Category: Trucker News

Ralph Garcia, a driver with ABF Freight System Inc. and a member of America’s Road Team, told Obama administration officials about the rewards and challenges of a career in trucking during a White House forum as part of National Transportation Week.

“It was an honor to be invited to the White House to promote something I believe in so strongly – the importance of the trucking industry,” Garcia, a native of Rio Rancho, N.M., said following the forum.

Garcia was one of 20 transportation professionals who participated in the May 16 White House “Champions of Change” roundtable that focused on how best to promote careers in transportation.

“There’s no better way to earn a living than behind the wheel as a professional driver,” Garcia said. “In my 30 years as a driver, I’ve seen so much of this great country that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to experience.”

The government, Garcia said, could do more to encourage Americans to explore a career, or remain, in the trucking industry.

Nationwide, rest areas are closing because of flooding or budget shortfalls. On the other hand, one is being converted to truck parking.

On May 16, Illinois announced rest area closings, but did not provide complete information. On Interstate 24, the state shut the Fort Massac Rest Area at milepost 1 for six weeks for roof repairs and Illinois 164 Oquawka Rest Area will close Nov. 8 for various improvements.

Also, the I-57 Rend Lake Rest Area, southbound side, is closed and the I-74 KrisdalaBaka Rest Area near Woodhull will be closed May 31 until July 1.

North Dakota has closed its Medina rest area on westbound I-94 because water is over the entrance ramp.

A tight budget is forcing South Carolina to close I-85 Northbound Rest Area at mile marker 88 on June 3. The annual savings will be about $220,000.

In Missouri, the I-70 Mineola rest areas are being converted to truck parking only soon after Memorial Day. Both west and eastbound locations will be closed periodically during the conversion.

As states continue closing rest areas because of budget shortfalls, Congress is reconsidering Jason’s Law to increase access to truck parking.

Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) introduced H.R. 1803 on May 11, co-sponsored by Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.), which was referred to the transportation committee.

Jason’s Law would provide $20 million annually over six years for truck parking upgrades on the National Highway System to local governments and private entities, according to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.

The American Trucking Associations said the bill would fund initiatives that could include building new parking, improvements to existing commercial and non-commercial parking, and technology to track open parking spaces.

The legislation is named for New York trucker Jason Rivenburg, murdered during a 2009 robbery attempt at an abandoned gas station in South Carolina.

Tonka and Jason’s widow, Hope Rivenburg, conducted a press conference May 11 outside the U.S. capitol building. They were joined by the OOIDA, ATA, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, American Moving & Storage Association and NATSO, the trade association representing travel plaza and truck stops.

Georgia law enforcement is carrying out a periodic Targeting Aggressive Cars and Trucks effort on State Highway 400 in Fulton and Forsyth counties through July. The Georgia Department of Public Safety administers the program, with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as a partner. G-TACT is designed to increase driver awareness of the dangers of risky driving around trucks through education and enforcement.

The targeted corridor is from exit 5 (Abernathy Road) to exit 16 (Pilgrim Mill Road).
Law enforcement will concentrate on traffic violations by drivers of cars and trucks that can lead to a traffic crash. The department chose the route because of the number of commercial motor vehicle crashes over the past four years.

Officers are watching for drivers who tailgate, change lanes too quickly, cross the median, drive recklessly, speed, drive in the emergency lane, fail to signal before changing lanes, operate a vehicle without a valid license and for trucks with more than six wheels that travel in the left lane.

Truckers are advised to seek alternate routes as both eastbound and westbound traffic on busy I-40 in Arkansas has been closed due to flooding.

The westbound detour begins at Brinkley at mile marker 216, while the eastbound detour begins at Hazen at mile marker 193, the Arkansas Highways Department said. The westbound detour stretches 120 miles with drivers reporting average speed at 10 mph. I-40 in Arkansas is one of the busiest highways in the country, according to the Arkansas Trucking Association

The rising White River is not expected to crest until late Saturday, May 7.