Well, it appears that the rumors are true. Until today, we’d only heard about drivers being thrown out of IdleAire parking spots. But today, we were asked to move. And, upon further investigation, we discovered that IdleAire attendants have the authority and can make you leave an IdleAire parking spot if you’re not using the service. In fact, they are supposed to make you move.

We pulled into an east coast Petro truck stop and parked in an IdleAire spot. An attendant came up and asked if we were going to use the service and we said we were not. The attendant politely asked us to move to a non-IdleAire parking spot. We counted approximately 20 empty IdleAire spots- but leaving the “Quiet Zone” wasn’t a problem, since the non-IdleAire parking still had a lot of empty spots.

We decided to get to the bottom of it and find out what’s really going on. The following information has not been confirmed by IdleAire corporate, but it comes straight from the mouth of the most enthusiastic (and presumably knowledgeable) IdleAire attendant we’ve met- bordering on militaristic.
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Tags: IdleAire, IdleAire Attendants, Petro Truck Stop, Quiet Zone

There’s just something about trucking that you don’t find in other fields.

There’s camaraderie. Some would argue, with validity, that in recent years, that feeling of “us” has dissipated. But there’s still an “us” in the trucking world that an outsider just doesn’t get to see. We’re all out here doing the same job- trucking, flat bedding, car hauling. Essentially, all kinds of truckers are out here traveling, away from our homes and families, and rarely appreciated for what we do. You may hear two truckers arguing on the c. b. radio and threatening to fight, but, as the trucker stories go, those two are likely to get out of their trucks in a rage and wind up headed in to the truck stop restaurant to grab a meal together. Some of the things that make trucking special are our language, our way of acknowledging one another, the code we live by, and our appreciation of common courtesies.
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Tags: Trucking, Flat Bed, Car Haul, Truckers

Winter often means snow-covered and icy roads. Experienced truckers know that the lighter the load, the less traction the tires have. But even trucks hauling heavy loads can lose traction in the snow and ice. That’s why many states will put chain law into effect. Chain law requires truckers to put tire chains on their tires in order to gain more traction. Usually, when chains are required for trucks, cars are also required to use chains or snow tires.

Chain law is publicized by road signs and state road condition portals- websites, road condition hotlines, and the like. You’ll usually only see chain law go into effect on mountain passes, but states can require chains on any roadway that encounters dangerous winter travel conditions.

Some states require that truckers carry the minimum required chains through the winter months, even if they aren’t planning to chain up. Many states may allow cables instead of chains, but most will require truckers to carry chains. Cables are generally frowned on for being less effective.
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Tags: Experienced Truckers, Chain Law, Road Condition, Winter Travel Conditions

It’s that time of the year again!

The 2290 Heavy Higway Vehicle Use Tax is a $550 federal excise tax that must be paid on all vehicles that weigh 55,000 lbs or more and operate on public highways. The reporting period is from July 1st in any given year to June 30 the next year. The tax bill that is currently due is for the reporting period of July 1st, 2007, through June 30, 2008. If the vehicle will not put on more than 5,000 miles in the coming year (or, if it is agricultural, if it won’t put on more than 7,500 miles in the year), the $550 payment isn’t required, but you still must file form 2290.

Unless you are a new owner operator, you should have received form 2990 in the mail. You’ll need to read through the instructions, fill out the form, and mail it in by August 31st with payment.
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Tags: 2290, Heavy Higway Vehicle Use Tax, Federal Excise Tax, Public Highways, Owner Operator, Form 2990

When you’re hitting America’s highways, life can get a little lonely. There are some resources you’ll want to take with you- no matter what your reason for travel- if you’re going to be traveling far and long.
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This year’s CVSA Roadcheck took place June 5-7th. The numbers are in, and the numbers cast truckers in a bad light.

In all, 708 Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) inspectors performed 62,370 vehicle inspections in 1,449 locations around the country. 6.2 percent of non-hazmat drivers were placed out of service. 3.5 percent of hazmat drivers were placed out of service. 21.5 percent of non-hazmat vehicles were placed out of service. 17.7 percent of hazmat vehicles were placed out of service. The numbers of violations were up from last year. Last years numbers were up from the year before. Let’s hope the trend doesn’t continue next year.
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The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Road Check 2007 began today. The official dates for the CVSA Road Check are June 5th through June 7th, 2007. Expect increased inspections during this time. Drivers have contacted us to let us know where some of the hot spots to watch out for are. Below is a limited list of what other drivers have seen.
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Tags: Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Road Check

Keeping on top of changes in the trucking industry is quite a job. Weigh stations, construction zones, and trucking industry regulations keep many truckers scratching their heads. Listed here are some recent updates to help truckers navigate the roadways.
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Tags: Trucking Industry, Weigh Stations, Construction Zones, Trucking Industry Regulations, Truckers

These days, trucking companies will let just about anyone train a new driver. As a result, there are more and more drivers who know less and less about the common courtesies truckers are supposed to extend to each other. To combat this problem, we’ve come up with a list of trucking rules that used to be common knowledge. Maybe if we all start following them again, we can all just get along!
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Tags: Trucking Companies

Contrary to what you may have heard, you won’t be able to run 2,000 pounds overweight in Wyoming.

Recent trucking publications have put out some information that can be easily misinterpreted. The publications indicate that Wyoming will allow overweight trucks 2,000 pounds for chains, tarps and donnage. That 2,000 pounds only applies to non-divisible loads- permited loads and/or super loads. If your load is divisible, you don’t get the allowance.

Enforcement officers at both the Evanston I 80 east bound port of entry and at the Cheyenne I 80 west bound port of entry confirm that the 2,000 pound weight tolerance applies only to non-divisible loads.
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Tags: Overweight, Wyoming, Trucking Publications, Overweight Trucks, Non-divisible Loads, Enforcement Officers, Weight Tolerance