The trucking industry is the backbone of America's supply chain, but with that vital role comes a responsibility to uphold the highest standards of safety. Recent events have underscored just how dangerous lapses in enforcement and compliance can be. A devastating crash that occurred on the Florida Turnpike on August 12th claimed three lives when truck driver Harjinder Singh attempted an illegal U-turn and crushed a minivan beneath his trailer. Federal regulators have since r...

Each year, Wreaths Across America (WAA) depends on the dedication of professional drivers and trucking companies to fulfill its mission of remember, honor, and teach. Without their efforts, the nationwide tribute of laying veterans' wreaths at gravesites would be nearly impossible. While wreaths travel by planes, trains, ships, and even livestock trailers, the lion's share moves on trucks driven by professionals committed to honoring America's heroes. In 2024 alone, more than...

A Long Weekend While it is rare for us to get weekend loads, we are usually happy when one comes along. This past weekend made us rethink our position on weekend runs. Because of the type of freight that we carry most loads requires that one of us be on duty monitoring the load at all times. This means that each of us has to use twelve hours every day from the time we pick up the load until the time that we make delivery. Unfortunately, most of the places to which we deliver ...

Unexpected Week Last week was one of those weeks that came with many surprises. When this happens, things can either go very well or very bad. Fortunately for us, things went rather well. Have you had weeks where plans either did not materialize at all or unexpected plans presented themselves? How did you handle them? In the past, we would have waited until more expected plans would have presented themselves. Last week we decided to go with what came rather than waiting for w...

Headset Review Last week was filled with a little bit of work and a whole lot of fun. Here's hoping you had some of the same! We also purchased a new headset for me. When using my old headset I noticed that the volume seemed to be not working right and others said they had a hard time hearing me despite the fact that I had a great phone signal. The beginning of the week found us making a delivery close to home. With no other loads available we decided to take advantage of som...

Final Week at Home Last week was our final week at home for some time. At least, that is the plan. We took two and half weeks off before, during and after the Independence Day holiday. I like to handle tasks one at a time while Dave seems to prefer working on several tasks simultaneously. Here is the breakdown of how are two and a half weeks flew by. First, we emptied the semi so that we could take it down to Bolt in Indiana to have some work done on the sleeper, replaced air...

Multitasking Merriam-Webster online defines multitasking as: "the performance of multiple tasks at one time." There have been several studies that have suggested that multitasking actually slows us down more than it allows us to get more things done simultaneously. Last week found us trying to work, then rush home for a friend's milestone birthday party and prepare for an upcoming vacation. While home we try to get appointments done, groceries bought, laundry completed, go th...

When starting at a new job, many people simply want to learn their role and focus on only what they were hired for. You know, the not my job, not my problem mentality. If they're hired to pick up a phone to answer and make calls, then they'd make sure to just learn that job. Anything else is considered above or below their paygrade. So that's it. If they're brought into a company to process paperwork, or maybe they're a sales or tech specialist, then that's what they do. That...

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and state agencies will begin enforcing stricter English-language proficiency standards for commercial drivers operating in the U.S. Under the updated enforcement rules, drivers who cannot adequately speak and understand English may face out-of-service violations on the spot. The changes follow a new enforcement policy distributed by the FMCSA on May 20, which mandates that all roadside inspections begin in English. If t...

Long Weekend Holiday weekends are always a double edged sword. It would have been nice to be home; however, working is a blessing too. The week before a holiday can also be unpredictable. In some cases, the customer might try to move as many pieces as possible. While other's mindset is already in vacation mode rather than work. Each holiday, each customer and each year is a guess for us as to how much work we may or may not have. This year, this holiday and our customers were...