AskTheTrucker » otr trucking

Overdrive Magazine to celebrate 50 Years of Trucking News

Allen Smith — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:34:32 +0000

Overdrive Trucking Magazine

The best magazines in the trucking industry are with out a doubt, Truckers News and Overdrive. Informative articles with a great writing staff, even legendary trucking talk show host, Bill Mack, relied on Overdrive for up-to-date trucking news.

Next month in October, 2010, Overdrive Magazine will celebrate its 50th year in bringing the best topics and news story for the industry and truck drivers alike. They have launched a 50 year anniversary celebration video on their Overdrive Online YouTube Channel.

We say “Congratulations” for 50 years of success, and looking forward to the next 50 years!

: Bill Mack, magazines, overdrive, truckers news, trucking, trucking news

DAC Report and Company Lease Purchase Plans Big Scams in Trucking

Allen Smith — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:06:26 +0000

Allen Smith of Truth About Trucking, LLC

By Allen Smith

When I first began publicly exposing the scams of over the road trucking five years ago, I received many hate emails from industry leaders because they did not want the U. S. trucking industry to be given a “black eye.” I not only believe that it deserves a black eye, but it should be given two of them for the abuses it continues to impose on the professional truck driver.

I receive many emails from truck drivers all over the world, largely from our AskTheTrucker blog and the internet Blog Talk Radio program, Truth About Trucking “LIVE.” These international truckers all ask me the same question . . . “Why don’t American truckers stand up for their rights?” As one listener from Indonesia recently noted: “We have seen truck drivers fight for their rights in Spain, Greece, South Africa and all over the world. In a country as great as yours, why do the truck drivers take such abuse from their industry?”

Perhaps it is because they fear losing the support for their families or they feel there is no way they can do battle with a multi-billion dollar industry. It is largely due to the fact that thousands or even millions of American truckers could never come together as one . . . year after year has shown this. Because of this fact, two of the biggest scams in the trucking industry continues : false DAC reporting and the trucking company lease purchase plan. Having been contacted last year by a State Representative for California, we discussed in detail the problem with these company lease owner-operator programs, a problem they were seeing more of in their state. In May of 2010, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, called for an investigation into the motor carriers that were imposing these scam leases on owner-operators, noting a statement from OOIDA that they have “seen an explosion in scam lease purchase agreements.” Seen an explosion? It has been going on for years.

You can watch the video of the Congressional hearing from May 5th, 2010.

The next step for Congress is to call for an investigation into the DAC reporting scam by many of these motor carriers. Having become used as a control and retaliation tool against truck drivers, the DAC Report is responsible for ruining the careers of many truck drivers. What started out as a good thing for the industry has become a truckers’ worst nightmare. Recent comments from our Stop False DAC Reporting petition :

“Over the years (over40 years) I have been victimized by several companies, but had no recourse because I couldn’t prove that I had been victimized. It is time to hold DAC and the trucking companies accountable for their illegal actions against truckers.”

“Drivers have a hard enough time without companies making false statements.”

“I myself have been black listed that was in the 90’s. Thought I had to prove that I was right. It was as though the trucking companies can put you out of work for the lies that they tell on us all the time, but if we lie on our logs, who gets the ticket? Who is shut down? Who has to pay? I think you all know the answer to those questions. So yes, I think it’s time — this should have been done years ago.”

Work is being done toward our DAC petition and we will update at the appropriate time. We have updated the petition to read as follows:

“The DAC reporting services, now known as HireRight is regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) which is an American Federal law codified at 15 U.S.C.
Â§ 1681 that regulates the collection, dissemination, and use of consumer credit information. Along with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), it forms the base of consumer credit rights in the United States.”

“Trucking companies knowingly and willfully submit false reports to the DAC Services against professional truck drivers as a means of retaliation, control and blackballing their driving careers. Furthermore, DAC will approve these false claims without any investigation or attempt in allowing the driver to respond.
Although the driver can follow DAC’s procedures for dispute, the ability to have the false accusations removed from their DAC report seldom occurs. “

“Truth About Trucking, LLC is preparing to submit a letter to the appropriate Senators and Congress members in order to bring this issue to the attention of our
legislators. We are asking for your signature to show support for this much needed legislation and to help STOP false DAC reporting against our nation’s drivers. “

“We the undersigned, are requesting that the U.S. Government enact legislation that will protect truck drivers from the false accusations that trucking companies and/or their employees are reporting to the DAC Services, and that a complete, fair and unbiased investigation be conducted before such report can be filed and for those who report such false claims to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. “

“This petition is set-forth by Aubrey “Allen” Smith of Truth About Trucking, LLC.”

* “If you would like to be contacted in regards to any Federal or State Class Action Lawsuit that arises from this petition, please forward your
permission using the Contact Petition Sponsor Form – otherwise, your email address will not be shared to any other parties, nor collected for commercial purposes.”

“Signatures containing advertising, links or any such kind of commercialization will be deleted.”

Have you been a victim of the truck drivers’ DAC report? A victim of the company lease purchase scam? Take our company lease survey and sign the petition. Do you know of a trucking company that abuses the DAC report? Report them on our Worse Trucking Companies DAC survey.

I believe change can be made in this industry as it relates to driver abuse. Truth About Trucking and AskTheTrucker is not here to make friends with the industry or get our name and pictures in magazines . . . my goal remains the same . . . to “Raise the Standards of the Trucking Industry.”

Allen Smith

Upcoming Blog Talk Radio shows:

Truck Leasing for the Owner Operator - 9-9-10 at 8 PM Eastern time

The BIGGEST Scams in Trucking - 9-16-10 at 8 PM Eastern time

: dac, dac report, lease purchase, owner operator lease purchase program, trucking companies, trucking scams

Truck Leasing for the Owner Operator

Allen Smith — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:54:25 +0000

Leasing a truck and starting your own trucking business is a serious step for the want-to-be owner operator. Knowing the right questions to ask and understanding the lease agreement is the first step in assuring that you, the driver will get the best deal.

Many new drivers starting out as an owner operator will most often begin with one of the starter trucking companies lease purchase programs, which have a high driver failure rate. Our company lease purchase program survey will continue through 2010 to collect updated data on this problem within the trucking industry. We will then post the final results. You can see the preliminary findings from this survey . . . here.

Joe Hoovestol of Lone Mountain Truck Leasing

Joe Hoovestol of Lone Mountain Truck Leasing will be our guest on Truth About Trucking “LIVE” talk radio on Thursday, September 9th, 2010 at 8 PM Eastern time. We will be discussing the details of truck leasing and what to look for in a truck lease to make sure it is driver friendly and not set-up solely for the success of the trucking company.

Truck leasing for the owner operator on Blog Talk Radio . . . come join the conversation.

: Joe Hoovestol, lease purchase, lone mountain truck leasing, owner operator, truck, truck lease, trucking

Xtreme Fuel Treatment Review

Allen Smith — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:26:35 +0000

Xtreme Fuel Treatment

Successful truck owner operators and trucking fleets understand the importance of saving every dollar wherever possible. Most owner operators will fail due to not running their business as a business. Truck drivers who do succeed in their own trucking business will know where every penny goes and are constantly discovering ways to lower their costs and raise their profits. Squeezing even one more gallon per mile out of every tank full can lead to a big savings.

Truckers are no strangers to fuel additives, with several brands available on the market. A gas and diesel fuel treatment, recently opened to the public and catching the attention of many drivers is the XTREME fuel treatment. Used in large industrial operations for years, it has now become available to the general public. After being contacted by Mike Garcia of diesel treatment, I agreed to test the Xtreme additive on my own to see how and if it really worked.

Over a seventeen day period, I recorded the miles driven and gallon fill-ups, with the average miles per gallon per tank full. The first five days were operated normally with no Xtreme added, in order to clarify the current MPG average. For the next five days, Xtreme was added with those results being recorded as well. The final seven days included running without the Xtreme fuel treatment, in order for the treatment to work itself out of the system and see what the MPG results would conclude.

Within the first 24 hours, the first noticeable aspect was that the engine ran much quieter and smoother. Once the Xtreme was added, you can see an increase in the MPG performance with each passing day. Once the Xtreme started working itself out of the system, you will note that the MPG average began dropping. The average MPG reading of 5.78 was listed on the first day of testing, August 1st, 2010. By the tenth day of August, having started the treatment on 08/06/10, the MPG reading came in at 8.07 MPG. Having to end the testing on this date, I was unable to actually see what reading the MPG average would have plateaued.

With an average MPG of 6.5, the Xtreme fuel treatment had reached an 8.07 reading, resulting in a 1.57 MPG increase. With two 100 gallon tanks, this would result in a 314 miles per tank increase. As of August 30th, 2010, the U.S. average for diesel was $2.989 per gallon, which would result in a $116.00 savings per tank full. Having achieved these results with only a five day treatment, I plan to do further testing over a six week period.

You can see the results of this first test with our PDF file – Xtreme Fuel Treatment Test Program.

To learn more about the Xtreme fuel treatment for both gas and diesel engines, contact Mike Garcia at diesel treatment dot com.

: diesel, diesel treatment, fuel additive, fuel treatment, gas, reviews, xtreme

Cargo Theft serious issue for trucking industry

Allen Smith — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:22:06 +0000

truckers news magazine

The U. S. trucking industry has seen a serious rise of cargo theft over the past few years and the problem is growing rapidly. So much in fact, that stealing truck freight is becoming the “signature crime of the early 21st century.”

The September, 2010 issue of Truckers News Magazine has taken an in-depth investigation into the growing and dangerous problem. On September 1st, 2010 Truth About Trucking “LIVE” talk radio discussed, not only the problem . . . but the solutions to this ever-growing crime.

Our special guests were:

	Todd Dills, Senior Editor for Overdrive and Truckers News magazines
	Max Kvidera, Senior Editor for Randall-Reilly Publishing

Trucking Cargo Theft – The Problem and the Solution – on Blog Talk Radio.

: cargo, max kvidera, talk radio, theft, todd dills, truck, truckers news, trucking, trucking magazines

CSA 2010 and HOS Change – The Perfect Storm for Trucking Industry?

Allen Smith — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:27:24 +0000

Trucking's Perfect Storm

Like the movie with the same name, is the perfect storm brewing for the U. S. trucking industry? With the possibility of more than a quarter of a million truck drivers facing termination from their driving careers from the CSA 2010 initiative, coupled with the talk of changing the current HOS rules, is there a a catastrophic event heading straight toward professional drivers and trucking companies alike?

The hours of service rule for truck drivers could be looking at losing two hours of driving time, along with doing away with the 34 hour restart rule. The ATA and company CEO’s fear that these two aspects combined will reduce productivity among drivers. ATA Chairman, Tommy Hodges stated that the CSA 2010 will be a “free agency for drivers.” He went on to say, “a driver that knows he’s got a good record, he knows how to abide by the rules, and he knows and understands his value to your company, (is) going to come in and say, ‘look at my score, you’re going to pay me 50 cents a mile or I’m going to go to XYZ,’ and he will.” He went on to comment that productivity loss could be as high as 18 percent if the changes are indeed made.

No doubt that losing two hours of driving time and the 34 hour restart will change the way trucking companies operate, but could not adding additional time for rest also increase productivity by eliminating much of the “pushing of drivers” to run further and harder? The industry sees the loss of revenue coming by not being able to push their drivers beyond their physical and mental limits in order to get the freight delivered and move on to the next load. Are the industry leaders more concerned with the loss of dollars than the safety of their drivers?

Truck drivers operated under the former set of HOS rules for years and did just fine. The new HOS rules, if they occur, will basically return nearly as they were before. Is the industry fearful of losing their ability to push their drivers’ work loads, or more afraid of the good, safe and professional drivers gaining more control over their own careers?

: ata, change, CSA 2010, hos, hours of service, trucking

Trucking Across the George Washington Bridge

Allen Smith — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:43:26 +0000

Trucking across the GW bridge

For many, it is known as simply “The GW” and sooner or later most long haul truckers are going to have it in their sights. My best advise for new truck drivers who will be tackling the George Washington Bridge for the first time? Sit down . . . buckle up . . . and hold on . . .

The GW is one of the most heavily traveled bridges in the world, spanning the Hudson River between Washington Heights, Manhattan and Fort Lee, New Jersey offering 14 lanes for the traveling public. It has the greatest vehicular capacity of any bridge worldwide, and according to 2007 statistics, nearly 106,000,000 vehicles crosses its path every year, with approximately 9,549,000 being trucks. It is not so bad crossing in a 4-wheeler . . . but a big rig? This can be a different story.

The first time I made contact with the George Washington bridge, I had no reason to believe that it would be any different than any other structure. Besides the enormous amount of traffic, nobody ever told me about the deteriorating road conditions. I hit the GW running with no seat belt locked in and the next thing I knew I left the comfort of my seat, bouncing so high I hit my head hard on the top of the cab . . . most of the items in the bunk went flying and landed all over the place. From that day forward, before I met up with the GW . . . I had the seat belt fastened and ready to go.

Through the years I have often thought about the reconstructing of the GW crossing. With all the toll dollars and New York taxes, why does this remain as one of the roughest traveling areas in the country? Trucking across the George Washington bridge gives new meaning to the phrase, “Beat you to death.” Along with being such a well-known landmark, the bridge also boasts having some of the most state-of-the-art technology and advanced traffic management systems in the world.

GW Bridge Traffic Managment System

Transdyn has successfully delivered traffic management systems for some of the most important bridges and tunnels in the world including the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel and the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Multi-million dollar traffic systems, yet . . . truck drivers take a beating upon crossing. The high-tech system is very much needed, allowing for the increase of an “effective crisis prevention plan by identifying unauthorized stopped vehicles, monitoring critical structure areas, and responding rapidly to emergency situations with real-time decision support tools.”

So, the question came to me again the other day . . . “why do they not repair the travel portion of the road?” The more I thought about it, I considered that the question should be . . . “how do they repair the travel portion of the road?” To get around the 4,760 feet span, how and where do they detour the nearly 300,000 vehicles that crosses every single day?

Although it is one of the most famous bridges in the world, its geographical location could very well be its downfall when it comes to much needed road repair.

: george washington bridge, road repair, the gw, transdyn, truck drivers, trucking

Hourly Pay for all Truck Drivers

Allen Smith — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:33:39 +0000

hourly pay for truck drivers

It has been debated by truck drivers waiting in line at the shippers and receivers and over a cup of coffee at their favorite truck stop. Some like the idea, while others are adamantly against it. It will likely never happen, but it makes for good conversation . . .

What are the pros and cons of having all truck drivers paid by the hour, instead of CPM, per load or other means. By what pay do truckers really prefer? Stay with cents-per-mile or would having all drivers pay at an hourly rate work for the millions of professional truck drivers who keep America moving?

Trucking talk radio, Truth About Trucking “LIVE” discussed the hourly pay for truck drivers debate on Thursday, August 26th, 2010. Are you for it . . . or against it?

Also, for the first segment of the show, our special guest was Mike Garcia of diesel treatment dot com about the new fuel additive, XTREME.

John Winterholler

Also joining the show was CEO/President of Syntek Global, John Winterholler.

Xtreme fuel treatment

Allen tested this product and the results were disclosed on the show as we learned more about this diesel and gas fuel treatment. Owner Operators should check out the Xtreme Fuel Treatment and compare the cost to savings as was described in the show.

We will posting the test results in an upcoming post . . . catch the show here:

: debate, diesel treatment, dieseltreatment.com, fuel additive, hourly pay, mike garcia, truck drivers, xtreme

Human Trafficking Webinars set for September

Allen Smith — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:36:04 +0000

Truckers Against Trafficking

Truck drivers across the country have been called on by Chapter 61 ministries to be the eyes and ears for the human trafficking crisis in America. The partnership between the Transport for Christ and Chapter 61 organizations, the Truckers Against Trafficking, along with many others, have led to a much greater awareness of this problem, not only in the United States but abroad. Recent headline news is focusing on this $32 billion a year business, which destroys countless lives and enslaves its victims . . . the majority of whom are women and children:

Global human trafficking roundup (August 18, 2010)

US-Philippines project to combat human trafficking

Ohio in “Dirty Dozen” because of lax anti-human trafficking effort

6 arrested in human trafficking case involving teen girl in Jacksonville, FL

Human traffickers supply nail-salon workers

These are just a few of the most recent cases involving human trafficking. Most Americans are aware of the problem in Asia and Africa, but are oblivious to that fact that it is big business here in the United States. Chapter 61 ministries will be presenting another set of online informational webinars in September, 2010.

All webinars will begin at 9 p.m. EDT. Because members of the trucking and travel plaza industry represent the eyes and ears of America on those highways, they can play a critical part in fighting this crime and those who perpetrate it. They simply need to know what to look for, what questions to ask and what steps to take.

If you would like to participate, you can sign up by clicking on one of the following dates that you wish to attend:

Wed, 9-1-10 - 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM EDT – Attend

Thu, 9-2-10 - 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM EDT – Attend

Tue, 9-7-10 - 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM EDT – Attend

Wed, 9-15-10 - 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM EDT – Attend

Thu, 9-16-10 – 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM EDT – Attend

Thu, 9-23-10 - 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM EDT – Attend

For more information you can email : tfcio@transportforchrist.org

: chapter 61 ministries, human trafficking, transport for Christ, truck drivers, Truckers, truckers against human trafficking, trucking, webinars

DOT Medical Drug Screen

Allen Smith — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:42:56 +0000

DOT random drug screen

Often truck drivers can find themselves in trouble when it comes to the required DOT medical drug screen. A legal, prescribed drug from your family physician can lead to termination from the trucking company if you fail to follow the correct procedure. Many times in the trucking industry, problems that arise that can cause a driver to lose his or her job could have been avoided.

The DOT drug screen looks for the use of a Schedule 1 drugs : amphetamine, narcotic or any other habit forming drug that is not legally permitted. They also check for the usage of illegal narcotic drugs including marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates and phencyclidine (PCP). Very often, drivers who have received a legal prescription from their doctor fail to understand that this information should be provided to the motor carrier, especially when facing a DOT physical or drug screening. Most importantly, the information must be provided to the medical examiner before the screening takes place.

As an example, often truck drivers can be given a legal prescription for Lortab which is a combination of a narcotic painkiller and cough reliever with a non-narcotic painkiller for the relief of moderate to moderately severe pain. Since it contains hydrocodone, the hydrocodone is a narcotic, which is one of the things they look for from a DOT drug test. Therefore, if the driver fails to tell the company or medical examiner about the Lortab, the drug test will come back as a flagged and failed screening.

Most truckers understand that this type of prescription, though legal, contains a narcotic. By telling the trucking company that they are on this drug or others like it, they face the possibility of their employer telling them to take the two or three weeks off until they are better . . . or however long their doctor has prescribed the medication. This simply is not worth the chance of losing your job. If you are called to take a random drug test . . . you will now find yourself in a tough situation.

I am hearing more from drivers who have found themselves in this position. Don’t take the chance. Random drug tests could become more random in the future. If you have to be on a prescribed narcotic . . . tell your company immediately. It’s better to follow company policy and be told to take the required time off, than it is to be terminated for not following the correct procedure.

: DOT, drug screen, drug testing, medical examiner, narcotic, truck drivers

AskTheTrucker » otr trucking

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