Location:
AZ
Driving Status:
Experienced Driver
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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: 3 days, 8 hours ago
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In this Friday Short Haul the CVSA postpones May's International Roadcheck, register for a free COVID-19 webinar, FHA urges states to keep rest areas open, and fewer cars mean faster freight deliveries.
Posted: 5 days, 8 hours ago
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DOT and FMCSA issue COVID-19 responses
The Federal government has issued new guidelines for truck drivers and employers over the past couple of days explaining how certain waivers might work during this period of reacting to the COVID-19 virus.
Posted: 1 week ago
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Starsky Robotics calls it quits
Investor money going to other autonomous vehicle startups instead of to his company, and a downturn in freight rates, is the reason given by Starsky Robotics co-founder Stefan Seltz-Axmacher for ending Starsky’s experiment with remote-driven trucks.
Posted: 1 week, 3 days ago
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In this Friday Short Haul states open up more truck parking during COVID-19 panic, FMCSA expands HOS waiver, and freight prices increase amid COVID-19 worries.
Posted: 1 week, 5 days ago
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Truck drivers mostly exempt from coronavirus lock downs
Those of us who are pretty sick and tired of the "All coronavirus all the time" current news cycle are not going to find any relief in today's Trucking Truth News. But, unlike a lot of news going around about COVID-19 we actually have a positive slant for truck drivers.
Posted: 2 weeks ago
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HOS rules relaxed for COVID-19 relief effort
On Friday, in answer to President Trump's declaration of a national emergency over the COVID-19 outbreak, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced a nationwide exemption to hours of service rules for truckers transporting essential supplies, equipment and persons in support of relief efforts.
Posted: 2 weeks, 3 days ago
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In this Friday Short Haul Western Express, Inc., of Tennessee digs out from tornado aftermath, a big rig driver is involved in two fatal crashes within six minutes, and another trucking firm quits due to rising insurance premiums.
Posted: 2 weeks, 5 days ago
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Daimler's electric vehicles and autonomous trucks continue real-world testing
Daimler Trucks North America has announced a late 2021 market launch of its heavy duty Freightliner eCascadia and its lighter eM2 electric commercial trucks. Both electric trucks are currently undergoing real-world customer testing, mostly in the Los Angeles basin area.
Posted: 3 weeks ago
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Predictive technology increases driver safety, benefits carriers
As commercial carriers acquire more telematics capabilities it was only a matter of time before someone came along and offered a way to integrate all of that information into a way to track, coach and train drivers, even to the point of making decisions about letting a driver go.
Posted: 3 weeks, 3 days ago
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Friday Short Haul -- Coffee drinking drivers, Amazon coronavirus email, FMCSA safety summit
In this Friday Short Haul a UK research study finds a correlation between high-caffeine consumption and crashes, Amazon tells its drivers to stay home if they feel sick, and the FMCSA holds a trucking safety summit.
Posted: 4 weeks ago
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Roadmaster shows how to reduce driver turnover
While many carriers are faced with high turnover and struggle with ways to overcome it one company has put the whole issue to rest – and reaped rewards for its efforts.
Posted: 1 month ago
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In this Friday Short Haul DOT lays out CBD info, FMCSA finds 8,000 violations in first weeks of Clearinghouse, and laptop theft lands an Alabama trucker in prison.
Posted: 1 month ago
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Canada company offers easy access to spare trailers
Taking a page from the ride-sharing playbook a Canada company offers the same kind of service for truckers to have access to trailers. The company, vHub, has announced its desire to expand its services globally, beginning with the United States.
Posted: 1 month ago
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Roadcheck could result in temporarily higher freight rates
A watermelon association convention might not be the first thing that comes to a trucker's mind in looking for insight into his profession, but a speaker at the February 21 National Watermelon Association convention offered an interesting take on several aspects of the industry.
Posted: 1 month, 1 week ago
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In this Friday Short Haul a company moves forward with autonomous, electric yard trucks, Knight-Swift partners with Truckstop.com for load brokering, and a TA security guard shoots a driver who was parked in a reserved spot.
Posted: 1 month, 1 week ago
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Training providers offer a diversity of options
With competition to recruit new drivers still fierce despite the declining freight numbers third-party training providers are touting their systems for getting new-hires up to speed and driving safely as efficiently as possible.
Posted: 1 month, 1 week ago
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Idaho eases hemp transport prohibition; too late to help arrested drivers
Despite a November 2019 executive order by Idaho Governor Brad Little temporarily allowing transportation of industrial hemp through the state of Idaho, actions taken against three truckers discovered transporting hemp earlier in 2019 still stand.
Posted: 1 month, 2 weeks ago
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Friday Short Haul - Tennessee carrier quits, signs a carrier is going down, retaining drivers
In this Friday Short Haul, Tennessee's Howard Baer's Inc calls is quits, signs a carrier might be on the verge of closing, and five ways carriers should consider attracting and retaining drivers.
Posted: 1 month, 2 weeks ago
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New phone app hopes to alleviate shipper waits
To help alleviate the pain of long wait times at shippers a mobile app developer company called Truckerd-In has created an app that they hope will get accepted by drivers and shippers alike that allows drivers to communicate with shippers via their smart phones rather than by in-person and standing in lines.
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TruckingTruth was founded by Brett Aquila (that's me!), a 15 year truck driving veteran, in January 2007. After 15 years on the road I wanted to help people understand the trucking industry and everything that came with the career and lifestyle of an over the road trucker. We'll help you make the right choices and prepare for a great start to your trucking career.
Becoming A Truck Driver is a dream we've all pondered at some point in our lives. We've all wondered if the adventure and challenges of life on the open road would suit us better than the ordinary day to day lives we've always known. At TruckingTruth we'll help you decide if trucking is right for you and help you get your career off to a great start.
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Posted: 9 hours, 2 minutes ago
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COVID-19 scare: State gun laws come under scrutiny
Fear of COVID-19 panickers and of jails being emptied of prisoners has prompted the Small Business in Transportation Coalition to petition the U.S. Department of Transportation to enforce preemption of Federal gun regulations over state laws.
COVID-19 scare: State gun laws come under scrutiny