Highway Bill Would Force Executive At New Trucking Firms to Take Exam
Anyone starting up a new trucking company would be required to take a written proficiency exam on safety regulation under the transportation reauthorization bill recently passed by the Senate.
The measure calls for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to create a test within 18 months of the legislation’s approval.
“The written proficiency exam shall test a person’s knowledge of applicable safety regulations, standards and orders of the federal government and state government,” the legislation stated.
Passed by the Senate on March 14, the two-year, $109 billion reauthorization bill awaits action by the House.
American Trucking Associations has been advocating for federal testing of new entrants for years, said Rob Abbott, ATA’s vice president for safety operations.
“The intent is to ensure that before operating, new entrants understand their compliance responsibilities and are otherwise safe carriers,” said Abbott.
The person required to take the test would be the “chief executive who signs the application for DOT operating authority,” Abbott said.
“We know the new entrants have higher crash rates than folks who have been in business for five, 10 years,” he said.
If the reauthorization bill becomes law, an owner-operator would have to take two tests: one to obtain a commercial drivers license and the proposed test to obtain a DOT number, Abbott said.
Norita Taylor, spokeswoman for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said the group has not actively promoted the testing provision.
“However, we do support greater scrutiny of those entering the business to make sure they know how to operate a truck safely,” Taylor said.
The Senate bill also would require that FMCSA do the safety review required for new trucking firms within 12 months of the time the carrier begins operating.
As it is, the law requires that the safety review be conducted within 18 months of the carrier’s beginning operations.
ATA has advocated that FMCSA conduct the reviews — or safety audits, as they are known — sooner than currently required. ATA wants the audits done within six months, Abbott said.
At present, on average, FMCSA gets the audits done within nine months, he said — meaning that a 12-month provision would not result in much change, he added.
This Is What a Solar Roadway Looks Like
Would you feel safe driving on electric glass? A startup called Solar Roadways is betting on it. Armed with $100,000 from the U.S Department of Transportation, the company set off on a quest to produce the Solar Road Panel, an energy-generating device made from solar cells and glass that is intended to replace asphalt on roads. And now, just over 6 months after getting the DOT cash, Solar Roadways has a fancy prototype to show off.
Each Solar Road Panel features a weatherproof, translucent road surface layer, an electronics layer containing LEDs and solar cells, and a base plate layer that distributes power to homes and businesses connected to the roadway. In addition to generating power, the road panels have one big advantage over traditional asphalt: they are self-heating, which means snow and ice don’t accumulate on top of the road.
The company has some big plans:
The idea is to replace all current petroleum-based asphalt roads, parking lots, and driveways with Solar Road Panels™ that collect and store solar energy to be used by our homes and businesses. This renewable energy replaces the need for the current fossil fuels used for the generation of electricity. This, in turn, cuts greenhouse gases literally in half.
Overly ambitious? Probably. Convincing the government to rip up every single asphalt road in the country is most likely impossible–not to mention wasteful. But at the very least, Solar Road Panels could be useful in areas prone to snow and ice build-up. And if the U.S. government won’t bite, maybe Solar Roadways could look elsewhere.
The 5 Best Snack Bars
The best snack bars are the ones that are made with ingredients your grandma would recognize. Many are formulated using stuff with weird names like “inulin” (a type of fiber) and “soy isolate” (a type of protein). “Make sure the primary ingredients are whole or minimally processed foods, such as almonds, cherries, and oats,” says Alan Aragon, M.S., Men’s Health‘s weight-loss coach.
Whole foods deliver greater health benefits than refined ones do because a food’s nutrients are more powerful when they work together, which they can’t do as well after being dissected in a lab. (For more top supermarket picks, look for these 125 Best Foods for Men.) Aragon also looks for at least 4 grams each of fiber and protein and less than 250 calories. But flavor counts, too, so we went beyond the numbers and tasted more than a dozen bars. Here are our fab five.
Check out these 5 Easy Ways to Rev Your Metabolism for even more healthy tips.
Nut
Kind Peanut Butter & Strawberry
Peanuts and almonds have protein and crunch, while the strawberry provides a chewy texture and a tart taste in this lower-sugar bar.
190 calories, 7 grams (g) protein, 18 g carbohydrates (4 g fiber, 10 g sugar)
Granola
18 Rabbits Nibblin’ Apricot
This hybrid granola bar mixes soft, fiber-rich apricots and raisins with crunchy, heart-friendly hazelnuts, walnuts, and cacao nibs.
210 calories, 4 g protein, 32 g carbohydrates (4 g fiber, 12 g sugar)
Fruit
Larabar Apple Pie
Made only with dates, almonds, apples, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon, this chewy, sweet, gluten-free bar is high in fiber and delivers one serving of fruit.
190 calories, 4 g protein, 24 g carbohydrates, (5 g fiber, 18 g sugar)
Seeds
Bumblebar Chunky Cherry
Tart, chewy cherry offsets the granular texture and nutty taste of the sesame seeds in this protein-rich, gluten-free organic bar.
180 calories, 5 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates (4 g fiber, 13 g sugar)
Looking for more similar, convenient options. Check out these 5 Protein-Packed Gym Snacks.
Granola (with chocolate)
Odwalla Chocolate Chip Peanut
Packed with protein and super-filling, this bar is like a peanut-butter-and-oatmeal cookie spiked with gooey chocolate chips and crispy rice.
230 calories, 7 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates (4 g fiber, 14 g sugar)
DIY
Go to youbars.com to create your own snack bar from a selection of nuts, seeds, fruits, and berries ($40 for 13 bars). Then add extras like cocoa and coconut. The site provides instant nutritional analysis in a side window, so you can tweak the ingredients until you meet Aragon’s criteria.
Looking for more healthy products in the grocery store? Pick up a copy of the all-new Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide . It’s packed with smart shopping strategies that will help you cut calories, lose weight, and even save money!
Highway Fatalities to Reach Record Low
There were an estimated 32,310 motor vehicle traffic
fatalities in 2011 versus 32,885 fatalities that occurred
in 2010, which is a decline of about 1.7%.
The number of highway deaths in the U.S. is on track to be at its lowest on record, according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s early estimate of 2011 traffic fatalities.
A statistical projection of traffic fatalities in 2011 shows that an estimated 32,310 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. This is a decline of about 1.7% compared to the 32,885 fatalities that occurred in 2010. If these projections are realized, fatalities will be lowest on record (since 1949).
Also, in 2011, fatalities declined marginally in the first (down 0.1%) and fourth (down 0.7%) quarters and declined in the second (down 3.2%) and third quarters (down 2.5%), as compared to the respective quarters in 2010. Traffic fatalities have been steadily declining during the past 5
years since reaching a near-term peak in 2005, decreasing by about 26% from 2005 to 2011.
Preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration shows that vehicle miles traveled in 2011 decreased by about 35.7 billion miles, or about a 1.2% decrease. On a quarterly
basis, the 2011 VMT dropped in all four quarters, decreasing by 0.1% during the first quarter, by 1.8% in the second quarter, by 2% in the third quarter and by 0.7% in the fourth quarter.
The fatality rate for 2011 is projected to decline to the lowest on record, to 1.09 fatalities per 100 million VMT, down from 1.11 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2010.
Tips For Improving Your Mood While On The Road
Mile after mile can get very boring…and depressing! If you think about it, truckers have the ideal conditions for depression—isolation from much of the world, usually lack of exercise, difficulty getting healthy food, and little contact with family. All of these factors will wear on anyone unless there is a focus on keeping yourself positive.
1. Keep focused on the positive.
- All of that time to dwell on the negatives can really catch up with you. Turn off those news and political shows on your satellite radio. There is enough negativity out there and purposely tuning into it will only make it worse. Focus on positive music, or better yet, comedies and anything else that might make you laugh!
- Remember, if you are focused on something positive, it is much harder to think about the problems related to the job or how much you miss your family.
2. Eating better foods.
- I don’t mean to preach about food. I know it seems as though almost everyone criticizes truckers and their diet. This is just a reminder the more fast food and sugary foods you eat, the worse you will feel. There truly is a connection. Steer away from those hamburgers and fries and try more chicken, salads, and healthy subs. See what happens. I bet you will notice yourself feeling better. Choosing healthy food can still be quick and easy.
3. Exercise.
- The more you move, the better you feel. It’s just how the body works. You don’t necessarily have to work out at a gym in order to get some exercise. When you park, walk a few laps around your truck or park as far away from the building you are going to. Remember, you can always pump a little iron while you are in the truck. I know some drivers have a dumbbell they use to do a few reps while in their truck. Again, you don’t have to do a full exercise program. Just move a little more and it will lift your spirits.
4. Keeping in touch with friends and family
- Communication with the outside world is very important. Remember…because you are a trucker, you are automatically involved in long distance relationships. You have a long distance relationship with your spouse, friends, family, and so on. When discussing serious subjects, especially with your partner, use phone (or webcam, if possible) in order to help with accurate communication. Your tone of voice can often make a world’s difference in regards to working problems out or causing new ones! Don’t rely on texts and email too much. The written word can sometimes get you into trouble.
5. Find something you enjoy.
- Everyone needs something to look forward to. It is very easy to get in the dull routine of driving mile after mile for no particular reason. You just see those little green mile markers creeping past. I want you to think about how each mile marker represents another step closer to your goal. What goal? Well…it’s whatever goal you choose! Maybe each of those green posts represent the sooner you get home or the sooner you make enough money to get that new laptop you’ve always wanted.
- It’s also important to find something fun to do while you are on the road. What hobbies can you do? Maybe something related to blogging, photography, surfing the web, or whatever floats your boat.
I hope these tips will help life’s ride be a little smoother. Don’t be afraid to try some new things and throw out those that don’t work. Remember, you are in control of your life and your happiness. No one else can make you happy, mad, or anything else for that matter.
Shipping Wars
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The Bottom LineThe latest reality show to chronicle the hardships faced by America’s blue-collar workers, Shipping Wars aptly illuminates the world of independent haulers even though its protagonists largely fail to deliver any real emotional goods. |
Reality show follows six professional haulers as they compete to win the rights to truck large items around the country, and, with luck, turn a profit in the process.
For America’s blue-collar workers, it’s a war out there. With U.S. corporations abandoning the country in search of a low-cost labor force in foreign countries, the prospects for making a decent living in the manufacturing sector have become decidedly bleak.
This depressing new paradigm has not been lost on reality television producers, who have, over the past few years, given us a growing number of shows that indirectly illustrate the perils of globalization. From Dirty Jobs, to Storage Wars, to Deadliest Catch, there’s no shortage of airtime being given to those going to great lengths to get by in the post-industrial age.
Shipping Wars, A&E’s latest addition to the sub-genre, follows six professional haulers as they compete to win the rights to truck large items around the country, and, with luck, turn a profit in the process. Indeed, the business model turns out to be fairly straightforward.
“… All you need is a laptop and a trailer,” the narrator says in the show’s lead in, “and you’re a shipping company.”
At the website for uShip, “the largest online auction house for independent truckers,” our protagonists scope out the day’s work offerings. Marc Springer and Roy Garber, two grizzled and grey haired veterans of the industry each bid against the likes of novice drivers Jennifer Brennan and Jarrett Joyce on a job to move a 3,800-pound metal sculpture of a horse from the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum in New York to their satellite location in St. Augustine, Florida in just 36 hours.
“The real problem with the rookies is they underbid everything,” says Garber, whose long straight hair and cowboy boots make him look like a cross between Johnny Winters and Lucious Malfoy.
Sitting alone in their trucks, our cyber-connected contestants battle it out on UShip, driving the price down to a ridiculously razor thin potential profit margin.
“All you can really do is come in low and hope it works out,” Joyce, a former landscaper and self-described “good ol’ boy,” says while bidding on the day’s second cargo, the enormous man-eating Venus Flytrap costume used in “Little Shop of Horrors.”
As the bids sink down beneath $1,400 for a cross-country trip to deliver the prop from Bristol, Pennsylvania to a theater in San Diego, Ca. it’s unclear whether that amount of money will cover gas and other expenses.
“That’s a total rookie move right there,” Springer says from the cab of his rig. “What’s it take to drive across the country, seven days? Plus fuel, plus tires, plus insurance. I’m makin’ good money, or I’m not doing it.”
There’s little doubt that the competition is a boon to the likes of Ripley’s or anyone hoping to ship large cargo across the country, but as you watch the haulers sweat the details of hustling side hauling jobs to make each excursion economically viable, you can’t help feeling the urge to yell “workers of the world unite!”
As for the nuts and bolts of the show itself, though the fast paced editing scheme manages to keep the point and click bidding from feeling as droll as Internet auctions are in real life, the relentlessly quick hits of dialog and action make the proceedings feel like a teaser rather than the actual program. Executive producers Johnathan Nowzaradan (Heavy), Tom Mireles (Quints by Surprise), Jeff Keels (Smokejumpers), and Graham Davidson (Survival of the Half Ton Teen) would do well to slow down the pace a bit, as we don’t really get to know any of our featured haulers in the premiere.
For now the show is just a somewhat terse introduction to the cutthroat world of interstate highway shipping, but with luck future episodes will reveal whether Springer or Garber will prove as charismatic as Capt. Phil Harris was on DeadliestCatch.
Reimaging Where Retirement Can Take You
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