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SCAN THE<br />
CODE FOR<br />
MORE NEWS<br />
VOL. 35, NO. 10 | JULY 2022 | WWW.THETRUCKER.COM<br />
Bipartisan efforts<br />
Courtesy: Shell Rotella SuperRigs<br />
Hard-working trucks<br />
Shell Rotella SuperRigs celebrated<br />
its 40th anniversary in Branson,<br />
Missouri June 9-11 with fireworks,<br />
a light show, a dinner for<br />
contestants, daily entertainment<br />
and more.<br />
PAGE 5<br />
Mind Over Matter..................5<br />
The Trucker Trainer................6<br />
Ask the Attorney...................8<br />
Rhythm of the Road...............9<br />
Chaplain’s Corner................12<br />
Courtesy: Duane Dornath<br />
At the Truck Stop<br />
Safety first: Longtime trucker<br />
Duane Dornath finds joy in his<br />
career on the road, as well as his<br />
family back home.<br />
PAGE 10<br />
Survival games.....................13<br />
Safety Series........................15<br />
Fleet Focus..........................15<br />
Manufacturing dilemma.......17<br />
Courtesy: Candace Hunter<br />
Love changes things<br />
Candace Hunter left a career<br />
in finance to enter the world of<br />
trucking.<br />
PAGE 19<br />
PASSAGE OF OCEAN SHIPPING REFORM ACT LAUDED<br />
AS KEY STEP TO IMPROVING U.S. SUPPLY CHAIN<br />
JOHN WORTHEN | THE TRUCKER NEWS STAFF<br />
WASHINGTON — The House on June 13 passed the Ocean Shipping Reform<br />
Act of 2022, sending it to President Biden for his signature.<br />
The bipartisan and bicameral legislation was based on H.R. 4996, which<br />
passed the House in December and is designed, lawmakers say, to “take key<br />
steps toward easing current supply chain challenges by expanding the authority<br />
of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to promote U.S. exports<br />
through a maritime system that is transparent, efficient and fair.”<br />
The House passed the bill 369-42, following passage in the Senate by<br />
voice vote on March 31.<br />
President Joe Biden applauded Congress for working together on a bipartisan<br />
basis. He signed the bill into law June 16.<br />
The legislation “will help lower costs for American retailers, farmers and<br />
consumers,” Biden said.<br />
“In my State of the Union address, I called on Congress to address ocean<br />
carriers’ high prices and unfair practices because rising ocean shipping<br />
costs are a major contributing factor to increased costs for American families,”<br />
he continued. “This bill will make progress reducing costs for families<br />
and ensuring fair treatment for American businesses — including farmers<br />
and ranchers.”<br />
Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) cited the fact that nine multinational<br />
ocean shipping companies formed three consortiums to raise prices on<br />
American businesses and consumers by more than 1,000% on goods coming<br />
from Asia as one of the major reasons for the legislation.<br />
“This allowed these foreign companies to make $190 billion in profits last<br />
year — a sevenfold increase in one year,” Garamendi said.<br />
“I introduced the ‘Ocean Shipping Reform Act’ to provide the Federal<br />
Maritime Commission with the necessary tools to protect American businesses<br />
and consumers and address America’s longstanding trade imbalance<br />
with China and other countries,” he said. “This bill will help crush inflation<br />
and protect American jobs. I’m grateful to Chair DeFazio for his support and<br />
advocacy for this bill, and I am pleased that the ‘Ocean Shipping Reform Act’<br />
will soon be signed into law by President Biden.”<br />
Specifically, this legislation will:<br />
• Expand safeguards to combat retaliation and deter unfair business<br />
practices;<br />
• Clarify prohibited carrier practices pertaining to detention and demurrage<br />
charges and vessel space accommodation;<br />
• Establish a shipping exchange registry through the FMC;<br />
• Expand penalty authority to include refund of charges; and<br />
• Increase efficiency of the detention and demurrage complaint process.<br />
“The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 will make tangible improvements<br />
for Americans exporters, easing our international supply chains and<br />
helping keep prices down for consumers,” said Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.),<br />
who is chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.<br />
“This critical legislation will build on actions that House Democrats<br />
and the Biden administration have already taken to alleviate our congested<br />
ports and boost competition, including passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure<br />
Law and sending the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 to the<br />
Senate,” he continued. “I commend Congressman Garamendi, a member of<br />
the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, for his leadership and<br />
tireless efforts on this critical legislation. I look forward to seeing President<br />
Biden sign the bill into law.”<br />
Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard<br />
iStock Photo<br />
On June 16, President Joe Biden signed into law the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022. The<br />
new law expands the authority of the Federal Maritime Commission to promote U.S. exports<br />
through a maritime system that is transparent, efficient and fair, according to lawmakers.<br />
and Maritime Transportation, said, “It seems that no one in America today<br />
doesn’t know the phrase ‘supply chain disruption. That’s why … I’ve held<br />
hearings on these ongoing bottlenecks and met with stakeholders across<br />
all industries who’ve felt the pain of these disruptions — including those<br />
who’ve had problems with ocean carriers.<br />
Carbajal added that he is “proud to see the bipartisan Ocean Shipping<br />
Reform Act on its way to becoming law this week with its final passage in the<br />
House today. I commend Representatives Garamendi and Johnson for their<br />
tenacity in getting this bipartisan overhaul of our shipping rules to President<br />
Biden’s desk. I am proud of our committee’s work with them on this<br />
important legislation that will protect American manufacturers and farmers<br />
and counter trade imbalances with foreign exporting countries.”<br />
American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear lauded<br />
the legislation, saying that “this day has been a long time coming.”<br />
“This bill provides important tools to address unjustified and illegal fees<br />
collected from American truckers by the ocean shipping cartel — fees that<br />
have contributed to the shipping lines raking in $150 billion in profits just<br />
last year,” Spear said. “Those fees hurt American motor carriers and consumers<br />
– helping to drive record inflation. We thank Congress for passing<br />
this bipartisan solution and urge President Biden to quickly sign it into law.”<br />
ATA Intermodal Motor Carrier Conference Director Jonathan Eisen<br />
called the legislation “the first significant change to ocean shipping regulations<br />
in more than two decades — a period of time when the industry has<br />
been shaped into a cartel of 10 foreign-owned companies who have exercised<br />
a tremendous amount of power over American truckers and consumers.”<br />
“Thanks to this bipartisan legislation, those carriers will no longer be<br />
able to charge truckers exorbitant and illegal detention and demurrage<br />
fees, increasing efficiency and reducing costs across the supply chain,”<br />
Eisen said. 8
2 • JULY 2022 NATION<br />
THETRUCKER.COM<br />
VIKING STRONG<br />
®<br />
EVERY DIESEL, HEAVY OR LIGHT DUTY, DESERVES HOWES DIESEL DEFENDER.<br />
USE IT AT EVERY FILL-UP.
THETRUCKER.COM NATION<br />
JULY 2022 • 3<br />
DRIVE<br />
THE DIFFERENCE<br />
DRTH<br />
DRTH<br />
THE DIFFERENCE<br />
Courtesy: Indiana Toll Road<br />
The Indiana Toll Road is increasing its rates by more than 9% starting this month, according to the Indiana Toll Road<br />
Concession Co.<br />
Indiana Toll Road hikes<br />
rates by more than 9%<br />
THE TRUCKER NEWS STAFF<br />
GARY, Ind. — The Indiana Toll Road is<br />
increasing its rates by more than 9% starting<br />
this month.<br />
In a news release, the Indiana Toll Road<br />
Concession Co. (ITRCC) announced that,<br />
effective July 1, the cost of a full trip from Ohio<br />
to Illinois in a standard passenger vehicle will<br />
increase from $12.28 to $13.50.<br />
The cost is even higher for commercial<br />
rigs: Drivers of semitrucks will have to pay<br />
$72.88 for an end-to-end trip, up from the<br />
previous $66.30.<br />
Of course, the exact amount paid per trip<br />
will vary based on distance traveled, but cash<br />
and E-Z pass users will now be charged the<br />
same rates; previously, E-Z pass users paid a<br />
few cents more.<br />
According to the release, the annual rate<br />
hikes are in accordance with the toll road’s<br />
75-year lease agreement. Indiana Gov. Mitch<br />
Daniels privatized the toll road in 2006. The<br />
ITRCC is a subsidiary of Australian firm IFM<br />
Investors and currently holds the lease to<br />
operate the highway.<br />
The ITRCC has invested nearly $600 million<br />
dollars in infrastructure upgrades since 2016,<br />
including the reconstruction of more than<br />
70% of pavement lane miles, interchanges and<br />
bridges.<br />
The company has also completely<br />
reconstructed the highway’s eight travel<br />
plazas. An upgrade of toll plaza technology<br />
and the accompanying lane systems is<br />
expected to be completed later this year.<br />
The updated rates for all axle vehicles are<br />
JOIN OUR DRIVING TEAM<br />
available at indianatollroad.org. 8<br />
At Penske, success behind the wheel is kind of<br />
in our DNA. Our professional truck drivers are<br />
PHOTO COURTESY: CITY OF PEVELY, MISSOURI VIA FACEBOOK<br />
the best in the business.<br />
BEAR KILLED BY 18-WHEELER IN SHOW-ME STATE<br />
If you want to work at an industry-leading<br />
company and move freight for some of the<br />
world’s biggest brands, we want you to join<br />
our team of safe, professional drivers.<br />
JOIN OUR DRIVING TEAM<br />
JOIN OUR DRIVING TEAM<br />
At Penske, success behind the wheel is kind of<br />
in our DNA. Our professional truck drivers are<br />
the best in the business.<br />
At Penske, success behind Call the now: wheel 855-CDL-PENSKE is kind of<br />
in our DNA. Our professional truck drivers are<br />
Penske is an Equal Opportunity Employer.<br />
the best in the business.<br />
If you want to work at an industry-leading<br />
company and move freight for some of the<br />
world’s biggest brands, we want you to join<br />
our team of safe, professional drivers.<br />
If you want to work at an industry-leading<br />
company and move freight for some of the<br />
world’s biggest brands, we want you to join<br />
our team of safe, professional drivers.<br />
JOIN OUR DRIVING TEAM<br />
At Call Penske, now: success 855-CDL-PENSKE<br />
behind the wheel is kind of<br />
in our DNA. Our professional truck drivers are<br />
Apply online at driver.penske.jobs<br />
the best in the business.<br />
Penske is an Equal Opportunity Employer.<br />
Apply online at driver.penske.jobs<br />
MORE THAN YOU REALIZE ®<br />
If you want to work at an industry-leading<br />
company and move freight for some of the<br />
world’s biggest brands, we want you to join<br />
our team of safe, professional drivers.<br />
MORE THAN YOU REALIZE ®<br />
C<br />
A<br />
Pe<br />
C<br />
A<br />
Pe<br />
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — A tractor-trailer struck and killed a black bear June 13 on Interstate 55 near Herculaneum,<br />
Missouri. Authorities said they believe it’s the same bear that traveled to different cities in Jefferson County in<br />
recent days. A search online shows multiple photos of the bear from different motorists who had encountered it.<br />
The big rig driver was not injured, police said.
4 • JULY 2022 NATION<br />
THETRUCKER.COM<br />
USPS 972<br />
VOLUME 35, NUMBER 10<br />
JULY 2022<br />
The Trucker is a monthly, national newspaper for the<br />
trucking industry, published by The Trucker Media<br />
Group at 1123 S. University, Suite 325<br />
Little Rock, AR 72204-1610<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
Photos courtesy: Shell Rotella SuperRigs<br />
Left: Theresa DeSantis of Apache Junction, Arizona, captured Best of Show honors with her 1985 Peterbilt 359 with a 2016 East trailer. She was awarded $10,000 from Shell Rotella<br />
and a spot in the 2023 Rotella SuperRigs calendar. She also captured the Steve Sturgess Best Theme award for her theme, “The Witches Inn.” Right: Randy Victory of Jonesboro,<br />
Arkansas, won bragging rights for Best Lights with a 1986 Peterbilt 359. The truck also took 4th place in the Working Truck-Limited Mileage division.<br />
Hard-working trucks<br />
SHELL ROTELLA SUPERRIGS CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY IN BRANSON<br />
THE TRUCKER NEWS STAFF<br />
BRANSON, Mo. — Shell Rotella’s 40th annual<br />
SuperRigs got off to a foggy start Thursday,<br />
June 9, in Branson, Missouri. The fog<br />
quickly gave way to blue skies and sunshine,<br />
however, as truckers from across the U.S.<br />
and Canada worked to polish their rigs in<br />
preparation for the three-day competition,<br />
which celebrates drivers and their actively<br />
working trucks.<br />
During the event, drivers competed for<br />
cash and prizes valued at about $25,000. This<br />
year’s SuperRigs also featured fireworks, a<br />
truck lights contest, a contestant dinner and<br />
a truck parade through Branson Landing.<br />
Theresa DeSantis of Apache Junction,<br />
Arizona, captured Best of Show honors with<br />
her 1985 Peterbilt 359 with a 2016 East trailer.<br />
She was awarded $10,000 from Shell Rotella<br />
and a spot in the 2023 Rotella SuperRigs<br />
calendar. DeSantis also captured the Steve<br />
Sturgess Best Theme award for her theme,<br />
“The Witches Inn.” She previously won Best<br />
of Show in 2019.<br />
Truett Novosad of College Station, Texas,<br />
was first runner-up for Best of Show, winning<br />
$4,000 from Shell Rotella for his 2007<br />
Peterbilt 379 EXHD, dubbed Doc Holliday.<br />
Dean DeSantis of Apache Junction, Arizona,<br />
took second runner-up for Best of Show with<br />
his 2018 Peterbilt 389, Career Gambler.<br />
Daniel and Phyllis Snow of Harrison, Arkansas,<br />
won the People’s Choice Award with<br />
their 1996 Freightliner Classic XL. The winner<br />
for this category was selected virtually<br />
through public online voting.<br />
Twelve drivers were also selected to have<br />
their truck featured in the 2023 Shell Rotella<br />
SuperRigs calendar.<br />
Other results from the 2022 Shell Rotella<br />
SuperRigs show include:<br />
TRACTOR-TRAILER DIVISION<br />
1st Place: Todd Gribble of Somerset,<br />
Pennsylvania, with a 2012 Peterbilt 389<br />
2nd Place: Truett Novosad of College<br />
Station, Texas, with a 2005 Peterbilt 379<br />
EHD<br />
3rd Place: Ben Overton of Winnipeg,<br />
Manitoba, Canada, with a 2020 Kenworth<br />
W900B<br />
4th Place: Jeron Whittmore of Wesley,<br />
Arkansas, with a 2018 Peterbilt 389<br />
5th Place: Mike Davidson of Pocahontas,<br />
Iowa, with a 2019 Peterbilt 389<br />
TRACTOR DIVISION<br />
1st Place: Kaleb Hammett of Dodd City,<br />
Texas, with a 2019 Peterbilt 389<br />
2nd Place: Kyle Cousins of Carthage,<br />
Missouri, with a 2021 Kenworth W900<br />
3rd Place: Kyle Cousins of Carthage, Missouri,<br />
with a 2016 Kenworth W900<br />
4th Place: Clayton Driskell of Spring,<br />
Texas, with a 2018 Kenworth W900L<br />
5th Place: Tyler Van Der Zwaag of Hull,<br />
Iowa, with a 1995 Peterbilt 379<br />
CLASSIC DIVISION<br />
1st Place: David Foster of Joplin, Missouri,<br />
with a 2005 Kenworth W900L<br />
2nd Place: JR Schleuger of Britt, Iowa,<br />
with a 1985 Kenworth K100C<br />
3rd Place: Trevor Timblin of West Bend,<br />
Wisconsin, with a 1982 Peterbilt 362<br />
4th Place: Gary Tharp of Siloam Springs,<br />
Arkansas, with a 1984 Peterbilt 362<br />
5th Place: Terry Aslinger of Marquand,<br />
Missouri, with a 1996 Peterbilt 379EXHD<br />
WORKING TRUCK-LIMITED MILEAGE<br />
1st Place: Robert Hallahan of La Crosse,<br />
Wisconsin, with a 2022 Peterbilt 389<br />
2nd Place: Bubba Branch of Lakeland,<br />
Florida, with a 1996 Kenworth W900<br />
3rd Place: Steve Huff of Collinsville,<br />
Oklahoma, with a 2022 Kenworth W900L<br />
4th Place: Randy Victory of Jonesboro,<br />
Arkansas, with a 1986 Peterbilt 359<br />
5th Place: Jeremy Thomas of Rocky Comfort,<br />
Missouri, with a 2005 Peterbilt 379<br />
TOP SHOW TRUCKS<br />
(in no particular order)<br />
Brandon Avant of Hampton, Arkansas,<br />
with a 2010 Peterbilt 389<br />
Kary Bryce of Sibley, Louisiana, with a<br />
1959 Peterbilt 351<br />
Don Emmons of Chesterfield, Illinois,<br />
with a 1999 Peterbilt 379<br />
Jeron Whittmore of Wesley, Arkansas,<br />
with a 1991 Peterbilt 379<br />
Troy Bolin of Urbana, Montana, with a<br />
1979 Peterbilt 359<br />
BEST INTERIOR<br />
Truett Novosad of College Station, Texas,<br />
with a 2007 Peterbilt 379 EXHD<br />
BEST LIGHTS<br />
Randy Victory of Jonesboro, Arkansas,<br />
with a 1986 Peterbilt 359<br />
BEST THEME<br />
Theresa DeSantis of Apache Junction,<br />
Arizona, with a 1985 Peterbilt 359<br />
BEST CHROME<br />
Bubba Branch of Lakeland, Florida, with<br />
a 1996 Kenworth W900<br />
BEST ENGINE<br />
Bubba Branch of Lakeland, Florida, with<br />
a 1996 Kenworth W900 8<br />
Courtesy: Shell Rotella SuperRigs<br />
Truett Novosad of College Station, Texas, took first<br />
runner up in the Best of Show division with a 2007<br />
Peterbilt 379 EXHD, dubbed Doc Holliday.<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Linda Garner-Bunch<br />
Staff Writer &<br />
Social Media Coordinator<br />
John Worthen<br />
Staff Writer<br />
Joseph Price<br />
Production Coordinator<br />
Christie McCluer<br />
Graphic Artists<br />
Leanne Hunter<br />
Kelly Young<br />
Special Correspondents<br />
Cliff Abbott<br />
Hannah Butler<br />
Lyndon Finney<br />
Dana Guthrie<br />
Dwain Hebda<br />
Kris Rutherford<br />
ADVERTISING & LEADERSHIP<br />
Chief Executive Officer<br />
Bobby Ralston<br />
General Manager<br />
Megan Hicks<br />
Director of Technology<br />
Jose Ortiz<br />
For editorial inquiries,<br />
contact Linda Garner-Bunch at<br />
editor@thetruckermedia.com.<br />
For advertising opportunities,<br />
contact Meg Larcinese at<br />
megl@thetruckermedia.com.<br />
Telephone: (501) 666-0500<br />
E-mail: info@thetruckermedia.com<br />
Web: www.thetrucker.com<br />
Single-copy mail subscription available at<br />
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at Little Rock, AR 72202-9651.<br />
POSTMASTER/SUBSCRIBERS:<br />
Mail subscription requests and<br />
address changes to:<br />
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Publishers Rights: All advertising, including artwork<br />
and photographs, becomes the property of the<br />
publisher once published and may be reproduced in<br />
any media only by publisher. Publisher reserves the<br />
right to refuse or edit any ad without notice and does<br />
not screen or endorse advertisers. Publisher is not<br />
liable for any damages resulting from publication or<br />
failure to publish all or any part of any ad or any errors<br />
in ads. Adjustments are limited to the cost of space<br />
for the ad, or at Publisher’s option, republication<br />
for one insertion with notice received within three<br />
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THETRUCKER.COM NATION<br />
JULY 2022 • 5<br />
Try these simple strategies to beat the summer heat<br />
MIND OVER<br />
MA<strong>TT</strong>ER<br />
HOPE ZVARA<br />
It comes on suddenly, and you think you<br />
can beat it, but it can be challenging to keep<br />
your body strong, healthy and hydrated when<br />
the heat gets unbearable. As a driver, you<br />
must focus on preventing heat exhaustion<br />
and heat stroke because that rising temperature<br />
and thick humid air can leave you feeling<br />
down and out.<br />
Are you living on the verge of dehydration?<br />
Know the signs of heat and humidity exhaustion<br />
(or stroke):<br />
• Dizzy or lightheadedness;<br />
• Swelling of hands, feet or legs;<br />
• Muscle cramps;<br />
• Fatigue;<br />
• Exhaustion; and<br />
• Fainting.<br />
Here are some simple strategies to help<br />
you keep cool this summer.<br />
STRATEGIES TO BEAT THE HEAT<br />
• Be prepared:<br />
Preparation equals prevention, which<br />
means creating a routine of drinking water to<br />
better equip your body for the heat and leave<br />
you in better shape if you find yourself beat<br />
by the summer heat.<br />
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate:<br />
You’ve heard this before, and if you are<br />
worried about frequent bathroom stops, try<br />
drinking 8 to 20 ounces of water first thing in<br />
the morning — by the time you are ready to<br />
get out on the road, your bladder will be too.<br />
• Consider more than just water:<br />
If you find yourself with heat exhaustion,<br />
think twice before chugging that water. If you<br />
are genuinely experiencing heat exhaustion,<br />
chugging high volumes of water can further<br />
dilute your body’s salt levels, causing a condition<br />
known as hyponatremia.<br />
Instead, hydrate yourself by increasing<br />
your intake of electrolytes. Electrolytes<br />
can be found in sports beverages like Gatorade,<br />
Powerade and many powders. Be careful,<br />
though, as many of these can have high<br />
amounts of hidden sugars. You can make<br />
your own electrolyte drink by mixing lemon<br />
juice and either Celtic or Himalayan salt into<br />
your water.<br />
COOL OFF WITH YOGA<br />
After a long day of battling the summer<br />
sun, consider trying a few yoga poses to help<br />
beat the summer heat. The following simple<br />
yoga poses are a great way to relax at the end<br />
of the day — and they’ll help you cool down<br />
and get ready to sleep. Best of all, they can<br />
be done right there in your sleeper bunk! The<br />
first two are pretty self-explanatory; just refer<br />
to the photos at right and below.<br />
• Bound Angle Pose.<br />
• Cobra Pose.<br />
• Sitali Breathing, or “Cooling Breath.”<br />
This breathing technique helps cool<br />
the body and calm the nervous system. Sit<br />
in a comfortable position with your spine<br />
straight.<br />
1. Take two or three deep inhales and exhale<br />
through your nose.<br />
2. Roll your tongue into a “U,” with the tip<br />
just outside the lips.<br />
3. Inhale deeply through the rolled<br />
tongue, draw your tongue back into your<br />
mouth, close your lips, and pause.<br />
4. Hold the breath for a moment, and<br />
then exhale slowly through your nose.<br />
5. Repeat at least five to 10 times to maximize<br />
the cooling effect.<br />
If you know it’s going to be hot and you<br />
might be without air conditioning, be prepared<br />
and take care of yourself with these<br />
simple strategies to keep your wheels rolling<br />
and your body happy and healthy.<br />
Hope Zvara is the CEO of Mother Trucker<br />
Yoga, a company devoted to improving truck<br />
drivers’ fitness and wellness standards. She<br />
has been featured in Forbes and Yahoo News,<br />
and is a regular guest on SiriusXM Radio. Her<br />
practical strategies show drivers how they can<br />
go from unhealthy and out of options to feeling<br />
good again. 8<br />
BOUND ANGLE POSE<br />
Joe Csik 609-526-9490<br />
Daniel Marchese 609-331-4258<br />
COBRA POSE
6 • JULY 2022 NATION<br />
THETRUCKER.COM<br />
A quick scan of food product labels may offer some surprises<br />
THE TRUCKER<br />
TRAINER<br />
BOB PERRY<br />
Have ever noticed, when you are in a<br />
store shopping for food, the number of people<br />
who are label-reading these days and<br />
paying more attention to what the ingredients<br />
are?<br />
This is more than just a fad: We all need<br />
to take more control on educating ourselves<br />
about what we are putting into our bodies.<br />
Food — the right kinds of food — can be our<br />
best medicine.<br />
Think about it in terms of the type of<br />
fuel or oil you put in your truck. I’m sure<br />
you want to put in the best products that<br />
will give you the best outcomes in milage,<br />
performance and endurance. This why it’s<br />
important to learn about reading food and<br />
drink labels, and most importantly, what to<br />
look for.<br />
This can be a challenge for commercial<br />
drivers. When shopping at your favorite<br />
travel center when you stop to fuel up, food<br />
options can be limited.<br />
The Trucker Newspaper (888) 796-6631<br />
Here’s a good rule to follow: If you can’t<br />
pronounce the words, avoid it. Also, look<br />
to see if the product is filled with additives.<br />
Generally, the shorter the number of ingredients,<br />
the less processed it is — and most<br />
likely, the healthier.<br />
High-fructose corn syrup (HFC) is one<br />
ingredient to be aware of; try to stay clear<br />
of foods with HFC in them. It’s basically like<br />
sugar multiplied in your brain.<br />
Next, watch out for the word sodium —<br />
this means salt! Too much sodium can lead<br />
to high blood pressure. If you already have<br />
high blood pressure, eating high-sodium<br />
foods can make it hard to manage your levels.<br />
The recommended daily allowance for<br />
sodium is no more 2000 mg a day. That’s<br />
about one teaspoon of salt, so it’s important<br />
to read your label to understand the<br />
amounts.<br />
Speaking of amounts, another rule to follow<br />
is to pay attention to the number of servings.<br />
Many items that look like one serving<br />
actually include two or even three or more<br />
servings per container or package. This is<br />
where many of us make a huge mistake in<br />
not calculating our caloric intake (if you are<br />
counting calories) and watching sugar.<br />
And don’t forget your beverages. Always<br />
look at the nutrition facts panel on drinks; it<br />
can be quite shocking! One can of soda has<br />
about 28 grams of sugar. Basically, drinking<br />
iStock Photo<br />
Be sure to note the “serving size” information when checking product labels. Many convenience items that appear<br />
to contain a single serving actually contain enough for two or more.<br />
a 12-ounce can of soda is like eating seven<br />
spoonsful of sugar — yikes!<br />
Now, go out there and take control of<br />
your diet — and read your labels.<br />
Known as The Trucker Trainer, Bob Perry<br />
has played a critical role in the paradigm shift<br />
of regulatory agencies, private and public sector<br />
entities, and consumers to understand the<br />
driver health challenge. Perry can be reached<br />
at truckertrainer@icloud.com. 8<br />
OTR Capital announces<br />
rebranding as OTR Solutions<br />
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ROSWELL, Ga. — OTR Capital has changed<br />
its name to OTR Solutions, a change they say<br />
better reflects the company’s mission.<br />
OTR Capital was founded in 2011 as a<br />
financial services and factoring provider<br />
dedicated to improving cash flow for motor<br />
carriers.<br />
Along with the new brand, OTR Solutions<br />
is offering several new services to the trucking<br />
industry, including ELEVATE, a first-tomarket<br />
solution that delivers value through<br />
branded domains and customized websites<br />
for carriers.<br />
“OTR Capital is not only a leading resource<br />
for capital to help carriers improve their<br />
business, beyond that, we are a carrier’s best<br />
friend for a range of services, and the broker’s<br />
most reliable and widely respected partner for<br />
serving the trucking community,” said CEO<br />
Fritz Owens said.<br />
“When we think about what we truly do<br />
here at OTR, our goal is to provide services<br />
for trucking companies to not only be as<br />
successful as possible, but also to better<br />
compete against, or even out-compete, the<br />
largest players in the market,” he said. “We<br />
want to be the go-to resource for small- and<br />
medium-sized carriers to get the financing<br />
and the services they need to thrive in today’s<br />
marketplace.”<br />
“We’ve always said from the very start that<br />
we’re more than just a factoring company,”<br />
said COO Grace Maher.<br />
“While it’s our core business and we do it<br />
better than anyone else, it’s been our mission<br />
to do everything we can to help the small<br />
carrier succeed, and to help brokers efficiently<br />
and effectively transact with a broad segment<br />
of the market,” Maher continued. “Through<br />
those solutions we currently have, the<br />
technology that we’re building, and the<br />
partners we’ve brought on board, we are going<br />
to continue to expand our menu of tools and<br />
services as we formally change our brand to<br />
OTR Solutions.”<br />
Included among the services that OTR<br />
is launching to expand its menu of services<br />
concurrent with its name change are the<br />
following:<br />
• An expansion of OTR’s “Bolt” product<br />
to allow carriers to receive “direct to debit”<br />
payments in a timely and cost-effective<br />
manner.<br />
• A “driver safety rating scorecard” tool that<br />
will allow carriers to monitor their FMCSA<br />
scores to ensure that a surprise inspection<br />
doesn’t take them off the road.<br />
SEE OTR ON PAGE 12
THETRUCKER.COM NATION<br />
JULY 2022 • 7<br />
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8 • JULY 2022<br />
FROM THE EDITOR:<br />
American<br />
dream<br />
BETWEEN<br />
THE LINES<br />
LINDA GARNER-BUNCH<br />
editor@thetruckermedia.com<br />
It may be a day or so early (or late, depending<br />
on when you picked up this copy of The<br />
Trucker), but happy Fourth of July, y’all!<br />
Hopefully all of you have a chance to celebrate<br />
the 246th birthday of the USA, maybe<br />
with a backyard barbecue or a community<br />
fireworks display. And for all the drivers who<br />
spend the holiday rolling down the highway<br />
with another load — thank you for everything<br />
you do. You are appreciated!<br />
Speaking of highways, this month’s trucker<br />
poll asked drivers to share their favorite<br />
stretch of highway. Check out Trucker Talk<br />
on this page, and keep your eyes peeled (I’ve<br />
always wondered where that saying originated;<br />
it’s really kind of bizarre) for new favorite<br />
routes to share.<br />
Last month I traveled the scenic route<br />
along U.S. 65 from central Arkansas to Branson,<br />
Missouri, on the way to the 2022 Shell<br />
Rotella SuperRigs event, held June 9-11. Of<br />
course, the drive was gorgeous — but the real<br />
treat was arriving at Branson Landing and<br />
watching all the hard-working truckers polishing<br />
their rigs before (and during) the truck<br />
show. Check out Page 4 to see who took home<br />
top SuperRigs honors.<br />
While the mornings during the show started<br />
out cool and foggy — there was even a bit of<br />
rain one day — the spirit of the drivers was as<br />
bright and cheerful as the sun that eventually<br />
broke through the clouds each day.<br />
I can’t say that I met every single driver<br />
who was at SuperRigs, but I can say that I<br />
tried! With every handshake and every conversation,<br />
I was treated to a unique glimpse<br />
into the lives of truckers and their families.<br />
As I visited with driver after driver, I was<br />
struck by the pride they took in the industry<br />
and in their rigs. Listening to the stories about<br />
why drivers chose the colors and details for<br />
their trucks made me realize just how deep<br />
the bond between driver and truck can be.<br />
This pride in workmanship, along with the<br />
love I saw between families at the show, is a<br />
perfect example of what I love about America:<br />
You don’t have to be born rich, or become rich,<br />
to realize the American dream. You don’t even<br />
have to be born in America!<br />
Every American dream is different, and<br />
each person’s path to that dream is unique. As<br />
Americans, we may not all agree on politics,<br />
religion or other issues, but that’s OK. What’s<br />
important is that we take time to listen to other<br />
points of view and allow others to pursue<br />
their dreams.<br />
Until next time, keep those rigs between<br />
mustard and mayonnaise! 8<br />
ASK THE<br />
A<strong>TT</strong>ORNEY<br />
BRAD KLEPPER<br />
Brad Klepper is busy helping drivers this<br />
month. We hope you enjoy this column, which<br />
originally ran in July 2021.<br />
Those of you that read my columns may remember<br />
that I recently wrote on free speech<br />
and social media. As I mentioned then, I am a<br />
BIG free speech guy and feel strongly that no<br />
idea should be free from scrutiny, criticism or<br />
mockery. As I also said then, an unexamined<br />
thought or belief is not worth having.<br />
Since I wrote that column, I have received<br />
a few comments and questions about “hate”<br />
speech. I think we can all agree that you don’t<br />
have to look too far to find examples that<br />
would qualify as hate speech. Recent demonstrations<br />
by white supremacists are a good<br />
place to start.<br />
So, the question becomes, “Is hate speech<br />
protected by the First Amendment?”<br />
Well, I am glad you asked.<br />
Back in 2017, Ted Wheeler, the mayor of<br />
Portland, Oregon, said, “Hate speech is not<br />
protected by the First Amendment.” This<br />
comment was made after two men were<br />
killed after they confronted another individual<br />
who was using anti-Muslim slurs.<br />
Also in 2017, former Democratic National<br />
Chair Howard Dean, when referring<br />
to comments made by Ann Coulter said,<br />
“Hate speech is not protected by the First<br />
Amendment.”<br />
PERSPECTIVE<br />
Regarding civil liberties: Is ‘hate speech’<br />
protected by the First Amendment?<br />
Trucker<br />
TALK<br />
Well, they were both wrong.<br />
The U.S. Supreme Court has clearly stated<br />
that governments may not restrict speech expressing<br />
ideas that offend.<br />
A recent case addressing this matter<br />
is Matal v. Tam. In this case, Simon Tam,<br />
the founder and bass player for the Asian-<br />
American rock band The Slants sought to<br />
trademark the band name in an attempt to<br />
reclaim and take ownership of the derogatory<br />
term. The U.S. Patent and Trademark<br />
Office (USPTO) refused to register the mark<br />
and found it disparaging to people of Asian<br />
descent. In support of this position, the USP-<br />
TO found that the mark violated the Lanham<br />
Act’s provision against registration of disparaging<br />
trademarks.<br />
Of course, Tam decided to appeal to the<br />
Federal Circuit. On appeal, the Federal Circuit<br />
found the disparaging provision of the<br />
Lanham Act to be unconstitutional.<br />
This did not sit well with the USPTO,<br />
which appealed the decision to the Supreme<br />
Court. The issue is whether the disparaging<br />
provision of the Lanham Act violated the<br />
Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.<br />
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme<br />
Court held that the disparagement clause<br />
violates the First Amendments Free Speech<br />
Clause. In the opinion, Justice Alito wrote:<br />
“Speech that demeans on the basis of<br />
race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability<br />
or any other similar grounds is hateful; but<br />
the proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence<br />
is that we protect the freedom to<br />
express the ‘thought we hate.’”<br />
This, my friends, is the basis of free speech.<br />
In a world where we can watch television<br />
shows, read newspapers and magazines,<br />
and listen to radio programs that only serve<br />
to support our already existing beliefs, it is<br />
easy to be in favor of free speech — when<br />
that speech echoes our own beliefs. But what<br />
becomes a challenge is remaining in favor of<br />
free speech when that speech goes against<br />
everything we stand for.<br />
Now, I am not a movie critic, but maybe<br />
20 years ago I watched the movie “The American<br />
President” starring Michael Douglas.<br />
The move had a bit of a Hollywood liberal<br />
take (and I like my movies politically neutral).<br />
However, in the movie, Michael Douglas<br />
is giving a speech, and he says:<br />
“America isn’t easy. America is advanced<br />
citizenship. You’ve gotta want it bad, ’cause<br />
it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say, ‘You<br />
want free speech?<br />
“Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose<br />
words make your blood boil, who’s standing<br />
center stage and advocating at the top of his<br />
lungs that which you would spend a lifetime<br />
opposing at the top of yours.’<br />
“You want to claim this land as the land<br />
of the free? Then the symbol of your country<br />
cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to<br />
be one of its citizens exercising his right to<br />
burn that flag in protest.<br />
“Now show me that, defend that, celebrate<br />
that in your classrooms. Then you can<br />
stand up and sing about the land of the free.”<br />
Say what you will about the movie but<br />
that quote pretty much sums up the good<br />
and the bad about free speech. While I may<br />
not agree with anything you say — or your<br />
decision to burn the flag or do other things I<br />
may find reprehensible — I will defend to the<br />
death your right to do so.<br />
Brad Klepper is president of Interstate<br />
Trucker Ltd. and is also president of Driver’s<br />
Legal Plan, which allows member drivers access<br />
to services at discounted rates. For more<br />
information, contact him at 800-333-DRIVE<br />
(3748) or interstatetrucker.com and<br />
driverslegalplan.com. 8<br />
Every month, The Trucker news staff conducts an informal driver poll on or<br />
Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TheTruckerNewspaper). The latest poll<br />
asked the question, “Drivers, what is your favorite stretch of highway, and why?”<br />
Some of the responses are listed below (edited for clarity and length). If you have<br />
a question you’d like to see in the poll, email editor@thetruckermedia.com.<br />
“191 through West Yellowstone for the<br />
wildlife and scenery.”<br />
— Anna Brown<br />
“I-75 Kentucky to Knoxville. In summer,<br />
I-94 north Dakota.”<br />
— Kenneth Holiday<br />
“Montana Highway 200 from Missoula<br />
to Great Falls. The scenery and<br />
wildlife is beyond amazing. It’s the<br />
only road I’ve ever traveled where I’ve<br />
seen bald eagles, moose, elk, mule<br />
deer, grizzlies and so many other<br />
critters. The winter scenery is stunning<br />
if you dare to drive it in the winter.”<br />
— Keith Becker<br />
“I-95 just before and after the George<br />
Washington Bridge.”<br />
— Robert Westra<br />
“The highway that leads to my house.”<br />
— Bryan Madaris<br />
THETRUCKER.COM
THETRUCKER.COM PERSPECTIVE<br />
JULY 2022 • 9<br />
Mickey Gilley leads two country music cultural shifts<br />
RHYTHM OF<br />
THE ROAD<br />
KRIS RUTHERFORD<br />
krisr@thetruckermedia.com<br />
By the late 1970s, Mickey Gilley was a bona fide<br />
country music headliner. But he couldn’t have imagined<br />
what lay in store for him as the decade ended,<br />
even as a hint of the success he was about to enjoy<br />
came from a 1977 song by his famous cousin Jerry<br />
Lee Lewis.<br />
The next to the last of Lewis’ string of Top 5 singles<br />
came by way of his No. 4 hit “Middle-Age Crazy.”<br />
The plot of the lyrics revolves around a successful<br />
businessman’s mid-life crisis. Despite his success,<br />
something is missing from his life. To deal with<br />
growing older, he remakes himself. As Lewis sang,<br />
he traded his business suit for “jeans and high boots<br />
with an embroidered star.”<br />
Neither Lewis nor Gilley realized that the minor<br />
hit set the stage for a cultural shift in the U.S. “Middle-Age<br />
Crazy” was released as a movie starring<br />
Bruce Dern in early 1980, but it largely failed at the<br />
box office. However, the motion picture’s theme was<br />
about to become ingrained in American culture.<br />
The “cowboy look” soon became the American<br />
style of the early 1980s — only it wasn’t Lewis who<br />
helped bring cowboy dress to the forefront. Instead,<br />
it was Gilley, with a healthy dose of John Travolta,<br />
who led the revolution.<br />
When producers of the movie “Urban Cowboy”<br />
looked for a location to shoot their film, they knew<br />
they needed a country nightclub, and a big one.<br />
The so-called largest honky-tonk in the U.S., Gilley’s<br />
Club in Pasadena, Texas, offered the perfect backdrop.<br />
John Travolta, who was fresh off starring in<br />
the anything-but-country motion pictures “Grease”<br />
and “Saturday Night Fever,” found himself cast in the<br />
role of country boy Bud Davis, a young man who relocates<br />
to the Houston area and starts frequenting<br />
Gilley’s club.<br />
Looking back over four decades, the plot of “Urban<br />
Cowboy” is easily forgotten. But for those who<br />
lived through the era it ushered in, the movie’s impact<br />
is hard to forget.<br />
Gilley and several nightclub employees had<br />
parts in the movie, and Gilley’s band provided much<br />
of the soundtrack. Gilley himself was featured on the<br />
soundtrack album. “Here Comes the Hurt Again”<br />
brought Gilley a lot of air play — but it was his countryfied<br />
rendition of the soul song “Stand by Me” that<br />
elevated him from being an occasional hit maker to<br />
one of the 1980s most prolific artists.<br />
Likewise, it was Gilley’s style — cowboy boots,<br />
western hats with feathered grommets, and just<br />
a general western style of dress — that became all<br />
the rage. Areas of the country like New England,<br />
where few followed country music and only a handful<br />
of true cowboys lived, were suddenly overrun by<br />
Yankees donning the “Urban Cowboy” style. The period<br />
did much to increase the popularity of country<br />
music nationwide, and western retailers popped up<br />
from coast to coast.<br />
In short order, the image of the “Urban Cowboy”<br />
shifted from John Travolta’s character to the real-life<br />
Gilley. Gilley’s nightclub became a sensation and<br />
spawned the opening of similar country clubs across<br />
the nation. It also created an environment in which<br />
one of country music’s most popular female singers,<br />
Barbara Mandrell, could record her signature song,<br />
“I was Country (When Country wasn’t Cool).”<br />
By the time Gilley’s career slowed down, he had<br />
charted 39 Top 10 singles, 17 of which reached No.<br />
1. The likes of “You Don’t Know Me,” “That’s All that<br />
Matters to Me” and “True Love Ways” became classics<br />
of the 1980s country era. As the decade passed,<br />
Gilley shifted his music to a more orchestrated style,<br />
featuring strings and his iconic piano in his recordings<br />
rather than the hard-driving piano of his earlier<br />
sons like “The Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time.”<br />
This fresh Gilley style was largely inspired by the<br />
crossover success many country artists experienced<br />
during the decade. The change in his music also reflected<br />
a change in Gilley’s persona. The man who<br />
had ridden a nightclub to fame made himself over<br />
for a new audience. He sold his nightclub and relocated<br />
to a new spot in the U.S. where country music<br />
was taking off — Branson, Missouri.<br />
Branson was a growing community that centered<br />
around country music-related entertainment.<br />
For a performer like Gilley, the area was a godsend.<br />
The city became packed with theaters and boasted<br />
as many current and former stars per square mile<br />
than anywhere other than Nashville. And the town<br />
became a saving grace for more than one artist’s<br />
career.<br />
“Branson works because it provides the best<br />
conditions for the fans and the entertainers,” Gilley<br />
said. “The fans get to see us under the best setting<br />
possible … theaters have good seats, and we have<br />
the best stage setups.”<br />
What’s more, performers in Branson often<br />
owned their theaters. They didn’t have to deal with<br />
the daily grind of putting together and tearing down<br />
a stage show. The grueling pace of touring didn’t<br />
wear down the performers, most of whom owned<br />
homes not far from their theaters. Throughout the<br />
1990s, Branson grew, and Gilley found himself at the<br />
center of another seismic shift on the country music<br />
scene. He became one of Branson’s most popular<br />
stars, raking in profits from hundreds of fans who’d<br />
visit for both afternoon and evening shows held<br />
year-round.<br />
While the new hits stopped coming when Gilley<br />
shifted to Branson, the audiences his show attracted<br />
didn’t seem to care. Promoters marketed Branson<br />
toward an older crowd — people who remembered<br />
the likes of Andy Williams, Floyd Kramer, Mel Tillis<br />
and numerous comedy and variety shows. These<br />
people didn’t expect or want to hear new material<br />
from the performers whose shows they frequented;<br />
they wanted to hear the hit songs of days gone by.<br />
Gilley’s former popularity provided enough hit<br />
songs to fill a show, and recording wasn’t as important<br />
as it had been earlier in his career. Branson became<br />
a prime retirement area for people looking for<br />
a nice place to live, and it served semi-retired performers<br />
as well.<br />
For the most part, Gilley played out his life in<br />
Branson. His shows were among the most popular<br />
in the city. Gilley’s name became as much a part of<br />
Branson as the ever-popular theme park Silver Dollar<br />
City. And it provided an iconic setting for a popular<br />
artist to complete a career that headlined two of<br />
the most noted contributions to late 20th century<br />
country music.<br />
Until next time, don’t wear a cowboy hat in a<br />
Ford Focus. It just ain’t right. 8<br />
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10 • JULY 2022 PERSPECTIVE<br />
THETRUCKER.COM<br />
at the TRUCK STOP<br />
PRESENTED<br />
BY CAT SCALE.<br />
VISIT WEIGHMYTRUCK.COM<br />
Safety<br />
FIRST<br />
LONGTIME TRUCKER DUANE DORNATH<br />
FINDS JOY IN HIS CAREER, FAMILY<br />
CLIFF ABBO<strong>TT</strong> | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT<br />
Completing a trip with no accidents, no<br />
citations and no violations added to a CSA<br />
score is the goal of every professional driver.<br />
Repeating this performance — year after year<br />
and with the same company for more than 40<br />
years — is a record achieved by very few.<br />
Duane Dornath, who drives for Nashville,<br />
Tennessee-based Western Express, is one of<br />
those few.<br />
Dornath began his remarkable run in 1979<br />
with Smithway Motor Express, running flatbed<br />
out of the company’s Fort Dodge, Iowa,<br />
home terminal. Nearly three decades later,<br />
in 2007, Smithway was acquired by Western<br />
Express; the two companies were integrated<br />
into one operation under the Western Express<br />
name in 2009.<br />
Western retained parts of the Fort Dodge<br />
facility, which still home base for Dornath.<br />
“When I started with Smithway, I ran over<br />
the road for them for seven or eight years,”<br />
he said. “I went all over. The only two states<br />
I never got to were Washington and Oregon.”<br />
Running the road was easier for Dornath<br />
back then.<br />
“I wasn’t married at the time, and so it was<br />
a good way to see lots of different parts of the<br />
country that I’d never seen before,” he said.<br />
“Once we got married and started a family, I<br />
wanted to be around them.”<br />
About that time, Smithway started up<br />
dedicated lanes in the Midwest region, which<br />
provided more home time for Dornath.<br />
“And then Western Express bought out<br />
Smithway and said I can do the same thing I’d<br />
already been doing, so I kept doing the same<br />
job,” he said. “They have treated me very well.”<br />
He’s currently driving a nearly-new International<br />
ProStar tractor.<br />
Along the way, Duane got involved with<br />
the Iowa Motor Truck Association (IMTA),<br />
earning a berth on the state’s Road Team as<br />
well as participating with the Iowa State Patrol<br />
Ride-Along program.<br />
“There’s plenty of negative stuff out there<br />
about the trucking industry, and I think that<br />
anything we can do to promote a better picture<br />
is good for everybody,” he said.<br />
As a member of IMTA’s Road Team,<br />
Dornath met with members of the Iowa<br />
legislature to discuss trucking issues.<br />
“We wore suits, and they said we didn’t<br />
look like truck drivers,” he recalled. The group<br />
discussed issues facing the trucking industry,<br />
highway safety and other topics.<br />
Dornath rode with members of the Iowa<br />
State Patrol to get a better idea of the law<br />
enforcement’s perspective of the trucking industry.<br />
In turn, troopers rode along with him<br />
to observe firsthand the hazards of driving a<br />
commercial motor vehicle.<br />
In 2020, Dornath was selected for the<br />
prestigious International Driver Excellence<br />
Award by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance<br />
(CVSA). He has also participated in the<br />
annual IMTA truck driving championships,<br />
winning the flatbed division seven times and<br />
placing in the Top 3 at nationals three times.<br />
Because of his record of over 4 million safe<br />
miles and his longevity at Western, Dornath<br />
has been approached several times about becoming<br />
a trainer.<br />
“I’ve never been interested in doing that,”<br />
he said. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t<br />
take every opportunity to mentor newer drivers<br />
he meets at customer locations or company<br />
terminals.<br />
“I help out whenever I can,” he said. “I’ve<br />
been doing this for a long time, so I have experience<br />
I can share with drivers who are learning.”<br />
When he’s not hauling sheetrock, lumber<br />
or shingles around the upper Midwest, Dornath<br />
likes spending time with his family. He<br />
and wife Mary have raised four children, none<br />
of whom chose a career in trucking.<br />
“I’m a little surprised by that, but I’m glad<br />
they’re doing what they want,” he said.<br />
There are three grandchildren in the family,<br />
too, “all pretty girls,” he said. The couple’s<br />
first grandson was born as this story was being<br />
prepared for press. Duane and Mary baby<br />
sit often, and stay involved with the family.<br />
“They keep things interesting,” he quipped.<br />
These days, many of his runs get him home<br />
during the week and on weekends. He credits<br />
Mary for the success of the family.<br />
“She was raising the kids when I wasn’t<br />
Courtesy: Duane Dornath<br />
Duane Dornath, a driver for Western Express, began his trucking career in 1979, hauling flatbed trailers for<br />
Smithway Motor Express. The company was bought by Nashville, Tennessee-based Western Express in 2007.<br />
there. She did a great job,” he said.<br />
Baseball is a passion of Dornath’s, and he’s<br />
a fan of the Minnesota Twins.<br />
“Going back and forth to Minnesota, I can<br />
keep a close eye on them and see what’s going<br />
on,” he said. He also enjoys the NFL’s Minnesota<br />
Vikings.<br />
Much of his spare time is devoted to working<br />
at the church the family attends.<br />
“I help out where I’m needed,” he said. “I<br />
help out with events, deliver food boxes, whatever<br />
is needed when I’m available.”<br />
Even when Dornath isn’t at church, his<br />
faith goes with him.<br />
“I grew up in a faith-based family,” he said.<br />
“I give God thanks and praise every morning<br />
for all he has done for me and the family.”<br />
Like any driver with millions of safe miles<br />
under his belt, Dornath has some advice for<br />
his fellow drivers.<br />
“I don’t care how many safe miles you’ve<br />
driven, how many plaques and awards you<br />
have — it doesn’t guarantee anything for the<br />
next mile coming up,” he said. “Safety comes<br />
a mile at a time.<br />
“You’ve got to have short-term memory<br />
loss,” he continued. “You’re going to have drivers<br />
who cut you off, sometimes even truck<br />
drivers. You can’t carry that with you and let it<br />
mess up your driving. Let it go.”<br />
Although he’ll soon be 66, Dornath isn’t<br />
thinking of retirement yet.<br />
“I get a lot of people asking when I’ll retire,”<br />
he said. “I guess I know the places where I pick<br />
up and deliver, I know the people real well. I<br />
don’t even have to use a GPS to find them, I’ve<br />
been there so many times.<br />
“I think retirement might be overrated,<br />
but maybe I’ll feel different when winter gets<br />
here,” he added.<br />
Whether he’s making another run, spending<br />
time with family or at church or just working<br />
around the home, Duane Dornath is enjoying<br />
life — safely. 8
CA<strong>TT</strong>heTrucker051022 fullpage.qxp_Layout 1 5/10/22 2:21 PM Page 1<br />
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Make sure your life spreads<br />
encouragement, light to others<br />
CHAPLAIN’S<br />
CORNER<br />
REV. MARILOU COINS<br />
Have you ever thought about how your<br />
life impacts other people? I’d like to start this<br />
month off with a Bible verse and then explore<br />
its meaning a bit to help you understand how<br />
our lives impact each other.<br />
Matthew 5:14-17 says, “You are the light of<br />
the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be<br />
hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it<br />
under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it<br />
gives light unto all that are in the house. Let<br />
your light so shine before men that they may<br />
see your good works and glorify your Father<br />
which is in heaven.”<br />
How many of you carry a flashlight with<br />
you when traveling? Well, let’s suppose you’re<br />
using that flashlight and the light goes dim,<br />
or just stops working. Do you throw the flashlight<br />
away? No! You change its batteries.<br />
The same could be said of people. When<br />
someone messes up or finds themselves in a<br />
dark spot, do you ignore them or write them<br />
off ? Of course not! You help them see the<br />
brighter side of things. In essence, you help<br />
them “change their batteries.” Some folks may<br />
need AA batteries (attention and affection)<br />
and some may need AAA (attention, affection<br />
and acceptance). Others may need C (compassion)<br />
or D (direction). If none of these options<br />
help them shine, they may just need someone<br />
— someone like you — to sit with them quietly<br />
and share your light.<br />
Your impact on others is bigger than you<br />
think.<br />
Do you realize that someone may just<br />
think about something you said and giggle?<br />
Or that a compliment you gave to someone<br />
brings a smile to their face when they think of<br />
you and what you said? The advice you pass<br />
on to someone might just make a difference in<br />
their life. The support and love you offered and<br />
shared may just make a difference in someone’s<br />
day. Your impact and opinions may have<br />
made someone think twice before they act.<br />
You’re not insignificant or forgotten.<br />
Whether you see it or not, you may have made<br />
a positive impact on someone else’s life. There<br />
is nothing better than giving others the best<br />
of who we are. Good people are like the street<br />
light of life. They don’t shorten the distance,<br />
but they light up the path and make the walk<br />
through life worthwhile for others.<br />
Let’s all try to be a “flashlight” for those<br />
who are hurting, needing direction and wanting<br />
to share their thoughts and troubles. Share<br />
your light with them. Don’t ignore those that<br />
really want to just talk. Be a listener. Share<br />
your light with them. You may never know<br />
how much it may make a difference in someone’s<br />
life.<br />
Keep your flashlight bright and share your<br />
light. Don’t hide it; share it! Pass the light of<br />
Christ around. This world needs more flashlights<br />
and refreshed batteries.<br />
Remember this childhood song? “This<br />
little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let<br />
shine, let it shine.”<br />
Never hide your light. Instead, pass it<br />
around so others can see it and bask in its<br />
glow. Only you can make the difference in this<br />
world, one flashlight at a time. Are you ready<br />
to shine your light so others may bask in the<br />
glow? Have a blessed and safe Fourth of July,<br />
and may all of us be a light unto others as we<br />
go through the month.<br />
Best of the roads and all gears forward in<br />
Jesus. 8<br />
We have a dedicated department<br />
that focuses on owner-operators.<br />
You can count on the experts at PTS to help you<br />
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In the coming months and years, Owens<br />
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additional services in its continuing quest to<br />
help carriers and brokers succeed. 8<br />
Tax Resolution & Advisory Specialists<br />
Matthew.Sturm@practicaltaxsolutions.net<br />
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866.995.0002<br />
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OTR Capital has changed its name to OTR Solutions, a change they say better reflects the company’s mission.
THETRUCKER.COM<br />
BUSINESS<br />
JULY 2022 • 13<br />
Survival games<br />
DRIVERS SCRAMBLE FOR LOADS AS TRUCKING<br />
PENDULUM SWINGS TO DOWNCYCLE<br />
CLIFF ABBO<strong>TT</strong> | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT<br />
Things are tough all over. There is still<br />
freight to haul, but there’s more competition<br />
for it. In the meantime, expenses are up and<br />
rates are down — and it’s likely to get worse<br />
before it gets better.<br />
The American Trucking Associations<br />
(ATA) reported a decline of 2% in freight<br />
hauled by member carriers in May. The ATA<br />
release said freight levels had climbed for<br />
eight consecutive months prior to the April<br />
decline.<br />
“It is important to note that ATA’s forhire<br />
tonnage data is dominated by contract<br />
freight with minimal amounts of spot market<br />
loads,” said Bob Costello, chief economist<br />
for ATA. “The spot market has softened<br />
more than for-hire contract freight, as the<br />
market transitions back to pre-pandemic<br />
shares of contract versus spot market.”<br />
Costello is referring to economic conditions<br />
that saw a surge in retail products during<br />
the COVID-19 pandemic, many of which<br />
are shipped on the spot market. Much contract<br />
freight hauled goes to the manufacturing<br />
industry, which suffered shutdowns and<br />
slowdowns during the pandemic.<br />
Today, consumer spending on retail<br />
items is slowing, with higher gasoline prices<br />
and inflation taking up more of the family<br />
dollars.<br />
The Cass Freight Indexes, published by<br />
Cass Information Systems, showed an April<br />
decline in shipments of 2.6% over March<br />
and 3.5% compared to April 2021. The Cass<br />
Index measures multiple modes of transportation<br />
including rail, air, ship and pipeline,<br />
in addition to trucking.<br />
The Cass Index for May reversed the<br />
trend, showing a 5.4% increase in total shipments.<br />
The expenditures index, however,<br />
went in the other direction: Total shipping<br />
expenditures fell by 4.9% from April. The<br />
Cass release stated, “After a nearly two-year<br />
cycle of surging freight volumes, two key<br />
drivers of growth for the freight cycle —<br />
goods consumption and inventory restocking<br />
— are faltering.”<br />
Another factor reported in the Cass report<br />
is the ACT For-Hire Trucking Survey:<br />
Supply-Demand Balance. For this metric,<br />
available freight represents demand and capacity,<br />
and the number of available trucks<br />
represents supply. The ACT index has been<br />
showing more demand than the trucking<br />
industry could provide trucks to haul for<br />
21 consecutive months. That changed in<br />
March, with a change to the supply side.<br />
There is less freight and more trucks to<br />
haul it.<br />
One reason there are more trucks is that<br />
there are more drivers; the driver shortage<br />
many large carriers have complained about<br />
is seeing some relief. Avery Vise, vice president<br />
of trucking for FTR, explained one of<br />
the reasons.<br />
“Net revocations of for-hire authority approached<br />
9,300 (in May) and were more than<br />
double the number recorded in April, and<br />
were a record,” he said in a June 6 podcast.<br />
Vise explained that it takes time to revoke<br />
authority, which often occurs when the<br />
owner’s insurance lapses. Because there’s a<br />
30-day grace period for premium payment,<br />
revocations that occurred in May were carrier<br />
businesses that failed in March or April.<br />
As spot rates rose over the past two<br />
years, record numbers of drivers bought<br />
trucks and sought their own authority to<br />
take advantage of the high rates. Now it<br />
seems the opposite is beginning to happen:<br />
Lower rates and high expenses are causing<br />
some to sell (or surrender) their trucks and<br />
take jobs as company drivers.<br />
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,<br />
trucking added more than 27,000 jobs<br />
in April and May. Not all of them were driving<br />
jobs, of course, but a large percentage of<br />
them were, allowing carriers to put trucks<br />
that were previously parked back on the<br />
road.<br />
When the number of trucks increases<br />
and the amount of freight decreases, spot<br />
rates suffer first.<br />
Where spot rates are generally posted for<br />
loads that are currently available, contract<br />
rates can be negotiated months in advance<br />
and may not always represent current market<br />
conditions. Contract rates usually follow<br />
spot rates, but the results take longer<br />
to show up because carriers must negotiate<br />
new rates with their customers before<br />
changing them.<br />
“While I expect contract freight to outperform<br />
spot market freight, the rate of<br />
growth will be slower than in 2021,” added<br />
ATA’s Costello. “Most contract carriers are<br />
still struggling with maintaining enough capacity,<br />
both equipment and drivers.”<br />
As spot rates continue to decline, as they<br />
have for the past four months, carriers that<br />
depend on the spot market will continue<br />
to struggle with higher fuel prices and increased<br />
inflation.<br />
According to the latest DAT Trendlines,<br />
spot rates for van loads have fallen<br />
more than 10% since March, when the average<br />
rate per mile was $3.02. That rate<br />
fell to $2.79 in April and then to $2.71<br />
in May. The report notes that van rates<br />
typically rise by eight cents per mile in<br />
iStock Photo<br />
The national average price for a gallon of diesel fuel reached $5.72 in mid-June, 47 cents higher that it was at the<br />
end of March, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Prices easily topped $6 per gallon on the<br />
West Coast, reaching an average of $6.89 in California.<br />
June, but it hasn’t happened this year.<br />
Refrigerated freight followed a similar<br />
trajectory, dropping from $3.41 in March to<br />
$3.15 in April and then to $3.07 in May for a<br />
total decline of just under 10%.<br />
The bright spot in the trend goes to the<br />
flatbed sector, which may be benefiting<br />
from seasonal changes as construction activity<br />
picks up. Flatbed rates have climbed<br />
from $3.40 in March and were up two cents<br />
per mile in April; rates reached $3.45 in May<br />
and had climbed to $3.48 by mid-June.<br />
The bad news, however, is the cost of<br />
fuel. The national average price for a gallon<br />
of diesel fuel reached $5.72 in mid-June, 47<br />
cents higher that it was at the end of March,<br />
according to the U.S. Energy Information<br />
Administration. Prices easily topped $6 per<br />
gallon on the West Coast, reaching an average<br />
of $6.89 in California.<br />
When a fuel surcharge (or equivalent<br />
amount) is subtracted from spot rates, it is<br />
evident that rates have fallen much farther.<br />
Truckstop.com, in conjunction with FTR,<br />
reported that dry van rates from its load<br />
board, posted in the second week of June,<br />
were 10% lower than June 2021, but about<br />
29% lower is an “imputed” fuel surcharge<br />
is factored in. Refrigerated loads were<br />
28% lower. Even flatbed rates, which have<br />
risen, are 4% lower when fuel surcharge is<br />
factored.<br />
It was only a matter of time until the<br />
trucking upcycle ended. Belt-tightening and<br />
judicious management will be needed for<br />
the downcycle to come. 8
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THETRUCKER.COM JULY 2022 • 15<br />
BUSINESS<br />
SAFETY SERIES<br />
Keep safety in mind while<br />
driving, even when it’s<br />
necessary to be aggressive<br />
CLIFF ABBO<strong>TT</strong> | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT<br />
Anyone who has driven a commercial vehicle<br />
professionally has likely received a ton<br />
of training in defensive driving. Whether the<br />
training is from the National Safety Council,<br />
the Smith System, an insurer of a trucking<br />
businesses or some other source, the focus<br />
always points to keeping yourself out of accidents,<br />
regardless of who might be a fault for<br />
causing them.<br />
However, some situations call for driving<br />
that, for lack of a better term, is aggressive<br />
in nature. Turns made at intersections, for<br />
example, sometimes require the driver of a<br />
commercial truck to occupy more than one<br />
lane or to turn into a lane with oncoming<br />
traffic, occupying the space before another<br />
motorist does. Another example is merging<br />
your vehicle into another lane, as when the<br />
signs say that the lane you’re in is coming<br />
to an end. Your turn signal is on, but traffic<br />
in the lane you need doesn’t seem to notice.<br />
At some point, you’ll need to either change<br />
lanes or come to a stop.<br />
Some types of aggressive driving, such as<br />
FLEET FOCUS<br />
traveling too close to the vehicle ahead in<br />
hopes of intimidating the driver into speeding<br />
up or moving over, are simply foolhardy.<br />
At other times, such as the examples just<br />
mentioned, being aggressive is almost a necessity<br />
— as long as it can be done safely.<br />
There are rules to any sort of aggressive<br />
driving.<br />
First and foremost, aggressive maneuvers<br />
should be used only when absolutely necessary.<br />
Every driver faces intersections where it<br />
is impossible to make a turn without using<br />
a part of a lane used by oncoming traffic. If<br />
traffic is light enough, it is sometimes possible<br />
to use that space without much accident<br />
risk. When traffic is heavy, however, it’s<br />
another story. Picking the right time to pull<br />
out, making sure oncoming traffic is aware of<br />
what you’re doing, is the key.<br />
It’s also important to understand the risk<br />
of the maneuver you’re planning to make.<br />
Will other traffic have time to slow down<br />
or stop when you make the maneuver? For<br />
a lane change, for example, turn signals are<br />
Preparation is key to passing<br />
DOT roadside inspections<br />
Drivers are often surprised when a DOT<br />
roadside inspection turns up one or more<br />
issues, especially if those issues are of the<br />
shut down variety.<br />
In the majority of cases, however,<br />
discrepancies on an inspection end up<br />
being relatively simple issues that could<br />
easily have been taken care of before the<br />
inspection … if only someone had checked.<br />
Violations can be costly in terms of<br />
fines, as well as lost time, late deliveries<br />
and missed loads. The cost of repairs on the<br />
road, such as a service call to the parking lot<br />
of a scale house, can be very high.<br />
There are multiple levels of inspections<br />
performed on commercial vehicles, but the<br />
vast majority fall into Levels 1, 2 and 3.<br />
A Level 3 inspection deals with the<br />
driver and compliance with the rules. The<br />
inspector will look at the driver’s CDL to<br />
determine that it’s valid and is appropriate<br />
for the vehicle driven and the cargo being<br />
hauled. All too often, drivers are cited for not<br />
having their CDL with them or for driving<br />
on a CDL that has been suspended for issues<br />
like child support payments. Expired CDLs<br />
aren’t uncommon, either.<br />
The driver is also required to have a<br />
CLIFF ABBO<strong>TT</strong> | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT<br />
medical examiner’s certificate. Usually<br />
this is on file with the state that issued the<br />
CDL, but some states require the driver to<br />
carry a copy. Some drivers have difficulty<br />
keeping track of the expiration date on their<br />
certificate and fail to get a new one in time.<br />
The inspector will also look at the<br />
driver’s record of duty status, either through<br />
the electronic logging device (ELD) or<br />
by inspecting logbooks, if the driver is<br />
authorized to use them.<br />
The permit book falls into this inspection<br />
level, too. Authority, registration, IFTA<br />
authorization and other documents will be<br />
inspected, as well as any permits required<br />
in the state in which the inspection is<br />
conducted. Proof of insurance will also be<br />
checked. Drivers who never look in their<br />
permit books are often surprised to find<br />
they are found lacking.<br />
The inspector may also check for seatbelt<br />
use and look for signs of drug use or alcohol<br />
impairment.<br />
Passing a Level 3 inspection is mostly a<br />
matter of making sure all documents are up<br />
to date and in the driver’s possession.<br />
SEE FOCUS ON PAGE 21<br />
iStock Photo<br />
Turns made at intersections sometimes require the driver of a commercial truck to occupy more than one lane or to<br />
turn into a lane with oncoming traffic, occupying the space before another motorist does.<br />
only one form of communicating your intentions.<br />
Lane positioning can help others understand<br />
your intentions, too. Even a slight<br />
shift of your vehicle from the center of your<br />
lane to the edge closest to the lane you want<br />
can help communicate what you’re doing to<br />
others.<br />
A part of understanding the risk is this:<br />
Never assume that the other driver will react<br />
as you would.<br />
As a professional driver, you would know<br />
how to react when a large vehicle is moving<br />
into the lane ahead. An amateur, however,<br />
may not be able to see the cones and barrels<br />
in the lane ahead of the truck, and he or she<br />
may not be prepared for movement. Worse,<br />
the motorist may decide to accelerate, attempting<br />
to get ahead of the truck moving<br />
into the lane. After all, big trucks are slow<br />
and cumbersome, while cars are fast and agile,<br />
right?<br />
In another scenario, commercial vehicle<br />
drivers sometimes have difficulty making left<br />
turns against oncoming traffic. After waiting<br />
for what seems a long time for an opening in<br />
traffic, drivers sometimes see a gap and go<br />
for it. In some cases, the speed of the oncoming<br />
traffic is underestimated. In other cases,<br />
an assumption is made that oncoming vehicles<br />
will see the large truck turning in front<br />
of them and will slow, as necessary, to avoid<br />
a collision.<br />
In this case, the problem is that the turn<br />
isn’t complete until the trailer clears the intersection.<br />
That can be as long as 20 to 25<br />
seconds after the driver initiates the turn.<br />
An oncoming vehicle travelling 55 mph can<br />
cover one-third to one-half of a mile in that<br />
time frame, perhaps reaching the intersection<br />
before the trailer clears. If that driver is<br />
distracted in any way, the turning truck may<br />
not be seen until it’s too late to react.<br />
Driving defensively should be the default<br />
attitude of every professional. Where driving<br />
aggressively could put you at the mercy<br />
of mistakes made by others, defensive driving<br />
helps protect you from the consequences<br />
of those mistakes. So, while you’re figuring<br />
SEE SAFETY ON PAGE 21
16 • JULY 2022<br />
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EQUIPMENT & TECH<br />
JULY 2022 • 17<br />
Manufacturing dilemma<br />
INDUSTRY ANALYSTS SAY MORE THAN 21,000 NEW TRUCKS SOLD IN MAY WHILE ORDERS DECLINED<br />
CLIFF ABBO<strong>TT</strong> | CONTRIBUTING WRITER<br />
May sales of new Class 8 trucks on the<br />
U.S. market increased by 7.6% in May over<br />
April sales figures, according to data received<br />
from ACT Research. Sales of 21,272<br />
units made May the best month of the year<br />
so far — and the best May since 2019. May<br />
was also the first month when sales exceeded<br />
those in the corresponding month in<br />
2021, when 18,761 trucks were sold.<br />
So, how did OEMs sell more than 21,000<br />
trucks in a month when just 19,500 were<br />
built?<br />
“We’ve been seeing inventory building<br />
and you wonder, with demand so strong,<br />
why is inventory continuing to grow?” said<br />
Kenny Vieth, president and senior analyst at<br />
ACT Research.<br />
Part of the answer is that many trucks<br />
were nearly completed in previous months<br />
and then parked at the factory or the dealer,<br />
waiting for a final part or two to come in before<br />
delivery to the customer.<br />
“It shows maybe some parts finally made<br />
it to the supply chain,” Vieth added.<br />
Of the new Class 8 trucks sold, 16,402<br />
(77.1%) were fifth-wheel equipped over-theroad<br />
tractors, while the remainder were vocational<br />
models with dump, concrete, trash<br />
or other bodies mounted.<br />
Freightliner led the charge, reporting<br />
sales of 7,309, according to data received<br />
from Wards Intelligence. Compared to<br />
April’s 6,653, Freightliner sales increased<br />
6.9%.<br />
The biggest growth of sales by percentage,<br />
however, went to International, which<br />
reported sales of 2,799 — an increase of<br />
46.5% over April’s 1,911.<br />
Kenworth’s 2,803 units sold topped<br />
April’s 2,588 by 8.3% but lagged behind May<br />
2021 sales of 2,919 by 4%. PACCAR sibling<br />
Peterbilt reported sales of 3,375 trucks in<br />
May, a 6.4% climb from 3,173 sold in April<br />
and 15.1% better than the 2,933 sold in May<br />
2021.<br />
Volvo reported sales of 2,546, topping<br />
April sales by 121 trucks for an increase of<br />
5%. Compared with May 2021, when 1,413<br />
Volvos were sold, sales increased by a whopping<br />
80.2%. Volvo-owned Mack Truck reported<br />
sales of 1,372, a decline of 5.2% from<br />
April’s 1,448 trucks sold.<br />
Western Star, a Freightliner company,<br />
sold 511 units in May, down 23.7% from<br />
April’s 670. Still, sales bested the 447 sold in<br />
May 2021 by 14.3%.<br />
Truck manufacturers have been hampered<br />
for more than a year by supply chain<br />
issues. Semiconductors are in short supply,<br />
and components needed to build trucks<br />
have been delayed by COVID closings. Materials<br />
such as steel and aluminum have<br />
been hard to come by and expensive when<br />
available.<br />
To counter supply chain issues, OEMs are<br />
taking some unusual steps. Some are building<br />
trucks that are parked on the lot, waiting<br />
for a final component to arrive. Once<br />
the parts are available, they can quickly be<br />
installed and the trucks moved out.<br />
Another tactic is to simply sell trucks<br />
without some of the options. Trucks have<br />
been delivered to carriers without window<br />
actuators, ADAS features such as adaptive<br />
cruise control, and even without passenger<br />
seats.<br />
Orders for new trucks have far outstripped<br />
production, resulting in wait times<br />
of a year or longer for delivery.<br />
FTR reported that new truck orders are<br />
dropping to levels far below last year’s pace,<br />
but part of the reason is that OEMs are reluctant<br />
to book orders so far in the future.<br />
“The supply chain was making slight<br />
improvements in the last few months,” said<br />
Don Ake, vice president, commercial vehicles<br />
for FTR. “The OEMs are not confident<br />
they can increase production in the second<br />
half of the year; therefore, they are not able<br />
to take more orders.”<br />
In the used truck market, prices have<br />
reached record levels. One reason is that<br />
some carriers turned to used trucks when<br />
they couldn’t get new trucks to expand<br />
their fleets. Another reason, judging from<br />
the record numbers of new carrier registrations<br />
granted by the DOT last year, is drivers<br />
buying trucks and starting their own companies<br />
to take advantage of surging spot<br />
freight rates.<br />
The pendulum has swung the other way<br />
in the trucking industry as rising fuel costs<br />
and falling rates have made it more difficult<br />
for small trucking businesses to profit. Large<br />
numbers of them are closing their doors.<br />
Avery Vise, vice president of trucking at<br />
FTR, addressed the issue in a June 6 podcast.<br />
“Net revocations of for-hire authority<br />
approached 9,300 (in May) and were more<br />
than double the number recorded in April<br />
and were a record,” he said, pointing out<br />
that most revocations are made due to insurance<br />
lapses, which have a 30-day grace<br />
period.<br />
“Most of the operations that had authority<br />
revoked in May probably already failed<br />
in March and in April. I’m sure that most<br />
of them probably stopped operating in that<br />
first two weeks after the surge in diesel prices,”<br />
Vise concluded.<br />
A June 15 press release from ACT Research<br />
was entitled, “US Used Truck Sales<br />
Cycle at the Beginning of the End.” The release<br />
predicted that used truck prices have<br />
reached a peak and will soon begin coming<br />
down.<br />
Unfortunately, rising fuel costs, falling<br />
iStock Photo<br />
According to industry analysts, May sales of new Class 8 trucks on the U.S. market increased by 7.6% in May over<br />
April sales figures. Sales of 21,272 units made May the best month of the year so far — and the best May since<br />
2019. May was also the first month when sales exceeded those in the corresponding month in 2021, when 18,761<br />
trucks were sold.<br />
freight rates and rising interest rates seem<br />
to conspire against a truck purchase. On<br />
June 15, the Federal Reserve raised its key<br />
interest rate by .75%, the largest increase<br />
since 1994. Fed chair Jay Powell said that<br />
a similar hike is possible at the Fed’s next<br />
meeting in July.<br />
“By raising interest rates, the Fed is<br />
hitting the economy’s brakes to slow the<br />
economy down. So, that’s, going to add to<br />
the problem of declining freight,” explained<br />
Vieth.<br />
Recession is very possible, Vieth said. At<br />
least, a freight recession. As consumers spend<br />
more of their dollars on fuel and food, less is<br />
left over to purchase goods that truckers haul<br />
as freight.<br />
“Because the freight cycle has been<br />
growing for two years, and, is due for a rollover,”<br />
Vieth continued. “The roll off is occurring<br />
almost exactly when we thought it<br />
was going to. What’s different is the speed<br />
at which the roll off is occurring is much<br />
sharper than our forecasts were originally<br />
anticipating.”<br />
Nobody knows how long the trucking<br />
downcycle will last, or how deep it will go, but<br />
for now, investing in new equipment remains<br />
an expensive proposition with little guarantee<br />
of profits in a tightening market. 8
18 • JULY 2022 EQUIPMENT & TECH<br />
THETRUCKER.COM<br />
Report shows nearly 400 automated<br />
vehicle crashes in 10 months<br />
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DETROIT — As the push for autonomous<br />
Class 8 trucks continues, with ongoing road tests<br />
in Texas and a handful of other states, many in<br />
the trucking industry are keeping a close watch<br />
on the development of autonomous passenger<br />
cars as well as commercial vehicles.<br />
Automakers reported nearly 400 crashes over<br />
a 10-month period involving vehicles with partially<br />
automated driver-assist systems, including<br />
273 with Teslas, according to statistics released<br />
in mid-June by U.S. safety regulators.<br />
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration<br />
(NHTSA) cautioned against using<br />
the numbers to compare automakers, saying it<br />
didn’t weight them by the number of vehicles<br />
from each manufacturer that use the systems, or<br />
how many miles those vehicles traveled.<br />
Automakers reported crashes from July of<br />
last year through May 15 under an order from<br />
the agency, which is examining such crashes<br />
broadly for the first time.<br />
“As we gather more data, NHTSA will be able<br />
to better identify any emerging risks or trends<br />
and learn more about how these technologies<br />
are performing in the real world,” said Steven<br />
Cliff, the agency’s administrator.<br />
Tesla’s crashes happened while vehicles were<br />
using Autopilot, Full Self-Driving, Traffic Aware<br />
Cruise Control or other driver-assist systems<br />
that have some control over speed and steering.<br />
The company has about 830,000 vehicles<br />
with the systems on the road.<br />
The next closest of a dozen automakers that<br />
reported crashes was Honda, with 90. Honda says<br />
it has about 6 million vehicles on U.S. roads with<br />
such systems. Subaru was next with 10 crashes,<br />
and all other automakers reported five or fewer.<br />
In a June 2021 order, NHTSA told more than<br />
100 automakers and automated vehicle tech companies<br />
to report serious crashes within one day of<br />
learning about them and to disclose less-serious<br />
crashes by the 15th day of the following month.<br />
The agency is assessing how the systems perform<br />
and whether new regulations may be needed.<br />
Six people were killed in the crashes involving<br />
driver-assist systems, and five were seriously<br />
hurt, NHTSA said. Of the deaths, five occurred<br />
in Teslas and one was reported by Ford. Three of<br />
the serious injuries were in Teslas, while Honda<br />
and Ford each reported one.<br />
Tesla’s crash number may appear elevated<br />
somewhat because it uses telematics to monitor<br />
its vehicles and get real-time crash reports.<br />
Other automakers don’t have such capability, so<br />
their reports may come slower or crashes may<br />
not be reported at all, NHTSA said. A message<br />
was left seeking comment from Tesla.<br />
Tesla’s crashes accounted for nearly 70% of<br />
the 392 reported by the dozen automakers. Although<br />
the Austin, Texas, automaker calls its<br />
systems Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, it says<br />
the vehicles cannot drive themselves; the drivers<br />
must be ready to intervene at all times.<br />
Auto safety advocates said driver-assist and<br />
self-driving systems have potential to save lives,<br />
but not until NHTSA sets minimum performance<br />
standards and requires safety improvements<br />
to protect all road users.<br />
“It’s clear that U.S. road users are unwitting<br />
participants in beta testing of automated driving<br />
technology,” said Cathy Chase, president of<br />
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.<br />
Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) said that although<br />
NHTSA’s data has limitations, it’s not<br />
isolated evidence that Tesla has ignored regulations,<br />
putting the public in danger. There has<br />
been “a never-ending parade of reports” of Teslas<br />
on automated systems rolling through stop<br />
signs or braking for no reason, he said. NHTSA<br />
also is investigating Teslas that crash into parked<br />
emergency vehicles.<br />
“As today’s data suggests, this contempt for<br />
auto safety laws has real-world consequences,”<br />
Markey said while urging NHTSA to take enforcement<br />
action.<br />
But many Tesla owners love the automation.<br />
Craig Coombs of Alameda, California, said he<br />
uses the systems in stop-and-go traffic and on<br />
frequent highway trips. “They really reduce driver<br />
fatigue overall,” he said.<br />
He gives himself a “moderate” grade for paying<br />
attention while using the system but says<br />
he never takes his mind off the road entirely. He<br />
knows the technology isn’t perfect, and said he<br />
has had to take over driving at times.<br />
Manufacturers were not required to report<br />
how many vehicles they have on the road that<br />
have the systems, nor did they have to report how<br />
far those vehicles traveled, or when the systems<br />
are in use, NHTSA said. At present, those numbers<br />
aren’t quantifiable, an agency official said.<br />
However, NHTSA has used the data to seek a<br />
recall, open investigations and provide information<br />
for existing inquiries, officials said.<br />
“This will help our investigators quickly identify<br />
potential defect trends that can emerge,” Cliff<br />
said. “These data will also help us identify crashes<br />
that we want to investigate and provide more<br />
information about how people in other vehicles<br />
interact with the vehicles.”<br />
Honda said it has packaged the systems<br />
to sell more of them, which could influence its<br />
numbers. “The population of vehicles that theoretically<br />
could be involved in a reportable event<br />
is much greater than the population of vehicles<br />
built by automakers with a less-aggressive deployment<br />
strategy,” the company said.<br />
Also, reports to NHTSA are based on unverified<br />
customer statements about whether<br />
automated systems were running at the time<br />
of a crash. Those crashes may not qualify for reporting<br />
to NHTSA after more data is gathered,<br />
Honda said.<br />
NHTSA’s order also covered companies that<br />
are running fully autonomous vehicles, and 25<br />
reported a total of 130 crashes. Google spinoff<br />
Waymo led with 62, followed by Transdev Alternative<br />
Services with 34 and General Motorscontrolled<br />
Cruise LLC with 23.<br />
Waymo, the autonomous vehicle unit of Alphabet<br />
Inc., said it has more than 700 autonomous<br />
vehicles in its fleet. The company is running<br />
a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in<br />
Arizona and testing one in California. The company<br />
said all the crashes happened at low speeds,<br />
with air bags inflating in only two of them.<br />
In 108 of the crashes involving fully autonomous<br />
vehicles, no injuries were reported, and<br />
there was only one serious injury. In most of the<br />
crashes, vehicles were struck from the rear. 8
FEATURES<br />
THETRUCKER.COM JULY 2022 • 19<br />
Love changes things<br />
CANDACE HUNTER LEFT CAREER IN FINANCE TO ENTER THE WORLD OF TRUCKING<br />
CLIFF ABBO<strong>TT</strong> | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT<br />
Candace Hunter was running a successful<br />
tax business in 2019 when love intervened. She<br />
met Rickie Braden, who was interested in starting<br />
a business of his own.<br />
Working together to consider the type<br />
of business that would provide the greatest<br />
chance for success, the couple decided on<br />
trucking. While Braden went to CDL school to<br />
learn the ropes, Hunter immersed herself in researching<br />
the trucking field. Then she climbed<br />
into the cab and rode with Braden to gain firsthand<br />
knowledge.<br />
“I just went on the road with him,” she said.<br />
“I was just teaching myself about everything,<br />
on how to start a trucking company, what we<br />
would need to do as far as budgeting, startup,<br />
and so on. As we were going he was teaching<br />
me about things, how his day is set up and what<br />
he needs to do with the trucking job. We did<br />
that for a whole year.”<br />
During those early days, the couple saved as<br />
much money as they could, preparing to buy a<br />
truck and start a business of their own. A year<br />
ago, they bought their truck, a 2016 Volvo VNL<br />
670, and began running under their own authority<br />
as Prolific Transport Corp.<br />
“Everything has been going great since<br />
then,” Hunter said.<br />
Today, Braden still does the driving while<br />
Hunter handles dispatching, broker relations,<br />
accounting and more.<br />
While managing her own business keeps<br />
Hunter busy, she says she also wants to<br />
help others start trucking their own businesses.<br />
To that end, their company website,<br />
prolifictransport.net, features the trucking<br />
operation as well as Hunter’s educational materials.<br />
She offers courses and consultation in<br />
dispatching, understanding business credit,<br />
building an email list and more.<br />
She has also published an eBook, “Beginner’s<br />
Guide to Successful Dispatching,” that<br />
covers topics such as how to set up and market<br />
your own dispatch company, negotiating rates,<br />
bookkeeping and more.<br />
While traveling, she has continued her college<br />
studies and recently earned a Master of<br />
Business Administration degree in business.<br />
She plans to continue her studies.<br />
“I’m going for my doctorate now,” she said.<br />
“I plan to major in psychology and open a practice.”<br />
The couple chose their Volvo tractor because<br />
of its ride comfort and fuel efficiency.<br />
“We have a refrigerator, TV and an air fryer,”<br />
Hunter said. “I can cook ribs or anything.”<br />
When they need to take a little time off,<br />
Hunter works to books loads going near their<br />
vacation destination.<br />
“We went to Colorado last year for Valentine’s<br />
Day,” she remarked. “It was my favorite<br />
vacation.”<br />
It’s not surprising that Hunter is concerned<br />
about rising fuel prices, but she says they<br />
haven’t suffered yet from some of the low spot<br />
rates being offered.<br />
“Honestly, we’ve been consistent on what<br />
our target goal is,” she said. “Sometimes, it’s<br />
Courtesy: Candace Hunter<br />
Braden serves as the company’s driver, while Hunter handles dispatching, broker relations, accounting and other<br />
aspects of the business.<br />
Courtesy: Candace Hunter<br />
In 2019, Candace Hunter left a successful tax business to enter the trucking industry with her significant other,<br />
Rickie Braden. Today the couple own and operate Prolific Transport Corp.<br />
how you book the load. Your negotiation skills<br />
definitely play a part, and I teach that in my<br />
book, on just using the things that are going on<br />
in our economy to kind of navigate that price<br />
index.”<br />
One of her techniques is to book loads that<br />
allow for early delivery, allowing the driver to<br />
move on to another load and keep the cash<br />
flowing. Another is to make sure the rates cover<br />
the higher cost of fuel.<br />
“Some of the brokers work with us giving us<br />
fuel surcharge. If they don’t give us that, we try<br />
to calculate it into our pricing and try to get it<br />
on the back end,” she explained.<br />
Hunter also considers the time frame of<br />
each load, rejecting those that tie up the equipment<br />
longer than necessary.<br />
“Often, they’ll try to give us a load over the<br />
weekend — they want us to pick up something<br />
on Friday and hold on to it until Monday. So,<br />
I’m going to ask for what I want for those three<br />
days.”<br />
She is meticulous about her bookkeeping.<br />
“I do it on a weekly basis, what we’re making<br />
cost per mile and what we’re spending on<br />
fuel,” she explained. She and Braden go over the<br />
numbers every month, evaluating what went<br />
right and identifying areas for improvement.<br />
The source of the loads Hunter books plays<br />
a role as well. She prefers the DAT load boards,<br />
if time permits.<br />
“They give you more time for negotiating<br />
back and forth,” she said. “If I need a load more<br />
quickly, I go directly to one of the carriers we<br />
deal with. If I have more time, I’ll go on a dashboard,<br />
since I can be more successful there.”<br />
Hunter credits the couples’ success to their<br />
attitude and approach.<br />
“We always try to keep a positive mind,” she<br />
stressed. “I visualized this day, with us starting<br />
this company, us going in and out of town, and I<br />
kept speaking it into existence. And even when<br />
we have hard times, we always try to stay positive<br />
with it.”<br />
She regularly engages in one-sided conversations<br />
with the couple’s Volvo tractor, which<br />
they’ve affectionately named M&M. Hunter<br />
says the name stands for “More Millions.<br />
“I tell it how much I appreciate her taking<br />
us where we needed to go,” she said with a<br />
laugh, adding that the practice has rubbed off<br />
on Braden, who now also talks to the truck.<br />
Hunter says she has plans to grow the company,<br />
including buying a second truck soon.<br />
“The next four years, if we do one truck a<br />
year, we’ll be where we really want to be,” she<br />
said.<br />
The goal is for both her and Braden to come<br />
out of the truck, taking on training and administrative<br />
roles in the company and hiring drivers.<br />
For now, they are content to travel together,<br />
along with Yorkshire Terrier “Cocoa.”<br />
In the meantime, Hunter wants to share her<br />
experience with others.<br />
“You can work together with a significant<br />
other in harmony,” she said. “You can grow a<br />
business from nothing, make money together<br />
and just live a happy life.” 8
20 • JULY 2022 FEATURES<br />
THETRUCKER.COM<br />
Everyday hero:<br />
Driver Kais Sorour works<br />
to ensure the safety of<br />
others on the road<br />
HANNAH BUTLER | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT<br />
Courtesy: Kais Sorour<br />
Commercial driver Kais Sorour saved a man’s life in 2020 following an upside-down rollover accident. He is shown<br />
here with Pennsylvania State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, who recognized his actions with an official citation.<br />
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WASHINGTON, Penn. — Heroes: They’re<br />
the stuff of legends, both in history and the<br />
entertainment industry. It’s not every day<br />
you meet a real-life hero, someone who acts<br />
quickly to help others.<br />
Kais Sorour, a 50-year-old independent<br />
contractor, is one of those heroes. On multiple<br />
occasions he has worked to save the<br />
lives of those around him. The most recent<br />
was just before the onset of the COVID-19<br />
shutdowns two years ago.<br />
On Jan. 29, 2020, Sorour watched as an<br />
accident unfolded on the roadway several<br />
ahead. A car, several vehicles ahead of him,<br />
rolled, landing upside down.<br />
Sorour set to work, calling emergency<br />
services and approaching the scene on foot<br />
to assess the damage. The damaged car’s<br />
doors were locked, so Sorour tried to break<br />
a window to pull the occupant, a male, out<br />
of the vehicle. It wouldn’t budge.<br />
“Then something tells me to go around<br />
and jump in another window or break the<br />
door, of all things, and jump in,” he told The<br />
Trucker.<br />
Miraculously, it worked, and the man<br />
was alive. However, the smoke started billowing<br />
out of the vehicle, and Sorour says<br />
he knew fire was an imminent hazard. The<br />
man in the car signaled that he was OK, but<br />
he was stuck and couldn’t unbuckle his seat<br />
belt.<br />
Sorour crawled into the upside-down vehicle<br />
and, as both he and the driver coughed<br />
and gasped for air, cut the seat belt so the<br />
driver could be removed from the vehicle,<br />
slowly and gently, without a scratch.<br />
As another onlooker else handed the<br />
man a blanket, Sorour looked in the man’s<br />
eyes, which he describes as filled with fear,<br />
tears and thankfulness. Sorour recognized<br />
and empathized with that “life or death”<br />
look. Originally from Egypt, he served in the<br />
Special Forces and often administered first<br />
aid to injured servicemen and women.<br />
The other driver refused Sorour’s offer to<br />
go to the hospital, saying he was “fine,” but<br />
the two embraced, both weeping.<br />
“You really feel such a great feeling and<br />
you’re proud to save a life,” Sorour said.<br />
Because of his bravery and quick actions,<br />
Pennsylvania State Sen. Camera Bartolotta<br />
presented Sorour with a citation.<br />
“She is a great senator who encouraged<br />
me and asked me to be honored with a citation.<br />
The first time I heard of it, I thought<br />
she was giving me ticket,” Sorour said with<br />
a laugh.<br />
Thankfully the citation didn’t come with<br />
a fine; instead, his name and achievements<br />
have been recorded in the history of Pennsylvania.<br />
You really feel such<br />
a great feeling and<br />
you’re proud to save a life.<br />
... It doesn’t matter who the<br />
person in the car is, there<br />
are lives I have to save.”<br />
— KAIS SOROUR, DRIVER<br />
“Kais Sorour is being hailed as a modern-day<br />
hero for his quick reaction in the<br />
aftermath of a car accident,” read Bartolotta<br />
in the citation designation on July 27,<br />
2021. “The Senate of the Commonwealth of<br />
Pennsylvania extends its commendations<br />
and appreciation to Kais Sorour for his outstanding<br />
response and successful avoidance<br />
of a potentially tragic situation, notes with<br />
pride the exemplary citizenship he has manifested<br />
in going above and beyond the call of<br />
duty to ensure the safety of others.”<br />
The 2020 incident was not Sorour’s first<br />
brush with danger on the road.<br />
The first time he rescued someone in<br />
need was in 2009, in Chicago. Sorour was<br />
operating a limousine business when he<br />
saw an accident in which one of the vehicles<br />
was knocked into a small ditch. Sorour says<br />
the driver, a woman, was conscious when he<br />
checked on her, but the car’s airbag had deployed<br />
and she said her head was hurt. He<br />
called emergency services and stayed with<br />
her until first responders arrived.<br />
The woman was taken to a local hospital<br />
for treatment of head and neck injuries, but<br />
made a full recovery.<br />
“Not everyone can risk their lives to save<br />
personal lives,” he said. “It doesn’t matter<br />
who the person in the car is, there are lives<br />
I have to save.”<br />
In addition to the general public, there<br />
are lives back home for which Sorour is responsible.<br />
He originally came to the U.S. to<br />
work as a linguistics teacher. He later picked<br />
up classes for information technology (IT)<br />
and worked as a cellphone tower technician,<br />
then he operated a limousine service<br />
before becoming a truck driver.<br />
Regardless of his career, Sorour’s goal<br />
remains the same: He hopes to earn the financial<br />
means to bring his wife and two<br />
children, ages 10 and 11, to the U.S. to live<br />
by his side.<br />
In his free time, Sorour enjoys the martial<br />
arts and has earned a second-degree<br />
black belt in taekwondo. 8
THETRUCKER.COM JULY 2022 • 21<br />
FOCUS cont. from Page 15<br />
A Level 2 inspection includes everything<br />
in the Level 3 check — plus a “walk-around”<br />
inspection of the vehicle. Most of what the<br />
inspector looks at in a Level 2 should have<br />
already been inspected by the driver in that<br />
day’s pre-trip inspection. Tires and wheels<br />
are one focus of the inspector, who looks for<br />
flat or underinflated tires, loose lug nuts,<br />
broken rims and other obvious problems.<br />
A common violation is “chafing” air lines,<br />
either behind the tractor or underneath<br />
the trailer. Obvious issues, such as air<br />
leaks, inoperative lighting and fifth-wheel<br />
attachments, are easy for inspectors to<br />
check.<br />
All too often, pre-trip inspections turn<br />
out to be paper exercises that don’t identify<br />
issues often found by inspectors. Of course,<br />
it’s possible for a tire to lose air or even go<br />
flat without the driver’s knowledge, but<br />
routine inspections will catch many issues<br />
that inspectors end up writing up.<br />
The Level 1 inspection is the most<br />
comprehensive, featuring a complete vehicle<br />
inspection around and under the unit,<br />
along with everything included in the Level<br />
2 inspection. This is where the inspector<br />
literally gets down to the nuts and bolts.<br />
Brakes, steering, suspension, fifth-wheel (if<br />
equipped) — it’s all checked. You may be<br />
asked to participate in the inspection by<br />
turning lights on and off, applying the brake<br />
pedal or other actions as directed.<br />
Some inspectors will conduct the<br />
inspection and hand you the form, while<br />
others will take the time to point out each<br />
violation and explain why they wrote it up.<br />
While many drivers consider inspections<br />
to be the heavy-handed application of<br />
regulations by law enforcement agencies,<br />
the reality is generally quite different.<br />
The inspection criteria are developed by<br />
the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance<br />
(CVSA), which is a partnership between<br />
government agencies, manufacturers and<br />
trucking community members. At regularly<br />
scheduled meetings, experts discuss and<br />
decide the criteria used to determine if<br />
a part, for example, a slack adjuster on<br />
a braking system, is within specs, out of<br />
spec but not shutdown-worthy or calls for<br />
immediate shutdown.<br />
Passing a DOT inspection is much<br />
more likely if you perform regular pretrip<br />
inspections and quickly having<br />
any discrepancies you find repaired.<br />
Supplement these inspections with periodic<br />
walk-arounds as you stop for breaks or other<br />
reasons. A quick check of lights and tires<br />
and help you identify issues early, rather<br />
than waiting for the next pre-trip.<br />
Checking your permit book — or bringing<br />
it to the office of the carrier you drive for<br />
periodically for review — helps you stay up<br />
to date. Keeping it organized by replacing<br />
expired permits with new ones and keeping<br />
it neat and orderly helps.<br />
Keep your load paperwork together<br />
in one place, and keep it neat. If you haul<br />
hazmat, the hazmat paperwork must be on<br />
top or tabbed for quick identification, and it<br />
must be left on the driver’s seat or in a door<br />
pouch when you exit the vehicle.<br />
Stay informed. Often, inspection<br />
initiatives are focused on a particular item<br />
such as brakes, and many are announced<br />
in advance. While this doesn’t mean you<br />
can ignore other systems or items, it can<br />
help make sure you address what you know<br />
inspectors will be looking for.<br />
Finally, your attitude matters. The<br />
inspector is doing a job, just as you are,<br />
and that person in uniform is also a human<br />
being. Expressing your frustration at<br />
being stopped, arguing about violations<br />
and generally being difficult won’t help<br />
you pass. Being polite and respectful can<br />
make a difference and marks you as a<br />
professional. Arguing with the results won’t<br />
get you anywhere, but politely asking for<br />
clarification might.<br />
If you know your vehicle is mechanically<br />
sound and your paperwork is in order before<br />
you start your day, your chances of passing<br />
a DOT inspection increase and your day just<br />
might go better. 8<br />
Courtesy: CVSA via Facebook<br />
During a Level 2 roadside inspection, officials conduct a “walk-around” inspection of the vehicle. Most of the items<br />
checked should have already been inspected by the driver during the trip’s pre-check.. A Level 3 inspection deals<br />
with the driver and compliance with the rules. The inspector will look at the driver’s CDL to determine that it’s valid<br />
and is appropriate for the vehicle driven and the cargo being hauled.<br />
SAFETY cont. from Page 15<br />
out how to make that lane change in heavy<br />
traffic, remember that the driver behind your<br />
vehicle also wants to change lanes, and the<br />
driver overtaking you in the lane needs to be<br />
prepared for your maneuver. It’s important to<br />
know what’s going on all around and to anticipate<br />
the poor decisions of other drivers.<br />
Finally, never allow impatience to dictate<br />
your driving decisions. It’s easy to get frustrated<br />
when attempting a turn or maneuver<br />
when traffic isn’t cooperating. There is no<br />
“long enough” when it comes to waiting for<br />
a safe opportunity. Don’t let frustration make<br />
driving decisions for you.<br />
It helps to remember that your driving<br />
decisions beget decisions by other motorists.<br />
Your lane change, for example, can result in<br />
those behind you also making lane changes<br />
or changing speed in order to keep from being<br />
behind you. Armed with that knowledge,<br />
you can make better decisions that help<br />
make the roads safer for everyone.<br />
Stop for a minute and think about professional<br />
auto racers. During many races, the<br />
participants drive in ways that would be considered<br />
extremely dangerous on the highway.<br />
They drive aggressively at excessive speeds,<br />
intentionally tailgating the vehicle in front.<br />
When crashes occur, they can be spectacular,<br />
yet some races feature hundreds of miles<br />
of driving with few or even no crashes. Why?<br />
As long as everyone is going the same<br />
speed and direction, crashes don’t usually<br />
happen. When someone changes direction,<br />
pulling out to pass or perhaps trying to<br />
quickly get to the pit lane, it creates a hazard<br />
for everyone. Changing speeds, by accelerating<br />
or by slowing due to a vehicle problem,<br />
also creates risk on the track.<br />
There’s a parallel in highway driving. If<br />
everyone is traveling the same relative speed<br />
and staying in their lane, things are safer. Let<br />
someone slow down or change lanes, however,<br />
and the risk of an accident rises.<br />
If you must drive aggressively, make sure<br />
you do it defensively. 8<br />
LOVPB-0055_052722_5125x375_V1_L1.pdf 1 5/27/22 10:27 AM Marketplace<br />
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