Okay folks, in my last blog, Auxiliary Power, I noted some of the differences between different widely available APU options available in the commercial vehicle market. I listed several types and some of their pros and cons. I intentionally left out one particularly popular choice, the Onan generator....

Using your downtime effectively is an important key to both managing and maximizing your ability to stay ready when that next load offer comes from your favorite dispatcher. Like most of us, it’s probably very easy to slip into an old habit or routine that can be time-killing and counterproductive. So, here are some suggestions of what can be done with your time as you prepare for your next trip. A Clean Truck is a Happy Truck Clean freaks of the trucking world unite! It’...

  Each year, the CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance) holds numerous inspection and enforcement events throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico intended to improve highway safety by cracking down on vehicle and driver violations. The International Roadcheck is scheduled for May 6th through the 8th, 2023. Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program aimed at commercial motor vehicles in the world. Nearly 15 trucks or buses will be inspected, on average, ...

Not all trucks on the road have some type of APU (Auxiliary Power Unit). Those that do have an APU on their trucks use them to power appliances in the sleeper like microwave ovens or refrigerators. They also use them to charge devices such as laptops, tablets and cell phones or truck batteries. They are mainly used for creature comforts like climate control when taking a break. Having heat or air conditioning available when trying to rest is a definite bonus to having some so...

We all have somewhere to go. All of the vehicles on the road have a destination as their goal. Some of us may be on long journeys, across several states, while others may be on a short trip to the store down the street from their home....

 In today’s employment economy, it’s not completely unfounded that we all have experienced similar plights and pitfalls to what our nation’s drivers are frequently facing day-in and day-out. Driver treatment is something that we should all be more aware of, especially when you consider there are increasingly less drivers to pluck from the trucking pool. Driver Recruitment When launching into initial discussions with drivers or individual owner operators, it should neve...

We’re trying to fix it, and the best way to start is by talking about it....

We’re five episodes deep into the “State of the Industry Podcast, with John Elliott” and the sixth installment is already on the table and waiting to be visually or audibly devoured. So, take a seat, and bon appetit! Hopefully, there are many of you who have already been tuning in and making this podcast part of your listening, or viewing, routine. If not, why?! Obviously, John and I want you to listen to or watch this monthly podcast, which you can quickly get your fix...

When starting in a new job, many folks take just want to learn and focus on the role they were hired for. If they’re hired to just answer phones, then they’d make sure to learn just that role. That’s it. If they’re brought into a company to simply process paperwork, or maybe they’re a sales or tech specialist, then that’s what they do. Focus on the task at hand. But some folks out there excel at more than just one thing, which makes them more indispensable than th...

Commercial truck drivers, by regulatory standards, are required to physically inspect their tires at the beginning and end of a driving shift. Not only the drivers, but fleet owners and managers alike, certainly share some obligation to look after these rubber appendages. Yet somehow, tires continue to come apart when out on the highway. Blowouts can not only cause mayhem when they burst, but now there’s a dangerous chunk of debris blocking the roadway. Now down about a th...