PA Turnpike Tolls Calculator

More and more of you are starting to use the computer, and anytime I find a helpful website for you, I like to pass it on.  Heidi came across a website that you can use to calculate the exact cost of the tolls you will have on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  You will have to select where you will enter, and exit the turnpike, and also choose your vehicle weight, and amount of axles.  It will then give you a cost for your tolls.  Here’s the link http://www.paturnpike.com/toll/tollmileage.aspx

Good News From Debbie Berkel

Debbie Berkel wrote us some good news about their charity auction, and the Wounded Warrior Project!  Here it is:

Just to let every one know we had our charity auction with a huge THANK YOU to Mercer, office people and drivers!!! You are the BEST!

Just wanted to let you know we are sending Mercer’s Wounded Warrior Fund a check for $1700.00 and that is just the start. We are going to have a raffle at Mercer’s BBQ and at the truck show. Come see us!

We will be raising more and I will let you know how much when we send the checks!

Thanks for all you do Tom and Debbie!

LKY INSPECTIONS SCHEDULED AT TPA OFFICE

I will be doing LKY inspections at the TPA office in Plant City, FL this coming Monday and Tuesday (11/9-10) from 7:30am-5:00pm both days. If you need a Louisville inspection and have trouble getting to Louisville, here’s your chance. The more the merrier.

Passport Card

Lately, I have had several contractors tell me that they had to stop going to Canada, because they don’t have a passport.  Who has the time or the money to get one anyway?  I think I may have found a good alternative for truck drivers though.

A Mercer Contractor showed me his passport card the other day.  It looks a lot like a driver’s license.  It can be used to enter the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, by land border crossings, or sea ports-of-entry.

The card is equipped with a RFID chip.  As you approach the border crossing, the RFID chip communicates to Border Patrol that you are close by.  This will expedite your crossing, because they will have you records pulled by the time you reach the border.

The card costs $45 for an individual that does not currently have a passport.  If you do have a passport, you can get the passport card for $20.  Click this link (http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html) to get more information on the passport card.

Contractor Web vs. BlackBerry

I am fielding a ton of calls from contractors that use internet capable phones, such as the BlackBerry.  There are several issues with phones not being compatible with our contractor web.  For those of you that encounter these problems, I do not have a lot of answers for you.

Some phones work with our contractor web, and some just don’t.  For now, our contractor web is what it is, and we are not planning on making any adjustments to it to make it more compatible with phones. Your phone, however, may be able to be adjusted to work with the contractor web.  The most common error that I see is Java Script errors.  Java Script has to be enabled for your phone to work with our contractor web. You also need to make sure that your phone is running an Internet Explorer compatible browser.

Every phone is different, and they all have different programing, and different web browsers.  If your phone is not compatible with the contractor web, the best advice that I can suggest is to go to a store location of your cell provider.  Show them our website that you are trying to access.  They know these phones inside out, so they are the most capable people of making adjustments to you phone to get it to work.  Also, if you are planning to upgrade phones, try before you buy.  Tell the salesperson that you will be using your phone to access our website, and make sure it works, before you leave the store with your new phone.

I’m sure that we will continue to encounter this problem as technology changes. If I learn any new tricks to get these phones to work, I’ll post them.

Happy Halloween!

Show us your dark side.

In case you missed it …

Mercer’s October Newsletter features:

• Letter From Recruiting
• Contractor of the Month: Brian Thompson
• New Showusyourtruck.com Winners! Congratulations Tom & Debbie Berkel (Mercer) and Hank Hall (“Best of the Rest”)
• Channel 19 article features the Berkel’s and their charity efforts.
• New photo slide show featuring the World Trade Center convoy. New photos added!
• CSA 2010: Breaking Bad Habits – Len Dunman explains why it is more important than ever to strive for zero OOS violations.
• America’s Haunted Highways
• In the Headlights: Lavette Petersen

Click here and check it out!

 

Obama Administration to Reconsider H.O.S. Rules

The Obama administration agreed on Tuesday to consider regulatory changes to the current Hours of Service rules.  As you all know, the Bush administration changed the H.O.S. rules several years ago.  Previous to the change, drivers were able to drive for 10 consecutive hours, which had been the rule for 60 years.

The Bush administration changed the rule in hopes of decreasing driver fatigue.  But consecutive hours of driving was increased to 11 hours.  The FMCSA will propose a new H.O.S. rule within the next nine months.  I’ll keep you all posted.

I-40 Closed at TN/NC Border Due to Massive Rockslide

A rockslide closed I-40 in Western North Carolina, near the Tennessee border, on Sunday.  Engineers say that the slide could take months to clean up, so that traffic can be restored.  A detour has been set up.  Motorists traveling west to Tennessee should take I-40 West to I-240 West in Asheville to I-26 West.  Follow I-26 West from Asheville to I-81 South in Tennessee, back to I-40.  Eastbound motorists will follow the reverse directions.

Clean Truck Program

Wanted to touch base with you about the Clean Truck Program in the Port of Long Beach.  Major changes will take effect starting January 1st.   Restrictions on the age of trucks entering the port will soon take place.  Below is a schedule of the changes over the next few years.

Truck Ban Schedule

Old, polluting trucks are being progressively banned from entering port shipping terminals.

• October 1, 2008: All pre-1989 trucks have been banned.
• January 1, 2010: 1989-1993 trucks will be banned from port terminals along with unretrofitted 1994-2003 trucks.
• January 1, 2012: All trucks that do not meet the 2007 federal clean truck emission standard will be banned from port terminals.

Please note that on January 1, 2010,  all 1993-2003 units must be retrofitted to meet clean truck standards, or they are not permitted in the port.  If the truck is retrofitted, it will still not be legal after January 1, 2012.  In 2012, the tractor must be 2007 or newer, without exceptions.

Here’s a link to the website for the Clean Truck Program.  http://www.polb.com/environment/cleantrucks/default.asp

Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2009

Yesterday, I was speaking to a Mercer Contractor about the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act (H.R. 1799).  You know, the one that, if passed, will increase gross weight limits to 97,000 pounds.  We discussed this topic in a previous post, and nearly every Owner-Operator I have spoken with is not in favor of this change.

The Coalition for Transportation Productivity (CTP) has been created to support this bill, and gather members to help get it passed.  The majority of it’s supporters are actually shippers, and associations, that will benefit from loading trucks with more product per shipment, and probably charge the same rates.  It is hard to find any shippers in the flatbed industry that pay on weight any more.  So there is no guarantee that rates will increase along with the gross weight.  But the CTP insists that adding a sixth axle to trucks, and upping the gross weight limit will reduce fuel consumption, therefore reducing emissions.  They also claim it will reduce the amount of trucks on the road, which will in turn reduce traffic and congestion.  They also say that less trucks on the road equals less fatal accidents, and less road wear.

The CTP was created after a website was launched called www.stopbiggertrucks.org.  This website was formed by the Truck Safety Coalition (TSC).  The TSC are against higher gross weights because simply because they think that bigger trucks will lead to more truck involved crashes, which will lead to more fatalities.  You can log on and support them by signing their online petition.

I am absolutely not in favor of this bill.  This law will adversely effect independent truck drivers.  Adding another axle will cost Owner-Ops money.  Initially to install the axle would cost several thousand dollars.  Then consider the extra routine maintenance of the brakes, and tires.  What Owner-Op really has the money to do this right now?  Does an extra axle really make 17,000 extra pounds safe for travel?  Loading more product per truck can reduce the amount of trucks on the road, which may seem as if it will reduce fuel consumption overall.  But it will increase fuel consumption per truck? How many miles per gallon would you get at 97,000 pounds?  Have any of you ever hauled that much weight permitted to give us a figure?  That extra fuel money comes straight out of an Owner-Ops pocket.  The general public may not realize what a danger it is to haul maxed out at 80,000 pounds, much less 97,000.  Everyone needs to realize that the companies and associations backing the CTP have a strong financial interest in this bill passing.  They will simply be able to move more product at a the same rate that htey are charging now, and they will greatly reduce their shipping costs.  That is all it is about.  I really hope that this bill is shot down.  If it is passed, then rates must increase.  They have to compensate for the extra money that has to be spent.

I typically search for industry related news everyday, to try to keep you all up to date.  When this bill was presented early this year, there were dozens of articles discussing this topic.  Here lately, things have been very quiet.  I did find this bill on govtrack.us.  Click here to check out the specific details on H.R. 1799.  The bill is currently being “Referred to Committee”, and has a long way to go to get passed.  The Committee that is reviewing this topic will report to the Senate or House if they think that the bill should be moved forward or not.  Once you get to the page for H.R. 1799, you can click on “View Committee Assignments” to see who is on those committees.  I suggest you see who those people are, and try to get in contact with the to try to voice your opinion about this topic.

I strongly suggest that all Owner Operators speak out against this bill.  Stopbiggertrucks is fighting the increase just for the sake of reducing accidents.  No one is strongly representing you.  There is no fancy website created for you.  Make calls to your Senate members.  Send emails as well.  Voice your opinion.  This change could be disastrous to your future in this business.  I will continue to try to update you on this topic.  Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments section below.

Salute to Women in Trucking

The Women in Trucking Association (WIT), will hold its first annual “Salute to Women Behind the Wheel” during the 2010 Mid-America Truck Show here in Louisville next March.  There are an estimated 180,000 female truck drivers in the U.S., and WIT plans to get together as many of them as possible in Louisville.  They will be handing out t-shirts, and other items, and plans to take a group photo of the largest gathering of female CDL holders in the world.

Pre-registration is required, and you can do that at www.salute2women.com, or at the WIT booth at the Mid-America Truck Show.  The date of the photo shoot is going to be March 27th, 2010, and the time is scheduled for 1:00pm.  Participants do not need to be a member of the Women In Trucking Association and families are also welcome to accompany the woman driver.  For more information here is a news article also http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2009/10/14/WITplansfirstannualsalutetowomentruckersduringMATSin2010.aspx

Revive 65 causes heavy traffic in Louisville

There is a major construction project on I-65 in Louisville right now.  Revive 65 is a project that focuses on the section of I-65 between I-264, and I-265.  The Northbound side is nearly complete, but the Southbound side is next.  They are tearing up all of the blacktop down to the soil, so it will probably take a while.  So far the Northbound side has taken nearly a month.  Here’s a link for more information.  http://revive65.ky.gov/

Wounded Warrior Project Update #1

Thursday was our second meeting for Wounded Warrior.  We are working on the truck decals, and will have them very soon.  We are also working on several styles of shirts, sweatshirts, and hats as well.  Libby, at the front desk of the truck operations building, will also have a Purple Heart Tree.  For a donation, you can write your name on a purple heart, and it will be displayed in the office to show your support!

In two weeks, we have already raised over $1000 and we haven’t even really got the ball rolling yet.  Thanks for all of the wonderful feedback and support so far.  I think that we will reach our goal of $25,000 very quickly.

More Pics of the World Trade Center Move