http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/truckers/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:08:05 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418438/posts State air regulators found an extra $3 million Wednesday to help more Port of Oakland truckers buy new diesel filters for their rigs, but that did not stop more than 450 independent drivers from filing a lawsuit to block a state-mandated emissions deadline that will put them out of work on New Year's Day. Approximately 1,200 mostly independent drivers who haul cargo in and out of the port will not be able to enter the gates starting Friday. They applied for grant funds to install new diesel filters on their rigs but were rejected because a $22 million pot to... Oakland Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418438/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:08:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413667/posts Arrow Trucking news is not good for employees, as the Arrow Trucking Company is closing its doors. The Arrow Trucking Company is rumored to be bankrupt now, but it seems that Arrow Trucking really didn't care about their employees in the end. It is being reported that some Arrow Trucking employees didn't find out they were out of a job until their gas cards were rejected while they were on the job across the country. the examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413667/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:37:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395716/posts Filiberto Cervantes has already separated from his wife and kids, lost his car, moved into his truck and says he subsists largely on a diet of $1 cheese burritos. But Jan. 1 looms like a date with the grim reaper himself. ... Cervantes is among thousands of truckers servicing the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex who are facing a day of reckoning this New Year's. That's because Jan. 1 is the day new clean-air guidelines go into effect at the ports, banning all pre-1994 trucks -- as well as 1994-2003 rigs that have not been retrofitted with costly diesel particulate... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395716/posts#comment Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:55:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377794/posts CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, Nov. 3, 2009 – When a deployed unit approaches its end-of-tour date, the focus begins to shift from the deployment at hand to redeployment stateside. Army Sgt. Nic Light and Army Spc. Andrew Carpenter inspect a truck on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, Oct. 17, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Andy Mehler  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But not so for those who support the mission until its final moment, such as the mechanics with the 628th Aviation Support Battalion, who face the pressures of repairing vehicles quickly while also taking steps to... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377794/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 23:31:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374214/posts AN eight-year-old boy has been hailed a hero after he hot-wired a two-way radio to call for help as his dad lay trapped in the wreckage of a horror truck rollover. Michael Bowron stripped the radio wires and connected them to a spare battery he found among the wreckage. Yesterday, the Bonnie Rock youngster told The Sunday Times his fingers burned from sparks flying off the battery while he desperately called for help. "I was scared, but I was trying to be brave," Michael said. "My dad had heaps of blood on his face and heaps on his leg. "I... news.com.au http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374214/posts#comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:01:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308769/posts WASHINGTON -- U.S. business groups are growing increasingly frustrated with President Barack Obama's failure to resolve a cross-border trucking dispute with Mexico they say has threatened thousands of American jobs. "We've got companies that are really concerned," said Frank Vargo, vice president for international economic affairs at the National Association of Manufacturers. "Our calculation is that we've got 15,000 jobs at risk and the longer this goes on, the more likely it is that Mexican buyers are shifting suppliers," Vargo said. U.S. manufacturers hold out hope Obama's meeting early next week in Guadalajara with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian... NewsMax http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308769/posts#comment Wed, 5 Aug 2009 16:33:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2228132/posts I stumbled on the political forum at the "Truck.net Roundtable Forum" and witnessed a lopsided representation of todays events and issues by a few liberals on the forum. To add a little balance, I created and had an account activated with the login id of "Ophir". I posted 3 or 4 articles that were critical of the present administration and was immediately banned from the forum. The administrator came up with ridiculous claims of "racism" and "using multiple logins". I have asked the admin to call me directly. No reply has come back. The forum can be found at http://roundtable.truck.net/viewforum.php?f=28... Truck.net roundtable http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2228132/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:32:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223204/posts Washington, DC (AHN) - An FBI program that investigates unsolved killings along highways has linked long-haul truck drivers with hundreds of murders across the country, the Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend. The Highway Serial Killings Initiative (HSKI) has solved more than two dozen killings since it started five years ago, authorities said, according got the Times. At the center of HSKI's operation is a database holding information on more than 500 female murder victims, whose bodies were discarded at or near truck stops, motels and other places along well-traveled truck routes nationwide. The database also has information on... All Headline News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2223204/posts#comment Mon, 6 Apr 2009 12:37:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2207850/posts MEXICO CITY (AFP) — Mexico on Monday said it would place tariffs on nearly 90 US products after Washington canceled a program that allowed some trucks from Mexico to operate in the United States. There is to be an "increase in customs duty on almost 90 industrial and agricultural products," Economy Minister Gerardo Ruiz Mateos said in a statement. Ruiz said the increase would represent some 2.4 billion dollars, but did not name the products. . . . . . The move drew a sharp rebuke from US Senator John McCain, who said he regretted Mexico's decision and also lashed... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2207850/posts#comment Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:54:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193379/posts BRAWLEY — A long-haul trucker escaped major injury Monday when he lost control of his big rig, jumped over a parkway along eastbound Main Street and burst into flames here, authorities said. The 18-wheel truck driven by Efrain Aguilar Cabrera, 27, of Mexicali, skidded more than 150 feet during the 4:32 p.m. incident. The rig struck a palm tree and had its fuel tank sheared off when its bottom portion impacted with the parkway’s curb, said Brawley Fire Lt. Chuck Peraza. The incident occurred near Marjorie Avenue. Cabrera, who suffered a cut finger to his left hand, said one of... ivpressonline.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193379/posts#comment Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:00:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2100090/posts Having tolls removed from a major route in British Columbia, Canada, has taken some of the sting out of the cost of operating a trucking business in that province, but there’s still plenty of sting to go around. In late September, the government removed a $20 truck toll and $10 passenger vehicle toll from the Coquihalla Highway, which connects the city of Hope to Kamloops, B.C., in the Canadian West. Provincial officials said that truckers were pleased with the move, and they were. “Given the price of fuel, truckers are very happy with this,” Bridgitte Anderson, spokeswoman for British Columbia... Land Line Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2100090/posts#comment Wed, 8 Oct 2008 02:20:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049679/posts MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Truck drivers maneuver several tons of cargo down Michigan highways every minute. A new study shows that hundreds of thousands of them shouldn't even be behind the wheel. Right now about 600,000 commercial drivers suffer from conditions like diabetes and narcolepsy. They are conditions that qualify them for full disability benefits, because they can lead to serious issues like heart attacks, seizures and unconscious spells. Some truck drivers say the reason so many of their peers slip through the cracks is that they find doctors who overlook those medical conditions so they can stay on the... WWMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049679/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:38:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047240/posts TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Manuel Castillo was driving a truck through Alabama hauling onions and left with a $500 ticket for something he didn't think he was doing: speaking English poorly. Castillo, who was stopped on his way back to California, said he knows federal law requires him to be able to converse in English with an officer but he thought his language skills were good enough to avoid a ticket. Still, Castillo said he plans to pay the maximum fine of $500 rather than return to Alabama to fight the ticket. "It just doesn't seem fair to be ticketed if... FoxNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047240/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:06:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033863/posts AUSTIN — Truckers who smuggle drugs or people into the United States are now risking not only prison time but the loss of their commercial drivers' licenses as Texas uses a long-standing law in a new border-crime crackdown. “Up until today, when those lawbreakers had their trucks apprehended, they were convicted in federal court, they typically paid a small fine or served a brief sentence, then it was back to business as usual. Well, starting today, that all changes, ” Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday at the Texas Capitol with U.S. Border Patrol sector chiefs. “If you are a commercial... San Antonio Express-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033863/posts#comment Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:36:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017347/posts If you think gas is expensive, be thankful you're not a trucker. Filling up their 18-wheel, 80,000-pound leviathans can cost more than $1,300 these days. Because of short supply, the price of diesel has gone up more than twice as much as gasoline in the last year, reaching a U.S. all-time high this week of an average of $4.33 a gallon. With little hope of a near-term decline -- oil futures rose $2.17 to settle at a record $126.29 a barrel Friday -- the run-up is causing panic and prompting radical cultural and technological shifts in the struggling trucking industry.... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017347/posts#comment Sat, 17 May 2008 14:12:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995224/posts RIDGEFIELD, N.J. -- Truckers angry about the high price of fuel staged a rolling protest on Tuesday, using their big rigs to slow traffic to a crawl on the New Jersey Turnpike. The protest was part of a loosely organized nationwide effort by independent truckers to draw attention to the high prices they face. On the Turnpike, southbound rigs "as far as the eye can see" slowed to about 20 mph near Newark around lunchtime -- jamming traffic on one of the nation's most heavily traveled highways. State Police said several drivers were issued tickets as troopers broke up the... Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995224/posts#comment Wed, 2 Apr 2008 00:16:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993530/posts Crude oil is running $100 a barrel and it costs $50 instead of $35 to fill your car, but you carpool occasionally and watch the number of trips across town so you're doing all right so far. But what happens when, in addition to the $50 fillup, your groceries go from $80 to $120 and you hunt for new jeans but the shelves don't even have your size? That's the very real possibility that is triggering an unofficial nationwide call for a shutdown by thousands of independent truck operators who deliver those supplies – all sparked by the rising costs... WorldNetDaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993530/posts#comment Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:22:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991058/posts KIRKERSVILLE, Ohio -- Today could be the day the trucks stop rolling. Across the nation, on citizens band channels, independent truckers are talking about parking their rigs today and letting their countrymen know how much it needs them. If not today, some say, then one day next week, or the next, but with diesel fuel hovering near $4 a gallon, someday soon. "They're desperate for someone to pay attention," said Glen "Jonesy" Jones, who hosts a daily, four-hour radio show for truckers on Sirius Satellite Radio. Jones said the idea of a national trucking boycott gets almost constant discussion on... The Columbus Dispatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991058/posts#comment Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:23:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1985497/posts Mexican truck drivers allowed to travel throughout the U.S. under a Bush administration demonstration project may not be proficient in English, despite Department of Transportation assurances to the contrary. A brochure on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's website instructs Mexican truck drivers, "Did you know … You MUST be able to read and speak English to drive trucks in the United States." Still, at the Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing Tuesday, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and DOT Inspector General Calvin L. Scovel III reluctantly admitted under intense questioning from Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., that Mexican drivers were being... WorldNetDaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1985497/posts#comment Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:01:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1983959/posts Teamsters General President Says U.S. Drivers at Risk to Unsafe Trucks From Mexico Washington, D.C. – Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa blasted the Bush administration today for its reckless indifference to the economic struggles of working Americans who are suffering under the North American Free Trade Agreement with more than a million lost jobs and billions of dollars in lost wages. “No matter how many jobs we lose, no matter how many foreclosures, no matter how many people die on the highways, the Bush administration just doesn’t care about the safety and security of American workers,” Hoffa said. Hoffa’s comments... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1983959/posts#comment Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:30:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978756/posts Reported by: Joyce Peterson Email: jpeterson@myeyewitnessnews.com Last Update: 2/26 6:29 am Trucking Company Says It Is Not The Focus of Federal Investigation Documents seized during a raid on two truck driving schools and a Driver’s License Bureau. Memphis, TN - Federal and state agents raided two Mid-South truck driving schools and a Memphis driver's license center on February 25, 2008. Both schools, one on Brooks Road in Memphis, and the other on Veterans Parkway in Millington, are operated by Swift Transportation. The state run license center on Shelby Drive in Whitehaven was also targeted in the investigation. The FBI confirms... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978756/posts#comment Sat, 1 Mar 2008 14:24:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939646/posts It's been a few weeks since our highways were opened to Mexican trucks. I'm on hwy 85 occasionally and I've been looking for Mexican plates. Haven't seen any. Anyone out there, closer to the border roads, noticing traffic? Do Mexican trucks have to have identifying plates, or are the plates changed after they cross the border? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1939646/posts#comment Fri, 14 Dec 2007 22:20:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936444/posts Anyone whose feet are set in concrete against toll roads is going to get run over. Toll roads are here. They are coming. The need is undeniable, as is the rationale in many cases. But you can’t defend toll roads in every instance, and the proposed I-35 toll lanes through Waco sound indefensible. Two concerns present themselves immediately — one about Waco’s self-interest and one about fairness to motorists. First, the provincial concern: The proposed self-contained toll lanes would deliver a lot of travelers through Waco without access and egress to take advantage of what the city offers, even if... Waco Tribune-Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1936444/posts#comment Sat, 8 Dec 2007 00:56:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926465/posts Truck driver Kjell Fundin has done what no man has ever done before by traveling almost the entire length of Sweden on a lawnmower. On Thursday morning the intrepid 59-year-old from Sundsvall made history as he drove his trusty machine into Ystad town centre. Covering a distance of 1,700 kilometres (1,060 miles), the lawnmower man took 46 days to complete the journey from Haparanda to the southern town. The idea for the journey came about after a well-known radio show host travelled the same route on a motorcycle during the summer. Distinctly unimpressed, Fundin decided to pop off an e-mail... www.thelocal.se http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926465/posts#comment Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:54:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1892795/posts WASHINGTON — The Bush administration's late-night decision allowing Mexican trucks to ply U.S. roads triggered angry criticism Friday from opponents of the trucking program. John Hill, head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, gave the go-ahead for the trucks late Thursday night, allowing Transportes Olympic of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to drive its trucks beyond the roughly 25-mile limit from the border where they have been confined. In return, Mexico granted permission to Stagecoach Cartage in El Paso to operate in Mexico. Neither company had crossed the border yet, and Hill said the trucks might begin crossing this weekend. The... Houston Chronicle/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1892795/posts#comment Fri, 7 Sep 2007 21:56:27 GMT