Tag: Owner Operators

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Freight Loads Trucker News

Need to Find Loads? Choose the best Load Board!

As an owner-operator, you know you need to find loads to haul. Your business is based on running as many loaded miles as you can in order to maximize your profits and mileage. One great way to find loads is through online freight matching services, also known as load boards. These websites can save you a lot of time hunting down work, so you can spend your time earning money.

There are scores of load boards to choose from, so the trick is to find one that matches your needs so you aren’t wasting time and money.

1. Low cost

Make sure you find a freight matching service that fits within your budget. A good load board will pay for itself after a few loads.

2. User-friendly interface

Is the load board user-friendly? Look for an intuitive interface, so you don’t waste time searching for loads, posting your truck or using other value-added features.

3. Free trial

Look for a load board that offers a free trial, so you can test it to see if it suits your needs. Be weary of a load board that does not offer a free trial.

4. Mobile apps

When you’re on the go, you need a freight match service that offers the same access on your phone or tablet as what you can see on your computer.

The most popular load boards offer mobile apps that can be used while you’re on the road and away from your laptop. One of the most popular mobile load board apps is available for free download at:

  • iOS App
  • Android App

5. Find Loads with Load Board Notifications

You’ll want to use a board that sends load alerts 24/7 to your phone or email address, so you never miss an opportunity.

6. Free load posting for brokers

When it’s easier for brokers to post loads, more truckloads will be listed, offering you greater opportunities.

7. Value-added features including Quick Pay

Some load boards provide load planners, credit ratings/scores, mileage/routing and free corporate websites at no additional cost.

8.) SEARCH ANY TYPE OF TRAILER

When you are searching for a load, be aware if you select ONLY one trailer type, you will be eliminating trailer loads that have been posted that can go on several different kinds of trailers. For example, if you search ONLY UTILITY trailer, you will not see loads that can be hauled on a utility trailer or a gooseneck trailer.

9.) REVERSE SEARCH

It is always better to be in a market that has more loads leaving than coming in. Leave the origin blank and include the city names that you are searching for in the destination. Then run the search and compare the inbound loads versus outbound loads. This is an easy way to see what the market looks like where you are or where you are headed so you can avoid deadheading.

10.) DO NOT OVERBOOK

Pay attention to the size of the load and the distance of the haul. You don’t want to take on more than you can handle, and then you have limited space on your trailer for loads you can already committed to hauling.

11.) USE MULTIPLE LOAD BOARDS

You do not want to put all your eggs in one basket. If you sign up for more than one load board, it can help you get the best load. One load board does not have all the information you need. Consider using a variety of load boards so you can keep delivering loads and making money.

12.) BE PATIENT

You are not going to stumble upon the right load immediately. Sometimes it might take you an hour before you find the right one. That is just the way it works, but it is important to not get frustrated. The right load will come about eventually.

Call or Click to get 50% OFF for the First Month

Rightnowloads.com
24/7 Dispatching Service 888-852-4238
[email protected]

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Lifestyle Trucker News

Regulations, trucking companies curb distractions

Truck driver Gary Hartley know this first-hand.I don’t believe in talking on the phone while I’m driving, he said while on a break at a Sapp Bros. truck stop on a recent fall morning. He said hes been driving for more than 40 years Since his career started, Hartley said his record shows him as being accident-free.What falls under the category of distracted driving for professional drivers is specifically defined by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said Jamie Maus, vice president of safety and compliance at Werner Enterprises.
It says anything that is considered more than a push of one button is considered distracted driving or without a hands-free device, she said. The company is making sure its drivers comply with federal regulations and its policy – a very costly pursuit.So within the trucking industry, we spend about $9.5 billion annually on safety, Maus said.
The trucking company explains the price tag includes constant training and paid safety incentives.Otherwise, if authorities catch truck drivers using their phones, they can face a fine and/or a license suspension.If Werner Enterprises discovers a driver is using his or her phone, no first warning will be issued. That’s a terminable offense, she said, and many companies out there have that same logic.

Call or Click to get 50% OFF for the First Month

Rightnowloads.com
24/7 Dispatching Service 888-852-4238
[email protected]

Source:https://www.3newsnow.com/

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Carriers CDL Owner Operators

Driving Tips for Beginner

A driving school will help you improve your driving skills but it takes time to get lots of experience under your belt. So what can you do in the interim to make sure you’re on the right track? If you continue to implement these tips into your driving routine, you will become a skilled individual behind the wheel of a car.

New drivers acquiring their license are eager to grab the keys and hit the road for their first legal cruise. Often these drivers are teenagers with minimal first-hand experience with the rules of the road. While driver’s safety courses are a great help to beginning motorists, remembering a few tips for driving a car will help keep these novices safe as well as protect their passengers and those who share the road with them.

Prepare Before Starting
Some drivers are in such a hurry that putting on a seat belt and adjusting the various settings on the car doesn’t happen until they are driving down the street.
Once seated in the car, the next step should be to put on the seatbelt, adjust mirrors, seats, steering wheel tilt and other personalized settings within the car, according to the Unofficial DMV Guide website. Preferably, these actions should be completed prior to starting the engine.

Learn the Signs
Most likely a beginning driver has learned many of the basic traffic signs and the meanings associated with them. However, there are many of these signs that are regularly encountered on the roads and highways that may not be clear for beginners. Take the time to memorize what these symbols mean and how they can affect everyday driving.

Signals
Turn signals should be used on all occasions in which the driver’s intentions may not be clear. Just because the driver knows where he is going doesn’t necessarily mean anyone else does. Turn signals should also be used to indicate lane changes. In addition, beginning drivers should become accustomed to checking over their shoulders to make sure people are out of the way for turns and lane changes. Remember that other drivers may not be paying attention and it is up to you to keep yourself safe from a collision.

Passengers and Seatbelts
Beginning drivers often like to take friends on a ride to show off their newly found freedom. Count the available seat belts in the car, and do not allow more people in the car than there are belts, according to Teen Driving. It is illegal to drive or ride in a car without seat belts fastened. It is also unsafe.

Volume Level
Teenagers tend to love listening to music. Often they listen to music at louder volumes than other people do, especially when driving. This is a bad idea that can lead to dangerous situations. Cars have horns and emergency vehicles have sirens to warn other drivers of imminent danger or to alert them to move out of the way. If a radio is set at a high volume, it may drown out the horns or sirens and the driver may be caught unaware

Looking for loads to haul? click here

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Lifestyle Owner Operators

Problems in the Trucking Industry

Shipping goods by truck has always been a vital method of distribution in America. However, the trucking industry has been facing new threats and problems making its distribution method harder to maintain. The cost of fuel, highway congestion, competition, lack of new drivers and problems with long-hauling are factors contributing to the industry’s demise.

Fuel Costs

As economic crises loom and the tension of world affairs increases, the cost of fuel suffers. In February of 1999, the price per gallon was $1.18, compared to February of 2009 at $2.13 a gallon.

Highway Congestion

As more and more cars make it onto the highways, the ability for a trucker to make his trip in a timely manner decreases. Accidents, traffic congestion and highway construction can all lead to a loss of profit.

Competition

Some truckers have found work harder to come by in recessions. Oftentimes another trucker will offer to move the goods at a lower price.

Decline in Drivers

A decline in the number of drivers is another threat to the trucking industry. Because trucking has a high turnover, the industry is losing more drivers than it’s employing.

Long-Haul Shipping

One of the methods of shipping is the long-haul, moving a shipment of goods across the country in very little time. It’s stressing work because of the lack of sleep. Fewer drivers are willing to perform this task.

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Owner Operators

New state laws affect owner-operator

Trucking supported changes affecting owner-operators and workers’ compensation became law last month in Tennessee, while similar legislation will soon become state regulations in Pennsylvania and Maine.

Tennessee’s new law, SB 932, excludes unemployment compensation for leased operators and owner-operators contracted to common carriers while engaged in interstate commerce.

Pennsylvania’s independent contractor definition under workers ‘compensation will broaden Aug. 29 when HB 440 becomes effective. It will allow sole proprietors, partners of partnerships and limited liability company officers to purchase workers’ compensation insurance.

The Maine Motor Truck Association had requested legislation to determine if someone is an independent contractor for purpose of workers’ compensation.

In September, LD 1099 takes effect, which will define Maine contractors through several factors, including if compensation is based on factors directly related to the work performed, such as mileage-based rates. The contractor also substantially must control the means and manner of performing services and be responsible for a significant amount of operating expenses and maintenance.

The sponsor of a California bill to bar owner-operators from working ports ordered the bill, AB 950, to the inactive file on June 2. Assemblyman John Perez made the request for the legislation, which would require port truckers be carrier employees.

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Trucker News

N.D., Kentucky grant emergency waivers

North Dakota and Kentucky have temporarily suspended some trucking regulations to aid in emergency efforts.On May 3, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple issued an executive order waiving hours-of-service and weight restrictions for truckers assisting in recovery from the weekend’s storm.

The suspension of these regulations applies to vehicles delivering food, water, medicine and other critical supplies. It extends to vehicles engaged in restoration of public utilities, including waste disposal and debris removal.

The HOS waiver is effective until 11:59 p.m. May 31 or for the duration of the storm emergency.

Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock signed an order April 29 temporarily lifting certain regulatory restrictions on motor carriers and utility vehicles providing disaster response, including those traveling through the state to provide assistance to other states.

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Trucker News

FTR shipping index tightens

FTR Associates announced its Shippers Condition Index continues to decline, reflecting tightening capacity in the trucking sector.The short-term forecast for the SCI calls for continued deterioration from the current reading of -7.7 as the outlook for capacity shortages worsens. The SCI sums up all market influences that affect shippers; a reading above zero suggests a favorable shipping environment, while a reading below zero is unfavorable.“The SCI Index is moving into territory that we have not seen since 2004,” says Larry Gross, FTR senior consultant. “Now that we are emerging from the slow winter season, the dimensions of the effects of tightening capacity are beginning to come into focus.”

FTR

Gross says shippers are being hit in two ways, as both base rates are moving higher for all major modes, and fuel surcharges are surging, the latter reflecting oil price hikes stemming from the worrying Mideast unrest and its potential effect on supply. “While there might be some relief later in the year on fuel surcharges, we expect base rates to continue to increase,” he says.

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Trucker News

Canad vs. Electric Cars

The Canadian province of Quebec has announced plans to offer government rebates of up to $8000 (Canadian) on high-capacity electric vehicles in a bid to place 300,000 plug-in electric vehicles on Quebec’s roads by 2020. With up to $50 million in funding already set aside for the program, the province hopes that – by doing so – they’ll be able to cut overall carbon emissions to the tune of 900,000 tons annually.

Currently, Quebec’s petroleum use breakdown looks like this …

Electric

… and, since more than 90% of Quebec’s electricity comes from hydro power, this isn’t a case of simply diverting fossil fuel use from gasoline being burned in cars to Albertan tar sand oil being burned at the power station, either. As such, a large-scale switch to EVs and plug-in vehicles would (arguably) have a bigger positive impact in Quebec than it would in areas that rely on coal.

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Trucker News

FMCSA unveils cross-border trucking plan

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced proposal details of cross-border trucking project with Mexico, which will require fewer participants and equip participating Mexican trucks with GPS or electronic on-board recorders.The FMCSA’s April 8 plan for a cross-border trucking project with Mexico otherwise contained few details not already disclosed by Mexican or U.S. officials or contained in the previous program Congress ended in 2009.

Trucking plan
The agency’s notice and request for comment on the plan will be published soon in the Federal Register. After that, the public will have 30 days to comment. The FMCSA will formally respond to feedback and consider public comment in forming its final program.The agency anticipates an average of one long-haul border crossing per week per truck with each Mexican carrier having two trucks participating in the program. It assumes an attrition rate of 25 percent after 18 months in the project and calculates 46 carriers will suffice to achieve a target of 4,100 inspections within three years.

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Lifestyle

Technology-Truckers love to hate

Not only do truck drivers travel on the open roads but they also journey down the internet! Modern Technology gives truckers a big boost in countless areas and can make life on the road easier or at least a lot more tolerable as they are away from home. Truck driving software programs help to make all of the book keeping and paperwork less difficult to handle and keep organized. Laptop computers assist with keeping in touch with family, pals and also the trucking corporation they work for.
Old Driver Confused with Technology
Truckers by nature are fiercely independent and they don’t like being told what to do. They also face impossible cost pressures that force many to drive far more hours in a day than may be safe – or legal. Replacing paper logbooks with electronic ones could improve compliance. But faced with rising fuel costs and EPA mandated equipment, most see information technology as just another cost burden. Electronic logbooks could make hours of service and other data logging faster and easier. Widespread use could also make roads safer by making it harder to falsify driver logs and drive beyond the 11 hours legally allowed per day per Federal Moter Carrier Safety Administration rules. But in the battle between these groups, electronic driver logs are viewed as a competitive weapon – or threat.