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Trucker News

New Law Framed for the Repair of the Vehicle for Truck Drivers

The Massachusetts federal law body has put forth the new law of Right to Repair Act which is brought into form in the present legislative year of 2011-12. The chief legislative representatives who have put this idea in form are Rep. Garrett Hadley (D-Hingham) and Senator John Hart. There are sixty other representatives who have come in support of this bill. The new repair act will put forward a wide array of choices for the consumers because previously the repair codes which were limited only for the dealers of new cars will now also be provided to retail stores.

The main reason behind bringing the bill back into the present shape is that the customers have an availability of better choice before them and they can take the services of the shops which they want to. There is no compulsion of sticking to a particular dealer. The trucking companies seem to have a double opinion on this act. It is good for those owner operator jobs who are bound to go to a big dealer. The data and codes will be bought by the individual shops and they will have to give the prior and correct information to the customers. It will be an additional benefit for the small retailers to expand their businesses and the customers may also go for a better deal.

More and more senators are coming in support of this bill and it is gaining a high approval among the legislative members. The economy is undoubtedly going through a tough phase and it is important for the government to understand the problems of the masses. Repairing a truck is often done by a trucker and it is important that he has a wide variety of choice where he can go for his truck repair which will add some extra pennies to his pocket. The technological advances have made a great improvement in the efficiency of the vehicles but the loads available demands, services and maintenance of the vehicles have also increased. This thought has also motivated the right to repair act to come in form.

The trucks and other motors have many options of safety and more and more researches are done to make the vehicle fuel efficient. This has also opened the doors for the dealers to take the advantage of the present situation. So it has become all the more necessary that the truckers have an access to all the repair shops and their choices are not limited. The guidelines and directions are meant to be given to the vehicle manufacturing companies that the repair access is not confined to the dealers of these companies and the repair rights are also scattered among the different individual repair shops and the motorists.

Check our truck loadboard blog page for more articles related to trucking industry.

It will also be useful for the truckers who are driving on the highway and have no choice to go for when the truck breaks up. They will not have to hunt for the dealers and simply repair at the shop which is easily accessible to them.

Categories
Carriers

Zurich Reported Truck Crashes can be reduced by Telematics

The cost involved in the crashes can be reduced considerably with use of the technological advancements, said the Zurich Financial Services Group. This will be very advantageous to the trucking companies.

Telematics and Fleet Risk Management Zurich has evaluated the use of this strong technology. This along with the driver development programs can ensure high level of safety to the owner operator jobs and other risky jobs like flatbed drivers, reefer drivers and straight truck drivers

Telematics will also help reduce the operational cost of the fleet and help save the environment too.

How does Telematics Work:

The telematics devices are installed in the trucks. The data is regularly captured by the device and is transmitted to the centrally located server. The fleet managers, owners and dispatchers can derive the data captured over the internet.
It includes the vital driving information of the truck driver activities like the speed of the vehicle, location of the vehicle and other diagnostic statistics. There are sensors on the vehicle which detects and reports the wide range of trucking activities. There is a secure link linked with this to the data center therefore, the fleet manager can view and manage real time reports.

This ensures the trucking companies and shippers that the available loads are on their correct route and safe to be delivered on time.

Telematics are mostly seen in connection with other vehicle systems. This is nothing but the GPS sensors are connected with the wireless communication servers and are utilized with computer resources. With the critical data supplied to the fleet managers, it can help reduce the collision risk associated with the driving jobs. It guarantees regulation compliance and enhance fleet performance. The application of telematics will offer 10% reduction in operation cost and 11% reduction in fuel cost.
Check our load board blog page for more articles on driver safety.
There are a range of products available which depends on the fleet size and the characteristic of the carrier type and loads hauled by it.

The fleet managers usually start with the basic fleet safety solution offered by telematics. Then getting the required solution and gaining experience, they move upward to more comprehensive and competent management capability mobile resourcing.

Categories
Business

Truck Driving: A Career as Good for Women

With the changing trends and patterns of life, there have been major changes in the job profile as well. The demarcation line of the jobs has been blurred and trucking industry is no exception to it. The truck driving jobs are no more limited to men and women are also launching themselves with confidence in the business.

The truck driving business was pre dominantly confined to males and it was hard for a female to think of entering into the business. But in the past few decades, the phenomena have changed considerably and the concept of women truckers is not new to ears. The trucking companies are also witnessing a huge crisis and there has been a huge gap between the demand and the supply.

The shortage of drivers has forced the trucking companies to look at the alternative of women truckers and many women have tasted success in the trucking business. Driving a flatbed is a difficult job and there are a number of flatbed driver jobs available in the trucking industry. Driving a truck has been a challenging job for women and they generally don’t consider it as dream career choices. But the profitable returns received have left few women to regret of entering the business. The statistics reveal that the number of women truckers is increasing day by day. The trucking company is also heaving a sigh of relief as they also have a alternative present before them.

As compared to the other business in which gender bias has been seen, trucking industry seems to be an exception. The drivers are paid according to the number of kilometers that they have undertaken and so there is no question of any discrimination being made. Women truckers also go to cross country delivering the loads and are catching up with the deadline. The trucking companies have also brought up the new idea of trucking couples in which both the partners drive together. This is certainly a very good choice especially for the wives whose husbands often go for long distance journey. The women drivers have also formed teams in which more two women drive together. This makes the long journey less tiresome as both the truck drivers drive equally and they can also go for a 24/7 job.

There have been many associations and organizations for men which work on ensuring the safety of the women truckers. There have been a number of load boards which have a large amount of loads available on them. The deficit of the truck drivers has opened a lot of opportunities for the women who are planning to enter the business. With the technological advances, the power steering of the trucks requires less manual strength.

By large women have entered the trucking business and they are ready to face the challenges planning to take trucking as a long term career option.

Categories
Owner Operators

Semi Truck Leasing: An Alternative to Owner Operator Jobs

There are bundle of truck drivers jobs available and the trucking companies are trying hard to lure the drivers to get into the trucking business. Looking at the profits in the business, many individuals seems to be dissuaded from the driver jobs and are looking at the option of owner operator jobs. The owner operator job will allow them to own their vehicles and work on the term and conditions they wish to. But the owner operated jobs have their own limitations. Owning a truck requires many formalities like the credit, balances and down payments may not be possible for the drivers who are new in the industry.

With the present perspective, the trucking companies have put forth the alternative of leasing trucks to the drivers who have a dream of owning the trucks. There are many feasible options available for the drivers like easy installments, low down payments and many other facilities pertaining to finances. From the point of view of carriers, it is good for the drivers who are challenged with the start up costs or stuck in some credit situation.

There are a number of truck driver jobs which have been switched on with the leasing of the carriers by the drivers. They can always make use of the trucking load boards to keep their truck moving. It is a short cut to the otherwise seeming difficult path of owning the carrier. Different trucking companies have their own terms and conditions but it is surely a benefit for the drivers. Even they help the driver to get the loads available to be hauled.

There is a lack of financial risks in the leasing operating jobs as compared to the owner operator jobs. The trucking companies don’t give fragile freights to the new drivers. If you have leased the carrier, there is an added advantage of carrying the materials you want to. But there are some questions raised on the leasing process by the trucking companies and many drivers have been cheated. The driver advocacy groups have been formulated to fight for the rights of the drivers who have been victimized in the name of leasing opportunities. Owner operated independent drivers association (OOIDA) has stood for the rights of many such drivers and law petitions have been filed in the court.

The issues which have been in the limelight and filed in the lawsuits are like violating the government rules in leasing papers, inability to return the amount kept as a security while leasing and in some serious cases fraud have also been seen. For most of the drivers, the leasing of trucks has much been like a nightmare and they have lost more rather then earning. The lease contracts are often prepared in such a complex manner that they are meant to benefit the carriers rather than the drivers.

But every coin has two facets and the decision cannot be taken only looking at one perspective. There are some drivers who are doing really well while taking up the leasing of the vehicles. There is no database or statistics available which can show the list of successful or unsuccessful drivers. It is totally the discretion of the drivers the way they want to choose.

Categories
Newbies

Getting CDL License Tips and Tricks

To start your lucrative career as a truck driver, you need to first complete some of the legal formalities required to work for a trucking company as a truck driver.

The pre-requisite for aspiring truckers as required by the trucking companies are:

1. The truck driver should be at least 21 years of age for interstate driving.
2. The truck driver should be at least 18 years of age for intrastate driving.
3. The truck driver should have passed the DOT physical exam.
4. The truck driver should have cleared the drug test.
5. The truck driver should possess valid driving license from the state of residence.
6. The truck driver should possess the commercial truck driver license, CDL

CDL license is the passport to enter the trucking industry. It will permit you to haul available loads weighing over 26,000 lbs. You can get the CDL license after attending the training and clearing the CDL exam. Some professional companies would even pay for your CDL training.

After the weeks of attending CDL classes, there will be a CDL exam to judge what you have grasped from the training and to see if you are eligible to get the CDL now or not. The CDL test is conducted in two parts. The first part is the written or theory exam which will test the theoretical knowledge on three subjects: combination, airbrakes and general knowledge. You should have learnt the type of vehicles such as hazardous material vehicles, passenger vehicle, combination vehicles and the technical issues related to them.

This first part is pretty straight forward and the questions asked are direct from the manual. So regular study schedule with dedication is all you need for this. Studying your training manual well will not only help you clear the CDL exam but will help you incredibly in your truck driving job too. A quick tip: pay more attention to figures and number related information as they are the most asked questions.

The second part of the test is the practical test. It includes three tests: pre trip safety inspection, skills test and road test. All the knowledge you need to clear the CDL exam will be included in the training program. You will be receiving additional DVD’s which will make you familiar on how to take the test? What to inspect and say about it?

Check our load board blog page for more trucker articles and news.

Tips to take the pre-trip inspection test:

Remember to point out and describe all the safety related issues that you can see on the truck. There are some important key phrases that will make you score high in this test.

1. If you see any bolt, add to it all the bolts are properly tightened and there are no rust or metal shavings on them.
2. For any part you can see attached to the truck, do mention it is securely mounted,
3. If you some across any part which is holding some fluid, then make sure to comment it is not leaking.
4. Check wipers, lights, hazard lights, horn and comment that all are working properly.

If any thing is not clear do not hesitate to ask the examiner about it.

While in skills test the best tip is to drive slow. When you are slow you will have enough time to control the vehicle if anything goes wrong. For road test the best tip is to calm down. Make sure you have followed the basic steps like fastening the seat belt and adjusting the mirrors.

Hope you will find these quick and easy tips handy while appearing for your first CDL test.

Categories
Lifestyle

Life in the Truck Driving School vs Life Driving the Big Rig

No matter how seriously you spent your time in the truck driving school classes and obtained your CDL license with true dedication, there is a world of difference in actual truck driving job on the road and the truck driving lessons you learnt in the school.

When you are on to the road for the first time there will be a mixed feeling of excitement and nervousness as you will not be aware of what is in store for you as a professional truck driver. The loads of information that has been piled on you at the time of the course will suddenly fall short in front of the real trucking knowledge which can only be gained by years of experience.

The training provided in the school follows a set standard and pattern for all trucking jobs. However the real trucking jobs are dependent on different traffic and driving regulations prevailing in different states. There are varied climate type, available loads type, terrains and traffic pattern which you have never come across in your trucking school. There are different trucking jobs available with different trucking companies who are ready to hire you as soon as you are out of the driving school. But this will be an important decision for you as you should find out which type of trucking job will suit you the best.

When you are ready to take your stroll on the road, with your first pre-trip inspection you may find all the seven thousand things which you learnt in your driving school is no longer applicable in this situation. May be you remember just the basics but you are simply not able to recall the rest. Don’t worry this happen to the finest of drivers in their initial days.

Read more articles on driver lifestyles, tips and trick on our trucking load board blog page.

The best learning time when you can gain the real road and trucking knowledge is when you will start off your career under a trainer for a month or two. He will be your companion in the few of your initial trucking assignments. These rides will be full of adventure and challenges. You will get accustomed to the trucking lifestyle at this point of time. This will be the time you can learn the most. So come up with as many questions as you can and clear all your doubts regarding loads, trucks, roads and driving practices. Pay attention to his driving styles, problem solving techniques, loads handling and dealing with freight brokers.

You might have not paid attention while in truck driving class as the main aim to study lessons at that time was to clear your CDL exam. The theory papers of the CDL exam consists of direct and easy questions from the manual. But to catch the relevant knowledge from your trainer at this time will lay the foundation stone of your successful trucking driving career ahead.

Categories
Business Freight Brokers

Parfrey Trucking Brokerage

We are a freight brokerage company located in Spokane, Washington.

We handle flatbed, stepdeck and lowboy freight (some vans).

We do partials (LTL) and truck loads (T/L)

We service all 48 states, Canada and Alaska.

If you have freight that needs to be hauled, we can get it hauled for you!

If you are looking for freight for your truck(s), we may have the freight you need! view our daily load sheet.

Honest Service – Friendly Staff

Tel – (800) 533-9517
Tel – (509) 533-9517
Fax – (509) 533-9548

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Categories
Business Freight Brokers Trucker News

JR’s Freight Directory – Freight Finders

Allow me to explain a little further. I was working as a freight broker and decided that I wanted to be of more service to the carrier, so I went out on my own and JR’s Freight Finders was born. I was representing 50+ carriers and would find freight directly through a shipper for them at a small finders fee. They would then bill the shipper directly for 100% payment. This service allowed them a great increase in their income. As you can imagine, it became much to difficult to help them all and still have time to hunt new shippers. So…I put together a directory of shippers that work directly with carriers and distributed it out to these carriers at a very nominal fee. This way the carriers would have the shippers at there finger tips and could then contact shippers before hitting the load boards.

After these carriers started using their directories and seeing how beneficial it was to them, some of them started suggesting that I figure out a way to offer this directory to all carriers. So that is what I am doing. I am reaching out to all the carriers that I can to offer my freight directory. This directory is categorized by state in which the shipper ships from and includes company name, trailer type, phone and fax #’s, email address’, contact names and lanes that they run. This does not mean that the lanes listed are the only lanes they run, they are the lanes that I know of at this time. The use of this directory will show a great increase in your income because you will be dealing with the shipper directly. You work with shippers in the same manner as you do a broker.

Face it, carriers just don’t have the time to carry on the task of hunting shippers. That is why they have to use the load boards and work through a broker who then takes a large cut from what the shipper is actually paying to have the load moved. If you work directly with the shipper, that leaves 100% payment to you. It is no more trouble to work with the shipper than it is to work with a broker. The steps are all the same. Here at JR’s we have the time, knowledge and experience to hunt these shippers. Allow us to be of service to you. Keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.

With all understood, I am offering my directory at the extremely low, one time purchase price of $59.95. This directory is guaranteed to be fresh and use outside carriers. If you find a shipper in this directory that does not work with outside carriers, I will gladly refund 100% of your purchase price. The use of this directory just one time will easily cover the purchase price.

[button link=”http://jrsfreightfinders.com/”]Visit Site[/button]

Categories
Trucker News

Truckers Experience Problems Tracking Information through GPS in Illinois

Illinois- Around the state of Illinois Truckers are facing problem to get correct and real time truck routing information. They are not able to get access to the GPS system whenever they require it. This error was reported by the task force given the task to examine the GPS responsible to provide routing information related to truck driver jobs.

The report submitted by the task force to the General Assembly and the State Governor consists of eight recommendations to improve the technology in the state.

The major cause of concern as highlighted in the report is submitted by the task force to the government official is, the State’s current database which holds the crucial data for truck routing is difficult to access by the commercial driver. This cirtical truck specific data is of high importance as it helps the trucker to keep their vehicles on the approved road networks and avoids the common causes of hazard. These GPS works majorly to provide easy access to safety measures for public.

Michael Zalewski Chairman Task Force said that they want the truck specific data to be available and more accessible. The regular updating in connection with the regulatory compliances will reduce major accidents, congestions and repair expenses. This will surely work for the benefit of Illinois citizens and trucking companies.

The main problem cause is there are many database storing the required information. This makes the task cumbersome and access difficult for the drivers. The problem will be resolved if all the information is collected in one universal database.

Check our load board blog page for more trucker news.

The GPS task force recommendations are as follows:
• Merge different databases together to form one complete universal database.
• Local jurisdiction should devise easy reporting system which reports the designated networks for trucks.
• The database is to be made more accessible for the purpose of trucking companies.
• Providing GPS usage training to truck driver so they can derive only the information relevant for them.

Categories
Carriers

34 Hours Rest Period for Truck Drivers – A New Challenge to Trucking Industry

The life of a truck driver is always set on the wheels of the truck. It seems to be an unending journey for them. It is not an easy job to drive a truck continuously without any pauses and breaks. The various researches done on the truck drivers recently show that the side effects of driving for a long time are clearly visible in the living style and behavioral traits of truckers. There is abundance of driver employment for different drivers like flatbed drivers, reefer drivers, dry cargo van drivers and more, but the drivers seem to resist taking up the life of a trucker. There are many trucking companies which have a demand for many drivers. There is a need of a lot of patience and endurance before going for the job of a truck driver.

The increasing cases of the accidents of the truck drivers have raised a hue and cry and forced the people to look for an alternative. Besides the accidents, the health problems of the truckers are also raising issues of concerns among the researchers and the scientists. Recent study of a Washington University makes it evident that insomnia is quite a common problem in the truck drivers who go for longer destinations and get a very little time to rest.

The researchers of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) has proposed a 34 hour rest period for the truck drivers but the trucking industry doesn’t seem to agree with this study and is opposing it in every possible way. The owner operator jobs are also available and the owner operators are also being hired by the trucking companies. The freight and the logistics companies have a lot of work. If the 34 hour rest period is brought into shape, it will definitely pose new challenges before the trucking companies.

The global breakdown in 2008 led many companies to do job cuts and it badly affected the number of drivers in the trucking business. The load boards work was also not untouched by it. But the conditions have become better and there are ample of loads available. But the shortage of drivers is an issue of concern. If the 34 hours rest period is put into form, there will be more need of truck driver jobs. There is already a huge gap in the demand and supply chain and it will create imbalance in the chain management system. Many of the drivers are on the verge of retirement and the increasing number of load boards and freight companies have put the trucking companies in a tensed situation. An old study which was conducted by the national highway traffic safety administration showed that it will be difficult for the young drivers to adapt driving conditions.

There will be a need of around 1 million truck driver jobs in the coming 15 years. The trucking industry needs to take adequate steps to ensure the safety and health issues of the drivers. It will be able to attract the applicants only when it provides all the facilities to the truckers. There is a common problem of fatigue and tiredness seen in the truckers. If the trucker is driving flat bed truck or carrying petroleum or some other explosive product, he needs to be very careful. A minor mistake can cause huge loss and even cost life of people. The interests of the truckers cannot be discarded.