Posts Tagged trucking industry

Tough Guy Persona Hampers Trucking Issues

Posted by Allen Smith in Safety, Truck Driving Jobs, Truckers Health, otr trucking, trucking, trucking life on March 10th, 2010

Little Tough Guy The trucking industry certainly provides jobs for millions of people, but like most industries, it has its share of problems. For years, these problems had always remained swept under the rug with few people stepping forward and going public with the injustices that exist within the industry. As social media evolved, that all changed. More and more drivers began speaking out and challenging many of the regulations and policies that affect their way of life. As trucking issues by drivers became more public, trucking companies and organizations began to take notice. So much so, that industry policy makers began taking action by communicating directly with many of these social media outlets from drivers.

In order to change a policy, rule or regulation for the better, first takes discussion. Discussing an issue is the first step towards improving a problem faced by truck drivers or companies. If a particular regulation is not working, then change can only first come about through discussing the issue. Unfortunately, there are still those drivers who consider “discussing an issue” as a form of “whining” and “complaining.” Since when did discussing a problem become whining? I contribute this type of mentality to something I call the “Tough Guy Persona.”

No matter what the issue being discussed, the tough guy persona will always appear. Be it the lack of rest that truckers receive, the hours of service, cheap freight, poor truck driver training . . . whatever the case, there will always be those who will step in and retaliate by saying, “Stop your whining and do your job.” From where I stand, I see drivers accepting the challenges of trucking and performing their jobs everyday with remarkable professionalism. What the tough guy persona is really saying here, is that they do not care about the injustices and poor treatment of truck drivers or in helping their company become more successful. They would rather sit back and change nothing . . . simply roll along and let things remain as they are. Even on the issue of cheap freight, which is a major concern for owner operators and trucking companies alike . . . the tough guy persona prefers to continue to work harder and accept things as they are, instead of discussing the problem to come up with a better solution. They would rather cling to their tough guy image, than work to bring about reform that could ultimately provide a better quality of life for themselves and their own families.

I considered for a moment, as to how the tough guy persona would work in other areas of life. Following the recent Haiti earthquakes, instead of the United States pouring out billions of dollars in aide that we cannot afford, perhaps we should have taken on the tough guy persona and told the Haitian people to just “Shut up and accept the situation.” Of course this is ridiculous, but this is how the “tough guy persona” operates. If simply discussing an issue is considered whining and others allow this form of coercion and peer pressure to win, then ultimately the entire industry continues to lose.

Everyone understands that a company must do all it can to remain profitable. However, all too often, the trucking industry will invoke the struggles directly onto the driver, taking no responsibility upon itself to bring about reform which could help both driver and company. Shippers will always have to ship and receivers will always have to receive. Simple logic. There is no reason to have the magnitude of cheap freight hauling that we now have in this country.

When the industry was deregulated in 1980, it was all about promoting competition. Deregulation only leads to monopolies, which we now have been experiencing in the trucking industry for years. Deregulation only promotes competition in the early stages, but later it eliminates competition as rivals are driven out of business. As we have seen with the trucking deregulation, other crisis come into play as well:

Eliminates the weakest companies
Prosperity is lost, as survival becomes the motive
Wages go down
Workers are laid off
Services are dropped and quality is reduced

Hundreds of thousands of truck drivers lost their jobs as a direct result of deregulation. They were hired on with the major companies which survived, but only after taking a cut in pay. Since then, the monopoly has worsen. Who can haul the freight at the cheapest rate is the name of the game now, and service is no longer the primary concern. Furthermore, the one paying the most for cheap freight . . . are the drivers. Running longer, running harder . . . to try to make ends meet. This entire scenario could be eliminated by trucking companies simply raising the cost of freight transportation. Either the shipper or receiver pays the cost . . . or they will have no inventory. Of course, the rise in cost will lead to higher consumer prices, but this can even be monitored by controlling inflation.

One can go on about many issues facing industries today, and the first step to any process is discussion. Discussing issues have led to many victories ranging from wage increase for workers to tearing down the Berlin Wall. To openly talk about issues such as safety, driver pay, owner operator struggles, cheap freight, CDL training, hostility in the workplace and so forth, has nothing to do with “whining” and “complaining.” It has nothing to do with being weak or being a tough guy. It has everything to do with standing up for one’s rights and determining a correct path which can lead to a better life and work style for both employee and employer.

This “tough guy” persona that exists within the trucking industry only hampers the ability to correct things for the better. It never succeeds, only hampers. It is a powerful urge that some cannot overcome. I simply overlook it and refuse to accept that the best thing to do is simply sit back and leave things the way they are. Why would any driver not want to work to raise their wages? Why would any driver not want to stop abuse of any kind toward another driver? Why would any driver not want to correct a policy within their company that could only make the company a better one?

This type of driver would rather hold on to the tough guy image, than work to make life better for their own family. I determined a long time ago that it is impossible to rationalize with irrational people.

: deregulation, truck drivers, trucking, trucking companies, trucking industry, trucking issues

deregulation, truck drivers, trucking, trucking companies, trucking industry, trucking issues

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Trucking Industry Covers Up Female Driver Trainees Harassment

Posted by Allen Smith in Safety, Woman Truckers, otr trucking, trucking, trucking companies on January 10th, 2010

Stop Harassment Against Female Driver Trainees Are female truck driver student trainees really being harassed by some male CDL trainers? Are the stories of verbal and sexual assault true or are they just stories? Why would trucking organizations and companies want to cover up such acts of violence against women? In the world of over the road trucking, is violence against women driver trainees really taking place and are the trucking industry leaders doing all they can to cover it up?

For years, this giant industry has moved along in total control of how drivers lives would turn out. The company could either make you or break you. With billions of dollars at stake, a large majority of OTR drivers are still just a pawn in the companies game of playing with people’s hope. Hope that they can have a rewarding career and provide for themselves and their families . . . many of these trucking companies use this hope to pull in new CDL students and drivers, caring not at all that their lives, most often, will be ruined even more . . . all for the sake of the almighty dollar. Here is a recent email I received:

Mr. Smith,

I received your trucking information about a year ago and I wanted to follow up with you. All I can say is that everything you said was true. The tactics used by my company was so blatantly obvious that even a child would have been able to detect it. Everything was going fine for the first 4-5 months, but then everything changed. I realize we are in a recession, but it became very clear to me that they were working hard to “starve me out.” At the same time they were telling me that freight was slow, they were hiring new student drivers every week. I wish I would have taken your advise a year ago, it would have saved me a lot of heartache.

Truth About Trucking, LLC is not about pushing anyone away from trucking as a career, but to assist in showing how and what one will be expected to go through in order to make trucking work as a career. Surviving the first couple of years as an OTR driver is the key, which you must realize will be very difficult to do for many. Again, a great part of long haul trucking is designed for your failure.

Having been involved in trucking in some form or fashion since 1969, I am no newcomer to the industry. In past years, I have declined to work as a driver trainer and I have never operated around female student drivers. In fact, with 20 years of long haul trucking under my belt, I never even ran into that many women drivers. As reports of abuse and harassment by trainers against female students became known, I first responded by doubt. Thirty two years of driving a truck, locally and long haul, I had never witnessed any such acts against women drivers. Then came news about CRST and the suit brought against by hundreds of women, which by the way, was refiled on November 30th, 2009. Unlike many drivers and trucking industry organizations and leaders, I could not believe that all 230 women were simply lying. This was just one company . . . I wondered if there were other female driver trainees too afraid to come forward regarding these acts of violence which include both mental and physical abuse . . . then came TruckerDesiree.

Desiree Wood aka TruckerDesiree As I mentioned on the Dan Rather Reports, after Desiree began sharing her story on this blog, I began receiving emails and often phone calls, from women across the country asking for our help in making this issue more public. First came a few dozen, then as many as a few hundred. I would always ask each women why they never reported such incidents of violence, even rape by these male trainers . . . and the answer was always two-fold: (1) they were afraid of losing their jobs and (2) they did not think anyone would believe them anyway. Through our investigation, one aspect that always surprised me was the fact that industry “leaders” and organizations tried and are still trying, to keep this issue silent. This is an issue that not only deals with female harassment, but male harassment as well. Furthermore, let’s be fair . . . driver trainers have also been harassed by driver trainees. Bottom line . . . there is a big problem within the trucking industry and its driver training programs. Why then, is the industry fighting back so hard to prevent this issue from being heard further?

Why would large trucking organizations contact former drivers who are now unemployed and on welfare, and recruit them to write against TruckerDesiree and anyone who works toward making this issue known? Why would these organizations and trucking companies not want to change their driver training programs and instead, continue to turn their heads when women are reporting physical, mental abuse and even rape? Furthermore, why is there no law enforcement agency stepping forward to conduct their own investigation into this matter?

How big, really is this issue? Are you a female CDL student trainee who experienced such acts of violence by a male driver trainer? Post your experience at Real Women in Trucking. Trucking organizations have recruited drivers that were once on the side of Desiree . . . I know this as fact. Why are they wanting to cover up such illegal acts by some of these male driver trainers that they continue to hire? Why are there still those trucking companies and organizations condoning this behavior and working to discredit those women who are sharing their experiences?

We would like to hear your thoughts . . .

: cover up, crst, driver trainers, female driver, female drivers, harassment, otr drivers, real, sexual harassment, Trucker Desiree, trucking, trucking companies, trucking industry, trucking organizations, violence, women in trucking

cover up, crst, driver trainers, female driver, female drivers, harassment, otr drivers, real, sexual harassment, Trucker Desiree, trucking, trucking companies, trucking industry, trucking organizations, violence, women in trucking

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U.S. Trucking Industry Corruption

Posted by Allen Smith in Politics, Truck Driving Jobs, otr trucking, truck driving schools, trucking, trucking companies on January 10th, 2010

Within most industries lies corruption and the long haul trucking industry is no exception. For years, this abuse has been kept swept under the rug and was only talked about, quietly among veteran drivers. There are various aspects of corruption such as: political, corporate and bribery which is usually always associated with the intake of power and money. The silence that has covered the corrupt world of OTR trucking for so long is fading, largely due to the technical world of social media.

Having been the first to publicly expose the scams and abuses within the industry by launching Truth About Trucking in May of 2005, the power of social media exploded, and the real truth about the corruption that lies within the over the road trucking industry continues to be further exposed. This corruption not only involves trucking companies and organizations, but at times, even drivers themselves.

We have seen many drivers who originally came on board for the task of exposing these scams, only to make a complete turn around when contacted by various organizations who “promised” them certain favors in return. Thus, exposing the truth becomes a much bigger battle when drivers such as these will sell their morals and ethics to the higher bidder. As for me, I pay them no attention.

CDL students and new drivers, as well as many veteran drivers, will continue to be abused, manipulated, lied to and used by these OTR trucking companies until enough drivers stand up and fight back. I still reiterate that there are good trucking companies and not all are bad, but problems lie within all companies, good or bad. One of the largest obstacles you will face as a new driver with any trucking company, is the employee abuse from both dispatch and safety departments. Remember, a huge percentage of this corrupt industry is set up for a driver to fail, and this is used by both good companies and the not-so-good ones.

One set up is where dispatch will place you with a load that will cause you to run over your hours, breaking regulations. You can tell dispatch that you do not have the hours or rest needed to run the load, but they will continue to plead with you to take the run. It is a “hot” load and you are the only driver they have to get it there on time. The safety department has made it clear to all drivers that breaking regulations will not be tolerated and you will be shut down for one, two or three days after so many violations. Normally, after a third violation, safety will suspend your driving privileges for 30 days . . . yet, here is dispatch pleading for your help. If you take the run to help out your dispatcher, then safety will come back against you . . . if you refuse to take the load in order to not break regulations, then your dispatch will come back against you by making you sit for two or three days . . . so what do you do?

Dispatch understands the Safety Department requirements, and safety understands that dispatch does this type of pressuring to drivers all the time . . . yet, when a driver is faced with such a decision, it is a no-win situation for the driver . . . the driver will always be blamed and the one to face the consequences. Reporting what happened to safety, you will be told that you should not have taken the load . . . reporting what happened to dispatch, you will be told by the dispatcher who pleaded with you, that you should not have taken the load if you did not have the hours to make the run. A no-win situation and you, the driver, will always be at fault, while both Safety and Dispatch Departments know that this little cat and mouse game goes on. It is one of the many set-ups that will lead up to your failure within the trucking industry. Failure that is not your fault, but one aspect of the long haul trucking corruption.

What makes this OTR trucking industry corruption worse, are the lies and deceit against their own employees (drivers). Issues I have discussed often such as:

The Owner Operator Lease Purchase Programs
The DAC Report
The driver shortage lie
The continual scam of starving out drivers in order to bring in new, lower paid drivers as a form of cheap labor
CDL Schools receiving Government subsidies, accepting driving students with no chance of being hired

Many are coming forward and exposing the real truth about the long haul trucking industry. Others will still sell out to any organization that will pretend to be on their side and show them any kind of attention. CDL students and new drivers can make it in this industry that many drivers call “the most lying, deceitful and corrupt industry on Earth.” For now, you will have to continue paying your dues for the first one or two years and if that “starter company” is not working out for you, then you will be able to move on to one of the “better” trucking companies.

Any trucking company can go out of business at any time . . . we saw that with Arrow Trucking. Although some form of corruption will exist in any trucking company or industry, there are good companies out there . . . at least better than most. As drivers who are not afraid to stand up for what is right continue to come forward through avenues such as social media to tell the real truth about the OTR trucking industry, this vocation can change and get better for all drivers, both new and veteran. U. S. truckers and CDL holders are eight million strong . . . that is a powerful voice.

: CDL schools, cdl students, corruption, dispatch, drivers, employee abuse, good trucking companies, government subsidies, long haul, over the road, owner operator lease, Safety, social media, trucking, trucking industry, truth

CDL schools, cdl students, corruption, dispatch, drivers, employee abuse, good trucking companies, government subsidies, long haul, over the road, owner operator lease, Safety, social media, trucking, trucking industry, truth

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The 7 Biggest Mistakes by CDL Students and New Truck Drivers

Posted by Allen Smith in Jobs and Careers, Truck Driving Jobs, otr trucking, truck driving schools, trucking, trucking companies, trucking life on December 18th, 2009

CDL Students Mistakes For thousands of new CDL students and truck drivers, entering into an industry that they know nothing about can be devastating financially. The ever present scams of the over the road trucking industry and truck driving schools continue to ruin the lives of many wanna’ be truckers. Not fully understanding the inside workings of OTR trucking, many newcomers to the industry will fail, through no direct fault of their own. The failed success of many truck drivers breaking into the business, is simply the way a large portion of the industry is set up to be. For many trucking companies, the truckers failure is their success.

The more one understands how this corrupt industry works, the better opportunity one has to succeed in a long haul trucking career. Most often, the failure comes from simply not knowing what questions to ask or what exactly to look out for, when pursuing a career in trucking transportation.

In my opinion, there are seven big mistakes that CDL students and new drivers most often make during this time of transition into a new career change. By understanding and knowing what these mistakes are, one will be more prepared for achieving success in an industry that has been described by many veteran drivers as the “most corrupt industry on the planet.” Enough said . . .

Download the PDF Bonus Report:

The 7 BIGGEST Mistakes by

CDL Students and New Drivers

By Allen Smith

: cdl, cdl students, mistakes, students, truck drivers, trucking, trucking companies, trucking industry, trucking transportation

cdl, cdl students, mistakes, students, truck drivers, trucking, trucking companies, trucking industry, trucking transportation

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Trucking Scams Deserve Attention of State Attorney General

Posted by Allen Smith in Politics, Truck Driving Jobs, otr trucking, student loans, truck driving schools, trucking, trucking companies on December 4th, 2009

Law and Liberty As 2009 winds down, Truth About Trucking will continue to push forward in 2010 by our continual exposing of scams, abuse and fraud within the over the road trucking industry. As professional truck drivers, there still exists employee and constitutional rights and those trucking companies which continue to take advantage of drivers, students and trainees, should be held accountable for their actions and their total disregard for the law.

We have and continue to receive emails, letters and phone calls from drivers of all experience everyday, and we appreciate all the input. As we move into the new year, let’s push this fight to raise the standards of the trucking industry, even further. We would invite all who have experienced these scams and abuses first hand, to report your experiences directly to your State Attorney General’s office.

Issues such as:

False DAC Reporting
CDL Student Loan fraud
Victim of a Owner Operator Lease Purchase Program
Terminated from driving job after a short period of time
CDL school questionable conduct
Harassment by a driver-trainer, with no follow through from company
Purposely starved out by trucking company
Obvious misconduct by company, such as poor miles, unreasonable job demands

The State Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer for the State. It is their job to protect consumers of the State from:

telemarketing scams
identity theft
credit fraud
deceptive home improvement work
civil rights violations
questionable charity fund raising
false advertising
other unfair practices
protects children from Internet predators
pursues con artists who target senior citizens
targets drug trafficking
gun violence
fights fraud and scams that can be financially devastating to families.

Frauds and scams that can financially devastate you and/or your family . . . it’s time to take these trucking scam issues to the next level. The State Attorney General will actively investigate and pursue any report or claim of abuse, scam or fraud by these OTR trucking companies and if found liable, will take appropriate actions. If you feel you have been treated unfairly and unjust as a driver for one of the companies, contact your State Attorney General’s office:

Find your State Attorney General . . .

Let your story be told . . . contact your State Attorney General and let’s keep fighting to “Raise the Standards of the Trucking Industry.”

Truth About Trucking, LLC

“Special Thanks to “You Know Who You Are” for assisting in this post . . . “Allen”

: fraud, otr trucking companies, over the road, scam, state attorney general, state attorney office, trucking, trucking industry, trucking scams

fraud, otr trucking companies, over the road, scam, state attorney general, state attorney office, trucking, trucking industry, trucking scams

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Truck Driver Training Solutions

Posted by Allen Smith in Safety, Talk Radio Show, trucking on December 4th, 2009

Donna hosted this evening’s Truth About Trucking “LIVE” talk show on Blog Talk Radio with special guest, TruckerDesiree, focusing on solutions for the problems in truck driver training. Second guest, Tom Hanson did not make it, but the one and a half hour show brought in many listeners and finally addressed solving the problems within the trucking industry.

To date, Truth About Trucking “LIVE” has regular listeners in seven countries and brings in 100,000 plus listeners, once placed through out the world wide web.

If you missed the “live” show, you can catch it here:

: solutions, talk radio, truck driver training, TruckerDesiree, trucking industry, truth about trucking

solutions, talk radio, truck driver training, TruckerDesiree, trucking industry, truth about trucking

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Trucking Industry and Politics

Posted by Allen Smith in Politics, Talk Radio Show, otr trucking, truck driving schools, trucking, trucking blogs, trucking companies, trucking life on November 29th, 2009

Many veteran drivers have written me and they often begin in the same way: “The trucking industry is the most corrupt industry . . .” I receive emails like these every day. For nearly five years now, we have been taking these issues of OTR trucking scams and abuses directly to the public . . . throwing the information out there right in the face of the trucking industry. Veteran drivers have been talking about these issues for years among themselves, but that was one of the problems . . . they were only talking about them “among themselves.” Within the last several months, we are seeing a big change in the efforts of professional drivers . . . many drivers, new and experienced, coming together and speaking out against the scams and abuses that have existed within this transportation industry for years.

One lone voice in the wilderness may never be heard, but when hundreds or thousands of voices join with that one lone voice . . . change for the better can occur. A perfect example of this is the Cap and Trade bill. Making it through Congress, it suddenly found itself stalled within the Senate. Why? The Senate took notice of not just one lone voice screaming that they did not want this bill, but thousands or millions of voices yelling against Cap and Trade. The Senate stood up and took notice . . . notice of many voices standing up, speaking out and saying that Cap and Trade is not what the public wants. The same thing could happen to the nationalization of health care. With millions of voices coming together against this plan, it too, could end up in the stalling process.

I hear all the time that nothing will change in the over the road trucking industry, yet I am already seeing change of a positive note. Companies are “cleaning up” their terminals and buildings to present a more professional look . . . several companies are taking a closer and harder look at their driver trainer programs and more and more newcomers to the industry are learning about the scams of the DAC Report, CDL Schools and trucking companies committing fraud with the U.S. Government subsidy programs. More drivers are coming together and are no longer just talking about these things among themselves . . . it is being brought forth through other websites, blogs, article directories and trucking talk radio shows, even being heard on various satellite radio stations. For the first time that I can recall . . . these issues within the OTR trucking industry are being openly discussed and being noticed and taken seriously. But we still have a long way to go.

Five years ago there was not one “truth” about OTR trucking site on the internet . . . not one “truth” about the real world of over the road trucking talk radio show . . . not one site or media outlet that was taking these trucking issues directly to the public and to the industry itself and saying, “These scams and abuses have been going on for too long, and we are now going to start fighting back.” Now, there are more and more sites, blogs, pod casts and other outlets joining voices and taking these serious issues straight to the face of the industry . . . and believe me, they are taking notice.

With every turn of a new leaf, one finds another scam or abuse within this industry. It is a battle that one lone voice cannot win, but with thousands or millions of other voices, joined together, you better believe that this industry can be turned around. The OTR trucking industry is actually two battles in one: the industry itself and the corrupt world of politics.

One site, The American Driver is dedicated to fighting the political battle. As their website explains:

“All of us can agree we have a serious problem and something needs to be done. This basic understanding is the reason we need to unite and determine, as a whole, the proper action which must be taken to correct our problems. We are calling on all Americans, both truckers and citizens, to make it known you understand there’s a problem and commit your support of truly uniting to begin to address the problems we face.”

Support Our Truckers

Let’s show our support by joining The American Driver “Support Our Truckers” support page. Email your name, city and state to theamericandriver@yahoo.com
and tell them you want to be added to their “Support our Truckers” page.

These scams and abuses against CDL students, trainees, new drivers and veteran drivers have been going on for too many years. One lone voice in the wilderness may never be heard, but as the trucking industry leaders are coming to realize . . . many driver voices together will make them stand up and take notice that enough is enough and change to the OTR trucking industry is coming.

: abuses, cap and trade, CDL schools, cdl students, government subsidy, Politics, professional drivers, Scams, support our truckers, THe American Driver, theamericandriver, trainees, trucking, trucking industry, trucking talk radio, veteran drivers

abuses, cap and trade, CDL schools, cdl students, government subsidy, Politics, professional drivers, Scams, support our truckers, THe American Driver, theamericandriver, trainees, trucking, trucking industry, trucking talk radio, veteran drivers

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CSA 2010 Good for Trucking Industry or Opportunity for Abuse?

Posted by Allen Smith in DOT, Politics, Safety, Truck Driving Jobs, otr trucking, trucking, trucking companies, trucking life on November 6th, 2009

The trucking industry will soon see a change in the FMCSA safety rating system, Safestat. The new program, CSA 2010 will soon be underway. I see what could be a good thing for the safety standards of the trucking industry, but at the same time . . . are there areas that, like most programs, could actually bring about more abuse towards drivers?

Since the 1980’s motor carriers have been evaluated by the FMCSA through a CR – Compliance Review. This review is lengthy, time consuming and involves heavy paperwork . . . but is the only way the FMCSA can assign ratings for safety. Because of the heavy workload involved with the CR, less than 2% of the trucking companies in the U. S. were inspected within a year. Furthermore, through the CR evaluation process, the safety rating given to the carrier does not expire until the carrier is again scheduled to be rated again . . . no matter how poorly the carrier is currently operating.

As of right now, under the Safestat safety rating system, trucking companies are checked within four areas:

Driver
Vehicle
Safety Management
Accident

The CSA 2010 system will increase to seven areas:

Unsafe Driving
Fatigued Driving
Driver Fitness
Controlled Substance and Alcohol
Vehicle Maintenance
Improper Loading/Cargo Securement
Crash Indicator

Furthermore, two new safety measurement systems will come into play with the CSA 2010: one for carriers (CSMS) and one for drivers (DSMS). Never before were drivers directly measured for safety under the SafeStat system, but now they will be . . . and this is where I see the potential for problems.

There is a lot that I like about the new CSA 2010 system, mostly making drivers more responsible for their actions in relation to safety. However, I can see a few areas that could easily be turned around and used against drivers under no fault of their own:

Fatigued Driving — Driving a CMV when fatigued. This is distinguished from incidents where unconsciousness or an inability to react is brought about by the use of alcohol, drugs, or other controlled substances. Data includes (1) hours-of-service violations discovered during an off-site investigation, on-site investigation, roadside inspection, or post-crash inspection, and (2) crash reports with driver fatigue as a contributing factor. (FMCSR Parts 392 and 395)

Problem: Drivers are often “pushed” by dispatch to deliver “HOT” load(s) – of course, they can refuse but will driver risk “punishment” by company such as drop in miles? Starved out? DAC Report?

Vehicle Maintenance — CMV failure due to improper or inadequate maintenance. Data includes (1) roadside violations for brakes, lights, and other mechanical defects, (2) crash reports citing a mechanical failure as a contributing factor, and (3) violations from an off-site investigation or an on-site investigation associated with pre-trip inspections, maintenance records, and repair records. (FMCSR Parts 393 and 396)
Problem: Driver held responsible when company has their own “maintenance” dept./ shop which signs off for repairs. Why should the driver receive points or fines where they have no control over a company who operates with poorly maintained equipment?

Improper Loading/Cargo Securement — Shifting loads, spilled or dropped cargo, and unsafe handling of hazardous materials. Data includes (1) roadside inspection violations pertaining to load securement, cargo retention, and hazardous material handling, and (2) crash reports citing shifting loads, or spilled/dropped cargo as a cause or contributing factor. (FMCSR Parts 392, 393, 397 and HM Violations)

BIG Problem: Many trailers are loaded by shipper while driver is not allowed on dock or to supervise loading. Driver is required to remain in truck. Driver should not be held responsible for an unsecured load that he or she does not have the opportunity to inspect.

I feel the FMCSA has good intentions with the CSA 2010 system, but I can already see the potential of responsibilities easily being manipulated and placed unjustly, once again, on the professional driver.

READ POST CSA and DAC to Cause more Job Loss posted 1/18/10

: CSA 2010, FMCSA, problem, problems, professional driver, Safestat, safety rating, trucking, trucking industry

CSA 2010, FMCSA, problem, problems, professional driver, Safestat, safety rating, trucking, trucking industry

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Truth About Trucking “LIVE” Talk Radio Airs Dan Rather Controversy

Posted by Allen Smith in Talk Radio Show, trucking, trucking companies on November 5th, 2009

Earlier this evening our BTR show, Truth About Trucking “LIVE” aired a 90 minute show discussing the Dan Rather interview with TruckerDesiree. Thanks to the callers and listeners and those in the chat room for tuning in . . . show has already been downloaded nearly 100 times within 1.25 hours.

I had some phone trouble during the last 5 minutes of the show and lost all connection, so was unable to “close” it out like I normally do, but the show focused on Desiree’s story and the real purpose of exposing these scams, lies and deceit within certain segments of the trucking industry.

Truth About Trucking has been working to expose these issues for nearly 5 years now, and with TruckerDesiree exposing a further hidden “secret” of the OTR industry . . . the industry is taking notice. Change for the better can happen.

I have nothing to gain from exposing these lies and scams of the over the road industry. They have been going on for years and the time has finally come that these issues are becoming known . . . CDL students and new drivers have the RIGHT TO KNOW . . . and for those trucking companies and CDL schools who participate in these scams and abuses . . . we will continue to expose them until they are changed and all drivers . . . students, new drivers and veteran drivers alike . . . receive the respect and honesty that they deserve.

The Trucking Controversy – Dan Rather Reports:

: cdl, CDL schools, Dan Rather, drivers, reports, students, talk radio, TruckerDesiree, trucking, trucking industry, trucking scams

cdl, CDL schools, Dan Rather, drivers, reports, students, talk radio, TruckerDesiree, trucking, trucking industry, trucking scams

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Dan Rather Reports Trucking Controversy – Here’s Your Chance to be Heard

Posted by Allen Smith in Politics, Talk Radio Show, otr trucking, trucking on October 25th, 2009

Truth About Trucking “LIVE” talk radio will open up the phone lines to discuss the controversy within the trucking industry from the recent Dan Rather Reports interview with lady driver, TruckerDesiree.

Thirty two year trucking veteran, Aubrey Allen Smith fights back to expose those scams within the trucking industry . . . Agree or disagree? Here’s your chance to let your voice be heard . . . will you make the call?

Trucking Industry Controversy – Dan Rather Reports - Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 7 PM EST.

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Truth About Trucking “LIVE” – ONLY ON: on Blog Talk Radio

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