

and benefits packages, according to a recent 

news release. 

The move comes just two weeks after Hornady, 

a specialist in flatbed hauling, announced 

it will guarantee drivers a minimum weekly 

pay of $1,000. 

Under the new schedule, drivers hired with 

at least 36 months driving experience will receive 

53 cents a mile, up from 49 cents a mile. 

Starting rates for drivers with less experience 

were also increased. On a driver’s anniversary 

date, he or she will receive penny-a-mile increases, 

up to a cap of 56 cents a mile. 

Drivers already with Hornady will also 

benefit from the new pay schedule, with an immediate 

increase for current drivers from 52 

cents per mile to 54 cents. They, too, will see 

increases on each anniversary until they reach 

the 56-cent cap. 

Chris Hornady, CEO, said the increases are 

part of a driver-centric operating philosophy to 

recognize their contributions to the company’s 

success and growth. 

“We are increasing our pay to attract experienced 

drivers with a strong work ethic,” Hornady 

said. “We’re a growing company with an 

expanding fleet of 270 trucks, and we need to 

recruit the industry’s best drivers. These pay increases 

will help us do that. We also want to reward 

our experienced drivers who have helped 

make this company what it is today.” 

This pay increase is in addition to previous 

increases which included tarp pay, layover pay, 

detention pay and breakdown pay. 

Hornady drivers also receive over-dimension, 

holiday and clean-inspection pay, accrue 

merchandise in a company rewards program 

and receive bonuses for referring drivers and 

customers to the company. New drivers receive 

a $2,500 sign-on bonus and orientation 

pay (recently increased to $1,000). They will 

also receive a $4,000 grant in the Daseke stock 

ownership program. 

Drivers interested in joining the Hornady 

team can visit drivehornady.com. 

Hornady Transportation was founded in 

1928. Operating east of the Rockies, Hornady 

supports building products and steel industries. 

In 2015, Hornady merged with Daseke Inc., 

the largest owner of flatbed, open-deck and 

specialty trucking capacity in North America 

and serving the United States, Canada, and 

Mexico. Hornady operates a fleet of 270 late 

model trucks and 375 flatbed trailers. 8 

Great 

equipment 

2015 or newer 


Same-dealer used truck sales 

volumes continue upward as 

October best showing so far 

THE TRUCKER NEWS SERVICES 

COLUMBUS, Ind. — Class 8 same-dealer 

used truck sales volumes continued their upward 

climb in October with the best month of 

2017 thus far. 

October volumes increased 12 percent 

month-over-month, up 37 percent from October 

last year, according to the latest release of 

the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used 

Trucks, published by ACT Research. 

“Compared to the 10 months of last year, the 

year-to-date volume gap widened to 21 percent,” 

said Steve Tam, vice president at ACT Research. 

“A look at the individual market segments reveals 

strong growth in the auction and wholesale 

segments, while the retail market held steady.” 

Dealers are reporting that used truck sales 

appear are better than expected, but there is still 

an oversupply of trucks. 

“Used vocational trucks, such as dump 

trucks and heavy-haul tractors, continue to 

bring a good profit,” Tam said. “These trucks 

were in short supply before the hurricanes hit, 

and are now needed for both the additional 

cleanup work and as replacements for the 

trucks damaged during the storms.” 

The report from ACT provides data on the 

average selling price, miles and age based on a 

sample of industry data. 8 


Business December 15-31, 2017 • 27 

Pilot Flying J opens travel centers 

in five locations around the country 


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Pilot Flying J 

has recently opened Pilot Travel Centers in 

five locations — Rhome, Texas; Rochester, 

Indiana; Kansas City, Missouri; Bensenville, 

Illinois; and Tehachapi, California. 

The travel center features full amenities 

for area residents and the traveling public, 

while adding approximately 40 local jobs and 

other economic benefits to the community. 

“We’re thrilled to serve these communities 

and contribute to the local economy with 

our new travel center,” said Ken Parent, president 

of Pilot Flying J. “Both local residents 

and those traveling along the nation’s highways 

will be able to enjoy the convenience 

and amenities of those locations.” 

The Rhome location is at 8221 Highway 

287 and is Pilot Flying J’s 70th location in 

Texas. It is expected to contribute $2.1 million 

annually in state and local tax revenues. 

The Rhome facility amenities include 

eight gasoline fueling positions and six diesel 

lanes with high-speed pumps for quicker 

refueling; PJ Fresh, fast casual food offerings, 

including PJ Fresh Pizza, soup, sandwiches 

and hot dogs; public laundry; Western 

Union; premium coffee and cappuccino 

selections; and everyday products for quick 

shopping needs. 

The new facility at Rochester is located 

at Highway 31 and Highway 25 and is Pilot 

Flying J’s 41st location in Indiana. It is expected 

to contribute $3.4 million annually in 

state and local tax revenues. 

Amenities at the Rochester location include 

10 gasoline fueling positions and 

five diesel lanes with high-speed pumps for 

quicker refueling; PJ Fresh, fast casual food 

offerings, including PJ Fresh Pizza, soup, 

sandwiches and hot dogs; public laundry; 

Dunkin’ Donuts; Western Union; premium 

coffee and cappuccino selections; and everyday 

products for quick shopping needs. 

The Kansas City facility located at 8801 

NE Birmingham Road is Pilot Flying J’s 24th 

location in Missouri. It is expected to contribute 

$1.5 million annually in state and local 

tax revenues. 

Amenities at Kansas City include 10 gasoline 

fueling positions and six diesel lanes 

with high-speed pumps for quicker refueling; 

PJ Fresh, providing fast casual food offerings 

such as PJ Fresh Pizza, soup, sandwiches and 

hot dogs; public laundry; Western Union; 

premium coffee and cappuccino selections; 

and everyday products. 

The new Bensenville facility is located 

Courtesy: PILOT FLYING J 

The new Rhome, Texas, facility is expected 

to contribute $2.1 million to the local economy. 

at 1050 Illinois Route 83 and will be Pilot 

Flying J’s 47th location in Illinois. IT is expected 

to contribute $3.8 million annually in 

state and local tax revenues. 

This Pilot Travel Center offers many 

amenities, including 12 gasoline fueling positions 

and six diesel lanes with high-speed 

pumps for quicker refueling; PJ Fresh offerings, 

Western Union; driver’s lounge; and 

store. 

This Flying J Travel Center in Tehachapi is 

the 22nd location in California and is expected 

to all $5.4 million to the local economy. 

It’s located at 1668 East Tehachapi Boulevard 

and will offer the following amenities: 

16 gasoline fueling positions, two RV fueling 

lanes and nine diesel lanes with high-speed 

pumps for quicker refueling; PJ Fresh fast 

food, Wendy’s; Cinnabon; public laundry; 

Western Union; driver’s lounge; premium 

coffee and cappuccino selections and store. 

Customers can download the myPilot app 

to receive a 3¢ gas or auto diesel discount at 

any Pilot location. Customers can also take 

advantage of free offers and discounts when 

using the myOffers feature on the myPilot 

app. Simply download the app, create an account 

or log in, and start saving. 

The combined network of more than 750 

Pilot and Flying J Travel Centers across 

North America serves more than 1.3 million 

customers daily. 

The Pilot Flying J network provides drivers 

with access to more than 70,000 parking 

spaces for trucks, 4,900 showers and more 

than 5,000 diesel lanes offering Diesel Exhaust 

Fluid (DEF) at the pump. Pilot Flying J 

is currently ranked No. 15 on Forbes’ list of 

America’s Largest Private Companies. Visit 

www.pilotflyingj.com for more information. 

For more information on Pilot Flying J, 

visit pilotflyingj.com. 8 

• Expanding Our Reefer Fleet • Work for the shipper 

• Priority Loads from Cargill Plants 

• 100% Owner-Operator Fleet • Sign-on Bonus 

• Settlements Processed Twice Weekly 

• Year round Freight available • Fleet Owners Welcome 

New Mid-West Regional Opportunities! 

• Looking for Owner Operators 

with 2 years OTR experience 

• We Have Fleet Owners 

Looking for drivers 

• Base Plate Program available 

Sign On 

TOday


Daimler names David Carson to head 

Western Star; Platt gets promotion 


Courtesy: DTNA 

DAVID CARSON 

Recruiting Area 

Terminals 


PORTLAND, Ore. — Daimler Trucks 

North America said December 5 that David 

Carson, president of Freightliner Custom Chassis 

Corporation (FCCC), has been appointed 

president of Western Star Trucks and chief diversity 

officer of DTNA. 

Carson succeeds Kelley Platt, who has been 

promoted within the Daimler AG global organization 

to president and CEO of Daimler’s 

truck joint venture Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive 

Co. Ltd. in China. 

“While we will miss Kelley’s leadership 

and her significant contributions as a member 

of the Daimler Trucks North America Operating 

Committee, we are confident that David’s 

dedication and proven track record as a leader 

position him well as the new leader of Western 

Star as we look to the future for the vocational 

truck brand,” said Roger Nielsen, president and 

CEO of Daimler Trucks North America. 

In his role leading the Western Star team and 

the strategic direction for the company’s commitment 

to diversity and inclusion, Carson will 

become a member of the company’s operating 

committee. Carson was appointed president of 

FCCC in 2015, where he oversaw engineering, 

operations, and sales and marketing for DTNA’s 

chassis business. 

Under his leadership, FCCC continued its 

development of product offerings and enhancements 

in the school bus, RV and walk-in van segments, 

leading to record performance in 2016. 

He also led efforts to invest in and expand on the 

brand’s operations, including construction of a 

new logistics center and chassis loading facility. 

Carson has served in a variety of leadership 

roles, most recently as the company’s general 

manager of human resources, responsible for 

all human resource matters, including negotiations 

with labor unions. Prior to joining DTNA 

in 2001, Carson built extensive experience leading 

operations for an automotive supplier and a 

global technology company. 

In Platt’s new role as president and CEO of 

Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive Co. Ltd., 

she will report to Sven Ennerst, truck board 

member for procurement, research and development, 

and also newly appointed for China. 

“Kelley’s leadership and dedication to our 

customers and to continuously improve will 

continue to be integrated into our company as 

we move forward,” Nielsen said. “We wish her 

the best of luck in China where she will bring a 

wealth of experience with her.” 

Under Platt’s leadership, Western Star has 

set sales and market share records. From 2010 

to 2015, Platt served as the president and CEO 

of Thomas Built Buses (TBB) in High Point, 

North Carolina. While she was there, TBB attained 

leadership of the North American school 

bus market. During her stint at TBB, Platt was 

the recipient of the Manufacturing Institute’s 

prestigious STEP Award, recognizing outstanding 

women in the manufacturing industry who 

exemplify leadership within their companies. 

Platt started at Daimler in 1989 as a manager 

in the treasury department. She founded 

the Business Excellence Group in 2006, and 

has been a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion 

both for DTNA and on the larger global 

Daimler landscape. 8 

KELLEY PLATT 

Courtesy: DTNA 

Courtesy: FTR 

AVERY VISE 

Veteran trucking writer 

Avery Vise named VP, 

trucking research, at FTR 


BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Veteran trucking 

journalist Avery Vise has joined FTR as vice 

president, trucking research. 

He will be responsible for the content of 

all trucking-oriented reports, publications and 

analyses and will also work to further develop 

ongoing relationships with customers, carriers, 

OEMs, publications, suppliers and financial 

groups. 

Vise is a well-known figure in the transportation 

industry. He has closely studied transportation 

for more than 30 years as an editor, 

analyst and researcher, including nearly 20 

years dedicated to the trucking industry. 

“We are excited to have Avery join the FTR 

team,” said Eric Starks, chairman and CEO of 

FTR. “We have been looking to grow our internal 

research capabilities, and to focus on communicating 

this research more effectively to 

our customers and the industry. Avery’s experience 

as a transportation analyst and journalist 

makes him well qualified to lead this initiative. 

Avery also brings a winning attitude and exceptional 

leadership skills that will continue to fuel 

FTR’s growth in the marketplace.” 

Immediately prior to joining FTR, Vise was 

president of TransComply, a firm that assists 

trucking operations with regulatory compliance 

and best practices in freight contracting. 

He also was principal of TransAdvise, in 

which he provided research, analysis, and consulting 

on the North American transportation 

market, duties that will now be done within 

FTR. 

Vise is a frequent speaker at industry events 

and on SiriusXM. 

Previously, he served as executive director 

of trucking research and analysis for a publishing 

company from 2011-2013 after a decade as 

the chief editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. 

Vise also served as the magazine’s principal 

industry analyst with responsibility for tracking 

economic and financial trends affecting the 

trucking industry. 

FTR is a provider of freight transportation 

forecasting in North America. 

For more information about the work of 

FTR, visit FTRintel.com, follow on Twitter @ 

ftrintel, or call (888) 988-1699 Ext. 1. 8

1151572_A127_Nov_2017_TheTRUCKER_5.125x7.5.indd 1 

10/20/17 1:47 PM 


Business December 15-31, 2017 • 29 

b Tonnage from page 25 b 

percent above the previous month (143.7). 

“Continued improvement in truck tonnage 

reflects a much stronger freight market,” said 

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “This 

strength is the result of several factors, including 

consumption, factory output, construction 

and improved inventory levels throughout the 

supply chain. Additionally, the 6.7 percent rise 

in tonnage over the last four months suggests 

to me that retailers are expecting a good holiday 

spending season.” 

b Cass from page 25 b 

trial economy’s rate of deceleration first eased 

and then began a modest improvement led by 

the fracking of drilled, uncompleted wells, 

especially in the fields with a lower marginal 

production cost. 

Cass said the DAT Dry Van Weekly Barometer 

is giving real-time indications of stronger 

demand and tighter capacity in this freight 

group. 

“We believe this is being driven in part by 

the Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which first 

displaced equipment, then have been driving 

recovery and rebuild volumes.” 

The Cass Expenditures Index is a measure 

of the total amount spent on North American 

freight. Typically, an increase in freight volumes 

correlates to an increase in the overall 

amount spent moving freight. 

When the expenditures index rises more 

than the shipments index, as it did in October, 

then rates also rise. 

After posting an extraordinary 7.4 percent 

year-over-year increase in May, the Cass 

ATA calculates the tonnage index based on 

surveys from its membership and has been doing 

so since the 1970s. This is a preliminary 

figure and subject to change in the final report 

issued around the 10th day of the month. The 

report includes month-to-month and year-overyear 

results, relevant economic comparisons 

and key financial indicators. 

In other economic news that impacts trucking: 

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 

that in October, the latest monthly data available, 

261,000 jobs were created, but for-hire 

trucking lost 100 jobs. Statistics for the various 

segments of trucking run one month behind; 

long-distance truckload gained 1,100 jobs be- 

Freight Expenditures Index posted a 5.4 percent 

increase in June and a 4.5 percent increase 

in July, and then proceeded to post what Cass 

thought was a blow-out 9.7 percent in August. 

“Although not as strong as August, September’s 

4.6 percent increase was still respectable 

and indictive of an economy that is continuing 

to expand,” Cass said. “Then along came 

October’s 11.2 percent increase, which was 

the second largest percentage increase posted 

in the last five years (June 2014’s 12.1 percent 

was higher). 

As for shipment volumes, parcel volumes associated 

with e-commerce continue to show outstanding 

rates of growth, with both FedEx and 

UPS reporting strong U.S. domestic volumes. 

Cass said the trucking industry provides one 

of the more reliable reads on the pulse of the 

economy because it gives clues about the health 

of both the manufacturing and retail sectors. 

The report noted that tonnage is growing 

and gaining momentum (September was up an 

9.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis) and 

the three-month moving average reached plus 

5.3 percent on a not seasonally adjusted basis 

in September, according to the most recent 

American Trucking Associations data. 8 

tween August and September and during the 

same period less-than-truckload showed a decrease 

of 100 jobs. 

• The Consumer Price Index for All Urban 

Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.1 percent in October 

on a seasonally adjusted basis. Over the 

last 12 months, the all-items index rose 2 percent. 

The energy index fell, as a decline in the 

gasoline index outweighed increases in other 

energy component indexes. The food index 

was unchanged over the month. The index for 

all items less food and energy increased 0.2 

percent in October. In addition to the shelter 

index, the indexes for medical care, used cars 

and trucks, tobacco, education, motor vehicle 

insurance, and personal care were among those 

that increased. The indexes for new vehicles, 

recreation and apparel all declined. The all 

items index rose 2 percent for the 12 months 

ended in October, a smaller increase than the 

2.2-percent increase for the period ended in 

September. The index for all items less food 

and energy rose 1.8 percent over the past year, 

a slightly larger increase compared to the 

ROTELLA 

ROUNDUP 

The 411on10W-30 

By Dan Arcy, Shell Lubricants 

1.7-percent increase for the 12 months ended 

in September. The energy index increased 6.4 

percent over the last 12 months, and the index 

for food rose 1.3 percent. 

• Privately-owned housing starts in October 

were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate 

of 1,290,000. This is 13.7 percent (±10.5 percent) 

above the revised September estimate of 

1,135,000, but is 2.9 percent (±10.1 percent) 

below the October 2016 rate of 1,328,000. 

Single-family housing starts in October were 

at a rate of 877,000; this is 5.3 percent (±12.1 

percent) above the revised September figure of 

833,000. The October rate for units in buildings 

with five units or more was 393,000. Housing 

starts are an important to the flatbed segment, 

which hauls building materials. 

The overall index hit bottom at 25.3 in February 

2009 at the depths of the Great Recession 

before rebounding as the U.S. economy recovered. 

Economic growth clocked at a healthy 3 

percent annual pace from July through September, 

and the unemployment rate has dropped to 

a 17-year low of 4.1 percent. 8 

b Daseke from page 25 b 

Daseke is now on track in 2017 to have 

$143 million in pro forma EBITDA and $1.2 

billion pro forma in revenue. This represents 

a compound annual growth rate of 48 percent 

in pro forma adjusted EBITDA and 59 percent 

in pro forma adjusted revenue since the company’s 

first year of operations, 2009, when 

EBITDA was $6 million and revenue was $30 

million, according to a company news release. 

Daseke is the nation’s largest flatbed and 

specialized transportation company, though it 

has only a 1 percent share of the market. 

“With the addition of TSH & Co., Daseke immediately 

becomes more asset-light in its fleet 

mix, Daseke said. “With the combined owneroperators 

at TSH & Co., The Roadmaster Group 

and Moore Freight Service, my estimate is that 

our asset-light mix run rate will be well-balanced 

at an estimated 50 percent by December 31, 2017. 

Those percentages exemplify our long-term strategic 

goal of managing a lower capital expenditure 

intensive, asset-right fleet mix.” 

With the addition of The Roadmaster 

Group, a high-security cargo carrier, Daseke’s 

position is further bolstered in a niche market 

with limited carriers. The Roadmaster Group is 

the parent company for Tri-State, the longesttenured 

high-security cargo hauler in the country, 

founded in the 1930s. 

Earlier this year, another high-security carrier, 

R&R, joined Daseke. “Our footprint in this 

end market has now grown even stronger with 

the addition of The Roadmaster Group,” Daseke 

said. “With two of the largest high-security 

cargo carriers now on the same team, we will 

become a force in the high-security and arms, 

ammunition and explosives cargo market.” 

Moore Freight Service is one of only three 

primary carriers in a specialized niche, hauling 

sheets of commercial glass as large as 17 by 10 

feet and more than one inch thick, using customized 

trailers. 

“It is very difficult to build scale quickly 

in the commercial glass niche,” Daseke said. 

“I applaud Moore’s CEO, Dan Moore, and his 

team, who have made a name for themselves as 

a premier carrier.” 

Based in Nashville, Tennessee, and led by 

brothers and co-CEOs, Craig and Gregg Stanley 

and their brother-in-law, Michael Sheehan, 

chief business development officer, Tennessee 

Steel Haulers & Co. conducts business through 

a 100-percent asset-light operating model with 

operations throughout the East Coast, Southeast 

and Mexico. 

“That model has allowed us to grow at the 

right pace,” said Gregg Stanley. “We’re dedicated 

to the success of our independent contractors, 

and we offer a very popular tractor and 

trailer lease-to-own program.” 8 

Many fleets are switching to 10W-30 engine oils from traditional 15W-40 oils. 

The reason is fuel economy. Thinner viscosities mean the engine doesn’t have 

to work as hard and uses less fuel. Think of it like swimming through honey vs. water. 

Honey is thicker than water, so more energy is used to move through it. The same 

goes for an engine’s moving parts. A 15W-40 oil requires more energy to move 

through it whereas 10W-30 oil produces less drag on your engine. 

But can a 10W-30 protect as well as a 15W- 40? You bet. It comes down to quality 

additives and composition of base oil. In fact, Shell ROTELLA ® T5 10W-30 can 

protect as well or better than industry-standard 15W-40 oils. Give it a shot in 

your fleet. 

To learn more go to ROTELLA.com/products 

Comments, questions or ideas? 

Email us at RotellaRoundup@JWT.com



End of December good time for getting tax papers in order, figuring out deductions 

Cliff Abbott 

Fleet Focus 


The days of 2017 are dwindling and another 

business year is about to come to a close. It’s a 

good time for the small trucking business owner 

to think about April 17, 2018. That’s the day taxes 

for this year are due. Since the usual date of the 

15th falls on a Saturday in 2018, everyone gets an 

additional 48 hours to file. 

As you prepare for the upcoming tax day, one 

thing you won’t need to worry about is the tax 

reform bill recently passed by Congress. That’s 

because the bill has no impact on this year’s taxes. 

However, tax rates are expected to be lower in 

2018, so purchase decisions you make before the 

end of 2017 could determine the size and timing 

of the tax benefit you receive. 

At its simplest, revenue minus cost equals 

profit. There are other factors, of course, but it’s 

obvious that the cost of a new set of tires, for 

example, will impact your profit for the year. Income 

taxes are paid on profits, so a major purchase, 

such as tires, will impact your tax as well 

as your profit. If we know that the tax rate will be 

reduced for next year, it makes sense to purchase 

the tires before the end of this year, reducing your 

profit in the year with the higher income tax rate. 

If, on the other hand, you have calculated that 

you will take a loss or make a very small profit 

this year, you may choose to wait until 2018 to 

make a major purchase. 

If you’re considering a major repair to your 

equipment or even a routine preventive maintenance, 

timing it right could save money on your 

taxes. 

December is also a good time to track down 

documentation for your other expenses for the 

year so that you won’t need to search for it later. 

Receipts for fuel, clothing, maintenance, equipment, 

and other business expenses should be 

made available for your tax preparer. Other purchases, 

such as computers or phones, tools, specialized 

clothing and so on may also be deductible. 

Business costs for office supplies, postage 

and overnight shipping are generally deductible, 

too. 

Other expenses, like motels, showers and 

parking fees can be deductible, if they weren’t 

reimbursed by a customer or carrier. If you employ 

drivers and pay these expenses for them, of 

course, they are business expenses. 

Service fees for tax preparation, help with authority, 

tags and permits and legal assistance are 

all deductible business expenses. 

Don’t forget to review settlement statements 

for expenses and fees, too. Charges for communication 

devices, scale bypass transponders or 

trailer rentals are deductible, as are fees for use of 

a fuel card and any other expenses a carrier withholds 

from settlements. 

If you claim the standard IRS deduction for 

meals and incidentals, your records should include 

documentation of the days you spend away 

from home. Copies of your records-of-duty status 

will do the trick, but if you’re using electronic 

logs you may need a printout for your records in 

case of an audit. 

A call to your tax preparer now might help 

you remember other expenses you can deduct. 

December is a great time to reflect on the past 

year and consider any decisions that could impact 

next year’s income. Subjects like adding equipment, 

changing lease carriers or even obtaining 

your authority and going it on your own might be 

easier to consider when freight slows down. 

Taking care of time-consuming personal matters 

now may provide a business benefit, too. 

Freight is generally slower this time of year and 

running hard may not produce the same income 

that a couple of weeks in the second quarter of 

next year will. If you need time to handle any outstanding 

personal matters, the last weeks of the 

year might be the best time to get it handled. 

Of course, spending time with loved ones 

during this season can also provide an emotional 

recharge as you prepare for the year ahead. 

May your holidays be blessed and your new 

year be prosperous. 8 

U.S.-NAFTA Sept. freight totals $94.4B as 

3 of 5 transport modes carry more than 2016 

Owned & Operated by Truckers; 

Drivers Taking Care of Drivers! 

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based 48-state carrier 

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TRANSPORT-1.COM 


WASHINGTON — U.S.-NAFTA freight 

totaled $94.4 billion as three out of five major 

transportation modes carried more freight by 

value with North American Free Trade Agreement 

partners Canada and Mexico in September 

2017 compared with September 2016, according 

to the TransBorder Freight Data released last 

month by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics. 

The 3.6 percent rise from September 2016 

is the 11th consecutive month in which the 

year-over-year value in current dollars of U.S.- 

NAFTA freight increased. 

The value of commodities moving by vessel 

increased 28.6 percent, pipeline by 9.1 percent, 

and truck by 2.9 percent. Rail decreased 

by 3.3 percent and air decreased by 3.4 percent. 

Trucks carried 64.3 percent of U.S.-NAFTA 

freight and continued to be the most utilized 

mode for moving goods to and from both U.S.- 

NAFTA partners. Trucks accounted for $31.0 

billion of the $50.2 billion of imports (61.8 percent) 

and $29.7 billion of the $44.2 billion of 

exports (67.2 percent). 

Rail remained the second-largest mode by 

value, moving 14.9 percent of all U.S.-NAF- 

TA freight, followed by vessel, 6.7 percent; 

pipeline, 5.2 percent; and air, 3.9 percent. The 

surface transportation modes of truck, rail and 

pipeline carried 84.4 percent of the total value 

of U.S.-NAFTA freight flows. 

U.S.-Canada freight 

Comparing September 2016 to September 

2017, the value of U.S.-Canada freight flows 

increased by 5 percent to $48.5 billion as the 

value of freight on four major modes increased 

from a year earlier. The value of freight carried 

on vessel increased by 52.4 percent due in part 

to an increase in the unit value and a 23.9 percent 

increase in the volume of mineral fuels traded. 

Pipeline increased by 11.1 percent, truck by 3.1 

percent, and rail by 2.4 percent. Air decreased by 

5.0 percent due to a notable decrease of 13.5 percent 

in the value of pearls and stones transported. 

Trucks carried 58.6 percent of the value of 

the freight to and from Canada. Rail carried 16.0 

percent followed by pipeline, 9.5 percent; air, 

4.6 percent; and vessel, 4.3 percent. The surface 

transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline 

carried 84.1 percent of the value of total U.S.- 

Canada freight flows. 

U.S.-Mexico freight 

Comparing September 2016 to September 

2017, the value of U.S.-Mexico freight flows 

increased by 2.1 percent to $45.9 billion as the 

value of freight on two major modes increased 

from a year earlier. The value of commodities 

moved by vessel increased by 19.4 percent, and 

truck by 2.8 percent. Air decreased by 0.6 percent, 

rail by 9.6 percent, and pipeline by 15.9 

percent due primarily to decreases in the volumes 

of mineral fuels exported. 

Trucks carried 70.4 percent of the value of 

freight to and from Mexico. Rail carried 13.6 

percent followed by vessel, 9.2 percent; air, 3.0 

percent; and pipeline, 0.6 percent. The surface 

transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline 

carried 84.6 percent of the value of total U.S.- 

Mexico freight flows. 

Commodities 

In September 2017, the top commodity category 

transported between the U.S. and Canada 

was vehicles and parts, of which $5.2 billion, or 

57.1 percent, moved by truck and $3.6 billion, or 

40.3 percent by rail. The top commodity category 

transported between the U.S. and Mexico in September 

2017 was electrical machinery, of which 

$8.1 billion, or 92.0 percent, moved by truck and 

$0.5 billion, or 5.5 percent, moved by air. 8

RECRUITING at a Glance 

Company Driver Owner Operator Teams Lease Purchase Flatbed Van Reefer HAZMAT Expedited Specialized Tanker 

AG Trucking, Inc. 

www.agtrucking.com 

(800) 366-1216 

See our ad on page 23! 

Cargo Transporters 

www.drive4cargotransporters.com 

(800) 374-3828 


Diamond Transportation 

www.diamondtrans.net 

(262) 554-4025 


Mercer 

www.mercertown.com 

(888) 374-8445 


PFS Brands 

www.jobs@pfsbrands.com 

(573) 893-1361 


Smith Transport 

www.smithdrivers.com 

(866) 451-2859 


CD OO T LP F V R H E S TK 






Bennett Motor Express 

Drive4BME.com 

(844) 339-0991 


CFI 

www.CFIDrive.com 

(877) 592-3642 


Janco Ltd. 

www.jancoltd.com 

(800) 526-9085 


Miller Transporters 

www.drivemillert.com 

(888) 716-4959 

See our ad on page 15! 

P.I.&I. Motor Express 

http://www.piimx.com 

(855) 693-8963 


Transport Designs, Inc. 

www.transportdesigninc.com 

(855) 496-3039 








Brian Munday Trucking 

Co. Drivers Call: (701) 218-0064 

Owner Ops. Call: (425) 870-3627 


Combined Transport Logistics Group, Inc. 

www.teamcombined.com 

(855) 691-5031 


J.B. Hunt 

www.drivejbhunt.com 

(877) 845-9096 


National Carriers 

www.drivenci.com 

(888) 439-3196 


ProFleet Transport Corp. 

www.profleet.com 

(877) 684-8787 


Tribe Transportation 

www.TribeTrans.com 

(877) 628-6285 








Cardinal Logistics Mgmt. 

www.driveforcardinal.com 

(888) 220-4990 


FedEx Custom Critical 

www.customcritical.fedex.com 

(866) 729-9789 


Landstar 

www.lease2landstar.com 

(877) 472-0097 


Nu-Way 

www.nuway.com 

(855) 887-3486 


Schneider 

www.schneiderjobs.com 

(800) 44-PRIDE 


Universal Truckload 

www.driveuniversal.com 

(877) 882-1658 








Cargill 

www.cargillmeatlogistics.com 

(316) 462-7220 


D&D Sexton, Inc. 

www.ddsextoninc.com 

(800) 743-0265 


McColister’s Transportation 

www.mccollisters.com 

(800) 257-9595 ext. 9490 


Penske Logistics 

www.gopenske.com/careers 

(855) 235-1361 


Skelton Truck Lines 

www.skeltontruck.com 

(800) 387-9796 ext. 231 







NOW HIRING OWNER-OPERATORS! 

Enclosed Transport Fleet 

Specialized Enclosed Transportation for 

All Types of Automobiles 

OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE FOR 

Experienced Drivers • Owner Operators 


For more information, call Joe Csik (East) 

at 1-800-257-9595 ext. 9490 

or Paul (West) at 1-800-257-9595 ext. 1041 

www.mccollisters.com 

Owner Operators – now hiring Class A and B, over the road, regional and local drivers in 

Chicago, Dallas, North & South California, New Jersey, Virginia, Boston, and New York. 

Special Commodities/Truckload – air-ride vans ensure safe and dependable delivery at all times, for 

telecommunications, store displays, hospital equipment and more. 

Electronics LTL – everything from delicate electronic equipment to antiques and collectibles. 

Climate – high end electronics, artwork, and museum logistics. 

Aerospace/Oversize – handle one-of-a-kind items, from antennas to satellite systems to rocket engines. 

Household Goods – the natural choice for family relocation, whether it’s a local or a cross-country move. 

*Enclosed Auto Transport – handling classic, antique, exotic, muscle cars & more! (60-65% in this fleet) * 

IT PAYS TO WORK FOR MCCOLLISTER’S! 

START-UP BONUS PAID: 

$1,000 to the house when the first load is assigned 

$500 paid to your statement after 30 days 



*Quarterly safety bonus also available 

THE MCCOLLISTER’S DIFFERENCE: 

Incredible hometime 

Keep 100% of fuel surcharge 

58–75% truckload slots 

Weekly settlements 

TEAM OPPORTUNITIES ALSO AVAILABLE 

For more information, call Joe Csik (East) at 1-800-257-9595 ext. 9490 

or Paul (West) at 1-800-257-9595 ext. 1041. 

Learn more about McCollister’s Transportation Systems, Inc. at 

www.mccollisters.com



Recruitment 

Classifieds 

Recruitment 

Classifieds 

For For ad ad information 

call call (800) 666-2770 

or or email publisher@ 


Hiring area for 


and Owner-Ops 

Pull Our Trailers and 

Join the White Glove 

Services® Fleet 

• Percentage pay compensation plan 

• Weekly on-time settlements 

• Base plate program 

1.866.729.9789 

customcritical.fedex.com/us/owneroperator 

See our ad 

on page 35! 

888.659.2913 

dmbowmandrivers.com/trucker 

SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 33! 

Professional Drivers Have THeir 

800-374-8328 

drive4cargotransporters.com 

Our COmpAny drivers and 

Owner-OperatOrs tell 

our story best. when you drive for 

D&D sexton, Inc. you achieve the 

respect, image, and stellar reputation 

you deserve. why? Because D&D 

sexton is the Midwest’s premier 

refrigerated Carrier. 

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT 

OUR AD ON PAGE 40! 

Hiring AreA 

sHAded 

call (800) 743-0265 

Or text us (417) 310-0455 

www.ddsextoninc.com 

Check us 

out on 

page 31! 

Join 

The 

Technology 


Feds study how data collected from 

vehicles, travelers, roads, can be used 

by Traffic Management Centers 

Cliff Abbott 


It’s all about the data. Sure, we know the 

gadgets, the one that communicates with dispatch 

and the one that tells us where we are and 

how to get to where we want to be. There’s the 

one that plays our music and the one that lets 

us bypass the scale. There’s the one we wear 

that tells us our heart rate and how many steps 

we’ve taken today. There are many other gadgets 

built right in to our vehicles or phones or 

televisions and other equipment. 

Who has access to the data these devices 

collect and transmit is a subject for debate, but 

it’s a sure bet that the government is on the list. 

Collected data is analyzed and used to protect 

national security, identify economic trends, and 

even to develop safer and more efficient highways. 

A November report commissioned and released 

by the Federal Highway Administration 

(FHWA) Office of Operations, titled “Integrating 

Emerging Data Sources into Operational 

Practice,” studies how data collected from vehicles, 

travelers and infrastructure such as traffic 

cameras and sensors, could be collected and 

shared for use in Traffic Management Centers 

(TMCs) nationwide. 

The study sought to identify how “big data” 

tools can be used, shared between TMCs and 

identify options for compilation, use and sharing 

of data. 

The report is the second in a series of four. 

The first was a review of current practices and 

use of technology. The November report looks 

at ways data can be used to expand and improve 

traffic management. The remaining two reports 

will study the capabilities and limitations of 

data collection devices and recommendations 

for best use of the emerging data resources. 

While the vast majority of commercial vehicles 

are equipped with Electronic Control 

Units (ECUs) that monitor and record vehicle 

data, fewer are wired to telematics devices that 

transmit operational data to the carriers that 

own the equipment. Drivers are sometimes surprised 

to learn that their carrier’s safety department 

has information about vehicle speed and 

movement, as well as data about hard-braking 

or swerving incidents, engine overspeed and 

other data. That same data, transmitted via satellite 

or over the airwaves, is available to more 

than your carrier, but it’s not the only information 

you may be providing, knowingly or unknowingly, 

to government agencies. 

Traveler information comes from many 

sources. Your GPS system, for example, uses 

government-owned satellites to determine your 

location to within a few feet. It’s tempting to 

think that the communication is only one way, 

from satellite to GPS device, but it takes twoway 

communication to update maps, to verify 

the correct time, or to add the newest fast food 

restaurant to the database. You may not be 

aware of all the information being transmitted. 

The mapping app on your smartphone exchanges 

information, as do search and social 

applications. That’s why an advertisement for a 

nearby restaurant pops up when you are a long 

way from home. Other applications like the 

“free” flashlight you downloaded without reading 

the terms and conditions, collects information 

from your phone to sell to advertisers. 

See Data on p34 m 

Courtesy: CARRIERSEDGE 

One of the training programs offered by CarriersEdge shows drivers the proper process to 

use when involved in an accident. 

©2017 ISTOCK PHOTO 

A series of Federal Highway Administration reports show how data collected from vehicles, 

travelers and infrastructure such as traffic cameras and sensors could be collected and 

shared for use in Traffic Management Centers nationwide. 

CarriersEdge offers updated regulatory 

compliance, tools for business training 

THE TRUCKER staff 

MARKHAM, Ontario Canada — Fleet 

operators want their drivers to have the latest 

in safety and regulatory-compliance training. 

They don’t want the task of providing and 

managing that training to be more complex and 

time consuming than their core business of running 

trucks and delivering cargo. 

To keep their drivers current on the latest in 

best safety practices and regulatory compliance 

while avoiding administrative headaches training 

programs can generate, carriers are turning 

to CarriersEdge, according to a company news 

release. The firm is owned and operated by the 

husband-and-wife team of Jane Jazrawy and 

Mark Murrell. The company is based in the Toronto 

suburb of Markham, Ontario. 

CarriersEdge develops training programs 

exclusively for the trucking industry and builds 

integrated systems fleet operators need to effectively 

and efficiently manage those programs. 

CarriersEdge’s niche is in figuring out how 

to get relevant, updated material to drivers in a 

way that fits their schedules and a format that 

engages them, while streamlining the administration 

of the training in a way that centralizes 

and tracks critical information fleets need. 

Murrell and Jazrawy have extensive backgrounds 

in education and corporate training, 

See CarriersEdge on p36 m

34 • December 15-31, 2017 Technology 

b Data from page 33 b 

The FHWA report lists a number of potential 

data sources, including: 

• Mobile sensors such as 3-D cameras, 

used in lane departure warning systems, and a 

“Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) point 

cloud” comprising data received from collision-mitigation 

(auto-braking) systems 

• High-definition maps, which may be the 

same one provided by GPS services 

• Transactional data, like fuel and product 

purchases 

• Additional (future) data sources developed 

by industry. 

Once the data are collected, they can be used 

by TMCs to better control traffic flow and road 

use. Some potential uses listed in the report are: 

• Improved detection and response to incidents 

/ accidents 

• Road hazard and work zone warnings, 

both roadside and in-vehicle 

• Better use of traffic signals at intersections 

and on-ramps 

• Broadcasted traveler information, and 

• Congestion pricing, such as tolls and user 

fees. 

Road hazard and work zone warning, for 

example, are typically accomplished through 

road signs, placement of barricades or barrels, 

and even law-enforcement presence to provide 

additional warning. Better use of collected data 

could enable warnings through GPS devices 

and smartphone applications as well as vehicle 

monitoring systems such as GM’s “OnStar.” 

Advance warning of accidents ahead, including 

potential alternate routes, could help minimize 

the impact of the incident on traffic in the area. 

There are those who suspect an Orwellian 

application of data collected by the government, 

with data used for population control and 

other evil purposes. Many of those who brave 

the highways in search of a living, however, 

might be willing to allow data to be collected 

if it’s used to reduce congestion and increase 

efficiency and safety. 8 

Truck repair software maker 

Mitchell 1 completes updates 


POWAY, Calif. — Mitchell 1 has completed 

model year 2017 updates to its labor estimating, 

diagnostic trouble code procedures and repair 

information for all makes of medium- and 

heavy-duty trucks. 

The TruckSeries truck repair software suite 

provides truck service technicians with fast, 

complete and accurate solutions for every stage 

of the repair process, in a single online application, 

according to a company news release. 

Mitchell 1 keeps the software current 

throughout the year with ongoing updates and 

adds data for the latest model year vehicles 

for which repair information is available, said 

Kristy Lapage, business manager for Mitchell 

1’s commercial vehicle group. 

Subscribers automatically receive the new 

information as it becomes available, so they 

can be sure they have the most current maintenance 

and repair data to reference, Page said. 

“Mitchell 1′s TruckSeries is the only comprehensive 

repair information software suite 

of its kind available for Class 4-8 trucks, delivering 

a one-stop, single log-in, all-makes 

data resource with scalable wiring diagrams, 

digital pictures, DTC-to-diagnostics, mechanical 

labor time estimating, and more, all delivered 

in seconds,” Page added. “TruckSeries is 

integrated with Manager SE Truck Edition, 

Mitchell 1’s truck shop management software 

that delivers an end-to-end solution for every 


Courtesy: MITCHELL 1 

Subscribers to Mitchell 1’s TruckSeries 

automatically receive new information as it 

becomes available, so they can be sure they 

have the most current maintenance and repair 

data to reference. 

step of the repair process.” 

Headquartered in Poway, California, Mitchell 

1 has been a provider of repair information 

solutions to the motor vehicle industry since 

1918, offering a complete line of integrated repair 

software and services to help automotive 

and commercial truck professionals improve 

productivity and profitability. 

For commercial truck repair shops, Mitchell 

1 offers Manager SE Truck Edition to manage 

business operations, and TruckSeries to 

estimate labor times, diagnose and repair all 

makes of Class 4-8 trucks. 

For more information about Mitchell 1 

products call (888) 724-6742, visit mitchell1. 

com, or locate an independent sales representative 

at mitchellrep.com. 8


Technology December 15-31, 2017 • 35 

Courtesy: HELP 

The PrePass ELD records driver Hours of Service based only upon the data required by 

law. It operates as a bring-your-own-device app. 

HELP introduces ‘easy-to-use, economical’ 

ELD app it says will meet requirements 


PHOENIX — HELP Inc. has introduced 

what the organization calls “an easy-to-use, 

economical way” to comply with the upcoming 

federally mandated electronic logging device 

requirement that takes effect December 18. 

The PrePass ELD application from HELP 

Inc. meets all requirements of the Federal 

Motor Carrier Safety Administration, according 

to the company. The cost of the 

PrePass ELD app is $14.99 per month per 

license and is reduced to $12.99 per month 

when bundled with the PrePass weigh station 

bypass service. 

The PrePass ELD records driver Hours of 

Service based only upon the data required by 

law, according to HELP President and CEO 

Karen Rasmussen. 

“It operates as a bring-your-own device 

(BYOD) app, available now for Android devices 

and followed soon for iOS formats,” 

she said. “The app takes seconds to install and 

carriers can sign up now. Users first establish 

a fleet manager account and order OBD (onboard 

diagnostics) connector devices. After 

plugging the OBD device into the truck’s diagnostic 

port, drivers can download the app to 

any tablet or smartphone to begin recording 

truck movement and driver hours.” 

The PrePass ELD also offers Driver Vehicle 

Inspection Reports (DVIR), central Webbased 

reporting and simple OBD wireless connection 

via Bluetooth. 

“Unlike many other providers entering the 

ELD market, fleets and drivers using the Pre- 

Pass ELD can be assured they are getting a 

high-quality service from a trusted name that’s 

been in trucking technology for almost 25 

years,” Rasmussen said. 

HELP Inc., the nonprofit provider of Pre- 

Pass, developed PrePass ELD to address requests 

from owner-operators and fleets for a 

simple and low-cost way to comply with the 

ELD requirement. 

While customers do not have to subscribe 

to other PrePass services to use the ELD, they 

will benefit from “the same award-winning 

customer service PrePass customers have come 

to expect,” Rasmussen added. 

Rasmussen said as an organization whose 

primary mission is safety, HELP Inc. reminds 

carriers and drivers that federal law requires 

that all mobile devices being used in a moving 

vehicle must be mounted or docked to prevent 

hand-held use and potential driving distractions. 

The PrePass platform includes weigh station 

bypass, toll payment services and safety 

score management through the INFORM data 

portal. 

For more information about PrePass ELD, 

visit prepass.com. 8 

Highway traction and front wheel application 

Scan Trac is the lightest chain on the market and 

the most cost effective choice for highway truckers. 

The square wire links bite into 

ice and hard pack on highways 

and secondary roads. 

Square Wire is a reliable 

and cost effective choice 

for highway truckers and 

delivery vehicles, or anyone 

driver where chains may be 

required. 

Good news for 

drivers weary of 

struggling with 

heavy chains. 

Steel made 

with chrome, Nickel and 

Manganese alloyed with 

Boron then hardened in high 

technology furnaces makes 

Super 2000 possible to 

produce a “super tough and 

light weight” chain. 

For product inquiry or 

placing an order please call 

1-800-439-9073 

or via our website 

whitemountainchain.com 

Chain size customization 

available upon request. 

Please call for a quote.

H 

D 

36 • December 15-31, 2017 Technology 

Courtesy: CARRIERSEDGE 

Mark Murrell and Jane Jazrawy have extensive backgrounds in education and corporate 

training, developing programs and consulting for clients in banking, insurance, high tech, 

mining, retail, and government. 

b CarriersEdge from page 33 b 

developing programs and consulting for clients 

in banking, insurance, high tech, mining, retail, 

and government. When they started CarriersEdge, 

they were looking for an under-served 

industry they could focus on, one with unique 

needs and challenges. 

They found it in trucking, which combines 

problems many businesses have — constant 

regulatory change and a constant need to train 

employees — with issues specific to it, including 

lots of small companies with dispersed 

workforces and limited training budgets. 

At the center of CarriersEdge’s service 

is the training itself, provided through online 

modules drivers can access any time, any 

place, even if that happens to be late at night 

on a layover hundreds of miles from the central 

terminal. 

“The challenge is the nature of the trucking 

industry; it’s nearly impossible to get everybody 

together for classroom training,” Murrell 

says. “To have everybody show up on Monday 

morning at 9 a.m. in a classroom means a 

huge amount of disruption for the business. It’s 

much better if those people can do the training 

on their own schedule — when it’s convenient 

for them. With remote training, we’ve set it up 

so the home office can monitor all the training 

activity. It’s a win-win.” 

CarriersEdge has built a library of more 

than 70 full-length and refresher/remedial 

courses, covering topics from the safe securing 

of cargo to Hours of Service rules to defensive 

and winter driving. Jazrawy designed 

the courses to be comprehensive but not complicated, 

understandable but not patronizing. 

The courses incorporate text, images, audio, 

video and interactive features to keep drivers 

engaged and retain what they learn. 

Building those courses involves extensive 

research and a lot of “why is this done this way” 

questions, Jazrawy says. That’s supplemented 

by real-world examples provided by drivers 

and fleet operators. Then it’s a matter of finding 

the best way to communicate the material. 

The training module on truck inspections, for 

example, incorporates video, in which the instructor 

goes under the vehicle to point out the 

specific locations and components that need to 

be checked, and interactive elements to help 

drivers understand the warning signs to look for. 

“Drivers are often getting trained by getting 

documents thrown at them,” Jazrawy says. 

“And, that’s not effective. You have to know 

how to match the material you’re trying to give 

to somebody to the context. Because of our 

background, because we’ve been doing this 

for so long, and because of our background in 

education in general, we know where those different 

pieces should go.” 

Additional features of the courses include 

Spanish-language versions and an emphasis 

on differences in rules and regs when crossing 

from the U.S. into Canada and vice versa. 


Companies can also add their own customized 

content to the training modules. 

There’s more to the CarriersEdge program 

than the courses, themselves. CarriersEdge 

offers a suite of management tools that give 

companies the ability to schedule events and 

track attendance, generate reports and analyze 

trends, test for knowledge retention and get 

feedback from participants. 

In typical training programs, Murrell says, 

“at the end, somebody gets a certificate that 

shows that they finished the program. That 

becomes a piece of paper that gets stuck in a 

filing cabinet with other pieces of paper. They 

end up with this hodgepodge of different bits 

of data all over the place. A much more modern 

approach that’s common outside of trucking is 

to store all of that information in a single place, 

online, so you don’t have backup issues, you 

don’t have data loss issues and you’re not hunting 

around for it. That should be commonplace 

in trucking, too. And, that’s our goal. It’s beginning 

to happen.” 

That package of training and support is 

particularly critical for the hundreds of small 

and medium-sized trucking companies that 

don’t have lots of resources to throw at training. 

CarriersEdge offers monthly subscription 

pricing providing unlimited use for a fixed rate 

and also partners with insurance companies, 

independent safety consultants and industry associations 

as resellers of its service and as collaborators 

in identifying what training drivers 

need. In addition, it offers monthly webinars 

for customers on training and safety topics as 

well as product news and how to get the most 

out of them. 

CarriersEdge is creator of the annual Best 

Fleets to Drive For competition, which it runs 

in partnership with the Truckload Carriers Association. 

Each year CarriersEdge interviews 

more than a hundred nominated fleets and surveys 

thousands of drivers to identify not just 

the industry’s most successful companies but 

emerging trends across the industry. 

Jazrawy was inspired to launch the program 

by the debate in the industry about driver retention 

and working conditions. “There was a 

lot of complaining on both sides, but nobody 

offering solutions,” she says. “Best Fleets to 

Drive For is a way to celebrate what’s great 

about the industry and why people should work 

for those that make it great.” 

The information gleaned from the interviews 

and surveys feed back into the training 

courses CarriersEdge continues to develop, by 

incorporating real-world best-practices into instruction 

materials. 

CarriersEdge has rolled out mobile-device 

versions of its courses, and plans to add more 

features to them. 

“Building more convenient and effective 

training leads to safer, more productive carriers 

and drivers, and that’s to the advantage of 

both,” says Jazrawy. “Providing drivers the 

instruction they need in a convenient manner 

is much more than training. It’s talent management 

and development.” 8 

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Equipment 


The Trucker: KLINT LOWRY 

Both ACT Research and FTR reported Class 8 orders in November in excess of 30,000, the 

second consecutive month the 30,000 mark has been surpassed. 

Yokohama: New long-haul drive tire will help drivers cut costs 


SANTA ANA, Calif. — Yokohama Tire 

Corp. says it’s continuing to help fleets and independent 

drivers cut costs with the launch of 

an all-new, fuel-efficient long-haul drive tire: 

the TY577 MC2. 

Now available in the United States, the 

SmartWay-verified TY577 MC2 comes in 

sizes 295/75R22.5, 11R22.5, 285/75R24.5 and 

11R24.5, and is also offered in 16-ply construction. 

“The TY577 MC2 delivers it all: exceptional 

traction, long even wear, superior durability, low 

rolling resistance and incredible fuel efficiency,” 

said Tom Clauer, Yokohama Tire’s manager of 

commercial and OTR product planning. “It’s 

definitely a long-lasting money-saver.” 

Clauer said the TY577 MC2 combines an 

ultra-deep tread pattern with Yokohama’s MC2 

technology, which minimizes the effects of heat 

on the casing and tread, providing extreme low 

rolling resistance to reduce fleets’ cost-per-mile. 

Clauer said besides top-notch fuel efficiency, 

other benefits of the TY577 MC2 include: 

• Exceptionally long tread life is achieved 

by a 30/32-inch-deep groove that delivers 

a firm and stable road grip while maximizing 

run-out mileage, plus the closed shoulder 

rib enables more rubber-to-road contact for 

long, even wear. Also: The stress wear control 

groove redistributes more load to the outside 

rib, greatly reducing the chance of shoulder 

step-down wear. 

• Ultimate case durability is insured thanks 

to Yokohama’s STEM-2 technology, which 

redirects destructive casing flex. This leads to 

Courtesy: NAVISTAR 

Houston area driver Jim McCauley, right, receives the keys to an International ProStar from 

Danny Thomas of Navistar as the winner of the OnCommand Connection Sweepstakes. 

ACT, FTR both report good numbers 

in November, but not high as October 

Lyndon Finney 


Two companies that analyze trucking data 

in North America — ACT Research and FTR 

— both reported good numbers in November, 

but not quite as strong as October. 

ACT Research reported 32,900 units added 

to the books and said despite being the secondbest 

order month since January 2015, November’s 

orders fell 8.7 percent from October. 

“Historically, November is the third best order 

month of the year,” said Kenny Vieth, president 

and senior analyst at ACT Research. “As 

such, seasonal adjustment lowers the month’s 

improved casing durability and retreadability. 

Additionally, the funnel-shaped groove reduces 

stone retention and increases block rigidity for 

improved traction and wear rate. 

Yokohama Tire Corp. is the North American 

manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, 

Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., 

Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company 

of premium tires that’s celebrating its 

100th anniversary in 2017. The company’s 

complete product line includes tires for highperformance, 

light truck, passenger car, commercial 

truck and bus, and off-the-road mining 

and construction applications. For more information 

on Yokohama’s broad product line, visit 

yokohamatire.com. 

For more details on the TY577 MC2 visit 

Yokohamatruck.com. 8 


HOUSTON — In conclusion to its extensive 

tour of the United States, an International 

ProStar over-the-road truck was delivered to 

the winner of Navistar’s OnCommand Connection 

Sweepstakes, Houston truck driver Jim 

McCauley. 

The delivery took place during a special 

ceremony hosted by Navistar and TravelCenters 

of America at the TA in Baytown, Texas, 

just east of Houston. 

The sweepstakes, which was open to qualified 

truck drivers holding a CDL, celebrated 

the availability of OnCommand Connection 

Telematics, a combined hardware and software 

package that provides a steady stream of realtime 

vehicle performance data to help drivers 

and fleets become safer, more productive 

intake to 30,000 units, down 4.7 percent from 

October.” 

FTR reported preliminary North American 

Class 8 net orders for November at 32,400 

units, the second consecutive month that Class 

8 orders have surpassed 30,000 units. 

FTR reported that November, with the expected 

order volume, was just 8 percent shy 

of very strong October activity, but 71 percent 

above a year ago. 

Distribution of orders in November, similar 

to October, was not uniform across all 

OEMs, FTR said. Orders for Canada did fall 

See Orders on p40 m 

Courtesy: YOKOHOMA TIRE CORP. 

The TY577 MC2 combines an ultra-deep 

tread pattern with Yokohama’s MC2 technology, 

which minimizes the effects of heat on 

the casing and tread, providing extreme low 

rolling resistance to reduce fleets’ cost-permile. 

Houston driver Jim McCauley wins 

Navistar sweepstakes, gets ProStar 

and more profitable, according to Terry Kline, 

Navistar senior vice president and chief information 

officer. 

McCauley, a driver for Advanced Freight 

Dynamics in Conroe, Texas, was randomly selected 

to win a Diamond Renewed Certified International 

ProStar Class 8 over-the-road truck 

equipped with a Navistar N13 engine and with 

OnCommand Connection Telematics. 

“As a working truck driver, Jim McCauley 

is the perfect person to receive this beautiful 

vehicle,” Kline said. “In keeping with our 

DriverFirst philosophy and Uptime mission, we 

developed OnCommand Connection Telematics 

to make this valuable data stream easily 

available and useable for everyone in the entire 

industry, from owner-operators to large fleets.” 

See Navistar on p40 m

38 • December 15-31, 2017 Equipment 

thetrucker.com


Equipment December 15-31, 2017 • 39 

Volvo Group senior exec pleads with EPA to hold off on repealing glider kit standards 


WASHINGTON — A senior executive of 

Volvo Group North America told the Environmental 

Protection December 4 that her organization 

was opposed to the EPA’s proposal to 

repeal the emissions standards. 

“A glider vehicle is essentially a new truck 

that’s been equipped with a used engine,” Susan 

Alt, senior vice president of public affairs for the 

Volvo Group North America, told the EPA. 

Volvo Group North America includes the 

Volvo and Mack Trucks nameplates. 

“Their original purpose was to allow truck 

owners to salvage working powertrains after 

severe accidents by installing the wrecked 

truck’s engine and transmission into new cab 

and chassis assemblies,” Alt testified. “The 

glider vehicle market was just a few hundred 

per year for decades, and Volvo has never objected 

to gliders used for the aforementioned 

purpose. In fact, the Phase 2 rule as finalized 

provides for production of a volume of glider 

vehicles to meet this market need.” 

The EPA is proposing to repeal the emission 

standards and other requirements for heavyduty 

glider vehicles, glider engines and glider 

kits based on a proposed re-interpretation of 

the Clean Air Act under which glider vehicles 

would not be found to constitute “new motor 

vehicles,” glider engines would be found not 

to constitute “new motor vehicle engines” and 

glider kits would not be treated as “incomplete” 

new motor vehicles. 

Related Article on Page 13 

Under this proposed interpretation, EPA 

would lack authority to regulate glider vehicles, 

glider engines, and glider kits under the 

Clean Air Act. 

Alt pointed out that in 2010 a significant 

emission reduction was required for newly 

manufactured diesel engines. 

“Not coincidentally, we’ve watched the 

glider vehicle market grow more than tenfold 

since 2010, now reaching ‘significantly over 

10,000 gliders in 2015’ according to EPA records,” 

Alt said. 

She then expounded on the growth. 

“Some companies exploited the opportunity 

to offer glider vehicles with older ‘pre-emissions’ 

engines to customers seeking to avoid modern 

emissions control systems,” she testified. 

“Today, almost no glider vehicles use two 

or three donor components from the same truck 

to be installed into this new truck. Most glider 

vehicles today are mass produced, custom-built 

new trucks with donor components that come 

from any possible source. Most glider vehicle 

buyers today are not small operators trying to 

salvage their truck after an accident or unable 

to afford new trucks — the glider buyers today 

are small, medium and even large fleets buying 

new replacement trucks, equipped with noncompliant 

engines, to haul for-hire loads on 

America’s highways.” 

These types of glider vehicles not only skirt 

current emission regulations, but they also skirt 

safety regulations such as electronic stability control 

technologies that help keep both the driver of 

the truck and the cars safer, Alt maintained. 

The EPA recently conducted comparison 

testing of late model year glider vehicles to late 

model year OEM products and found glider vehicles 

emitted 43 times more NOx and 55 times 

more soot in highway conditions than today’s 

low emission diesel vehicles, Alt testified. 

“The current annual impact of glider emissions 

already grossly outweighs that of the VW 

diesel engine violations in the U.S. at their 

peak,” Alt said, adding that the current proposal 

may help a handful of glider manufacturers, 

but will hurt a much larger number of small 

businesses who are not selling glider vehicles. 

“There are several Mack Trucks and Volvo 

truck dealers negatively impacted on their new 

vehicle sales by glider vehicles,” she said at the 

hearing. 

“This has influence on their viability and 

impacts the livelihoods of the more than 14,000 

Americans they employ,” Alt said. The administration 

should be aware that some glider kits 

are manufactured in Mexico, whereas every 

truck sold by Mack and Volvo for the U.S. is 

built by a highly skilled, well compensated 

workforce right here in America.” 

Alt continued that EPA has expressed 

strong support for DERA, the Diesel Emissions 

Reductions Act, part of a clean diesel 

program that funds projects that improve air 

quality by reducing harmful emissions from 

diesel engines. 

“Since 2014, DERA has expended some 

150 million taxpayer dollars to fund the replacement 

of older, higher polluting engines 

from America’s roadways,” Alt said. “It would 

be confounding to spend taxpayer money in 

this way and then allow the same older, dirtier 

engines to be re-introduced into commerce by 

glider vehicles.” 

The Clean Air Act is not at all ambiguous 

with regard to EPA’s authority to regulate glider 

vehicles, Alt said. 

“A repeal of the Phase 2 glider provisions 

makes a mockery of the massive investments 

we’ve made to develop lower emission compliant 

technology. The EPA must restore a level 

playing field where all actors are playing by 

the same set of rules and maintain the glider 

provisions as finalized in the Phase 2 rule,” Alt 

concluded. 8

40 • December 15-31, 2017 Equipment 

b Orders from page 37 b 

back somewhat after three impressive months. 

The North American market continues to show 

strength and stability heading into 2018. North 

American Class 8 orders for the past 12 months 

have now totaled 274,000 units. 

“Orders for Class 8 trucks have been sturdy 

and consistent,” said Don Ake, vice president, 

commercial vehicles at FTR. “The orders are 

right in line with our forecast of stronger production 

and sales in 2018. The year-over-year 

comparison is over-stated, however, because 

the election tempered order amounts last November. 

“Freight growth is robust right now and 

fleets will need to expand capacity to keep pace. 

Also, ELDs are expected to reduce productivity 

to some degree, Ake said. “Still, for now, fleets 

are being more careful managing their orders 

and not being overly aggressive placing them 

this fall. OEMs should be able to increase production 

modestly next year when needed.” 

The surge in October and November orders 

come at a time when Class 8 back orders, or 

the number of trucks ordered but not built, had 

reached 11,000, Vieth said. 

“This is the time of year when we start getting 

big orders if the big fleets are going to be 

in the market,” Vieth said. “The fourth quarter 

is typically when you build backlogs, but that 

being said, in order to have a better 2018, you 

have to build the backlogs. Seeing a strong start 

to the orders is an encouraging sign not just for 

the truck manufacturers who are going to build 

a lot of trucks, but is also reflective of the confidence 

that carriers have, or the fleets have, in 

how they expect the freight markets are going 

to be next year, not just in terms of volumes, 

but profitability as well.” 

ACT said preliminary North America Classes 

5-8 net orders were 53,000 units in November, 

up 44 percent year-over-year, and slightly 

down from October’s order surge. 

“Continued Class 8 order strength in November 

and in-line medium duty orders added 

up to a second consecutive month of ‘bestsince’ 

order activity,” Vieth said. 8 

b Navistar from page 37 b 

From August 1 through September 8, the prize 

vehicle had toured multiple International dealers 

and 18 TA and Petro Shopping Centers locations 

around the country, giving truck drivers a chance 

to see the specially outfitted vehicle up close and 

to enter the contest in person. The vehicle was 

also viewed at several high-profile industry trade 

shows, including the Great American Trucking 

Show and the Mid-America Trucking Show. 

Kline said OnCommand Connection 

Telematics offers truck and bus drivers and fleets 

an easy-to-use, comprehensive, one-price solution 

that can help cut the cost of vehicle maintenance, 

while seamlessly handling virtually all 

federal and state compliance needs, adding that 

this telematics solution is integrated with a new 

and improved version of the OnCommand Connection 

Advanced Remote Diagnostics system, 

which currently supports more than 350,000 vehicles 

of all makes and models. 

“Our advanced remote diagnostics solution 

explains not just what that red light on the 

dashboard means, but also what to do about it, 

so the driver, fleet manager and technician can 

all act quickly to keep the truck on the road,” 

Kline said. 

OnCommand Connection Telematics and 

Advanced Remote Diagnostics are also integrated 

with OnCommand Connection electronic 

logging devices or ELDs. 

The OnCommand Connection ELD also 

automates fuel tax reporting, vehicle inspection 

reports, vehicle idling reports and vehicle trip 

mapping history, in order to make the driver’s 

job easier and more productive, while feeding 

this information to the back office to enable 

greater efficiencies. 

To assure maximum freedom and flexibility 

for drivers and fleets to use only the services 

that are right for them, OnCommand Connection 

Telematics carries no contract signup fee 

and no termination fee, Kline said. 

To learn more about OnCommand Connection, 

visit OnCommandConnection.com. 

To find an International truck dealer, visit 

internationaltrucks.com. 8 


Optronics International introduces 

high/ low-beam Opti-Brite LED lamp 


TULSA, Okla. — Optronics International, 

a manufacturer and supplier of heavy-duty 

LED vehicle lighting, has broadened its Opti- 

Brite LED headlamp family with the introduction 

of its new 5-inch by 7-inch combination 

high- and low-beam headlamp. 

Like the other headlamps in the Opti-Brite 

headlamp series, the new lamps are designed 

with a unique retroflective LED light beam 

technology that enables them to project an 

optimized beam pattern conducive to superior 

driver comfort and performance, according 

Brett Johnson, president and CEO of Optronics 

International. 

The lamps also feature the Opti-Brite’s 

signature LED conspicuity array that sets the 

lamps apart from all other LED headlamps on 

the road, he said. 

At the heart of Opti-Brite LED Headlamps 

are their rear-oriented LEDs. 

The LEDs face backward, toward metallic 

parabolic reflectors that are precisionengineered 

to create superior high- and lowbeam 

photometric characteristics. But the 

most striking feature is the LED conspicuity 

array located in the center of the lens, Johnson 

said. 

“Our Opti-Brite LED Headlamps are designed 

to enhance a vehicle’s style as well as its 

operator’s performance,” he said. “Engineered 

for an international OEM and aftermarket audience, 

our entire Opti-Brite LED Headlamp 

family is multi-volt compatible and FMVSS 

108 and ECE/R10 compliant.” 

Behind the headlamp’s conspicuity array, 

Optronics’ advanced reflector geometry emits 

a tightly controlled blue-white light beam that 

approximates the color temperature of the sun’s 

natural light. The light quality makes it easier 

for the human eye to see the road, thus enhancing 

safety while reducing eye fatigue, company 

spokesmen said. 

“These Opti-Brite LED Headlamps greatly 

improve foreground lighting from the bumper 

to 25 feet out,” Jacques Baudeloque, national 

sales manager for Optronics International, said. 

“They also deliver very appealing drive-behind 

performance that operators will appreciate. 

They’re absolutely a phenomenal value for 

their performance output.” 

The new headlamps are engineered to accommodate 

from 9- to 33-volt electrical systems 

and have an expected service life of 

30,000 hours, 15 to 30 times that of halogen 

and HID headlamps. Opti-Brite LED Headlamps 

are the only ones in the industry to carry 

Optronics’ no-hassle, one-diode lifetime warranty 

protection, which will replace the lamp if 

even one diode fails, spokesmen said. 

The lamps are IP67 and SAE J575e rated 

for ingress protection and come complete with 

enhanced electromagnetic interference (EMI), 

electrostatic discharge (ESD) and power surge 

protection features. All have durable powdercoated, 

die-cast aluminum housings with tough 

polycarbonate lenses and a special coating that 

protects them against the elements and cracking, 

fading and yellowing from exposure to UV 

radiation. 

Opti-Brite LED headlamps come in four 

formats that fit a broad range of vehicle makes 

and models. 

The new HLL70HLB lamp fits 5-inch by 

7-inch rectangular formats and has both highand 

low-beam functions built in. The HLL- 

93HLB series fits a seven-inch round format 

and also has both high- and low-beam functions 

built in. The HLL79HB high-beam lamps 

and HLL78LB low-beam lamps fit four-by-sixinch 

rectangular formats and are compatible 

with four-lamp systems with separate, dedicated 

high-beam and low-beam lamps. 

The new HLL70HLB five-by-seven-inch 

Opti-Brite LED Headlamp is expected to be 

available in the first quarter of 2018. 8 

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Features 


National Carrier’s Iesha Hawkins finds military experience 

helped with driving OTR; says ‘one day, the road called’ 

Aprille Hanson 

SPECIAL TO THE TRUCKER 

Iesha Hawkins has always been goal-oriented. 

She had a plan of serving in the military, 

then working in maintenance. Both were stable 

career choices, cut and dried for someone with 

her unfailing work ethic. But one day, the road 

called. 

“One day I woke up and said, ‘I’m going to 

be a truck driver,’” the 35-year-old said. 

That was four years ago and Hawkins has no 

regrets. She drives a 2007 Kenworth T680 for 

National Carriers, hauling refrigerated freight. 

In July 2016, she was honored with the National 

Carriers Driver of the Month, the youngest 

female in the company’s almost 50-yearhistory 

to receive the accolade. She was also 

recognized as February Member of the Month 

for Women in Trucking. 

“It was a great feeling, but for me I felt like 

what did I do to deserve it other than do my 

job?” Hawkins said. “I don’t want to sound 

unappreciative because I’m very grateful for 

it, but what did I do? … I’m not one of those 

people who hangs out in the truck stop. I’m not 

chilling and hanging out. If I’m working, I’m 

working.” 

Hawkins grew up in Georgia and even 

though trucking wasn’t initially a dream she 

had, it’s in her blood. 

“My aunt was a truck driver, but that was 

way before my time … my mom went to truck 

WESTCHESTER, Pa. — You’ll hear many 

trucking carriers — those that win safety and 

other awards yearly in the U.S. and Canada — 

talk about a “culture of safety.” But I’ve never 

heard a carrier executive talk about creating 

a culture that attracts and retains females — 

that’s drivers, dock workers and middle and 

senior level administrators. 

Until recently, that is. 

I had heard that A. Duie Pyle had focused 

on hiring women and asked Pyle’s chief operating 

officer, Randy Swart, why they had made 

that decision. 

“I wouldn’t say it’s our focus,” he said. “It’s 

more that of a culture. Our culture and processes 

in general have resulted in that.” 

The thing is, he added, is that Pyle promotes 

people of both sexes from within and gives 

them the training and opportunity to move up 

the corporate ladder. 

Specifically, he said, the carrier recognizes 

“discretionary effort,” that is, employees who 

go above and beyond the norm. These men and 

women aren’t forced out of a job they love but 

are given the opportunity and training to move 

up if they choose. 

At one time Pyle had one woman in a senior administrative 

position in customer service and now 

there are five in administrative director positions. 

Overall, more than 50 percent of Pyle’s administrative 

director roles are held by women, he said. 

“It’s easier when people come on board and 

don’t see a stereotype,” he explained. 

Pyle is a family owned and operated company 

that started in 1924. 

They’re a transportation and logistics provider 

with extended less-than-truckload service 

to the Southeast, Midwest and Canada. They 

also have integrated transportation and distribution 

services through 22 LTL and truckload 

service centers and nine warehouses in addition 

to offering specialized truckload services 

through their brokerage and TL solutions. 

According to Swart, LTL has the fewest 

number of women drivers in the trucking industry 

“and we’re no exception. Women make 

up 1 percent of our overall fleet.” 

See Bend on p42 m 

being on time and said: “There’s no reason to be 

late. In the military we say, ‘hurry up and wait.’” 

After her honorable discharge, she worked 

in building maintenance, but found “a lot of 

politics in that.” 

“I’m a female, I was young. It was so hard 

to get 63-year-old men to listen to you when 

you were their boss,” Hawkins said. “… I 

wanted a change; why not do what I love?” 

Life on the highway 

Hawkins made up her mind she was going 

to fulfill a dream she had never fully realized. 

She would get her CDL and drive for a living. 

“I love to drive. My whole life I’m one of 

those people putting miles on my car,” she 

said, adding that “… no one was happy about 

that decision” in her house. The family was 

used to a schedule and it was a big change. 

Trucking is no easy task and even though 

many out on the road are stressed, Hawkins is 

not one of them. 

“It gave me a peace of mind. When things 

bother me, I go out for a ride … for me it became 

a stress relief, the job that I do,” she said. 

That doesn’t mean there aren’t moments 

she feels a bit overwhelmed. 

“There’s something different every day. 

When I first started driving, within my first six 

or seven months it iced over in Little Rock, 

Arkansas” on I-30 from Benton, Arkansas, to 

Memphis, Tennessee. “The highway depart- 

See Hawkins on p42 m 

Culture where women encouraged to move up corporate ladder works for A. Duie Pyle 

Dorothy Cox 


Around 

the Bend 

driving school,” but she and her siblings, 

“cried so much while she was gone she had to 

come home.” 

She instead dreamed of serving her country 

just like her grandfather and three aunts. 

“I remember sitting around listening to 

their stories about their time in the military. … 

I always wanted to go into the military. For as 

far back as I remember,” she said. 

After actively testing in the ninth grade, she 

enlisted after high school graduation. 

Starting in 2001, she served in the U.S. 

Army, with three years active duty and seven 

in the Reserves. Hawkins was stationed at Fort 

Lewis in Washington until going overseas to 

Korea for about a month. As a utility repair 

specialist, she ensured the “lieutenants and 

commanders stayed cool” in their tents. 

“In the summertime, it was really, really 

hot. My full job all day long was to make 

sure their air conditioning didn’t stop working 

while they were gone,” Hawkins said. 

The adherence to a schedule and responsibility 

instilled in the military is similar to what’s 

needed in trucking, but Hawkins said the military 

prepared her for more than just a career. 

“I’m not going to say it prepared me for a career 

in trucking; it prepared me for life. It instilled 

discipline,” she said. “… You have to be on time, 

you have to have the communication skills. 

There’s stuff you do on a day-to-day basis and 

the military helped me with.” She’s a stickler for 

Courtesy: IESHA HAWKINS 

In July 2016, Iesha Hawkins was honored 

with the National Carriers Driver of the 

Month award, the youngest female in the 

company’s almost 50-year history to receive 

the accolade. She was also recognized as 

February Member of the Month for Women 

In Trucking. 

Courtesy: A. DUIE PYLE 

Some of A. Duie Pyle’s women administrators are from left: Cassandra McRae, marketing 

manager; Gwen Leon, director of employee development; Anna Hummel, director of brokerage; 

Kris McLennan, director of pricing; and Lauren Needles, customer service supervisor.

42 • December 15-31, 2017 Features 

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ment hadn’t gotten out there yet and we were 

sitting on ice. For the whole ride it was stopand-go 

traffic” with truckers shut down on the 

highway. “It took me, like, eight hours to go 

100 miles. Slow and steady wins the race.” 

But “slow and steady” is not just a cliché 

for Hawkins. The concept of slowing down and 

staying alert saves lives. 

“If you stay alert you stay alive. Distracted 

driving gets people killed. … If you’re driving 

you should be paying attention to the road.” 

Hawkins said it’s been a “blessing” to have 

her wife and best friend Sonja travel with her. 

Married a little more than a year, Sonja, who 

does not like to drive — “To get her behind 

the wheel [of a car] it has to be an act of God,” 

Hawkins laughed — enjoys being a passenger. 

“To have your best friend in the truck with 

you to talk about everything under the sun,” 

is “very cool,” she said, adding that “you get 

to share everything. It’s not like I’m coming 

home saying ‘guess what I saw today.’” 


Martin Truex honored, humbled as NASCAR’s newest driving champion 

Jenna Fryer 

AP AUTO RACING WRITER 

It was fitting for Martin Truex Jr. to be introduced 

as NASCAR’s newest champion by 

his buddy Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

It was Earnhardt who helped Truex venture 

out of New Jersey to give it a go in NASCAR. 

Now, nearly 15 years later, Truex was on racing’s 

biggest stage. 

As much as this final week of celebration 

tilted toward Earnhardt, NASCAR’s retiring 

superstar, he made sure to turn the spotlight on 

his “good buddy” Truex during the November 

30 Las Vegas celebration. 

It ensured Truex, a journeyman driver who 

has battled more than his share of adversity on 

and off the track, got his proper due. 

“To me and many who know him, he’s a 

champion in so many ways,” Earnhardt said in 

his introduction. “Like when his professional 

career turned challenging, his options limited, 

he blamed no one. He kept his head high, he 

persevered because he’s a champion person. 

While the love of his life battles the most evil 

of diseases and he stands with her to make her 

fight his fight, he’s a champion partner. When 

he’s away from the track, perhaps enjoying his 

true passion for hunting or fishing, you realize 

this, he’s a champion friend. He’s the man. The 

champion in so many ways and no one more 

deserving of this night.” 

Truex was wiping away tears before he 

reached Earnhardt and the Monster Energy 

Cup trophy. 

His story has been well-documented. Despite 

winning two second-tier titles while driving 

for Earnhardt, Truex’s Cup career hit bump 

after bump because of a changing economy and 

a cheating scandal in which he played no part 

but nearly cost him his career. 

When Michael Waltrip Racing manipulated 

the finish of a 2013 race at Richmond to try to 

get Truex into the playoffs, it set in motion a 

chain of decisions that first cost Truex his job 

and ultimately put MWR out of business. He 

had just one option: Denver-based Furniture 

Row Racing, an oddity in NASCAR. The Barney 

Visser-owned team was small, based in 

Colorado, and had only that season turned a 

small corner toward progress. 

Truex took the job, the team struggled, everyone 

was frustrated. And in September of his 

first season with his new team, Truex’s partner, 

Sherry Pollex, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. 

The couple were public with the struggle 

during Pollex’s battle, and again this season as 

she has suffered a recurrence. Truex was honored 

this week by the NASCAR community, 

b Hawkins from page 41 b 

b Bend from page 41 b 

The majority of the industry’s women drivers, 

he said, are in the TL sector. 

That being said, however, Pyle recruits 

women out of high school for dock work and 

the ones who want to become truck drivers 

are put through their CDL school. “We have a 

woman in that school right now,” he said. 

“Pyle has about 1,000 trucks and 1,900 trailers 

and has women who drive for the dedicated, 

linehaul, and pickup and delivery areas in a variety 

of trucks, including tankers,” Swart said. 

Since driving OTR can make a person’s 

work-life balance “difficult,” he said, both 

women employees and their male counterparts 

are offered training and a chance to move to administrative 

positions and students out of high 

school are encouraged to work on the docks 

initially, which is paying off. “We’re finding 

traction in [employees going from] dock to 

driver.” 

Pyle goes to a lot of high school job fairs. 

and the couple received the prestigious Myers 

Brothers Award for their charitable efforts. 

Late in November, Pollex had chemotherapy 

scheduled. 

“The 78 race team has carried the same 

motto throughout the race season, ‘Never Give 

Up,’” Truex said in his speech. “No one has 

lived that out more than my life partner Sherry. 

She’s still fighting her disease with a tenacity 

and a ‘Never Give Up’ attitude that has inspired 

millions of people to do the same. She is the 

true champion.” 

It created a feel-good moment that captured 

the essence of Furniture Row’s victory. The accomplishment 

was popular throughout the garage 

because no one believed a Colorado outlier could 

build a championship-winning team, and because 

Truex and Pollex are such a well-respected couple 

in the NASCAR community. 8 

“There’s been several times we’ve seen accidents 

right before our eyes. She’ll jump on 

the CB and let drivers know to slow down. I’ll 

get on the phone and call 911,” Hawkins said. 

“… It’s not a job I could do without her sitting 

there.” 

Down the road 

Though the two are out driving about a 

month to three months at a time, when they’re 

home in Dallas, family time is essential. 

“When we go home we typically do some 

family-oriented things. My mom, my aunt, my 

daughters, the cousins, we’re all going somewhere, 

whether it’s taking a cruise or going to 

Las Vegas,” Hawkins said. “For me, every trip 

we take is something different.” 

Hawkins said she has a great love for driving, 

but knowing what the future holds is impossible. 

“I would like to get my own truck. I can’t 

say I plan on staying in it, but I can’t say I’m 

not. I’m one of those people that might wake 

up tomorrow and say, ‘I don’t want to be away 

from home anymore,’” Hawkins said, but added 

quickly, “But don’t get me wrong, I love 

what I do.” 8 

They have 18 terminals in the Northeast and 

“we show them there’s a career here.” 

“You can’t get your CDL until age 21 and 

many young people have no intention of going 

to college and want a career to pay their bills. If 

they start at 18, they find other careers [besides 

trucking] in the meantime,” he said. 

However, students from colleges that offer 

transportation-related courses such as supply 

chain management, are offered internships in 

the summer. “We’ve seen several women go 

through that program and upon graduation” 

come to the carrier, Swart noted. “Recruiting 

the right people out of school you have the 

whole generation coming through the frontline 

ranks and as they mature they’re promoted to 

mid- and senior-level jobs” at Pyle. 

He said Pyle believes in stewardship of its 

employees and instilling “some core values” 

no matter what positions they hold. 

With economic fluctuations, that can be a 

“strain” financially, he added, but “you can’t 

afford not to. You have to make an investment 

in the future, even when it’s tough.” 

Be safe out there and God bless. 8


Features December 15-31, 2017 • 43 

Red Eye Radio’s 2017 Million Mile Club Sponsors Include:

44 • December 15-31, 2017 thetrucker.com 

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Drivers and Owner- 

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46 • December 15-31, 2017 thetrucker.com 



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Features December 15-31, 2017 • 47

YOUR OWN EXPECTATIONS 

ARE THE HARDEST TO REACH. 

Your customers may be satisfied, but you never are. That’s because you can see your 

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1151572_A128_Nov_2017_TheTRUCKER_10_375x11_34.indd 1 

10/20/17 1:45 PM

The Trucker Newspaper - December 15, 2017

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