Profile For DaveW

A number of trucking companies lately are reaping the financial benefits of putting their drivers up in hotels overnight rather than having them spend the night in sleeper cabs.

Carriers claim financial benefit of putting up drivers in hotels

The premise behind today's news article intrigued me. The thought of a nightly hotel stay while on the road to shower and relax away from the truck and to take advantage of hotel amenities certainly sounds attractive, but I'm thinking that it would come with certain drawbacks based around being in a day cab all day long.

Personally, I enjoyed having the ability to pull into a rest area for a short break and make a cup of coffee or microwave a hotdog. I especially appreciated being able to take a quick nap during a long detention, or to make a cup of coffee, etc.

And, more than once I found myself having to park in some out-of-the way location where finding and driving to a hotel would have been out of the question.

What are ya'll's thoughts on this?

Uber, the ride-hailing giant that gives taxi companies headaches has set its sights on competing against the top players in the freight brokerage business.

Uber's IPO application reveals interesting data about its freight brokerage business

In this Friday Short Haul we hear about a CDL examiner arrested, learn about a new toll recommendation, and discover marijuana testing for more positives

Friday Short Haul - CDL examiner arrested, tolls proposed for trucks, marijuana use on the rise

With electronic logging devices now mandatory and enforced, and with more than half of American trucking companies in its customer base, a relatively new technology company called KeepTruckin is now entering the load board field with a new app called Smart Load Board.

Smart Load Board will get carriers the loads they need

Trucking companies and U.S. manufacturers breathed a collective sign of relief late last week when President Trump backed off from his threat of closing the southern border. But problems still remain for cross-border truckers as they face increasingly longer lines and wait times to get across.

Huge lines and long wait times greet carriers at Mexico border

In this Friday Short Haul we discuss how state laws concerning marijuana affect truck drivers, learn about a new ATA campaign against crumbling road infrastructure, and hear FMCSA explain personal conveyance rules.

Friday Short Haul - Marijuana, ATA campaign, personal conveyance rules

Volvo Trucks has upped the ante in electronic connectivity with its new Parameter Plus Package addon to its existing Remote Programming feature; which now allows over-the-air updates to a large number of functions, all within the time a driver takes to eat a meal.

Over-the-air downloads revolutionize parameter updates

Fuel pump scammers are busy, but there are ways to avoid being a victim of card-skimmers.

Don't get scammed by skimmers

In this Friday Short Haul we look at the new semi-autonomous Freightliner Cascadias, see the results of a motorist survey about truckers, learn about a U.S. Xpress award, and view the rollout of new technology that helps drivers find parking spots.

Friday Short Haul -- New Cascadias honored, motorist survey, U.S, Xpress awarded, rest stop parking

On March 5 both the United States Senate and House of Representatives introduced bills requiring trucking companies to install underguards on trucks and trailers that will prevent vehicles from riding underneath the truck or trailer in the event of a crash.

Legislators address underride collisions, propose more underguards for trucks, trailers

The "It's a convoy!" of lore and ballad is morphing into an entirely new concept for truck transportation on America's highways. But, it's doubtful that movies and songs will spring forth in honor of what motorists may soon be encountering along this country's interstates.

Motorists soon may encounter a different kind of truck convoy

In this week's Friday Short Haul we announce the WIT survey, learn why a motorist is irate at truckers, report FMCSA's easing of HOS for flood states, and announce a new ball cap for truckers.

Friday Short Haul -- Women in Trucking, irate motorist, FMCSA eases HOS, Safe-Cap

According to some industry spokesmen, trucking companies are performing more poorly in the area of unscheduled roadside repairs than they should be, resulting in higher overall maintenance costs and affecting their customer experience.

Recent survey shows cost of roadside repairs is rising

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced in a news release on March 14 that a new website is available for persons wanting more information about the soon-to-be-implemented mandatory new drug and alcohol clearinghouse program for drivers.

FMCSA announces drug and alcohol clearinghouse website

In this week's Friday Short Haul we report on the $100 million Prime-Swift settlement, see why Barron's thinks the driver shortage is a myth, and announce the TCA Best Fleet to Drive For award.

Friday Short Haul - Swift settlement, driver shortage myth, TCA Best Fleet award

This kind of scenario actually happened to me. I was running on I 205 leaving Tracy in Central California in my nice, shiny, new-looking, company fleet Freightliner when I got flagged down by an owner-operator driving a real rust bucket.

I pulled over because he could have been trying to warn me of a flat tire, or perhaps my trailer doors were not secured. Who knows, as a new driver I wasn't wanting to take the chance.

So, he proceeded to tell me that I had just cut him off and had ran him into some Jersey barriers on the side of the road as I was merging onto the highway. In my mind's eye I quickly reviewed the last few minutes, and didn't see how it could have been possible.

He then pointed to some dents and scrapes on his front bumper that were obviously from a previous encounter, as they were all rusted over. When he said I owed him for repairs to the damage I had caused I told him, "Good luck with that," and got back in my truck.

Looking back, I realize I probably should have taken some closeup photos of his "damage" just in case he had decided to contact my company to file a claim.

I don't disagree in general with the poster above who said to never stop for a flag down. But as a new driver at that time who had actually almost hit the road one time with trailer doors wide open I didn't want to take a chance.

Distraction is the nemesis of anyone trying to observe safe driving practices. We all know that. Cellphones, GPSs, ELDs, lane-change warnings, etc., all contribute to taking away a truck driver's attention while on the road.

But what many don't realize is that the problem goes much deeper than being distracted by gadgets and such. There is actually a science behind this, and it has a name – inattentional blindness.

The hidden danger of looking but not seeing

A spate of fake accident claims against commercial vehicles in the New Orleans area highlights a growing problem for trucking companies.

Accident scammers target trucks for financial payout

In the Friday Short Haul for March 8 we see the results of failure to sweep snow off the roof, catch truckers bypassing a new toll road, and see what NYPD is up to concerning Google's Waze app.

Friday Short Haul - Snow on the roof, bypassing toll road, Waze under fire

At what point is the American public going to stand up and take notice of the truck driver shortage? According to spokespeople for the retail industry, that time is right about now.

Retailers blame driver shortage for price increases