Truck Driving

A Frito Lay trailer burnt to the ground on Saturday in Clines Corners, New Mexico. There will be no shortage of chips, however, and no one was hurt.

Driver Mark Hobgood had hauled his last load out of the Frito Lay distribution center in Lubbock and was on his way back with empty cardboard boxes when the trailer he was pulling caught on fire. He was just a few miles north of I 40 on route 285 in New Mexico when the ABS light on the dash of his International lit up. He also noticed as slight loss of air in his tanks. He decided to pull over next to the New Mexico Department of Transportation lot just a mile north of I 40 rather than continuing down to the truck stop at the junction. Read the rest of this entry »

You drive your truck and I’ll drive mine. That tends to be the code of the road among truckers. But now, the American Trucking Association (ATA) doesn’t want you to drive your own truck. They want the government to start making more decisions for you. And that doesn’t sit to well with many drivers and owner operators.

The ATA proudly announced this month that they petitioned the US DOT, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to limit the maximum speed of heavy trucks to 68 miles per hour in the interests of safety. Read the rest of this entry »

The consensus was “we don’t support toll increases no matter how minor” at the first of three public hearings on the Ohio Turnpike Commission’s proposed toll rate increases .

For truckers, the proposed increases are fairly small- $2.50 increase across the board for the trucking classes. Class 8 and 9 trucks (65,001-90,000 lbs) currently pay $31.00 to travel the length of the Ohio toll road. Class 6 and 7 trucks (42,001-65,000 lbs) currently pay $25.75. But no trucker wants to pay more. Read the rest of this entry »

That’s the slogan for this year’s CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance) Brake Safety Week [PDF File]. From August 27 through September 2, 2006, the CVSA is focusing on brake safety. This is part of the CVSA’s annual Operation Air Brake Campaign.

Anyone who has seen a truck driver flying down the Grapevine, Black Mountain, Snoqualmie, or any other well-known down grade with a trail of smoke behind him and terror in his eyes knows the importance of good brakes. We all know the smell of burning brakes- which can be avoided by planning for the down grade and using engine brakes when your truck brakes are in good condition. But if your tractor or trailer brakes go, nothing is going to stop you except- if you’re lucky- a truck escape ramp. Keeping your brakes adjusted is just plain smart. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are paying the heavy use tax ( IRS Form 2290 PDF ) in 2006 and plan to sell your truck during the tax period, you’ll have a pleasant surprise starting this year. You can apply for a credit when you sell the truck- meaning you’ll get a pro-rated portion of the tax back.

In previous years, you had to pay the $550 tax and if you sold your truck during the tax period, you did not get anything back. You could provide the form to the person you sold the truck to so that they didn’t have to pay the tax in addition to what you already paid. But once you paid the tax, your money was gone.

Now if you sell your truck, you can apply for a credit on the money you paid out. This also applies to trucks that were destroyed in a wreck or that were stolen. This policy is in effect for the tax period of July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007. It does not apply to trucks sold, destroyed or stolen prior to July 1, 2006.
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Truckers headed north out of Denver toward Wyoming recently may have noticed that the northbound Fort Collins, Colorado, truck weigh station has been closed for construction for quite some time now.

But the bypassing will be over soon. The weigh station will be open for business in about two weeks.

The weigh station wasn’t merely renovated. Construction crews tore down the old building and built a new one from the ground up.

And don’t hold your breath for a similar reprieve in weighing going southbound. There are currently no plans to do any construction on the south bound Ft. Collins weigh station.

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If you’re looking for fuel in Bakersfield, Ca, over the weekend, don’t look at the Flying J.

The Flying J website currently lists the Bakersfield, California, location as “out” of fuel. But in reality, they are digging up the fuel islands to comply with the ever-changing California laws.

The truck stop has a wide area around the fuel islands that is roped off with cones and caution tape, but truckers have been knocking the cones down and heading up to the fuel islands for easy parking. The entrance to the truck stop is extremely cramped when the cones and caution tape are set up.

The manager at the Flying J says the pumps should be up and running on Monday, July 17. Anyone needing to fuel there would be wise to call ahead and check, however. The number is 661-392-5300. Or you can check online at www.flyingj.com.

Gasoline and RV islands are not included in the construction. RVs will not be able to purchase diesel until the construction is completed.

Tags: Bakersfield, Flying J, California, Truck Stop, RVs, Diesel

When you decide to buy a truck there are some simple steps you can take to be sure you get the best bang for your buck. If you go into a truck purchase blindly, you are likely to pay too much and get much less than you hoped for.
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Tags: Truck Purchase

Going over-the-road with your husband can be a lot of fun, but if you’ve never done it before, you may not know what you’re getting into. The longer you will be out with him, the more information you will need. If it’s a short trip, it’s okay to be a little unprepared. But if you’re going on a long run, the more prepared you are the more enjoyable your time on the road will be for both of you.
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