Tag: Trucking Jobs

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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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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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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.

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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

Pros and Cons of a Truck Driver Job

Life is a journey and it begins on the day a man is born and reaches its commencement on the day of his death. Truck driver job is a job in which the driver is most of the time traveling and his life can literally be said on wheels.
There are various contradictions about a truck driver job and carry some positives as well as some negatives. There are adventures in a truck driver job as he gets the chance to travel a lot and is often on the roads meeting varying kinds of people. It isn’t a routine job of 9 to 5 leading to boredom. And this job makes one taste the various experiences of job.
But like any other job a truck driver job also has its own fall-outs.
There have been various researches done which show that truck drivers employed with some trucking company or an owner operator are vulnerable to shorter life span as compared to any other job. This alarming research throws light on various factors responsible for this problem. The behavioral patterns of the drivers lead to problems such as cigarette smoking resulting putting a negative effect on their health. Some researchers, doctors and truckers expert discussed this problem that the life expectancy of a truck driver is 16 years shorter to a person working in some other field. The study said that there were several other issues contributing to this problem but health problem could be considered to be at the core of it.
There are more chances of fatalities and accidents in a driving job as compared to any other employment increasing a risk to a truck driver’s life. The report provided is shocking indeed and raises a big question mark on this occupation. Cigarette smoking is not the single issue but there are other health concerns as well. The truck drivers are continuously exposed to smoke emitted be fuels and so are more prone to heart disease and other respiratory problems.
It has been observed that there is an acute shortage of drivers in the trucking industry. The majority of the drivers are on the verge of retirement and the industry has observed a very few hire in the past times. Many of the experts consider various reasons for the people dissuading from the job. Trucking industry demands long working hours and also away from the family for a long time if you tend to drive on the highways. The lower wages also doesn’t seem to lure the drivers for this job.
The truck load boards help the truckers get the material and there are heaps of loads available to the trucking industry. But due to the shortage of drivers, the truck drivers have to give to more hours to their work and therefore feel tired and get less time of rest.
These are some of the very serious issues raised in the various studies and some steps need to be taken to improve the health conditions of the truck drivers and create awareness among them.

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Trucker News

Speeding a Major Safety Compliance Issue for Truck Drivers

Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has taken up the operation under Safe Driver Campaign. The report has been recently released by CVSA which points out on three major safety concerns. The warnings as per the citations were issued to the vehicle drivers and trucking companies for both commercial and non-commercial drivers. The three safety violations were speeding, traffic signal disobeying and not using the seat belts.
If we consider the percentages than speeding was the number one. The 2009 figures for commercial drivers suggests there were 20.3 % cases of over-speeding reported whereas for traffic signal violations and seat belt violations were 4.2 percent and 2.6 percent respectively. Similar violations were tracked for car drivers and the percentage violation for car drivers was found to be even higher.

According to 2010 commercial driver’s safety alliance report, the reported cases followed the similar trend with maximum number of safety issues were for speeding. There were 13.7 percentage of speeding related safety concerns. For traffic signal disobeying and failing to use seat belt while driving the car were 4.6 and 10 percent respectively. However 2010, witnessed more cases of non usage of the seat belts while driving.

Since 2007 a program has been launched Operation Safe Driver. This was brought up by CVSA and Federal Carrier Safety Administration to look on the issues to create more awareness and improve the driving pattern of the drivers. The measures are taken to educate and enforce safe driving strategies especially on the drivers whose truck driving job has been found more risky. On 17th to 23 rd October 2010 the fourth annual Operation Safe Driver was conducted in which 53,000 commercial vehicle driver were brought forward.

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The executive director Stephen Keppler addressed that this drive is proving really beneficial and they will continue to focus on the driver behavior that become the main cause of road accidents and in worse cases the cause of life losses.

Many other steps have been taken by several official bodies. One such step that everybody is looking forward is the rule making by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for speed limiters. Though there has been a heated debate on this rule making but the NHTSA is clearing its path for it and intend to lay down its proposal in this line by 2012.

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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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Carriers

Aerodynamics: A Trucking Innovation

Transportation and Economy
Transportation and truck driver jobs are the back bone of economy in the United States. Raw materials need to be transferred from market to production facilities. Products need to be transferred to either to further fabrication plants, or consumer markets. Daily fresh food products are moved from their production facilities to super markets around the country. Products from eastern half of the land are moved to western half and vice versa. Movement is a symbol of life and growth.
Trucks in Transportation
Trucking is the most vital part of transportation over land in the United States. Trucking has been serving the nation since the invention of diesel engines. The ease and flexibility of transportation by trucks made them primary mean of goods transportation over land.
Trucking companies have proven to be the most efficient and cost effective way of transportation. It has left train freight carriage far behind in the competition. Major reason for this is the limited range of freight carrier trains. Although trains are much faster and carry more loads than trucking loads, truckers have used the wide spread network of roads and freeways to their advantage.
Apart from the importance of the trucking industry in the country’s economy, in past few years the trucking industry is facing a lot of problems. Market share is shifting to train carriage and uncertain fuel costs are resulting in a higher transportation cost. Authorities are implementing tighter rules to avoid truck accident on freeways. It is tougher than ever for truck transporters to find available loads.
Innovations in Trucks
Recently, however the trucking industry has realized it downward trend and have taken some measures to make a comeback at their position. Truckers now make new innovations to be ahead in the game. Latest technology is implemented in the load carrying vehicles (trucks and semi-trucks). Latest GPS tracking technology offers clients and company officials to locate the truck anywhere in the country. With help of this link new load orders are displayed at the driver’s screen instantly; this optimizes performance of a vehicle in a trip.
Loads carrying jobs are now available online on the truck load boards. This offers customers to choose from a number of transporters and leaves them with more options in cost and time. Transporters also can locate the nearest loads to their position and plan their route to optimize the output.
Trucks are also being overhauled to reduce fuel costs. Turbo charged truck engines have more load carrying capacity and thus they yield more in a trip. Body of a truck can be modified to make it more aerodynamic.
An aerodynamic truck can save up to 23% of the fuel cost as compared to an equivalent truck without aerodynamic design. An aerodynamic truck body moves more swiftly through air. Due to less air resistance in its way there is less energy consumed by the truck to move forward. A truck can be made aerodynamic by adding side skirts to minimize formation of air cortices under the vehicle and avoid “bad” air currents. Back tails design is also very important, as the truck passes through the air rushes in to fill the space this can provide extra push to the truck if tail design is aerodynamic.

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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.
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