Tag: owner operator jobs

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Carriers

How to Improve the Truck’s Performance

The performance of any vehicle is very important to ensure its proper functioning and a longer life. The trucks are most of the times moving on the roads or on the highways. They require a lot of maintenance and the trucking companies keep a check on truck’s performance and the maintenance required by it. If the truck is in a good condition, it will require low repair costs and its functioning will also continue in a proper manner. The advancement of technology has launched many products in the market which can improve a truck’s performance.

Most of the trucking companies are opting for employing the services of these products as they can help in the efficiency of their vehicles. The word performance is linked with many parts of the truck like the mileage, fuel efficiency, condition of the tires and above all the working of the engines. There are truck driver jobs and the trucking companies also go for the drivers who can also handle the minor repairs in the truck. This will be especially helpful for the drivers if they are stuck on a highway or a place where there is no repairing shop.

The basic things which will make sure that the truck is performing in a proper way are its speed which is often referred as horse power of trucks. Different kinds of trucks have different speed capacity and horsepower depending on its size and capacity. Pick up truckers or flatbed trucks have a higher loading capacity compared to the medium sized trucks or normal truck carriers. The trucking companies often hire the flatbed drivers who can handle the high pick up power and speed.

Freight load boards are widely used for hiring any truck, however the shipper sees whether the truck is in a good condition and will be able to make an on time delivery of the loads. Torque is an essential component in the trucks which generates the pick up. It helps the truck to roll and also in the towing and picking up the materials. If the towing capacity in the trucks will not be in a proper place, it won’t be able to handle the weight of the loads available. The crux of the truck’s life lies in the proper functioning of the engine. If the air intake and exhaust facility in the engine is in the right way, it will surely improve the truck’s performance. There are many kits available in the market which can improve the efficiency of the engine by doing some modifications in it. A slight change in the programming of the trucks will improve the speed and torque of the trucks and it won’t harm the trucks as well.

There is a filter in the air intake of the trucks made of paper which may congest the air flow. The trucking companies can install the filter made of cotton or engineering foam which won’t obstruct the air flow. It is very easy to install these filters by replacing them with the older one. The rising fuel prices are also an issue of concern. The fuel addictive can be really helpful in this problem as it will reduce the fuel usage. These are some simple ways to improve the performance of the trucks.

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Trucker News

Fuel Price on a Road to Constant Increase: Truckers Worry

The recent political upheavals in many of the Arab nations have raised an issue of worry among different governments. Its impact is likely to be seen on the economies of various countries and the worst affected area which is likely to suffer is the crude industry. There has been a considerable hike in the prices of the fuel pertaining to the uncertainty of the crude supply. The unstable political scenario in the Middle East has sent a wave of worry among the energy traders and they are looking out for alternatives to cope with this challenging problem. The trucking industry will be affected by this crisis and the trucking companies are also worried about the same.

The benchmark crude prices have witnessed a hike of 87 cents last week over the continued reports of disturbing situation in the Middle East regions. The oil traders are expecting a completely different market situation ahead of the weekend. The first thing to be affected after the reported fuel hike is the transportation costs. This is one of the major industries which are directly linked to the fuel cost. The truck driver jobs will also be affected by this situation as the overhead transportation costs will increase and the trucking industry will try to minimize the cost on other level to match the fuel costs. This is especially a threat to those truckers who have joined recently and they may be the first ones to face the job cuts.

The owner operator jobs are likely to suffer as this will minimize the profits of the owner operators who work on a percent basis with the trucking companies. All the industries are connected in a chain and the increase in the transportation costs will put its impact on other industries as well. Second in queue are the freight companies which take the services of the truck drivers to make their loads deliver. The trucking companies are likely to charge more from the load board and it will create an imbalance in all the sectors. There is already a shortage of truckers and the trucking industry is providing new truck driver jobs. If the driver job cuts are done, it will hamper the delivery of loads available. In the present situation, the price rise is undoubtedly a big blow and it has come at a very wrong time when the trucking companies are facing many other challenges.

If the political crisis in these nations continues, it will disrupt the chain of demand and supply and the fuel prices may go higher. The economy is already undergoing a difficult phase and managing the businesses is a challenging job. If the fuel hikes persistently goes on, it will affect the functioning of many of the trucking companies and the costs are likely to be adjusted by the cuts in truck driver jobs. The trucking industry will try hard to cope with the tough market conditions but it is a big threat to the drivers’ employment.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Owner Operators

Owner Operators Add Life to your Semi Truck with Truck Accessories

Truck accessories are the means which will add comfort and luxury to your routine trucking life. Not only accessorizing your truck will make you feel good and proud of your truck but gives an overall positive outlook to the shipping company and your customers related to your owner operator job. It will demonstrate that your truck is well kept and maintained to take and deliver the job responsibly. This would not require many efforts from your side. The basic décor includes truck painting, chrome accessories and lighting.
Why to Accessorize your Truck:
1. Some of the decoration such as adding LED light to your truck enhances the look of the truck as well as provides safety feature on the road. It takes less power from the battery and gives out bright light. LED lights come in different varieties and can be used anywhere on the truck.
2. The chrome and stainless steel bumpers, exhaust pipes, mirrors etc gives the truck an exciting look and invite more customers who get attracted by its external looks.
3. Inside décor which is not visible from outside such as dashboard, steering, gear knobs etc, will give you a relaxed and happy driving experience.
4. All these are general accessories, these days the semi trucks are coming more customized with the installation of toilets, shower, king size beds and a small kitchenette and appliances like heaters, fans, microwave etc. As the development is taking place in every sphere then why the trucking industry should be left aloof.
5. Not only the new truck but old truck too needs to be accessorized.
Where the truck driver job schedule is so very busy with picking up and delivery of loads, they hardly have time to search the market for the accessory that will fit and suit there truck. Below mentioned are some of the tips on how and where to find the accessories for their truck.
There are companies manufacturing exclusive semi-truck accessories and if you wish to take theirs service to get the chromes suited for your semi-truck then just call them up and give them your VIN number. They can locate your truck and will provide you with the best fit accessories for your truck. Do some online search and see the catalogs of advertisement produced by the chrome companies. One more thing you can do is call up the company and ask to send his customer support people to find out what will be best suitable to give your truck that exciting new look. You can also make use of the chrome company information available on various load boards these days.
An accessorized truck not only makes its own statement but reflects your style class and your passion towards your work. A fashionable touch to the bumper or adding air horn will give new definition to your old truck.

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Owner Operators Trucker News

Owner Operator Jobs Affected by Fuel Price Rise

The rate of diesel fuel is rising constantly and they are at their highest with almost dollar 3.25 per gallon. But according to the department of energy the situation is not that bad yet. The prices could be as high as almost 5 dollars per gallon as they were in summer of 08. But still the price is highest of last one year.
The lowermost price for diesel oil charges in 10 was Jan, 4 at $2.7, thus there was almost 18% increase in consumption. In my point of assessment, we’re beholding for equal mechanism to take place in diesel oil rates in 11. That will provide all of us rate of $3.9. I do not see whether it would become that much problem, but still let us stare what’s fronting all of us in diesel oil rates in 11.

* China’s boom continues
* Account ranks goes down continuously
* Economy lingers to improve mist, which would upsurge trucking claim
* Congress is about to make increase in tax over the fuel prices
* Increase in the consumption of oil all over the world

Let us yield a stare at every of such problems, and you will soon realize the base of the problem which empowers everything. Considering all these issues it is sure that the prices will go high in 11. The only thing to look is this that wills the prices go as high as summer of 08 or not. The only thing that can save us from that is the strong govt. policies and that are already going against the prices, which makes sure that the prices will go high, making it difficult to truck diving jobs.

Reasons of high diesel oil price
China and India are such a topic which is going to affect this issue very much. All the people in these countries are going to ride in motorizes bikes and cars leaving the bullock carts and pulling carts behind. The high population of almost 2.5 billion is certain to take a huge amount of oil which makes the consumption high making the demand high and thus making the prices in here very much high. Check our load board for more articles affecting the available loads and owner operator jobs.
Apart from this the fuel needs of the army are also increasing and a lot of oil is going into reserves making the demand even high which makes the prices more up surging. So you must be sure about the increase in price of the oil in America.
The only thing which can stop this from happening is the govt. policies and that too are going against the common people. Certainly the govt. is going to raise the taxes and this will increase the already high prices of the diesel fuel. The only thing that can save this from happening is tax cut and that is not going to happen.

Planning for fuel management
Now a fuel management plan is a very good idea. This can save the waste of a lot of fuel. Making us enable with more availability of fuel. This can positively affect drivers’ employment.

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Business

Trucking and Logistics Outsourcing

Logistics is a branch of engineering which design, create and maintain a machine of people whose goals are to efficiently provide flow of goods and/or services with respect to a time frame. The term logistics is taken as transportation management, and not just the scope for truck driving jobs. Logistics also covers other aspects such as provision of services at right time and place and optimizing human resource cost by employing incentives like outsourcing.

Originally logistics was developed by Romans. The Roman and later Byzantine Armies had officers named “Logistikas”, their purpose was to manage supply chain of the army which involved transportation of arms, ammunition and most importantly rations for the army. Their duties also involved distribution of finance in the army according to their needs.
Logistics functions are; human resource management in their organization and its different stations, management of space available for storage and optimizing its utility, management of transportation resources, equipment and load boards (trucks, mini-trucks, forklifts etc.), Material handling and proper packaging arrangement for goods and available loads to be transferred. Human resource management in logistic is not also akin to the usual HRM, its function is to locate and transport the required skilled personnel where he is needed. Job of a logistician is to carry out these functions, monitor and control these activities.
Recently the principals and concepts from logistics theory are being implemented to civilian trucking industry in the country. Need of a logistics transport model was needed in the sector due to increasing complexity of supply chains and life cycles of different organizations. As a result large businesses entirely focused on trucking logistics emerged.
For larger organizations which require frequent transportation of feedstock and products, it might not be possible to maintain an efficient in house transportation network. They are looking towards outsourcing for answers. Outsourcing means hiring a third party to perform in-house operations more effectively. The concepts of out sourcing are relatively new in management sciences. Third party logistics (shortly called 3PL) is an example of outsourcing.
A third party logistics company provides transportation facilities for both inbound and outbound transportation. Just like owner operator jobs, trucking and logistics outsourcing is an emerging business all over the globe and in United States particularly. A slightly different concept has been arising in trucking logistics outsourcing recently. A fourth party logistics outsourcing is a type of external logistical support from and organization which finds assembles and provides all the resources needed to erect a comprehensive supply chain. The service provider may take help from other more specialized and narrowed service providers. In short 4PL outsourcing service provider is the one which gathers 3PL providers to face bigger problems and offers comprehensive solutions.
Running a successful trucking logistic business requires knowledge of transportation rules and regulation by national authorities and also by the different state authorities, load management of the available loads, ware house management and inventory management. Logistic businesses are focusing on global markets. It might not be far away that there be global transportation and supply channel providers under one roof. Logistics then would not be limited to land transportation and trucks of course. Bigger problems will demand for greater solutions.

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Trucker News

Restriction on Hand Held Cell Phone Usage!

The US transport department has come up with the newly proposed safety regulation, according to which the usage of hand held cell phone is restricted while driving any freight truck on the interstate roads. This issue was raised while still considering the FMCSA 2010 CSA legislation. This step will help in decreasing the distracted driving by the commercial drivers.
The secretary of the United States Transportation Authority, Ray La Hood has showed his support for the rule and further stated that he is highly convinced by the issue of this safety regulation as it will surely work in making the US freeways a safer place to drive. With this regulation imposed the truck driver will not lose their concentration from operating the truck to operating the hand held cell phone. Therefore the country will account for lesser number of accidents and loss of both lives and the carriage of available loads.
This regulation by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will restrict the driver from the usage of cell phone while driving. With its commencement the FMCSA might impose the civil penalties for violating the law. The penalties may range up to $2,750 and the regular offenders will be disqualified form driving the vehicle. This will mean a new threat to owner operator jobs. The discussions are further on as to consider the law implications. It might be the case that the driver’s CDL will be suspended when found guilty of violating the law of cell phone usage by commercial truck drivers while driving their vehicle, after the second instance.
The imposition of the law is not only restricted to the drivers, however the trucking companies and fright carrier companies will be held liable for such violation by their truck drivers. The trucking companies might face a hefty penalty of maximum of $10,000 for each instance. The execution of this regulation would affect the businesses and driving practices of more than 4 million of the US freight truckers.
The cell phone usage while driving is considered as one of the primary causes of inattentive driving leading to safety hazards on the road. According to the Administrator of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Anne Ferro this primary cause will be considerably reduced with the implementation of this rule. Anne Ferro further said that FMCSA is working hard to provide road safety for commercial vehicle drivers. Studies suggest that just reaching to a cell phone makes it 3 times more likely for an accident to occur. The risk rises considerably to 600% if the driver is dialing a number through his handset. Industries major carrier companies have already banned the use of cell phones by their truck drivers to play safe. Earlier this year FMCSA has already issued a regulation to ban text messaging while driving trucks. Although FMCSA is busy with the issue of CSA 2010, however rapid steps are taken forth to put this regulation into action as well.
Gain more knowledge on the subject by visiting our dedicated load board.