Tuesday, November 27, 2012

16 pounds of Any-thing


16 pounds of Any-thing
Written By: Debbie Cardoza On 11-26-21012

Bosley, my 11 year old Yellow Labrador retriever, underwent surgery last week for the purpose of extracting a sixteen pound tumor from his stomach.  Yes, you are reading correctly… a sixteen pound mass was extracted from his belly.  Bosley is fine now – rolling around on the floor showing people his new and improved waistline – and just as goofy and happy as he was before the surgery.

You may read this and think, “What does a dog’s surgery have to do with truck drivers…with transportation?” The answer is clear when you delve deeper and ask yourself – “What is the process involved in the transport of medical supplies? How did the medicine Bosley is now taking post-surgery arrive? “.




These are valuable questions that deserve a thoughtful response:  The important surgical supplies do not deliver themselves to the veterinarian hospital – the manufacturer must ship them via some form of transportation. Even if the shipment of the supplies originates via plane, boat or train, these medical materials eventually land on a truck – and that truck arrives at the intended destination with a driver who is entrusted to deliver them a timely manner.

Truck driving is a profession that is not easy; the occupation requires training, knowledge and patience.   The men and women in this field encounter traffic and construction difficulties, and also endure dangerous road conditions – all in an effort to deliver goods in a timely fashion.  People unintentionally do not give truck drivers the acknowledgement they so truly deserve. Consider for a moment what surrounds you in your immediate environment – yes, right now – look around you and take note of any- thing. Truck drivers are entrusted with the transport and care of various items ranging from food, clothing, gasoline and oil, to school and medical supplies.  The list could go on and on as virtually any-thing can be shipped via truck.  Reflect if you will for a moment on how the various items you use every day eventually end up in your hands. Yes, some of these items may read they were made in China…but what brought them from China to your living room, office, kitchen, and car or to your doorstep??  Most likely, these items arrived by way of a truck.

So, the next time you meet someone who says they are a truck driver take a moment to thank them.  Thank them for what they do, and the time they spend driving out on the sometimes hazardous roads in extreme weather conditions.  Thank them for the part they play in the supply chain process of putting clothes on your back and food in your pantry…I certainly will.  Most of all, I will thank them for the surgical and medical supplies used in saving my dog’s life- and I’m sure if Bosley could speak he would thank them too.

Deborah A. Cardoza
Freelance Writer

Friday, December 23, 2011

Truckers America Winter Photo Contest

Official Truckers America “Winter” Photo contest entry rules
Sponsor: Sponsor is TruckersAmerica.com a division of Truckers America LLC

Term: The Photo Contest begins January 1st, 2012, at midnight (12 a.m.) U.S. Eastern Time and ends February 29, 2012 11:59:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time ("ET") (the "Contest"). Information on how to enter and prizes form part of these official rules ("Official Rules"). By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to the Official Rules and warrants that his or her entry complies with all requirements set out in the Official Rules. This is a skill-based contest, and chance plays no part in the determination of winners.
Who May Enter: Contest is open to residents from anywhere provided it is not prohibited by local laws and jurisdictions. Employees of Truckers America LLC, and its subsidiaries and affiliates, and their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such employees, whether or not related are not eligible.
How to Enter: Each entry consists of an entry form and a single image. Including your name, address, telephone number, email address, and photo caption; and submit along with your photograph. Sponsor may at its absolute discretion either disqualify all the entrant's entries or select at its absolute discretion entries to go forward for judging and reject the remainder.
Each entry must comply with the following requirements (the "Photograph Requirements"):
Photographs must be in digital format. Only online entries will be eligible. No print or film submissions will be accepted for entry into this Contest. The photograph need not be taken with a digital camera; scanned photographic prints are acceptable. All digital files must be 5 megabytes or smaller, must be in JPEG or JPG format.
High dynamic range images (HDR) and stitched panoramas are acceptable only if the combined parts are all made around the same time. Any changes to the original photograph not itemized here are unacceptable and will render the photograph ineligible for a prize.
The photograph, in its entirety, must be a single work of original material taken by the Contest entrant. By entering the Contest, entrant represents, acknowledges, and warrants that the submitted photograph is an original work created solely by the entrant, that the photograph does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other party has any right, title, claim, or interest in the photograph.
The photograph must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the Sponsor, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content.
The entries will be judged via an online poll, in accordance with the Judging Criteria, as defined below. All entries must be submitted and received by February 29, 2012 at 11:59:00 p.m. EST. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt. Entries must be made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, internet domain owner, or other person or organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. Sponsor reserves the right to examine the original photograph/source material in order to confirm compliance with these rules.
Release: If the photograph contains any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, and/or if any persons appear in the photograph, the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the photograph, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the photograph in the manner set forth in these Official Rules without additional compensation. If any person appearing in any photograph is under the age of majority in their state/province/territory of residence the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required on each release.
Upon Sponsor's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Sponsor's request) a signed release from all persons who appear in the photograph submitted, and/or from the owner of any material that appears in the photograph entry, authorizing Sponsor and its licensees ("Authorized Parties") to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known. All releases must be in the form provided by Sponsor. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification at any time during the Contest and selection of an alternate winner.
Similarly, upon Sponsor's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Sponsor's request) a signed written license from the copyright owner of any copyrighted material that appears in the photograph entry, authorizing any Authorized Party to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known. All releases must be in the form provided by Sponsor.
Finally, upon Sponsor's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Sponsor's request) a signed written license from the owner of any private property included in the photograph entry, authorizing any Authorized Party to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known. All releases must be in the form provided by Sponsor. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.
For the purposes of these Official Rules, the entrant will be deemed to be in receipt of Sponsor's request or notification, (a) in the event that Sponsor sends the request by postal mail, five business days after the request was sent by Sponsor, or (b) in the event that Sponsor sends the request by email, on the day that the email was sent by Sponsor.
Contest Prizes: The first-place winner prize is $400.00 U.S. Funds and a new digital camera. The second-place winner prize is $250.00 U.S. Funds. The third-place winner prize is $150.00 U.S. funds. Four random prize drawings will receive $50.00 U.S Funds.
Potential winners shall be required to sign and return within ten (10) days following an attempted notification, an Affidavit, Declaration or Certificate of Eligibility, Liability Release, and where legally permissible, a Publicity Release and Warranty of Ownership and License in which the entrant warrants that he/she is the owner of the photograph (and all the intellectual property rights in the photograph submitted) and grants to Sponsor and its licensees the irrevocable perpetual, nonexclusive license to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry (along with a name credit) in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest without additional compensation. Failure to execute and deliver any required documents to Sponsor by the specified deadline may result in disqualification from the Contest, and selection of an alternate potential winner.
No prize transfer, assignment, or substitution by winners permitted. If a prize (or part of a prize) is unavailable, the Sponsor, in its discretion, reserves the right to substitute the original prize (or that part of the prize) with an alternative prize to the equal monetary value and/or specification, unless to do so would be prohibited by law. NONCOMPLIANCE OR RETURN OF PRIZE NOTIFICATION AS UNDELIVERABLE, WHETHER BY REGULAR MAIL OR BY EMAIL, MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION AND SELECTION OF AN ALTERNATE POTENTIAL WINNER.
Judging: Contest consists of a public opinion poll on www.truckersamerica.com website. Participants are encouraged to vote and list the picture they like best. Judging Criteria should be based on (1) Creativity 50%; (2) Photographic quality 50% if and whenever possible. The entries that receive the most votes by the close of the contest will be the final winners. In the event of a tie, entries will be judged by a panel of three Truckers America LLC judges to break that tie.
License: By entering the Contest, all entrants grant an irrevocable perpetual, nonexclusive license to Authorized Parties, to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entries (along with a name credit) in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known, including, but not limited to: display at a potential exhibition of winners. Entrants consent to the Sponsor doing or omitting to do any act that would otherwise infringe the entrant's "moral rights" in their entries. Display or publication of any entry on an Authorized Party's website does not indicate the entrant will be selected as a winner. Authorized Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use. Additionally, by entering, each entrant grants to Authorized Parties the unrestricted right to use all statements made in connection with the Contest, and pictures or likenesses of Contest entrants, or choose not to do so, at their sole discretion. Authorized Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use.
Limitation of Liability: By entering this Contest, all entrants agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless Truckers America LLC and ts partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in this Contest or any Contest-related activities and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded hereunder.
Truckers America LLC assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission; communications line failure; theft or destruction of or unauthorized access to Contest entries or entry forms; or alteration of entries or entry forms. Truckers America LLC is not responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, human errors of any kind, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrants' or any other persons' computers related to or resulting from participation, uploading or downloading of any materials related to in this Contest.
Conditions: THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. To the extent permitted by law, the right to litigate, to seek injunctive relief or to make any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or on connection with this Contest are hereby excluded and any entrant expressly waives any and all such rights. Certain restrictions may apply. Entries void if the Sponsor determines the photograph to not be an original, or if the entries are illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error or obtained through fraud or theft.
By entering, entrants also agree (a) to be bound by these Official Rules; (b) that the decisions of the poll and Judges are final and binding with respect to all matters relating to the Contest; and (c) if the entrant wins that Sponsor may use the winning photographs and each winner's name, photograph, likeness, and/or voice in any publicity or advertising relating to the Contest or future promotions without compensation or approval (except where prohibited by law). All federal, state/provincial/territorial, and local taxes, fees and surcharges and taxes (whether foreign or domestic, and including income, sales, and import taxes) on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winners. In the event that the selected winner(s) of any prize is/are ineligible, cannot be traced or does/do not respond within ten (10) days to a winner notification as required by the "Contest Prizes" Rules above, or refuses the prize, the prize will be forfeited and Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may choose whether to award the prize to another entrant.
The Sponsor reserves the right to verify the validity and originality of any entry and/or entrant (including an entrant's identity and address) and to disqualify any entrant who submits an entry that is not in accordance with these Official Rules or who tampers with the entry process. Failure by the Sponsor to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights.
Right to Cancel or Suspend Contest: If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, due to infection by computer virus, bugs, worms, trojan horses, denial of service attacks, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Truckers America LLC that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Truckers America LLC reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual(s) who tamper with the entry process, and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. If Sponsor elects to cancel or terminate the Contest, Sponsor will not retain any rights in the submitted photographs.
Winners List: Entrants are responsible for complying with these Official Rules. Winners' names will be available online at after March 12, 2012.
Data Privacy: Entrants agree that personal data, especially name and address, may be processed, shared, and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the Contest and any other purposes outlined in these Official Rules. The data may also be used by the Sponsor in order to verify the participant's identity, postal address, and telephone number or to otherwise verify the participant's eligibility to participate in the Contest. Participants have the right to access, review, rectify, or cancel any personal data held by sponsor by writing to Sponsor.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Happy Holidays


Truckers America would like to wish you and yours a very Happy and Safe Holiday Season. Please remember how important it is this time of year to spend time with the ones you love. Remember to appreciate life and to give back when you can.

This holiday season is a time for giving. Give your time, give your love or give a gift. Remember the spirit of the season. We wish you a very prosperous new year but mostly a very SAFE holiday season.

Happy Holidays

~ The Truckers America Team ~

Thursday, November 17, 2011

FATAL CRASHES INVOLVING LARGE TRUCKS CONTINUE TO DECLINE

The American Trucking Associations on Wednesday, Nov. 16, praised the efforts of the nation’s truck drivers, safety directors and law enforcement officers for their contribution to the continued progress in the industry’s safety record following a review of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s recently released 2009 Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts report.

Based on the report, fatal crashes involving a large truck have fallen 31 percent from 2007 to 2009, and crashes resulting in injury have fallen 30 percent. The large truck fatal crash rate fell to 1.0 crash per 100 million miles in 2009 from 1.1 crashes per 100 million miles traveled in 2008. Since 2000, the fatal crash rate for large trucks has fallen 54.5 percent – more than twice as much as the passenger vehicle fatal crash rate, which dropped 25 percent in the same time period.

“These safety gains are the result of many things – sensible regulation, improvements in technology, slower fuel-efficient driving, the dedication of professional drivers and safety directors, as well as more effective enforcement techniques that look at all the factors involved in crashes, not just a select few,” says Bill Graves, ATA president and chief executive officer.

Among the highlights of FMCSA’s report:
• From 2007 to 2009, the number of fatal truck-involved crashes fell 31 percent to 3,215 from 4,633;
• Over that same timeframe, the fatal crash rate for large trucks fell 27 percent;
• Since 2000, the fatal crash rate has fallen from 2.2 crashes per 100 million miles to 1 crash per 100 million miles. Due to undisclosed changes for the formulas used to calculate miles traveled, the bulk of that decline appears to occur after 2007;
• The majority of fatal multivehicle crashes (59 percent) recorded were the result of a passenger vehicle rear-ending a truck, crossing the median to hit a truck head-on or hitting a truck in some other way, as coded in the government’s database. In less than 40 percent of cases, the crash was the result of the truck striking the car;
• In fatal crashes where the database records a “driver-related” factor, 80.5 percent of the time the factor was assigned to driver of a passenger vehicle compared with 22 percent of factors being assigned to the commercial driver;
• The most common driver-related factors for commercial drivers are speed (7.3 percent), failure to maintain lane (6.5 percent) and inattentiveness (5.7 percent). Being drowsy, asleep or fatigued was the seventh-most common factor at 1.4 percent; and
• The plurality of fatal crashes – 31.3 percent – occurs between 6 a.m. and noon. By comparison, 17.2 percent of crashes occur between midnight and 6 a.m.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Driver Interviewing Tips and Techniques

How to Dress for an Interview:

Men's Interview Attire

• Pants (solid color )
• Long sleeve shirt (white or coordinated with the suit)
• Belt
• Tie, if applicable
• Dark socks, conservative leather shoes
• Little or no jewelry
• Professional hairstyle
• Limit the cologne
• Trim your nails
• Portfolio or briefcase (to write down questions or items to follow through on)

Women's Interview Attire

• Coordinate Blouse, Pants or Skirt. (skirt should be long enough so you can sit down comfortably)
• Conservative shoes
• Limited jewelry (no dangling earrings or arms full of bracelets)
• No jewelry is better than cheap jewelry
• Professional hairstyle
• Light make-up and perfume
• Neatly manicured clean nails
• Portfolio or briefcase (to write down questions or items to follow through on)

What Not to Bring to the Interview

• Gum – Under no circumstances should you be chewing gum in an interview
• Cell phone, Ipad, Ipod etc… I assure you, YOU will not need these in an interview
• Food or Drink
• If you have lots of piercings, leave some of them at home.
• Cover tattoos

Interview Tips

• Before you even think about going on an interview, make sure you have appropriate interview attire and everything fits correctly.
• Get your clothes ready the night before, so you don't have to spend time getting them ready on the day of the interview.
• Take a drive by the day before to make yourself familiar with the area
• Rule of thumb – Arrive 15 minutes early
• Bring a breath mint and use it before you enter the building.

Sample Interview Questions you should be prepared to answer

Tell me a little about yourself?
What made you pick Truck Driving as a Profession?
What did you learn from your previous driving positions?
Why did you leave your last job?
Tell me about your last position and what you did?
What are key tasks for Truck driver?
How knowledgeable or familiar are you with CSA 2010
How do you know you are being successful in your role?
What do you know about this company?
Describe two or three major trends in your field or career.
What qualifications or certifications have you attained as a Truck driver?
What is your opinion on paper logs versus e-logs?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Sample Character Questions:

What would your previous employer say about your timeliness of deliveries?
Explain your driving record in detail.
What does being responsible mean to you?
If someone cuts you off on the freeway how do you handle it?
Your customer says you brought the wrong order and you think it is the right one. How would you handle this?
What would you say are your strengths as a truck driver?
What techniques do you use to stay focused on the job?
What experiences have you had, such as a near-miss accident? How did you avoid it?

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Truck Driver Safety - Five Important Areas to Focus On 09/03 by Truckers America | Blog Talk Radio

Truck Driver Safety - Five Important Areas to Focus On 09/03 by Truckers America | Blog Talk Radio

Trucking Safety
Commercial Truck Driving is a high-risk profession. Many drivers are killed on the job every year. The fatalities and injuries involved with trucking stem from vehicle collisions and fuel fires. Long term health problems and circulation problems are also a major contributing factor to driver deaths. Below are a few tips to keep truckers and other motorists safe.

SIGNALING: Let the general public see you early and often.
When entering an intersection be sure to signal early and often to ensure that other motorists know what your intentions are and which way your truck is turning.
Slow down long before a complete stop is necessary. Motorists do not always realize how long it takes for a truck to come to a full stop. If they see your brake lights early it could help to avoid a collision.
Avoid erratic lane changing. This reduces the amount of time you need to be worried about your blind spots. Be sure to check mirrors every 7 or 8 seconds or more depending on traffic congestion.
When doing your pre and post trip inspections make sure to check the headlights, brake lights, and turn signal lights to avoid accidents.
Reduce speed during bad weather conditions and use flashers to help communicate your speed to the general public.

PARKING
Use dedicated and specified parking set aside for trucks. They are larger and need much more space than an average passenger car.
Trucks should never be parked on roadways with speed limits over 30 mph unless disabled.
If you have to pull off to the side of the road or highway, always use precaution. Make sure during your pre-trip you have the necessary flares, flashers, and safety triangles to alert other motorists.
Pay very close attention to where you park as the tractor trailer can obstruct a motorist’s view of oncoming traffic.
Never park facing oncoming traffic.
Support Jason’s Law

IDLING
Do the math, fuel is not getting cheaper. Do not let your truck idle for more than 5 minutes at a time as it is a waste of fuel.
Do not idle your truck while sleeping, loading or unloading. Not only does it burn fuel, it may cause serious health problems with repeated exposure to fumes.
Do not leave an idling vehicle unattended. If you do you have nobody to blame but yourself when you return and find your truck missing.
If idling is necessary, keep windows closed to avoid exposure to harmful fumes.
Idling may be necessary in extreme weather conditions to avoid fuel-gelling. Avoid and excessive amount of time and keep idling to a minimum.

WEATHER
In rain or snow conditions make sure to keep substantial space between your truck and the vehicle in front of you. Trucks require space to stop and do not come to a stop as fast as cars.
In bad weather, reduce speed and do not feel pressured to do the speed limit. Slower speeds are necessary to avoid rollovers, jackknifes, and collisions.
Depending on your type of drivers, try to keep tire chains on hand in case of snow or ice.
Keep the fuel tank full during the colder seasons as water condensation can build up in the fuel line.
Remember to take extra precautions on bridges as they freeze before roads do. Also wind is a major factor on bridges with wider loads and trailers

LONG HAUL DRIVING
Do not tailgate. Do not tailgate. Do not tailgate. A professional driver needs to keep their emotions in check.
Take sufficient breaks and actually get out of the truck in order to stay fresh and alert on long hauls. This promotes exercise and better circulation.
Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing as sitting for long periods of time can cut off circulation and cause serious health problems over time. Avoid items or articles in your pockets as this causes pressure and stress on certain body parts
Get rest. Make to take 10 hours off and to take your 34 hour resets. Driving while fatigued can be more dangerous than driving while intoxicated. Don’t put the general public at risk.
Remember that DOT prohibit more than 11 hours of continuous drive time. Please pay very close attention to your body’s fatigue levels.