Location:
AZ
Driving Status:
Experienced Driver
Social Link:
After sitting behind a desk for most of the 33 years I was in a newspaper journalism career I decided in 2011 at the age of 60 to take a 180-degree right turn and get behind the wheel of a big-rig truck. As most Trucking Truth regulars would guess, this site played a big part in me deciding to hit the road. Long story short, I went through truck driving school, got my California CDL, and drove for a little more than a year for Gordon Trucking, Inc., out of their Lathrop, CA, terminal.
The lure of retirement was too strong, however, and a few months after I turned 62 I said a final "10-4" and made that last home-time trip a permanent one.
Since retirement I've engaged in a number of "side hustles" to bring in some additional income; among them a short stint as a freight agent, and dabbling in professional real estate photography. Currently, I manage a couple of stores as an Amazon and eBay seller and, most recently, have joined with Brett at Trucking Truth to use my writing and driving experience to bring news to the website.
I reside in sunny Arizona with my wife and daughter, and worry about my son who is a captain in the U.S. Army currently deployed to Afghanistan, where he is flying Apache helicopters to bring hurt to the Taliban.
Posted: 1 year, 6 months ago
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Friday Short Haul - Driver training, driver retention, Safe Trucks Act
In this Friday Short Haul, OOIDA goes off against poor entry-level driver training rules, DOL and FMCSA conflict fuels the driver retention problem, and the American Trucking Associations speaks in favor of the Safe Trucks Act.
Posted: 1 year, 6 months ago
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Association launches to take CDL driver training to high school students
Notwithstanding the debate about whether there really is a truck driver shortage, one non-profit organization launched just last week to help fill the driver pool from the next generation.
Posted: 1 year, 6 months ago
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Queen of the Road winners named by REAL Women in Trucking
REAL Women in Trucking, an organization that supports women drivers, will announce its 5th Annual Queen of the Road winners during an award ceremony on August 14 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Posted: 1 year, 6 months ago
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In this Friday Short Haul, Amazon is looking to almost triple the number of delivery partners to add to its fleet, Dollar General is opening thousands of new stores and needs more drivers, and Werner's appeal of the $89 million nuclear verdict is still on hold.
Posted: 1 year, 6 months ago
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Operation Safe Driver Week is under way, ends July 17
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Safe Driver Week is under way, running from July 11 through July 17 throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Posted: 1 year, 6 months ago
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New blame being named for driver shortage
A new culprit has emerged in trucking-related news lately to blame for the truck driver shortage. Marijuana.
Posted: 1 year, 6 months ago
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Friday Short Haul - America's Road Team, sexual harassment webinar, Knight-Swift acquisition
In this Friday Short Haul the American Trucking Associations is looking for next year's America's Road Team members, Women in Trucking hosts a sexual harassment webinar for women drivers, and Knight-Swift acquires Dothan, Alabama's, AAA Cooper Transportation for $1.35 billion.
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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Analysis: One third of bridges across the nation are structurally deficient
The ARTBA’s 2021 Bridge Conditions Report shows that more than one-third, or 220,000, of the nation’s 618,000 bridges need structural repair, rehabilitation work or replacement.
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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Truckers help bring a Vietnam memorial to communities across America
The Truckload Carriers Association, often in Trucking Truth’s news pages for its Highway Angels program of honoring highway heroes, also partners with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to transport a three-quarter scale replica of The Wall That Heals to communities across the United States.
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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Friday Short Haul - AB5 discussion, crash scam sentencing, Werner lawsuit
In this Friday Short Haul, OOIDA discusses AB5, married couple sentenced for their parts in truck crash scam ring, and Werner denied motion to dismiss in a wage-related class-action lawsuit.
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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Training Provider Registry website now taking registrations
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is committing to the final stage of implementation of a new rule for driver training providers with its publication today of its Extension of Compliance Date for Entry-Level Driver Training in the Federal Register.
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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UK driver shortage has some calling for desperate measures
The shortage of UK truck drivers, called HGV for “heavy goods vehicle” drivers, has gotten to the point where wholesalers and retailers are calling for the army to mobilize to alleviate the shortage.
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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Friday Short Haul - Minneapolis set to ban big rig parking, WIT Member of the Month
In this Friday Short Haul, the city of Minneapolis has begun the process of banning large trucks from parking within the city limits, and Women in Trucking announces its Member of the Month for June.
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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CTA's challenge of California's AB5 on its way to the Supreme Court
In a terse one-paragraph order on Monday the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit shot down yet one more appeal by the California Trucking Association to try to halt California’s anti-trucking, independent contractor law from going into effect.
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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More guilty pleas in New Orleans staged crash scam ring investigation
Authorities prosecuting suspects charged in the truck-accident insurance scams in the New Orleans area that had been in operation since about 2015 continue to rack up guilty pleas – to date, another eight have plead guilty recently, bringing the total to 22 out of the 33 who have been indicted.
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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Friday Short Haul - DOT agenda, pay increases, Workforce Heroes, and TuSimple
In this Friday Short Haul, U.S. DOT announces its spring regulatory agenda, more carriers offer pay increases, Workforce Heroes toured Iowa high schools, and TuSimple announces expansion to Florida.
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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Canada ELD mandate deadline was June 12; won't be enforced
ps: Road Test is ordered (from Amazon, of course) and will arrive THURSDAY!!!! :) Kindle is available NOW, but I prefer hard copies, myself.
(Thanks again for the 'sneek peek!' I'm excited!!!!!)
All y'all OTHERS ON HERE, Check out his books, mentioned at the bottom of the above article!!!! Good stuff, Maynard!!!
~ Anne ~
Thanks for the plug, Anne. It's always fun having a "super fan." 😊
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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ATRI survey points to the need for a nationwide truck parking availability system
Results of an American Transportation Research Institute survey of truck parking availability systems in use by truckers points to the need for more accurate systems and the standardization of these systems across state lines.
Posted: 1 year, 7 months ago
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Canada ELD mandate deadline was June 12; won't be enforced
Canadian news media is celebrating the arrival of the June 12 deadline for all commercial trucks traveling between Canadian provinces to be equipped with electronic logging devices. However, the reality for the Canadian trucking industry is that the impact of the June 12 deadline for ELD compliance was barely noticeable – hardly even qualifying as a “soft” deadline.
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Posted: 1 year, 6 months ago
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Autonomous trucks outpacing self-driving cars, will come to market sooner
Industry observers are beginning to believe that self-driving big rigs are going to win the race to mass market before self-driving cars do.
Autonomous trucks outpacing self-driving cars, will come to market sooner