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Business Trucker News

Idle Air

Convoy Solutions, LLC is the current owner of the idleAir idle-reduction system and began re-opening sites in the summer of 2010.

The idleAir system, previously named IdleAire, was invented about 10 years ago as the outgrowth of a challenge originally issued to A.C. Wilson, a Tellico Plains, Tennessee, contractor, by his brother-in-law, a long haul truck driver fresh off a New Jersey run.

How could a driver park, shut off the engine (along with its noise, fumes and vibration) and still stay warm or cool while having access to the comforts of home?

It so happened that the challenge came during a vacation stay at an RV park. During the night, A.C. tackled the challenge, sketching the first design for an independent, external system that would deliver to a truck cab the same sorts of services inherent in an RV.

The next morning he presented his sketches to his brother-in-law. A.C. and his partners located an experienced management team who could form a company and take his idea to market.

For the past ten years, IdleAir has further refined Wilson’s original design and made significant strides with truck fleets and travel plazas, as well as the federal and state environmental and highway safety entities.

IdleAir offers long-haul truck drivers an alternative to idling their engines and APU’s during rest periods. IdleAir reopened in Spring 2010 under new management, and currently operates 21 sites in 9 states (see www.idleair.com/locations.asp).

“WHAT DO I GET?” IdleAir service is $1.99/hour and includes powerful HVAC, standard AC electric inside and outside the cab, 60+ channels of Satellite TV (including Fox News and The Weather Channel), and basic internet.

“THERE’S MONEY ON MY OLD CARD.” Customers who had money on old IdleAire cards still have their balances available, even if they tossed the card. Just call IdleAir Customer Support at (877) 738-7024 to get set up.

SPECIAL PROMOTIONS: Idling uses 1 gallon of diesel per hour, and with diesel costing over $3.30/gallon, drivers can use IdleAir and save $1.30/hr — while you’re sleeping! There are 9 IdleAir sites that have a special $1.25/hr rate through 3/30/11, and registered fleets get a special discounted rate of $1.50/hr at ALL locations through 4/30/11.

For Drivers:

DRIVERS GET HVAC. IdleAir gives you a powerful heating and cooling air system, just like at home. Now you can shut off your engine and sleep better without
the noise, vibration, and stack gases from idling.

DRIVERS GET ELECTRICITY. IdleAir gives you standard AC electric service both inside and outside your cab. You can plug in block heaters, phone and laptop chargers, and any other accessories.

DRIVERS GET SATELLITE TV. IdleAir gives you satellite TV and free basic internet. Stay connected with friends and family, and enjoy your favorite sports, news, and Weather Channel programs.

BUY AMERICAN: ENGINE OFF, IDLEAIR ON. IdleAir is good for America. The energy that IdleAir uses comes from American resources, like coal, gas, wind, and more. You can help Buy American with IdleAir, and avoid idling engines and APU’s that burn foreign oil.

LOCATIONS: IdleAir operates 21 locations nationwide. See the complete list at http://www.idleaire.com/Locations.asp
GOT QUESTIONS? Call IdleAir Customer Support at (877) 738-7024
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/idleaire

[button link=”http://www.idleair.com/”]Visit Idle Air[/button]

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Trucker News

Latest Industry News:

Flatbed Loads Rises whereas Reefers and Dry Van remains same reported by TransCore
With the week that ended on Jan 29, the nationwide flatbed freight loads showed an increase as per the loadboards of Transcore DAT network. The freight loads for reefer and dry van remained the same with the same number of loads as previous week.
The capacity to take the loads and the loads available for flatbed trucks have made up for the total number of load postings done for loads and truck available. This is the third week that both the volume and capacity is showing a weekly increase. This week thought the increase in demand for the loads available did not match the equipment capacity. The individual flatbed capacity stayed same and there was a 2.3 percent growth in van and reefer capacity.
The weekly newsletter issued by TransCore called Transcore Trendlines suggested that the there was in increase in the truck loads by 3.1 percent and the postings fir trucks rose by 2.4 percent. This rising trend as per the market indicators can be seen week over week. The main business indicator if the trucking industry id Load-to-Truck ratio, it remained stable and stated that there were approximately 4.9 loads available for each empty truck. Thus, the industry is seen giving lucrative offers to the truck driving jobs especially the flatbed drivers. This ratio is calculated by covering the data available nationwide.
The week showed an increase in the ratio for flatbed trucks to 6.7 percent and a decrease in the load to truck ratios for vans and refrigerated trucks. These key indicators suggest increased activity in the trucking industry as the US and worldwide economy revives.

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Lifestyle

Successful Drive through the First Year Leads to a Promising Truck Driving Career Ahead

Recently there has been much news about the shortage of drivers in the trucking industry. Planning a career and following it in the same way are two different things. There are bundle of truck driver jobs but there are some hindrances which seem to dissuade the youth for going for this career option. There are always challenges posed by the new job and it takes some time to accommodate with the environment of the working place. The trucking career is no exception to it. Although it is different from the routine job of 9 to 5 but this job has its own demand.

The life of the driving school is totally different from that of the real truck driver job. It is very difficult for the new drivers to adjust to the new life style of the truck driver. It is not a fixed routine job and the drivers tend to be away from their families for days and sometimes weeks as well. One needs to be mentally prepared before taking up the job. It may sound to be a thrill and adventurous before taking up the job but it is not so easy. Trucking career can turn into a very fruitful one if a new truck driver is through the job in the first year. Many of the drivers who have spent their many years as a truck driver in the trucking industry have a great liking for the job.

The company will always try to test the new drivers. All the new jobs try to take extra advantage of the new comers in the various fields and the trucking company is no exception to it. There are all kinds of load boards and all these have different loads available on it. The freight companies have many kinds of various requirements which the trucking companies have to follow. Trucking companies can’t place their orders on the old drivers as they can do to the ones who have started their career and spending the first year in the logistics industry.

All the loads available have their different demands as some are fragile, valuable, or very delicate to carry. No company will blindly give the responsibility of delicate stuff to the new drivers. Sometimes the location where the load is to be carried is in a desolate area and old drivers tend to argue going to such places. These all things are the testing situations for the owner operators and if you give a consistent performance then there are no obstacles in your success. There are many trucking companies who offer proper assistance to the new drivers and help them teaching the rules of the company.

The truck driver jobs are similar to any other job as far as work is concerned. Initially you need to give your best performance to prove your worth and the success is just a road away. Do not expect any spoon feeding as no one is going to tolerate mistakes and so the drivers need to do the work very carefully. Once you adjust yourself in the new situation and then there will be no looking back.

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Lifestyle

Truck Driver Jobs: Safety on Roads

Driving the big rig on national highways has never been an easy task. The truck driver job responsibility is conglomerated with many risks such as long driving hours, incomplete sleep, fatigue, home-sickness, lack of concentration, improper road networks or sudden malfunctioning of any part of the vehicle. Keeping these factors in mind, the driver safety on the road is a crucial factor and need to be studied and researched in detail to devise new mechanism and ways which will ensure your increase the safety of the drivers on the road.
There are many innovations taking up in this field and they work in two ways: Firstly, they considerably reduce the chances of accidents and secondly, in case the accident occur the vehicle body is designed in such a way to lessen the impact of the accident as much as possible. One such mechanism is Collision Mitigation Control System.
Many carrier companies these days are installing collision mitigation system on to their fleet to ensure driver safety and avoid the loss of lives as well as goods. This ensures more reliable dispatch service of the loads available. The front end collision can be avoided with the help of such control units. The use of radars and laser sensors helps to detect the possibility of crash by analyzing the relative distance the speed of vehicles. These system after detecting the danger releases warnings to the driver and in turn automates the safety processes like seat inflation, changing passenger and driver seat inclination to the safer one, pre-charging the brakes, application of brakes to full or partial thus decreasing the accident impact.
The radar that is used in the mitigation control system is installed on the front bumper of the fleet. It uses radio waves of high frequency to receive and transfer the signals and activate the control system to make the truck ready to avoid or reduce the collision intensity. The mitigation system in turn makes an interface with the cruise control thereby reducing the speed of the vehicle. It also sends the driver audio and visual warning signals when any mishap is foreseen so that the driver can manually slow down the speed of the vehicle and avoid the collision.
Along with the installation of such safety systems by the owner operators and trucking companies on their truck, the drivers need to be more careful and attentive while driving to avoid major accidents. Simple changes in the behavior pattern of the drivers will go a long way to make the US roads a safer place to drive. Check our laodboard blogs to find more articles on truck driver jobs, their importance and various other factors that rule the trucking industry.

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Carriers

Trucking Industry – Going Green!!

In all fields of business and life, everybody these days is concerned about the environment and saving our planet by adopting greener ways of doing things. Going green is a tough job in almost all spheres and it is even tougher in the case of trucking industry. This is because diesel fueling is the lifeline of the trucking industry and every truck runs on the road delivering goods world over with the billions of gallons of diesel consumption. However, many carrier and trucking companies have come up with greener solutions to manage the increasing carbon emissions causing environmental hazards.
The heavy duty 18 wheeler truck manufactured are highly competent these days. Their efficiency has improved manifolds, thus attaining more loads available being delivered with lesser fuel being consumed. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is setting up standards to make this move more successful and to ensure that there is a governing body to keep a check on the trucking activities that are harmful for the environment. Trucking industry is the backbone of US economy therefore more planned and smaller operational changes would be largely beneficial.
Some of the ways that will help control the carbon emissions are:
Slow Down: Speed Reduction is the most simple and effective way. If the speed limit is set to 65 mph, then the fuel mileage can be improved as well as fuel can be saved. This move can save up to 27 percent of fuel as against with the speed limit of 75 mph and the carbon emission around 31.5 million tons could be reduced.
Engine Maintenance: The long hail drivers who use their trucks to sleep through the nights and resting hours can make use of the Truck auxiliary units or truck stop electrification systems to heat or cool their trucks. This way they will save the diesel consumption which they otherwise used while idling the truck.
Driving Behavior: A little change in the driving habits of a driver can save up to 5-10% of the fuel consumed. Soft and timely shifting of gears, avoiding sudden break and sharp starts proves helpful in this regard. These steps make truck driver jobs more responsible towards nature.
Accessories and Equipments: Low viscosity lubricants can be used to reduce friction and thus use lesser fuel energy. Monitoring tire pressure regularly is yet another efficient step towards fuel-economy. Many companies who can afford a little expenditure have installed aerodynamic panels on their trailers and have replaced the old polluting engines with new more environment friendly engines.
Read more articles on Trucking on our loadboard blog page.
Many trucking companies have joined the move already and others plan to do so very soon. EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership is also becoming hugely popular among the transportation industry. This is a joint initiative by EPA and Freight Industry experts to combat the environmental risks associated with trucking jobs. SmartWay assists companies in measuring the carbon emission by their fleets and to track the steps to achieve long term results.

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Owner Operators

Trucking Industry facing Truck Driver Shortages

The global downturn has seen a sharp decline in the employment graph and there has been an acute shortage of jobs in the past two to three years. Unemployment has emerged as the most acute problems of the present time and is posing challenges to the system. But still in this crisis situation there is an industry which is facing shortage of manpower in the jobs and is seriously looking out for options in recruitment.

There are bundle of truck driver jobs available but the challenge before the trucking companies is to get the right personnel for the job. It is presumed that by the year 2012 there will be an acute shortage of around 40000 driver jobs faced by the trucking companies. There are many reasons for the decline in the number of truck driver jobs including many regulatory laws imposed by the government which gives permission to very few drivers who can actually get a valid trade license.

There is also an option of owner operator job in which an owner of the truck can be hired by a trucking company. It is an advance for the driver also as he can choose the location where he wants to go on his own discretion and work according to the convenience of his time. This way he will get the job also by the trucking company and he will work on his own terms.

Recession has undoubtedly taken most of the industries in its claws and there is an uncertainty looming over the various freight companies as well. There is a growing worry of the business remaining the same as the past times. But this fact can’t affect the matter of the job shortage which is faced by the trucking companies.

The recession hugely cut the jobs of the drivers and the various freight companies also stooped the hiring process. This affected the whole cycle in the chain like the closing of driving schools, people getting less licenses and so on. But the thing which is overlooked is that there will be a huge gap in the demand and supply chain in the coming quarters and times to come. According to federal motor carrier safety administration new law, there will be a cut in the daily working hours of a driver and they will work for 10 hours instead of 11.

There are many load boards in the industry and they have heaps of loads available for the trucking companies. But if the job hours are cut then there will be an overwhelming need of 150000 trucks overnight to lift the loads available on the fleet.

This situation can evolve as a golden opportunity to the qualified and professional truck drivers. There are also owner operator jobs and they will have a greater chance of being recruited by the trucking companies. Looking at the drastic graph of the truck drivers going down, the companies have also tried to catch and have rigorously initiated the process of employing the drivers in the industry.

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Trucker News

Department of Transportation Works to Re-establish Bonds between Mexican and U.S. Trucking Industry

There has been a conflict for quite some time between the two countries regarding the transportation issue. Since there has been a release of new proposal under the current administration which has lead to the new start and a series of negotiations involving the use of U.S. roads by Mexican trucking companies.
The US Department of Transportation has laid down the guidelines for Mexican long-haul carriers and truck drivers to abide by the US transportation rules and regulations. These include vehicle emissions standards, drivers portfolio and safety compliance. These checks will be conducted and the carriers will be permitted only after the complete satisfaction of the authorities.
There will be a selective quota and time for the number of trucks that will be permitted to drive on the U.S. roads from Mexico. The work on calculating and negotiating on these terms will start soon. Earlier the Mexican truck driver were opposed by the US truck drivers on the ground that the Mexican carrier companies and truck driver don’t have set standards of safety and fleet operations as they have, they follow the US truck drivers regulations. These way Mexican truck drivers enjoy flexible rules and make more profit.
This proposal is also taken negatively by some trucking associations. They are saying when the unemployment within the country is already so high then Why DOT is making this proposal to endanger the existing trucking jobs in the country. This way the good truck driving jobs will become harder to find. Also taking into account the cross border violence this proposal seems simply out of question.
Check our loadboard blog page for more interesting trucker news and topics.
On the other hand Mexico is protesting to get free access in the U.S, as per the North American Free Trade Agreement signed between the two countries in 1994. In 2009, when the program to allow limited number of Mexican carrier companies to indulge in transportation beyond the U.S. commercial zone failed, Mexico increased the tariff charges on the U.S. products. This move adversely affected people connected with the produce of fresh fruits and vegetables.
This way the pressure mounted on the administrative authorities to implement new methods and release new proposals so that Mexico changes the barriers it has imposed on the U.S. agricultural products. Therefore this truck industry proposal got an overwhelming response from various other U.S. industries whose business largely depended on the exports made to Mexico.
U.S. truck drivers feel that this proposal will be an unfair deal for them as with the drug violence running in Mexico they will not be allowed to cross the Southern border. Thus Mexican driver will have the access in the U.S. but not vice versa. The president of Owner-Operator Independent Truck Drivers Association expressed his worries that the Mexican truck driver will have the economic benefit as they will not have to follow the stringent rules to run their trucks for loads available on the US lanes as their U.S. counterpart will have to.

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Trucker News

Congestion Increases as Economy Revives

With the two years of economic slump and increased fuel prices, the traffic running on the road reduced considerably leading to less congestion and easy commuting. Now with the improvement in the US and the world economy, the traffic problem has again started to rise. The least congestion was seen in the year 2008 and it started to increase back from 2009. This has made great impact on the truck driver jobs.

The Urban mobility report of 2010 produced by Texas Transportation Institute cover the congestion reports of 439 US areas which fall under urban areas. INRIX data also throws light on the traffic which covers every city and gives the descriptive information of the commuting problems faced by the people living in the urban areas. Traffic speed data of INRIX has been combined with state’s traffic volume data to give a broader increased traffic view.

Due to congestion on the road there are different problems arising: the main one being the cost associated with the increased traffic. The main reason of increased cost is the fuel burnt in traffic congestion and the delay in commuting because of which the commuters face pay cuts.

Below are some of the facts and figures which appear form the findings indicating the traffic problems nationwide:
The cost associated with the congestion is showing a continuous rise. It was $115 billion in 2009. In 2009 the fuel wasted due to traffic problems amounted to 3.9 billion gallons making it a big problem for trucking companies whose hundreds of trucks are on the road each day. This increased fuel consumption did cost $808 to an average commuter. The delay that the traveler faced in one year of 2009 was 34 hours, which laid adverse impact on his performance in the company.

The data collected is based on using the latest technologies available thus experts have a big reason to believe the data and plan their next course of action. There is a vast difference in accuracy of the data since the Urban Mobility report was first generated in 1982. The report generated this year is the most advanced in its type which reports the delay and congestion of each day of the year. It took into account the congestion due to any accidents, weather changes, holidays and national events.

Check our load board blogs for more trucker news.

The researchers have come up with some of the methods to help reducing the traffic problems. The first way is to use of the public transport system for commuting as much possible. The second way is the addition of new network of roads and means of communication in the areas where the congestion is the most. Car sharing and pool cars can be another alternative which will save money for the commuters as well as decrease vehicles on the road. The company should make available flexible shifts so as to avoid rush hours. Telecommuting is another way out in which both the employee and the employer are benefited. There are many jobs which does not require physical presence, thus the employees should be given an alternative to work as a telecommuter.

The state and national government should take measures to provide alternative routes and introduce toll routes for fast and efficient available loads delivery by the owner operators and carrier companies. The solution to the traffic congestion is not the responsibility of just the officials or the commuters. The businesses, organizations, travelers all have to work towards getting the things right.

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Owner Operators

Tips for Truck Drivers to Increase their Mileage

This article will discuss about how you can make your truck run more miles with one gallon of fuel and get more out of your truck driving job. Changing some driving and maintenance methods can be of great help in this regard. Let us take a look what can be done to increase your mpg.

First thing goes with the maintenance of your truck before you plan for your next journey: Maintenance can be of two types required maintenance and preventive maintenance. If you make the habit of preventive maintenance than in maximum number of cases there is no need of required maintenance. This measure helps you to carry out your task more quickly as the maintained trucks performs at its best. The fuel required is less and there are very less chances of you truck breaking down on the road. This will enable making all the deliveries according to your schedules.

If you are a driver of the 18 wheeler, then it is a must that you regularly check the pressure of the tires. Before and in between the journey make this a habit. Since these big trucks carry voluminous loads available therefore the tire pressure plays a vital role in its efficiency. Also make the use of standard gauging equipment for this purpose to make sure that readings are correct.

Now that the maintenance part is covered let us see what components you can add to your truck to make it give more mileage per gallon.Check our loadboard blog page for more owner operator business solutions.Adding an Auxiliary power unit (APU) to provide power for your electrical appliances in the truck can go a long way in saving fuel. When the truck is not running and you need the power to run air-conditioner or an electric kettle then with the use of an APU you do not require your truck engine to run all the time. This one time cost incurred will save your daily maintenance and fuel expenses.Adding fuel additives and lubricating engine from time to time will also make the overall running of the truck smooth thus saving fuel in turn.

The next important step comes is bringing some changes in your driving style. The first thing here is reducing or cutting of the time your engine is idling. This is the most effective way of reducing fuel burn. You can stop your engine at many times when your truck is parked for loading and unloading, talking the dispatch requirements with trucking companies or at times when you are in some queue waiting for your turn. This can be at places like petrol stations, service stations, truck terminals etc.

Other tips include running your vehicle at a constant speed a little below the stated speed limit so that you need not apply excessive brakes to control the truck. Next tips is on the use of gears, practicing correct use of gears and its shifting makes the driving more smooth and thus achieving more fuel efficiency. The gears should be correctly placed as per the required conditions. Use of truck cruise control is yet another strong method to make your truck run effortlessly on the road.Taking this few measures into account and you can easily add a mile or two to your per gallon mileage.

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Lifestyle

Sleep Apnea Disorder-A major concern in the US Trucking Industry

Sleep apnea is a kind of breathing disorder which does not allow the person to sleep properly. Improper sleep pattern due to sleep apnea in turn causes fatigue. The safety issues related with this situation is becoming a major concern in the trucking industry. This is one of the prominent illness that the truckers are facing these days due to their lifestyle and challenges of the job. The life expectancy of a truck driver is 16 to 61 years less than the average life expectancy of an individual in the country. As per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association chief Anne Ferro 30% of the truck drivers are facing this health hazard.
Since the disease promotes fatigue and fatigue is the cause of 13% of truck accidents on the roads. Therefore sleep apnea will soon face legal complications for trucking companies and owner operators considering the risk factor associated with it. The number of truck drivers facing this problem can be known by the carrier company. Therefore these fatigue related accidents are causing legal problems for the carriers and serving as the easy ground to play and earn for attorneys.
Keeping the increased danger associated with this disorder now the regulations will be implemented with the guidance of FMCSA to regulate and monitor the symptoms of sleep apnea in drivers. Earlier regulations that were implemented more than 10 years before stated that: the driver should not have any respiratory problems that might affect his driving performance. The DOT officials were responsible to screen the drivers who showed symptoms of sleep apnea. This does not mean that any driver who is diagnosed with this impairment will not be certified as a professional driver. His certification will depend on the severity of the apnea and its impact on his driving capabilities.
Read more articles on driver’s lifestyle and business opportunities on our loadboard blog page.
Medical review Board suggestion will be sought for various disorders related to the driver health. As it the question of one’s livelihood and they should be rejected certificate only on strong scientific study and evidences. Now with tightening of the sleep apnea regulations and its legal action the trucking companies are working hard in this respect. They are providing treatments to their drivers suffering from sleep apnea. The study suggests there has been 30 % less crashes reported by the drivers who were treated for this. Also the driver retention rate has drastically increase. after they were provided treatment by the trucking companies.
The cost of treatment is coming out to be high. The screening test costs around $200 and the follow up course which can go up to 90 days costs around $3500. This investment has proved out to be beneficial as it decreases the overall health care cost of the driver and increases the safety factor when the driver is on its way to dispatch available loads.
The truck drivers and carrier companies need to understand that this is a very challenging situation and a planned approach towards it will remove the complications involved. These days there are many third party organizations who can collaborate with trucking companies and can provide there services on this matter. Things will be resolved only when one takes action towards it.