My truck news newsletter may 2014

A Small Company that Does Big Things By Go By Truck News+ www.gobytrucknews.com/

Updated: May 1, 2014 DGT is a small flat-bed car-rier that specializes in over-size and overweight loads. Now managed by Chief Oper-ating Officer Michael Gray, the company was founded in 1977 by Michael’s father, Denis.

“I felt really honored,” said the younger Gray in an inter-view with Puyallup’s The News Tribune. “Everybody in this company has been work-ing hard. It’s cool to have something like this.”

Gray credits the Small Busi-ness Association for helping

him get the busi-ness on track when it was struggling. He is especially proud of DGT’s unique compen-sation system for drivers, which guaran-tees a minimum weekly wage. The policy has helped him re-duce his turn-

over rate.

“Seeing the im-mense progress and growth of [Michael Gray’s] company during the past year has been a delight to watch,” said Nancy Porzio, district director of SBA Seattle, in a statement. “His innovative ap-proach to trucker pay is getting

much-deserved attention within the trucking industry.”

The criteria for the award required DGT to show meas-urable evidence of success; increase employment oppor-tunities; demonstrate the po-tential for growth; and assist

with volunteer programs to help other family-owned busi-nesses.

DGT will be honored at a local awards ceremony May 8.

www.dgraytrucking.com

Denis Gray Trucking named Washington’s

Family-Owned Small Business of the Year

May 2014

Volume 2 Number 3

Sandy Long 2

Rickey Gooch 3

Bill of Lading 4

Investigation Needed 5

Driving Drowsy 6

Identity Theft 7

OSHA Fines 8

Inside this issue:

The Treadle Valve

has been known to

malfunction in

semi trucks, buses

and RV’s

See Page FIve. Anita & Denis Gray working with

World Vision in Africa

Denis Gray Trucking, Puyallup, Wash., has

been named Washington’s Family-O

wned Small Business of the Year by the U.S.

Small Business Administration.

We’re Back! We’re back after a short hia-tus. I took on a new client with a big project and kind of got buried in work. A couple of weeks with family in Alaska and then finding out I wasn’t feeling good because I was really sick just kind of added to the mix. I’ve missed generating the magazine be-cause I love trucking! So no more vacations!! It’s back to sharing what’s happening in the trucking industry! ~Trish

By Sandy Long

Two years ago, Steven Burks, a former trucker now a behav-ior economist at the Univer-sity of Minnesota, decided to do a study on obese truckers to see if there was a correla-tion between obesity and truck crashes. Working with Schneider International, Burk chose 744 rookie drivers with two years or less experience to participate in the study. Using BMI as a base-line, those with a BMI higher than 25 were considered over-weight, while those with a BMI greater than 30 were considered obese. Burks then checked crash statistics on this set of drivers.

From TruckingInfo.com. “During their first two years

on the road, drivers with a

BMI higher than 35 ("severely

obese") were 43% to 55%

more likely to crash than were

drivers with a normal BMI,

the team reports in

the November issue of Acci-

dent Analysis & Prevention.”

When I first glanced at this article, I immediately went up in arms due to the first para-graph. “That there's a direct

connection between a truck

driver's crash risk and his or

her body mass index. Obese

truckers, during their first two

years on the road, are 43% to

55% more likely to be in-

volved in a crash when com-

pared against those truckers

with a normal

BMI.” “Balderdash,” I thought.

After sleeping on it, and re-reading the article, there might be just a glimmer of truth in this study, though I still think it is propaganda to further the agendas of both the FMCSA and the medical device manufacturers. I have seen drivers so obese, that they cannot fit behind the wheel without tucking their bellies down below the steer-ing wheel by hand and cannot turn the wheel easily. Now these sizes of drivers might be unsafe, but other than that, no, I do not agree with the find-ings.

The study cites that “some

ideas behind the increased

Balderdash?

“To catch the reader's

attention, place an

interesting sentence or

quote from the story here.”

Page 2 My Truck News Volume 2 Number 3

Trish Neal, Editor

Business by Design

541-404-0724 Cell /Text

888-269-8775 Fax

Call, Text, or Email!

[email protected]

www.facebook.com/FMCSA

Our goal is to help Commercial Drivers and their Carriers keep abreast of every-thing that is coming at them so they might protect themselves from laws that seem to change every day. 1. Truckers for Highway Safety. 2. Controlling traffic violation point issues. 3. Filing DataQ Claims. 4. Truckers with incorrect info on DAC report. 5. Problems with the DOT over sleep apnea. Justice for Truckers on Facebook Assisting Truckers

By Sandy Long

risk may include sleep apnea,

limited agility, or fatigue as-

sociated with obesity.” Sleep apnea affects many non-obese people and there are no stud-ies or facts at all that correlate sleep apnea with truck crashes, just suppositions. It takes little agility to drive a truck down the road safely other than being able to get one’s feet to the pedals and use the steering wheel freely. While it is true that some diseases associated with obesity such as diabetes or thyroid issues may cause fa-tigue in obese people, I know of no studies saying that obe-sity alone causes fatigue.

So what is the deal here? While Schneider has one of the most comprehen-sive training programs in the industry, the drivers studied were still rookies with two years or less behind the wheel. Though the FMCSA has blinders on in regards to the correlation between stu-dent or rookie drivers and crashes, we drivers can attest to the fact that these training companies are usually the ones in the ditch or in trouble somehow.

Continued on page 9

We sat on an airplane on the runway for 31/2 hours because of technical is-sues that finally could not be resolved. There were a lot of very unhappy people. I said to one, if you were a commercial truck driver you would sit some where like this just about every day. You would do it for no pay while waiting to deliver important goods and ser-vices to a population who pretty much believe that trucks and their drivers are

on the road just to make

our lives more complicated.

Most OTR drivers are paid less than minimum wage and live under the threat of losing their career or their

freedom if they just happen to run into the wrong police

officer. We have no right to complain about our fun be-ing interrupted while we all

sit and let a whole industry of men and women's rights

as Americans be violated just so they can serve our

needs. She got very quite!

____________

Owners who care? I had had the pleasure of meet-ing many trucking owners

who actually care about their employees. Most started their companies from scratch and built the company 1 truck at a time. I talked with Mr. Phillip Fulmer, President of Carol Fulmer trucking about the way drivers are treated today. Mr. Fulmer spent two hours with me. We talked about how his father built the business and how the trucking business

has changed. Mr. Fulmer told me that drivers would

like to be respected. He and his father, brother and their

kids all make it a point to

visit with the new drivers coming to his company.

That want drivers to know that the family does respect

their their drivers. I asked Mr. Fulmer why

drivers lose their trust so fast in the trucking business with carriers. In his opinion

it because of the big discon-nect life on the road causes for both the driver and the company. Dispatchers are a

drivers go to connection. Dispatchers are always in a hurry to get off the phone

and on to the next call from the next trucker. This does

not allow for drivers to get the attention they some-

times need. This communi-

cation gap does not allow drivers to build the kind of

relationships they need to

do their job and an erosion of company trust sets in. Mr.

Fulmer trains his dispatchers to be more attentive to driv-

ers needs but also said that reminding them to do that in and out every week is a

non ending process. I can understand that. The com-puter age which allows us to communicate much easier

has also allowed us to forget how to properly communi-

cate after the connection is made. Mr. Fulmer has a good point. I just wonder

what drivers would tell their dispatcher to do for them

that would make their life

better on the road?

____________

A driver calls his dispatcher to check on the hours for the delivery he is to make. The answer is 24 hours a day seven days a week. When the driver arrives late on Saturday night the guard informs him they only accept loads Monday through Saturday from 8:am to 10:PM. On Sunday


JOIN US AT JUSTICE FOR TRUCKERS

Rickey Gooch

trailers can only be dropped. The guard checks with his boss and he says the driver must leave the property. The driver calls dispatch and is told to stay put until the

load is unloaded. The driver

passes the info to the guard. When the guard re-

turns he tells

the driver to leave or he will be arrested and the truck will be told. While the driver

has been waiting for the guard his hours run out and he tells the driver tough!

Leave or be arrested and towed. What would you do

to get out of this jam?

Motor carrier management is endlessly on the lookout for ways tocut costs and increase profit. With all the changes carriers face today in manag-ing their business, it is essen-tial that they update proce-dures and processes that will keep them current with the industry’s demands. They must plan ahead to prevent falling behind.

Sometimes overlooked in the flurry of regula-tory updates and leading-edge technology is the funda-mental producer of revenue for all carriers — the bill of lading and/or required load documentation. Ironic in this decades-old process is the lack of awareness some carri-ers and their drivers have of how this process is a crucial start toward their profitability.

The bill of lading is an agree-ment between a shipper and a carrier that governs their rela-tionship with respect to the transportation of goods. It is the contract of carriage. As a contract, it names the parties involved, defines the specific

rate or charge for the trans-portation, and provides infor-mation regarding the limits of the carrier’s liability for dam-aged or lost goods.

A properly executed bill of lading is important to both a shipper and a carrier. For the carrier, the bill of lad-ing proves entitlement to the freight charges, establishes any liability limitations, and generally defines the bounda-ries of the shipper-carrier re-lationship.

A carrier without a bill of lading is poorly positioned legally to enforce the terms of its tariffs/rate schedules and its rules for such things as free time and detention, ac-cessorial charges, special ser-vices, etc. Lack of a bill of lading also restricts a carrier’s ability to limit liability for loss and damage to less than the full actual value called for by law.

For a shipper, the bill of lad-ing is the place to specify and enforce special shipping or handling instructions. In the

case of non-delivery, proving the goods were turned over to the carrier can be problematic without bill of lading docu-mentation. The original bill of lading is usually required by the carrier before processing either a loss or damage claim.

Responsibility for issuing a bill of lading belongs to the carrier under the law, 49 USC 14706(a) (1). While it is the statutory responsibility of the carrier, in reality the shipper often issues the bill of lading. Regardless of who issues the bill of lading, both parties should be aware of what the contract provisions are before signing the document.

Quite possibly the most im-portant point here is this: be-fore signing the bill of lading, the carrier/driver should en-sure the goods being picked up are the goods shown on the bill of lading, in the quantity stated on the bill of lading.

Failure to do so will almost certainly guarantee costs to rise!

Source: jjkeller

A properly

executed bill of

lading is important to

both a shipper and a

carrier.

The bill of lading is an

agreement between a

shipper and a carrier..


www.tripcheck.com/mobile http://www.tripcheck.com

Bills of Lading and Load Documentation are Basic Cost Management

By Allan Nightrunner

Please ask congress to have the FMCSA and or the NHTSA to start an investigation into the problem and design of the Air Foot Control Valve or called the Treadle Valve. The Treadle Valve has been known to malfunction in semi trucks, buses and RV’s. This will and can cause an accident without warning, leaving many victims in its path. The Treadle Valve and Plunger can cause:

1. The Treadle Valve or plunger to stop or stick in the up position, if this hap-pens the driver has no breaks to stop.

2. The Treadle Valve or plunger to stop or stick in the center position which can happen without the drivers knowledge. This could happen without ap-plying the brake lights. In which this could cause break drag which can cause the breaks to get hot and or catch on fire. This has been known to catch

vehicles on fire.

3. The Treadle Valve or plunger can stop or stick in the down position. This can or will cause the vehicle to go into a skid or jackknife which could cause the driver to lose control that could then cause an accident.

The Treadle Valve or plunger has had bulletins and recalls since the 1970’s leading up to 2012. The recalls are in different makes and models of Buses, Semi’s, and RV’S. According to the NHTSA there were nearly 3,500 fatalities resulting from accidents that involved a large truck in the United Sates in 2009. That does not include Buses or RV’S.

The Treadle Valve problem is happening more today than in the past years.

WHAT IS A PERSON’S LIFE WORTH?

Please Sign the Petition at this site and Share with others: We have started a new petition based on the one that Allan Nightrunner created before but it stopped working. Please go to the petition and sign it and please share it with others. Thank you!

https://www.change.org/petitions/congress-have-fmcsa-and-nhtsa-investigate-design-of-air-foot-control-valve#

The Treadle Valve

problem is happening

more today than in the

past years.


Investigation Needed!

Finally Thanks to FMCSA Director ANNE S. FERRO the Air Break Treadle Valve problem goes to Washington! It was a pleasure to finaly meet and discuss the Treadle Valve problem that has killed and injured so many people on the roads and highways with Director Anne Ferro. Mrs. Ferro took this to be a very high concern for all the people and drivers on the roads and highways.

By Go By Truck News+ Updated: May 2, 2014 Truck driver health and fa-tigue may not be as much of an influence on truck crash risk as one would expect, said Dr. Ronald Knipling at the 2014 Zonar Systems user con-ference held in San Antonio. This information may shed new light on the evaluations both fleets and regulators use to recognize markers in driver crash-risk profiles.

With more 30 years of traffic research experience, Kni-pling, president of consulting firm Safety for the Long Haul, reviewed a variety of fatigue and crash causation studies. He found that fatigue played more of a role in sin-gle-vehicle truck crashes than it did in multi-vehicle truck accidents.

“Fatigue related truck crashes mostly are single-vehicle events when the driver is alone,” stated Knipling. “They are also very severe crashes, al-most twice as severe as any other type.”

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Ad-ministration con-ducted the Large-

Truck Crash Causation Study approximately 10 years ago. In that study, fatigue was a proximal cause in 13 per-cent of single-vehicle crashes and only 0.4 percent in multi-vehicle crashes.

The Driver Alertness Study, done by the Department of Transportation in 1996, showed that 14 percent of the 80 drivers tested encountered 54 percent of all the “drowsy periods” recorded.

Knipling states that the idea of susceptibility to fatigue is a key point in understanding this issue. He points to such factors as amount of sleep, circadian rhythm, time awake and overall general health, combined with work related issues like complexity or mo-notony of the job can make some drivers more susceptible to fatigue than others.

The timing of asleep-at-the-wheel crashes is another vari-

able that doesn’t fall neatly into expectations. While most such crashes occur between 2 and 7 a.m., a full 62 percent occur during the last two hours of that window, from 5-7 a.m. Furthermore, fatigue-related crashes are more likely to happen during a driver’s first five hours on the road rather than later in a shift.

This information may be of interest to regulators if they decide to revisit the hours of service rules.

“The good thing about current HOS rules is that they con-form to what I call ‘nature’s HOS,’ which is about 16 hours,” said Knipling. “The weakness of the current HOS rules is that they are largely unrelated to individual differ-ences in circadian rhythm, [and] they have no direct im-pact on ‘sleep hygiene’ or the ability to obtain good, restora-tive sleep.”

Hidden Variables in Drowsy Driving

Knipling states that

the idea of

susceptibility to

fatigue is a key point I

n understanding


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Hidden Variables

in Drowsy Driving

It only takes a second to

grab your tablet...thieves

are waiting to grab your

device and your identity.

http://www.truckercharity.org/

Tablet use in the US is on the rise, so much so that a full 85% of traffic from some websites takes place on a tab-let or smartphone (which is

basi-cally a mini tablet). Tablets, like the iPad,

Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy, and others, are convenient and easy to use, making them the perfect computer companion.

But new survey data from Harris Interactive has shown that tablet users are more likely to transmit sensitive personal information over the internet than other types of tech users. This information is typically things like credit card numbers as consumers shop online, but can include other sensitive personal infor-mation.

Part of the problem with tab-lets is they don’t have the time-tested security measures that we’ve come to expect from our desktop or laptop computers, but since they do much of the same tasks, we treat them like they do. Also, as companies buy tablets for their employees to use, a growing number of people who didn’t have the chance to educate themselves on tablet security now has access to them.

But tablets really are great tools if you know how to use them and respect your per-sonal security. Some of the ways you can protect yourself through that small screen can make the difference between keeping your identity secure, and handing everything over to a would-be thief.

First, don’t utilize free wifi hotspots, popular in restau-rants, hotels, and other busi-nesses, if you’re going to be handling your sensitive infor-mation unless you have a VPN. If you are using a busi-ness’ hotspot, such as to sign up instantly with a store for a free promotion to receive a discount, don’t use a pass-word you use for other ac-counts.

Tablets contain a feature in the settings that lets you set up a password to turn on the device. You can even turn this feature on and off, so you don’t have to enter the pass-word to use it at home but can enable the feature if you’re using your tablet while out. There are also features that let you track the tablet if it’s sto-len, as well as delete all of your apps and information remotely if it gets stolen. Learn how to use this feature and be ready to enable it if your tablet is stolen.

No matter how many feet away, never leave your tablet sitting in public. Even if

Tablet Owners Beware: Guard Your Information

No matter how many feet

away, never leave your tablet

sitting in public.


you’re just getting up to grab another packet of sugar for your coffee while you enjoy the free wifi, pick up your tablet and take it with you. It only takes a second to grab your tablet, and public places where people use their tech-nology are favorite haunts for thieves who are waiting to grab your device and your identity. And that remote fea-ture that lets you wipe the tab-let? It just became a race be-tween you and the thief to see who can work faster, the guy downloading all of your infor-mation, or the unhappy former tablet owner who’s trying to delete his information from his home computer or phone.

Finally, remember that a tablet is not a laptop. It doesn’t work the same way, and it doesn’t have the same security protec-tions that laptops have. Tablets have been a great benefit to society, especially in terms of connectivity, education, the medical field, and business structure, but they are still a new tool to many people. Don’t become so at ease with your device that you forget the power it can give a thief.

Don’t lose your career be-

cause your identity was stolen

and someone is using your

CDL! For more information

on how to protect yourself

against Identity Theft, contact

Trish Neal. [email protected]

www.idtheftcenter.org

Please submit all requests for transport to

[email protected]. Transport

application and requirement forms

are available

at: www.operationroger.com

Absolute Waste Removal ordered to reinstate driver who raised safety concerns and pay $123,203 in com-pensation following OSHA whistle-blower investigation

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa – Absolute Waste Removal has been found in violation of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act by the U.S. Depart-ment of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for wrong-fully terminating a truck driver for raising safety concerns during the reorganization of company routes. Headquartered in Clear Lake, Abso-lute Waste Removal was ordered to reinstate the driver to his former posi-tion with all pay, benefits and rights, in addition to paying back wages of $23,203, plus interest. OSHA ordered the company to pay $50,000 in com-pensatory and $50,000 in punitive damages and reasonable attorney's

fees.

"An employer does not have the right to retaliate against employees who report work-related injuries or safety concerns," said Marcia Drumm, acting regional administrator for OSHA in Kansas City, Mo. "OSHA is commit-ted to protecting all workers from retaliation for exercising basic worker

rights."

The driver was terminated from em-ployment on Feb. 27, 2013, after raising repeated concerns to the com-pany's owner about new procedures being implemented. The employee rightfully refused to operate a vehicle in an unsafe manner because such operation would violate American National Standards Institute and U.S. Department of Transportation regula-tions, potentially causing serious injury to the worker, co-workers or the

public.

STAA covers private sector drivers and other employees of commercial motor carriers. Companies covered by

STAA may not discharge their em-ployees or retaliate against them for refusing to operate a vehicle that would violate a federal commercial motor vehicle rule related to safety, health, or security, or because they had a reasonable apprehension of serious injury to themselves or to the public related to a vehicle's safety or security

condition.

Either party in these cases can file an appeal with the department's Office of

Administrative Law Judges.

OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of the STAA and 21 other statutes protecting employees who report violations of various airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health care re-form, nuclear, pipeline, worker safety, public transportation agency, maritime

and securities laws.

Employers are prohibited from retali-ating against employees who raise various protected concerns or provide protected information to the employer or to the government. Employees who believe that they have been retaliated against for engaging in protected conduct may file a complaint with the

secretary of labor to request an investi-gation by OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program. Detailed informa-tion on employee whistleblower rights, including fact sheets, is avail-able at http://

www.whistleblowers.gov.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employ-ees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov

OSHA hits waste hauler with $123,203 penalty

www.osha.gov

...employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees.


ATRI — Compendium of Idling Regulations—

Cab Card — Handy to have in the truck!

http://www.atri-online.org/research/idling/

ATRI_Idling_Cab_Card.pdf

To report a missing Driver please call 720.202.5606 Please leave a message, someone will return your call .

The ultimate goal of the Missing Driver Alert Network is to locate and return drivers reported missing to their family, without loss. While we realize that this may not always be the case, we will do our utmost best to get the word out to everyone in the trucking community with that goal in mind. We will work with the law enforcement community and truckstops around the coun-try in coordinating any search to achieve this goal."

Find them on Facebook or on Twitter: @MissingTrucker

May is National Recommit-

ment Month. Don't give up on

your weight loss and exercise

goals!

Small steps add up! 25 ways

to cut 500 calories a day=1 lb

weight loss/week! We chal-

lenge you to try one this

week: http://ow.ly/vTKeY

Hunger pains can signal thirst.

Drinking a glass of water be-

fore meals can help you to

feel fuller and to eat less.

Realize that your only dining

option is the vending machine

at a rest stop? Learn which

choices are the healthiest:

http://ow.ly/vTJT3

Mobile App Suggestion: Get

Fooducated! Scan a barcode,

see what's really in your food,

& find healthier alternatives.

http://Fooducate.com

Expand your food horizons

with a new fruit or veggie, a

vegetarian entrée, or a new

kind of yogurt. Who knows,

you may find a new favorite!

Need help finding a healthy

dining alternative? http://

www.healthydiningfinder.co

m will point you in the di-

rection of the healthiest

choices.

There's no shame in asking

for help. Feeding America can

help you locate emergency

food assistance services.

http://ow.ly/vTGFF

Get more information at:

www.drivinghealthy.org

Expand your food

horizons with a new fruit

or veggie...


Watch this Video on What to Do in Case Someone Has A Heart Attack

http://www.heartrescuenow.com/

This makes me wonder, with the discrimination shown to obese people, if the severely obese students did not get the quality of training the other drivers did; I would hate to think so. Trucking has al-ways attracted people who did not fit into other profes-sions, in the last decade or so, many obese people have en-tered the industry. Some have been openly discrimi-nated against to the point that

they have filed suit against companies and won. http://www.slaterross.com/McDuffy.htm

In my opinion, I think that the elephant in the room in this regard is not how big the elephant is, but in how well they were trained. This study would have much more merit if experienced drivers, five years or more, had been stud-ied instead of rookies. That

would have taken out the possibility of slanting the statistics to make the point in the agenda by using inexperi-enced drivers. Since I have well over 4 million miles to my credit with no accidents, and have been obese to some extent or another for all of them, I think that this study for the most part is total bal-derdash; and I am sticking to that.

Continued from page 2

Small steps add up!

Link to the June issue: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/MCT/docs/June14.pdf Link to past issues: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/MCT/Pages/NEWS.aspx

• News in this issue:

• Surveys were sent out to check satisfaction with staff and services

• FMCSA requires carriers/farmers to update USDOT numbers biennially

• Work zone safety

• Construction maps through Oregon work zones

• Drivers must get medical certificates from a certified medical examiner

• Oregon's partnership in passenger safety

• Full Reciprocity Plan implementation

• Scottsburg Bridge restriction is lifted

• New load rating and posting for Specialized Hauling Vehicles

• Over-dimension loads are subject to special restrictions on Memorial Day and July 4th

• Weight-restricted bridges on major and lesser routes

• Civil enforcement and motor carrier field enforcement actions from January through March 2014

Documents

My truck news newsletter may 2014