The DOT did ask for comments as they had a new proposition to restrict cell phone usage to CMV drivers.  Don’t complain about new regulations unless you are willing to be a part of the process. The FMCSA site tells you all where to post your comments so that you and your feelings can be taken into account. Although it can be tedious to read through all the jargon, it is your responsibility to take the time and search out what can affect you in the future.

If you go to the FMCSA site you will see Rules and Regulations at the top banner, click on that. To your left you will see below: Click on proposed rules to find out what is in the proposal stage.

Rule-makings and notices

Final Rules

Interim Rules

Interim Final Rules

Proposed Rules

Notices

This site is for you, be proactive! We all hear a lot of whining over the Cb of the DOT and it’s rules. I guess what I would say is that it is their job to try and keep people safe, especially for those who are renegades and don’t care about the laws…..Well…..somebody has to care….and if it’s not you, who will it be?

Oh by the way! This was a no brainer! Duh!

As a child, if you stepped on a crack it could break someone’s back! I spent my childhood jumping over cracks on the sidewalks to school everyday!

I’ve also heard on my almost 55 years on this earth,  (and yes I feel lucky to see 55)……. Oh I am just soooo unlucky in love….uh…maybe you have just made bad choices over and over again in relationships…what’s that got to do with luck? What’s the common denominator?

We’ve heard that bad luck comes in three’s! I have always liked the number 3 and never understood why such a good looking number would be equated to bad luck. Personally I would think 4 would be unlucky, it just doesn’t flow as nice as three. Course having three children might be considered bad luck for the middle child, who is neither the baby or the oldest (I’m a middle child).

I’ve listened to drivers on the CB complaining about how their run of bad luck got them 3 speeding tickets in the last year. I met a driver that had 3 accidents in one year. I’ve seen on television people with 3 DUI’s in one year. Those same drivers are the ones calling out the location of the Highway patrol or DOT officers to all the other drivers, of course it’s because he didn’t want them to have the same bad luck as he has had.

I had a boss (for a very short time) that came in every day like hell on wheels (that kept spinning) never taking the time to say good morning, offer a smile, but walked in the door barking! Where’s this? Who did that? Why isn’t this done? and as a result everyone around him kept spinning wheels like on a sheet of ice, never getting anywhere because they were so nervous they would be the next in line to have their egos bruised over something they had no control over, or it wasn’t done correctly (even though they had never been given sufficient training on what they were to do, always fragmented pieces thrown at them, not the full picture). My co-workers eyes meeting every time he walked in the room, as if to say, yeah I’m with you, consoling before the tyranny began. We never heard, hey you did a good job, or I appreciate you. Ok! I’m not a wussy girl! But holy cats! People need a kudos on occasion to make it feel like your not going to crash through the ice. This boss couldn’t recognize the common denominator. Always complaining that nothing was done his way, nothing was going right…..guess what….the common denominator was him.

We’ve all heard this:

Sooooo if you speed every time you get behind the wheel, is that bad luck? What is the common denominator, is that officer following you around waiting for you to speed? The driver that had 3 accidents in one year, bad luck, wrong place wrong time? What’s the common denominator?

Changing the common denominator:

It’s simply called taking responsibility! No, not just saying well I take responsibility for it…..You have to work at it! Meaning! Changing the behavior! Duh! Words without action doesn’t work! It’s just mindless words falling out of your mouth. Action please!!!

•  You can make changes yourself
•  You are not always right
•  You don’t know it all!
•  You can choose how you feel
•  You can make a difference
•  You are the only one that you can control
•  You have to say I’m sorry on occasion
• You have to slow down when it’s icy!
• You have to follow the speed limit!
• There are so many have to’s,  to not have bad luck!

Whats the common denominator in all those statements? Well if you don’t know by now, guess you don’t have your listening ears on….that’s ok, some of us take longer……..

OK! Speed and space management….I prefer the bubble.

What the heck does that mean?

Talking about the space around you and how and why to maintain it. It is so easy to get caught up in what’s going on around you and forget to maintain that bubble! Don’t forget!

After doing a lot of research I found a great handbook on line that has great charts for your speed and space management.

Sometimes it’s a good idea to brush up on the facts, as we get caught up in getting that load there and forget the basics.

According to a recent survey of 1,024 drivers, more than 10% admitted to falling asleep at the wheel and another 20% say they momentarily dozed off while driving. The only safe way to fix the problem…..pull over and sleep! Then we come to the other problem…..finding a place to do that. First of all if you are taking your ten and not in sitting in the truckers lounge sharing lies, or playing hours of video games…then you should be sleeping! It’s not an easy task to do all the right things when you are out on the road. But sleeping should be at the top of your list. How would you like if the bus driver that takes your children to school decided not to sleep the night before?

If you have sleeping problems it’s better to have it checked out at the doctor instead of letting it get so bad you kill yourself….or others. That’s all part of being a responsible driver. You could possibly have sleep apnea and not even know it. That is a debilitating disorder.

From Wikipedia: sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing, during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a or “sleep study”.

Regardless of type, an individual with sleep apnea is rarely aware of having difficulty breathing, even upon awakening.  Sleep apnea is recognized as a problem by others witnessing the individual during episodes or is suspected because of its effects on the body. Symptoms may be present for years (or even decades) without identification, during which time the sufferer may become conditioned to the daytime sleepiness and fatigue associated with significant levels of sleep disturbance. There are several treatments available, depending on what type you have.

Then we get to the other problem…..where to park. As we all know truck stops are not the most quiet places. I only used them when nothing else was available. But that goes to planning your trip. I had my handy dandy computer and would get on mapquest pull up the areal on where I was was to deliver. You can see if there is available parking where your delivering. I also liked staying at rest stops where it was allowed. Pilot also carries a small handbook for about 6 bucks that has all the truck stops listed by state and route, listing how big the stop is, as well as it’s amenities. After you’ve crossed the country a few times you find the best spots for you (unless in North Dakota, then take what you get!)

Give yourself a break driver! Yours and everybody else’s life depends on it!

Halloween 1978, I-84 Westbound, in Oregon, two young men were traveling from the Dallas after doing a roofing job. The end of their day, they were headed back to family and loved ones who were busy preparing for a Halloween bash. They had left Portland early that morning and were ready to share an evening of fun. One was 18 years old, quiet young man, hard worker, he was driving. The other 23, guitar player, gentle soul, puppy dog eyes, dark and mysterious. He was to marry in December, about six weeks away.

Also Westbound was a flat bedder. He had to stop and check his strapping as all truckers know it’s a regulation. Unfortunately like many places the exits and shoulders are not trucker friendly and he did his best to pull off the shoulder, the metal rails to his right separating himself from the Columbia River.

It was about 3:30 in the afternoon when the two young men spotted the trucker up ahead and could not get into the left lane, traffic was headed to Portland for the Halloween Holiday, people dressed in strange costumes would fill the downtown streets later that night.

The right front corner of the pickup hit the rear corner of the trailer. The truck endoed, the 23 year old going out the front windshield, no, there was no seat belt on. As he went through, hit the right side of his head and almost severed completely his right arm off. The younger driver, after the truck came to a stop, ran back to find his friend dead.

That night, there was no celebration, as the family gathered and watched on television the accident, the photos of the young man that had died. Numb and so surrealistic, couldn’t be real…..but it was. The young bride to be was changed at that moment, a change not understood, but definitely a defining moment, one that changed her whole view on life. And over 30 years later it stuck….I was the bride to be…..and that’s why I truly care.

Safety is not something to be taken lightly….it takes one second to change many peoples lives forever. When I was behind the wheel, tired and having irresponsible drivers tick me off, road rage teetering, I always tried to remember….the other person is someone’s wife, husband, mother, father, child, and I had to be responsible with that 80,000 pound torpedo under my rear end. It was my responsibility to get enough rest, to eat right, to make mature choices. To not take my eyes off the road. To know what was around me at all times. To not over drive my ability. To shut er down when needed be…It was all on me….Don’t be a part of the problem. Drive responsibly….You don’t want to be a part of the statistics below….every single one of those numbers is or was a human being that were affected by choices….Make the right choice.

According to “Semi Truck Accidents”, NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ In 2010 over 500,000 Large Truck and Commercial Vehicles were involved in accidents; with over 100,000 people sustaining serious injuries, and over 5,000 people dying in these crashes.  This was compared to only 3,200 deaths involving large trucks in 2009, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The one that kept jumping into my reflections was Kojak in Overalls (with a blue tooth) This man was my trainer for the my first trucking job.

Sitting in the terminal, all the hustle and bustle, waiting to meet my trainer. The one I would be trusting my life with, to spend six short weeks to teach me everything he knew (course that didn’t happen, six weeks is too short!). I was told his truck number and to go look for that Freightliner in the yard, which I obediently did, finding it, I climbed up on the side and banged on the door. Waited a minute, and banged again. Climbed back down, and waited. A few minutes later out climbed Kojak in overalls sporting a blue tooth, obviously just waking, I introduced myself as his new trainee. This was our beginning.

I followed him through the terminal to the dispatch office to get our paperwork, not talking much as I was nervous as all get out. But he just kept talking with that Texas Southern Drawl, which helped calm me. Soon I began talking and we headed out with the load. He drove through Dallas, stopped on the outskirts to give me the truck, wrote with a grease pen on the windshield the route we would be taking, climbed into the back, drew the curtains, and there I was! Sitting alone in the front of the cab! Alone! I couldn’t believe it! Alone! Thinking to myself this guy is whacked! So I pulled out, got on the highway and headed down the road. A few miles ahead, my trailer crossed the fog line and hit the bumps and I heard him holler, you just ran over a family broke down on the side of the road! Keep it between the lines! Ok….I wasn’t alone.

When the six weeks were over I got my own truck.  On my first load out, realized after going 100 miles, I really was alone. I got on the cell and called him! And, for those first several weeks alone, I could call and count on him to talk me through whatever situation I had gotten myself into…

Although the  six weeks, at times seemed to drag on, there was not a moment that my trainer wasn’t teaching me. In this blog I can’t begin to convey all the things he taught me, but each and every lesson was well taken.  I understood that this trucker knew what he was doing and took great pride in helping every trainee that climbed on his truck.  He was a good man with a heart of gold.  He loved his wife and children with such passion.  You couldn’t help but adore him. The laughter and the lessons shared, I just want to take one small moment in time to say….Thank you Larry !

…and thank you to all of you that take the time to train, you are worth your weight in gold! To all those who are currently in the Bakken learning a new skill, driving a rig “off road” for the first time, learning how to frac, coil, cement, and not blow yourselves up on the wire line; pause for a moment as you begin the new year and thank the person coaching and mentoring you – your very own Kojak in overalls.  It is these dedicated, career oil patch veterans that are gifting you of their time and effort as we all bring Bakken to market.

Happy New Year !

© JJ Arnet

……and you’re exhausted because the night before you pulled into another truck stop closer to your destination, but were kept up all night by the continual knocks on your door offering services that you surely won’t utilize or even desire….you’re so disgruntled that you leave, even though you’ve been sick for the last three days and want nothing more than to climb into that bed; hoping that a reefer doesn’t park next to you and have that constant “waaaa waaaa waaaa” disturb your much needed slumber….all night long!

In the back of your mind as you drive down that dark lonely road (in North Dakota – what road?) trying to find the address of this place, that you’ve never been to before, you’re angry with yourself for accepting the load in the first place. Accepted….like you had a choice since you work for a forced dispatch company, where the word accepted really isn’t a part of the equation, and ya knew it was going to be tight within your Hours of Service…….

You finally see it! The name of the company! Yay! You’re there! Pulling into the driveway, making sure you don’t cut the turn too close as you don’t wanna hit that tire on that curb, so ya lose your seal (and have to sit with your head hung down in shame, feeling like the green horn that you are, as they fix that tire and cringe as you look at the dent in the wheel…..another story….). You call on the intercom, they buzz you in with what dock to bump and alas it’s almost over.

Your mind keeps wandering, but always checking that clock! Am I going to make it? They won’t let you stay there, there’s no place to park on nearby roads, you’re gonna have to drive that XX miles….. JEEZ hurry up and get this load off!

Finally, snuggling down in your bed, the humming of your truck lulling you to sleep, knowing you can finally get the beauty rest you definitely need (Yeah I’m a girl). You’ve been runnin’ hard and it’s time for your 34. Almost gone, you hear a loud beep, slowly get up, roll down your window, take that qualcomm and stick it out into the hot sticky air as the sun comes up, roll the window back up, crawl back in the bed……..And let the world go about its business…….easier said than done!

So are these Hours of Service Regulations keeping us from making money or keeping us safe?

So many regulations, Why why Why? Let’s talk…

© JJ Arnett

Winter’s Here !

As winter approaches arrives, and the inevitable bad weather driving conditions fall down upon you, have you made your winter checklist?

Before you start your day….

• Make sure you clean off the windshield and all the windows and mirrors.
• Clean off the headlights, tail lights, stop lights and turn signals. You want to be able to see, as well as have others see you!
• Make sure your defroster is good working order.
• Have blankets to keep you warm in case of a break down.
• Carry extra food! I sat in a Pennsylvania yard for 3 days before I could move..thank goodness I’d hit Walmart the week before. They have all kinds of foods that you can buy already cooked in pouches. I also carry kitty litter for those fuel island spills, slicker than all get out!
• Check with your Carrier to see what kind of fuel treatment they use; you don’t want gelling.
• Always keep your fuel tanks full! You don’t want any condensation.

Keep the “bubble” around you on the road. That simply means leave plenty of space around your truck, should something happen you have a better chance of a bail out if need be, or not sliding into the rig in front of you.

And by all means: SLOW DOWN! Don’t use your cruise control or jake.

At least once a day drain your air tanks.

And if you can, look on the internet for weather conditions, keep yourself updated, by listening on your CB or radio.

I was surprised to see that North Dakota has no chain laws (huh, maybe why I’ve seen so many pictures of big rigs off in the ditch!)

If you can, call North Dakota Road Conditions : @ 511 or 866-696-3511

Anyone else have tips?

© JJ Arnett

Let’s talk about big trucks, the oil field, and safety…

With significant truck traffic on the roads, delays are the norm.  While downtime is money in the oil industry; so also is the down time one can expected to experience when transport vehicles are wrecked or even totalled.  Generally speaking, routine truck repairs are taking 3 to 6 months in the Williston Basin and let’s face it – a collison is not a routine repair.  And, think of something worse and much more costly – a fatality !

Let’s think about why…

• Is it because there are in inordinate amount of drivers there that haven’t had sufficient training?
• Is it because as we all have heard, people are swarming there to get a job, and may have never driven in the extreme conditions that North Dakota lends?
• Are drivers driving while fatigued and not thinking right, meaning violations of hours of service?
• Are carriers pushing drivers to take loads when they know that it not safe? Are the roads not up to par due to the huge influx of people?

I would say that it is probably all of the above….What’s the answer? What can be done to make it safer to drive in an area that is growing by leaps and bounds? What do you think? The answers start with you.

© JJ Arnett