Bio-fewwwwwl

In August 2004, I penned a column humorously suggesting that biodiesel should be made with various kinds of aromas, since the sense of smell is a powerful one that can affect mood and attitude.Now there is news that makes me hope they won’t take my automotive aromatherapy idea too far. In Canada, scientists have proposed turning used diapers into synthetic fuel.On the face of it, so to speak, the

’Twas the night before ...

I was talking to veteran owner-operator Howard Hart not long ago about a topic on which I was, frankly, idealistic. Until Christmas Eve. The topic was helping strangers and the quandary that presents: When do you let yourself be guided by the “goodness of your heart” and when do you listen to the voice that says “the dude could have a gun and shoot you dead.”Howard said he used to always help

Where valor sleeps

They shall grow not old
As we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them ...
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning,
We will remember them!
– Lawrence Binyon
Have you ever seen Arlington National Cemetery? It’s an eye-blinking, jaw-clenching, throat-closing place to experience.Early last week, an OOIDA member from Maine sent me an article that proved to be

Is greed good for the green movement?

I saw an interesting story the other day regarding the launch of a new investment opportunity based on the green movement.According to Reuters, Evolution Markets is working with the New York Mercantile Exchange to offer trade in global carbon credits beginning next year.Heavy-hitting financial institutions such as Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch Constellation and several others will join

Tough crowd there in Scranton

In what could be a redefinition of the phrase “Potty Mouth,” Scranton, PA, resident Dawn Herb escaped a jail term and a hefty fine. Her crime was swearing at an overflowing toilet.Off-duty police officer Patrick Gilman overheard Herb shouting profanities and yelled “Watch your mouth.” Herb replied: “F... Off.”On-duty Patrolman Gerald Tallo was called in, and after Herb admitted to cursing her

Put the hammer down

Too many government people are carrying hammers around these days and nary a piggy bank is safe.Intent on spending our fuel tax dollars on things like museums, pet projects, mass transit, landscaping and just about anything but highway repairs, these hammering fools have shattered just about every porcelain piggy within reach.Something’s got to change.The solution is not creating more ways to

Taking aim at Big Brother

Despite the risk to public safety, I have to admit to feeling guilty pleasure at a recent incident in Knoxville, TN, where a guy was charged with shooting a red-light camera three times. With a gun, not with the bird. To read the story, click here.It seems one Clifford Clark III, for reasons unknown – who has never gotten a ticket from one of the cameras – was accused of blasting away at the

Carload of teens: precious, dangerous cargo

I saw a scary sight this morning. Here in Missouri, we’re iced in at the present. Streets in my neighborhood are wretched. Not fit for the best four-wheel drive. But, there was my neighbor’s teenager, climbing in a car with a bunch of pals, iced-over windows, snow still all over the back windshield. Off they flew on the glazed rink that was my street.What concerned me the most was that there were

Youth poems are both ‘Pooh’ perfect and grittily realistic

As the new copy editor for Land Line Magazine, I have read some fascinating magazine articles, columns, Web news, radio scripts, and blogs in the past few months. Few pieces, however, have been as sincerely written and poignant as the poems written by Land Line’s youth readers.The youth entries were divided into the following categories: age 10 and under, ages 11 to 14, and ages 15 to 17. You can

All dogs go to heaven, but lawyers and billboard writers aren’t dogs

It’s not unusual for the OOIDA switchboard operators to field 2,500 calls every day, and it’s not unusual for a number of those callers to have suggestions for the “Roses & Razzberries” column in Land Line.It is also not unusual for the “Razzberry” suggestions to include law firms that have advertisements portraying truckers as wild-eyed speed demons or sleepy-eyed accidents waiting to happen. It

Shame to waste good doughnuts

Anybody that works with me here in Land Line knows of my love for sweets – especially doughnuts.So you can imagine my sadness upon hearing the news that a truckload of Krispy Kreme doughnuts was wasted – scattered along the highway following a high-speed chase in Madison, WI.Warren G. Whitelightning – yes, that’s his last name – of Crandon, allegedly led police on a high-speed chase through

From an American soldier: a letter home

This week OOIDA is doing something neat. The Association’s membership gang has teamed up with Mark Reddig and the “Land Line Now” radio crew and is now conducting its first ever membership radio telethon. Ten percent of the membership fees will be matched by the Association and go toward care packages to be sent to U.S. troops stationed overseas. The response has been spectacular.In the spirit of

Yo California, the ships are pulling in

Land Line readers may start to see some familiar articles making their way into daily newspapers and local newscasts from coast to coast.That’s right, the battle to clean the air in California statewide and specifically in the twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles is now being watched by mainstream media sources such as the New York Times. The Times, aka “the old gray lady,” chimed in with a

’Tis the season

An effort in Washington state expected to draw consideration during the 2008 regular legislative session could lead to truckers and other drivers reaching into their wallets more often while traveling in the state.Key legislators at the statehouse say charging a fee to highway users isn’t too far down the road. They want to advance legislation to the governor that would create a framework for

What happens in your Vega …

Because we are a car-oriented culture, the line between home and car continues to blur.We’re already seeing cars wired up for Web surfing and plumbed for portable toilets; our mobile sound systems are often better than what we have at home; and, with vans and SUV models whose rear seats fold down, it’s not inconceivable that some Los Angelinos may soon be power napping while stuck in cross-state

A double standard?

By now, you may have heard about the journalists in Quebec, Canada, who witnessed provincial Transportation Minister Julie Boulet’s limo driver breaking various speed laws following their departure from a press conference concerning speed.If Boulet is going to target speeders – you gotta love the irony – the transportation minister needs to be held to a high standard.She has apologized and has “

Read this before heading out into the holiday fray

For many consumers, the Friday after Thanksgiving is the day to start shopping for the loved ones on their Christmas lists. And, of course, just about everyone has to make a trip or two down the toy aisle.Toys are big selling items in truck stops. For truckers far from home, who can resist buying a toy while you are waiting to pay for fuel?However, you might want to do some research to make sure

Hot fuel report right on the money

This is a tip of the hat to television reporter Bob Segall and WTHR-TV Channel 13 in Indianapolis.Segall recently presented a report on how the temperature of fuel affects the amount of fuel consumers receive at the pump. If you’ve been playing along at home, you know the issue as “hot fuel” and that consumer groups have filed lawsuits against oil companies and retailers to get it corrected.Hot

Don’t tase me bro

Most everyone’s seen the video of a University of Florida student being tasered during an address by John Kerry. It’s synonymous with the phrase, “don’t tase me bro,” which Andrew Meyer yelled before screaming in agony as electric current flowed through his body.One clip of the scene is available on YouTube.Tasers, stun-guns and the like have attracted much media attention in recent years.

Gauged your molecules today?

I’ve been reading a fascinating book called “The World Without Us,” in which author Alan Weisman addresses the question: What would happen to the world if all us humans suddenly vanished?Answering that question requires considerable examination of what the world is like today. In a chapter that makes truck emissions seems like baby’s breath, Weisman explores the changes that about 50 years of

Forrest Lucas, self-made man

If you’re a motorsports fan – drag racing, dirt track, off-road, boat racing, tractor pulling – you’ve noticed the Lucas Oil logos plastered everywhere.If you surf the speed and sport channels, you might think they are the Lucas Oil Channels.If you’re an NFL fan, you’ll soon be hearing about Lucas Oil Stadium, the new home of the Indianapolis Colts, now under construction.The Lucas in Lucas Oil

Lesson learned

Don’t let skepticism get in the way of finding the truth.I admit I was a little skeptical – and I think others in the newsroom were as well – when I pitched a story in our morning meeting based on a phone call I received from a member who wanted to get a special “message out” to fellow drivers about helping a boy with cancer who wanted to set a Guinness World Record for receiving the most

Coming home to roost

As part of my job here at Land Line, I check different government Web sites to find stories tied to trucking. Occasionally the straight-laced headlines on news released here or here are comical, whether they’re meant to be or not.When I searched this morning and found this story, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.Five workers at the Richard Bolling Federal Building in downtown Kansas City were

Veterans Day

My dad was in the Navy. During World War II, he was in the South Pacific arena. In my life, I have a million stories about Wake Island and, of course, the Battle of Midway.Mom’s brothers were all in the service and her folks put their foot down about her going in, so she moved to Washington, DC, and worked in the Pentagon, processing papers for the Air Force. Her parents owned a truck stop

Who’s watching the watchers?

A news story last week in the San Francisco Chronicle highlights an interesting question of ethics and a potential conflict of interest.The University of California is considering signing a $500 million research contract paid for by BP, one of several big oil companies that continue to force you to make decisions like “should I take my kids to see grandma and grandpa this week or take them to the

Semper Fi!

As a contributor to Land Line, I also have a regular day job as an editor and writer at a publishing company. For the past 18 months or so, a large part of my duties there have involved editing Semper Fi, a bimonthly magazine for the 70,000 members of the Marine Corps League. You can find here.I’m betting that some of you are Marines (there being no such thing as a former Marine), and you’ll be

Beatles connection to trucking

OK. This is too good. I have to blog about this.Paul McCartney was recently photographed smooching with a lovely woman by the name of Nancy Shevell in New York.Before we go running off into the land of catchy Beatle headlines and song lyrics, we’ll tell you that Ms. Shevell’s family owns the Shevell Group, a company that includes LTL carriers and logistics firms such as New England Motor Freight,

It’s a good thing they can’t talk

Anybody with kids knows the panic of your child ratting you out at the worst possible moment.I learned this lesson years ago when I took my niece, Meg, with me to pick up fair results at the county fairground. She was 3 years old at the time and quite the talker.I was driving around the access road – which was restricted to press and fair workers – and some toothless carnie started yelling at me

Going mean and green

The green wave continues to pound mainstream America.NBC’s The Today Show opened with anchors at both poles and the equator this morning to kick off that network’s “Green Week.” Sportscaster Bob Costas, of all people, mentioned the network’s effort to focus attention on global warming during the Sunday Night Football broadcast that was done partially in the dark to save electricity powering the

Scripts ‘R’ Us

With TV and film writers on strike, the networks are looking desperately for new reality shows to fill the potential void – reality being less expensive than fiction out there in LaLaLand.A couple years ago, my friend and ace gearjammer Rufus Sideswipe envisioned a trucking reality show outlined in the March-April issue of Land Line Magazine. He’d just like to let the networks know the concept is

Carey's at it again

I just caught the second edition of Drew Carey’s Reason TV online videos, and I’m apparently not the only one watching. The video took some time to download, with Carey’s Reason TV series drumming up considerable interest (here’s a link to a recent Associated Press article that appeared in the Washington Post).This installment centers on the Reason Foundation’s goal of legalizing medical

The tour comes at you fast

A few posts back, I mentioned the “Life Comes at You Fast” campaign sponsored by Nationwide Insurance. It seems that, when they’re not sitting around calculating the odds of bowling balls dropping out of windows onto sloped lawns, heading downhill until they bowl over an old lady on a walker, whose mobility aid flies through the air and hits a guy in a convertible so that he spins out into a

Hijacked

Unfortunately, truckers are far more familiar with law enforcement inspection blitzes, all in the name of improving highway safety, than four-wheelers.Aside from the Friday and Saturday night DWI checkpoints, you really don’t run into concerted efforts to rein in poor driving of passenger vehicles.There was supposed to be just that in the last week of October – a concerted effort nationally to

Halloween deadheading

Just in time for Spooky Day comes a story out of Dallas that puts a new twist on the term “deadheading.”The Dallas Morning News reported on Oct. 30 that a Royse City, TX, police had pulled a trucker over for speeding on I-30 around 2:30 a.m. and, since the driver seemed a bit shifty, they checked the trailer.In a scene that must have reminded them of some horror flick sequel, their flashlight

Continued learning is a privilege

It’s nice to work for people who value continuing education.I had the distinct pleasure recently of sitting in on a three-day business seminar conducted by the OOIDA Foundation.Land Line sent me to write a story and I am following through with that in the magazine, but I also got to participate, listen to the speakers, meet people and learn the course material.Instructor Tom Weakley, the OOIDA

Ten years: casting an ever-wider Net

Ten years ago, OOIDA had 39,000 dues-paying members, and our surveys told us way less than half had access to a computer and a few still thought a mouse was something you caught in a trap. But in the fall of 1997, OOIDA and Land Line Magazine made a major leap into the electronic communications era by launching two new sites on the World Wide Web.We saw it as an investment in our future and

If you build it, they will go

Truckers are used to seeing just about everything happen in passing cars, having the high ground from which to look down on smaller vehicles. Now comes word of a cardboard-and-plastic potty built for cars.Created in Japan – somehow this is not surprising – the transportable throne has a curtain that can be drawn around the user, and a plastic waste collector bag. The toilet folds up when not in

Surviving acronym boot camp

Three weeks ago I came to work at Land Line as a copy editor. Having spent the past two years as a medical editor, grappling with acronyms and technical copy, I was relieved to enter the world of trucking. It would be so much easier to read and understand. Oh, how wrong I was.My first clue was the staff meeting where my new colleagues were talking all about CARB regs. Of course, I thought,

Spy-Eyes

Late last week, there were several hours of concern after a diesel fuel tank truck went missing in the Baltimore area. The tanker was found a few hours after it was hijacked, and simple theft, not terrorism, was given as the reason for the crime.Diesel fuel and a few other fairly common ingredients are used every day to make deadly vehicle bombs in various parts of the world. So the disappearance

Pete would’ve liked these poems

Truckers lost a champion this weekend and Land Line staff lost a pal. Peter “The Silver Fox” Rigney died Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007.I never met Pete face-to-face, but I knew his voice well. For the past couple of years I have been Pete’s contact editor at Land Line Magazine – no, I didn’t coach him on his corrective lenses; I communicated with him about deadlines, column topics, etc. Every few weeks

How does a jetway get to the airport?

By truck, of course.I was on my way to work the other day and saw an oversize with escort car merging from I-24 south onto I-65. I got on the CB and asked if he needed to pull in ahead of me.He didn’t, and was going my way, so we rode along a few miles together. I thought it looked like a jetway and asked, and he confirmed it. I think he said it was bound for Memphis.

Where’s Mimi?

One of the latest videos making its way across the Web is called “Gridlock: Hell on Wheels,” produced by reason.tv and hosted by comedian Drew Carey.Reason.tv is affiliated with the Reason Foundation, a nonprofit group notorious for wholeheartedly supporting privatization and tolling of infrastructure throughout the U.S.On the video, Carey – famous for being the funny guy from Cleveland – talks

There’s no $#%$ in “team”

I was fascinated to read this week that a couple of British researchers have found evidence that cussing at work should be not only allowed, but also encouraged – within moderation, after all, they are Brits – as a way to boost morale and build team spirit.As my Marine buddies would say, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Are these guys just getting to the party?I’m sure there are cuss-free workplaces –

One of the oldest tricks in the book

I’m really getting sick and tired of this dog and pony show staged by the Department of Transportation supposedly to show us how safe “all” Mexican trucks are.Cherry-picking a handful of trucks to operate in the cross-border program no more proves the overall fitness of the Mexican trucking industry than watching the All-Star Game in baseball proves the overall talent of all of the players in

For want of a bungee cord ...

I love those Nationwide Insurance TV ads with the tagline “Life Comes at You Fast,” because the writers are so darned creative in coming up with semi-absurd chains of events, things a previous generation called Rube Goldbergs.Yet, I know all of you have seen things equally absurd and improbable. And unfortunately, you’ve probably been on the receiving end of that chain of cause and effect a few

Security, please

When you hear the word security in the title of a government agency – for example, the Transportation Security Administration – you get the impression they must be experts in the area of security. In this case, you would be wrong.Yesterday, Land Line reported on the theft of two laptops that were stolen from a contractor who was working for TSA. That is a concern in itself, but the fact that

By Jove, I think they’ve got it

As you drive today, know that you are appreciated.The good folks at the Chicago Skyway have been trying to find the best way to thank you, the toll-paying customer, for enduring two years of construction, delays and lane restrictions as they fixed up the road on your dime. And, by Jove, I think they’ve got it.Make sure to stop on your way through the Windy City and get yourself a free coffee or

The nameless

It seems like anytime there is a horrific wreck in the news you read about the young couple with small children who died. You read how their family and friends are devastated. Their lives and accomplishments are recounted.You read all of this, unless, it is a trucker who is killed.Mainstream media coverage often falls short of telling the story consistently. Reporters forget fathers, sons,

Has Bethany McLean spotted another naked emperor?

The Australian bank that is buying up U.S. toll roads continues to be the hot topic of conversation after a recent report in Fortune magazine. Bethany McLean, the award-winning journalist who is credited with being the first to write about the fraud at Enron, chose Macquarie Bank for her subject in Fortune’s Oct. 8 issue.Although there is no suggestion that the Australian giant familiar to

On a sad note

We got the word Thursday morning, Oct. 11, that OOIDA member David “Rusty Nail” Broyles had passed away after a long battle with cancer. It had rapidly spread throughout his body in the past year.Donna “Saddles” Baggett, David’s friend, had let us know and had kept tabs with us in recent months, and had even helped write a poem with David and his girlfriend, Pat.We faced an interesting dilemma

Home – virtually – every weekend

Some trends you just know should be nipped in the bud. That may be the case with the new “Virtual Visiting Robot” from iRobot, the folks who make the Roomba, as well as other domestic cleaning robots and also some nifty automatons for the military.The “Virtual Visiting Robot,” (VVR) also called iRobot ConnectR is described as “a fun new way to see, talk to and interact with your loved ones,

Shades of gray

It’s not winter, so it couldn’t have been a whiteout. It was daytime, so it obviously wasn’t a blackout.I’m not sure if the term “grayout” has a definition that refers to driving, but if it doesn’t, I’m about to give it one.We’ve all driven in the rain and through the mist churned up by other vehicles on the highways.But the best way to describe my trip to work on Monday is by using the term “

Your CARB-O loading diet

I’ve been prolonging this blog entry for some time now.For the past five months, Land Liner Aaron Ladage and I have been training for the Kansas City Marathon on Oct. 20, because if you can’t tempt fate and put yourself one step closer to meeting Jim Fixx, are you really challenging yourself?To the surprise of my family, friends, co-workers, and especially myself, I’ve actually made it to the

Massachusetts governor: Hero or heel?

As we worked through the mid-afternoon of Tuesday, Oct. 2, an exciting news story popped up on the Web by Boston Herald reporter Casey Ross.Insider e-mails indicate that Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has big plans to do away with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority’s board, consolidate its operations with the Massachusetts Highway Department, and create an uber-transportation agency for all

Garbage is as garbage does

You’ve probably all heard the phrase, “Don’t mess with Texas!” and I’d bet you figured it was some tight-jeaned, high-heel-booted cowpokey country singer who coined the saying. It wasn’t – it was originally part of an anti-litter campaign. It caught on and has become something of a rallying cry for the state – although it’s open to debate whether it helped clean up the roadsides.My adopted home

Mama knows

Land Line’s 2007 Trucking Poetry contest was extraordinary.In a field of more than 500 poems, Elaine Rowley’s work earned an honorable mention from the judges. Elaine, a resident of Fillmore, UT, has been the wife of a trucker for 40 years. She submitted her original poem, “The Magic.”I first read the poem a month ago. The fun of reading poems is to try to crack the meaning or to figure out the

Sweetening the deal

Wearing your seat belt? Great idea. Obeying the speed limit? Even better.But when it comes to staying on the 5-0’s good side, there’s a new secret weapon every self-respecting road warrior needs to keep on hand at all times.Ladies and gentlemen, I present the ultimate in anti-ticket-getting devices. Click here to see for yourself.Be forewarned – this device not intended for use near a cop who

The grim reality of trucking in Mexico

The three bodies found recently about 200 miles south of the U.S. border in Mexico were believed to have been killed by a gang that targets truck drivers just trying to earn a living.The three fell victim to a gang that robs truckers and sometimes kills them. According to The Associated Press, female members of the group posed as prostitutes to get truckers to stop. The other members of the gang

One serious game of chicken

Flu season is approaching and, unless you are allergic to eggs, it’s time to get a flu shot. This makes me wonder whatever happened to bird flu, which if it didn’t kill most of humanity, would definitely imperil an important segment of the trucking industry.I mean, of course, chicken haulers.We eat a lot of chicken – legs, thighs, breasts (can I say that on this blog?) – even gizzards and livers.

Spreading the wealth

Regular Land Line readers may be tiring of the magazine Web site’s repeated coverage lately of new truck emissions restrictions launched by the California Air Resources Board. We swear, we’re only trying to keep readers informed about upcoming rules and provide access to public comment opportunities.Next year will offer the first in a new wave of restrictive rules that won’t allow most drivers to

From classical to free verse, sonnets to haiku

When we announced our poetry contest months ago, we thought we might receive a hundred or so entries. Imagine our surprise when the Aug. 1 entry deadline rolled around and we had more than 500 poems to judge.Not only did the sheer number of entries catch us off guard, but the remarkable sincerity of the verse and free-form prose we received caused our judges to insist on an “Honorable Mention”

Mind your own business?

Last week, we reported a story on truck driver Rick Tower and how he saved an 82-year-old woman’s life. He was hauling a load of wood chips on Highway 96 near his hometown of Yreka, CA, when he saw a car fishtail out of control. It careened off the road and into the nearby Klamath River.Tower slammed on his brakes, ran down to the river, swam out to the car and with the help of another driver,

Dole makes house calls

Even huge corporations like Dole Foods have to make house calls every once in a while to keep their customers happy.After Dole Foods recently announced it was recalling bags of their “Hearts Delight” salad mix because of possible E.coli contamination, Marty Ordman, vice president of marketing and communications, said some of their customers who had the affected product called in asking company

Macquarie makes a Fortune

There is nothing more satisfying as a writer than seeing the big picture come together.That’s why the staff here at Land Line was ecstatic to receive the Oct. 1 issue of Fortune magazine.To say the piece about “The Real Macquarie” is in-depth would be as big of an understatement as saying Macquarie has a few bucks lying around.Fortune Editor-at-large Bethany McLean really dives into what makes

The Land Line Web site: A guided tour

Have you ever been flipping through the channels and gotten caught up in one of those weekend marathons on the VH1 or E! television networks that tells the story behind the story of some famous band or actor?If not, take heed – they’re completely addicting, and watching one hour-long episode is virtually impossible. Pretty soon, you’ll be spending a sunny afternoon at home learning about Blue

Chilly wind, hot lights

When folks in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula complain about the cold, you know it’s doggone chilly. And they were chillin’ in St. Ignace over the weekend of Sept. 14-16, as a record-setting cold front greeted the 12th Annual Richard Crane Truck Show competitors.The cold snap, which produced record-low high temps deep into the Midwest, also brought squally waves of showers that had truck polishers

Dollar takes a trip to the loonie bin

The money market can be crazy at times, but this week, the U.S. dollar officially took a trip to the loonie bin.For the first time in more than 30 years, the American dollar dipped in world markets to trade at par and even slightly below the Canadian dollar.I grew up in Canada, and the last time the dollars were equal was in 1976.For most of 2007, the Canadian and U.S. dollars have been close,

Sync-ing feeling

Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft Corp. made news this week when they announced a voice-operated computer system called Sync that would be available in Ford Focus 2008 models. Or maybe the cars equipped with this system should be called the “Unfocused”?The 4-1-1 on Sync is that it allows drivers (or passengers) to run their music players, radios, cell phones, and other gizmos with voice commands. It

Why California is preparing for an environmental war

One by one they lined up to speak Monday at the microphone inside the California Air Resource Board’s Byron Sher Auditorium.Representatives from the Sierra Club, the Environmental Health Coalition, the California Forestry Association, and a host of others approached the podium and vigorously thanked CARB for pursuing aggressive early action items related to AB32 – the states’ strategy to reduce

The truth will set you free

“Accuracy first.”That message was painted in black letters, outlined in red, on a yellow sign that was about 12 feet long and 3 feet high on the wall of the first newsroom I worked in as a professional. It was in the building housing the St. Joseph News-Press and Gazette, two daily newspapers owned by the Bradley family in St. Joseph, MO.To a fresh J-school grad from KU, the sign seemed to state

Beefing up the bees

I knew very little “buzz on bees” until Sandi Soendker, Land Line’s managing editor, pitched the idea about doing a story on the disappearance of the honeybees last Friday at our daily news budget meeting.Since then, I have been researching away on “colony collapse disorder” – or CCD – which could have devastating effects on our economy if the bees don’t thrive and have a good pollination season.

Color me PO’d

Despite the shade and hue my name may suggest to some, I’m green.A corner of my kitchen is devoted to an in-house recycling center and anyone who has ever been a passenger in my car knows that I consider littering to be a deadly sin.I have literally hugged trees – the California Redwoods left an indelible image on my 8-year-old brain during a family vacation in the late ’60s – and

Goin’ UP

On Thursday, Sept. 13, I’ll be packing my suntan lotion and down parka for my almost-annual trek to the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show in St. Ignace, MI. Located on the southern tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, or UP as everyone calls it, St. Ignace sits between Lakes Huron and Michigan. The show is always in mid-September, yet there have been years when you could walk around in shorts and

What more can be said about 9/11?

Today’s reminder of the 9/11 attack on America comes with its traditional images of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers, and the smoldering Pentagon and the Shooting Star song, “Let’s Roll,” on the radio. We all realize that life in America changed that day.Aside from an annual memorial, 9/11 also comes with the question: “Are we more prepared for attack than we were?”An acquaintance of mine

A light in the Forrest

I don’t know why, but for some reason “Forrest Gump” seemed to be on non-stop last month. I hadn’t seen it in a long time, and managed to watch most of it, out of order, by hitting the channel at various times of the day (and night).I came to the conclusion that, like the Bible and the U.S. Constitution, you could apply some part of this wonderful movie to just about any situation in life.Take

What a tangled Web

Every morning I walk into the office, grab a cup of mud, sit down and Google up news searches to see what’s going on with drivers, truck emissions regs and border initiatives.The stories I find range from the bizarre, to the sad, and finally, the obvious.As any trucker will tell you, aside from the occasional feature about a feel-good story, most of the trucking news isn’t good. Too many

Write it down, will ya?

Having written policies and procedures are crucial to any company’s long-term success, right? That has always been my experience. I am actually looking at the binder on my shelf at work right now that I was given when I hired on at Land Line Magazine more than a year ago. I don’t use it every day, but it is a handy reference tool to have in front of me if needed.However, if you are a produce

What’s in Osama’s tape?

The sixth anniversary of Sept. 11 is Tuesday. And as a special gift, Osama bin Laden has apparently made a tape for us.According to media outlets and the guy in the window of the local Shanghai Boy Chinese and Vietnamese food drive-thru, the U.S. government is now analyzing the footage.MSNBC says an anonymous source confirmed that the tape is in the government’s possession, but wouldn’t talk

Putting two and two together

We’ve been telling you about the feds’ pilot program to allow a number of Mexican motor carriers to operate on U.S. highways.We’ve been telling you about the Trans-Texas Corridor proposal – a swath of proposed toll roads and railway lines linking Mexico to the Oklahoma border.We’ve been telling you about SmartPort, a futuristic trade hub in the Kansas City metro area that will one day link

Mexican trucks my foot

There are a lot of videos posted to YouTube right now about Mexican trucks and the cross-border program.The lion’s share is obviously outlining the problems with the program. But someone, purporting to be from Mexico, has begun posting videos of trucking in Mexico – obviously in an attempt to give us the “real scoop” on what it’s like down there.These videos are the biggest crock I have ever seen

A pickled peck of Pennsylvania politics

Politicians and transportation officials in Pennsylvania continue to spew rhetoric by the barrowful, and it’s getting heavy.Officials continue to launch verbal projectiles at one another over Gov. Ed Rendell’s proposals to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike to private investors and to toll Interstate 80.U.S. Reps. Phil English and John Peterson – both Republicans – have lashed out at the plan, while

Making sure the CARB cure doesn’t kill us

The rigorous course of treatment that California is pushing to heal its filthy air reminds me of a personal situation that has helped me understand the predicament.During the past year, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and went through chemotherapy, radiation and surgery that was brutal. It’s no stretch to say the cure nearly killed her. Family members were with her every step, making sure that

Now that’s an unusual load

What do big rigs and hippies have in common?Probably not much. But this year, they both made it out to Burning Man.If you’re unfamiliar with Burning Man, it’s an eight-day festival held each summer in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. About 40,000 people attended this year’s event, which has become synonymous with self-expression, naked people, illicit drug use, and of course, tripped-out,

Merry Labor Day?

I wasn’t surprised to see the Halloween decorations out in full force when I went to the local Sprawl-Mart during the Labor Day weekend. But I had forgotten that this is also the traditional start of Christmas shopping, and that the clerks have almost four months of electronic caroling to endure.The never-idle Mart-Elves evidently had been busy moving out the yard and lawn-care stuff to make room

Greenhouse gases and hot air over speed limiters

The Ontario Trucking Association and Canadian Trucking Alliance say that mandatory speed limiters on all heavy trucks would eliminate 140,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year in Ontario.I bet it’s difficult to come up with a number like that. They are assuming too much about driving habits and speed limiters being a so-called solution to problems.The vast majority of truckers do

My high-CARB diet

I went for a jog the other day in the neighborhood near my house and had a thought while plodding up a steep sidewalk near home, coughing as I watched SUVs, pickups and motorcycles belching up smoke near my path.Maybe it was allergies, or maybe it was the fact that I’ve been reading and learning more about emissions for stories on the Land Line Web site, but as I made my way up the hill gasp

Back in my day ...

Another week, another heavy object crashing through some poor trucker’s windshield.This time, it was a bowling ball in Minnesota. You can read the full account here. It was a miracle, but luckily, no one was killed this time around.Maybe it’s because I’m only about a decade removed from my teen years, but I can still remember pulling some pretty ridiculous pranks when I was growing up. Of course,

One foot in front of the other

Each year I’m charged with putting together a guide for the October issue of the magazine that is intended to be a one-stop shop for OOIDA members, other truckers, their families and friends who are looking for information on how to get involved in the electoral process and the importance of staying in the mix.I recently wrapped up our fourth edition of the guide dubbed “TruckVote.” A few weeks

Four-wheeler heroes

I was heading home from work last week on the west side of Nashville, when I saw a thick ugly dark column of smoke billowing from just north of I-40 and the Briley Parkway interchange. I knew there were some fuel storage tanks up that way and wondered if one was burning.The reality was much more grim. The fire came from an overturned tanker truck that had flipped, exploded and burned, killing the

Corrupt Bastards Club?

Last week, we reported that attorneys for former Illinois Gov. George Ryan say they’ll seek a re-hearing, seeing as how a federal appeals court upheld Ryan’s conviction on corruption charges.The 73-year-old Ryan was convicted last year for all kinds of racketeering-type schemes and partly for taking pay-offs in exchange for state business contracts while he was governor during the 1990s.From the

Clarissa goes to Dallas

Early, early tomorrow morning I will be boarding a plane and heading for my first truck show – the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas.I am excited to work in the OOIDA booth and talk to members stopping by to chat and renew their memberships in person.I also look forward to signing up people interested in becoming new members of OOIDA.As a staff writer for Land Line Magazine, one of my

Summit’s hot list gets FMCSA’s cold shoulder

If you wonder if illegal drug trade and its related criminal activity – including border security issues – are big issues or not, it seems to be developing into a case of “depends on who you ask.”The leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico huddled the first part of this week to talk about a variety of issues that concern the three countries.President George W. Bush met with Mexican

Saving energy at the carrier

It’s a constant refrain for professional drivers: Idle less. There are all sorts of good reasons to avoid idling – I count avoiding heat stroke and hypothermia as exceptions to this policy. With most of the U.S. baking now – or steaming, as in Texas – I’m guessing there won’t be too many idling bonuses handed out this quarter.But why should the men and women behind the wheel be the only ones to

And don’t forget to write

Hot fuel has captured our attention more this year than in any other year, and we’re always looking for more ways to keep the stories fresh.Maybe you can help us do that. If you come across hot fuel – whether through pulp-gauge readings, printed receipts that show fuel temperature, photos of pump stickers that show a disclaimer about fuel temperature and energy content, or other real signs of

What does satellite radio have in common with organic food?

More than one would think.In a proverbial nutshell, you are probably aware that XM and Sirius want to merge and thus have become the target of Federal Communication Commission scrutiny. The commission is currently considering whether to approve the deal. The Justice Department has to OK the merger, too.But what does that have to do with natural food?The Federal Trade Commission lost a case last

Do as I say …

A lot of my writing for Land Line and other trucking industry publications has dealt one way or the other with safety. Like many of the folks who fill the pages here, I’m not a truck driver, just a good listener who has paid close attention to drivers’ stories and their recommendations for safer roads.The very first time I had a trucking professional speak to me about safer driving was in 1977

‘Whopping’ shouldn’t describe 31 mpg

Big business is big for a reason, because the companies have the money and resources to grab market share for many of the products we use. They can also put a spin on anything.Have you noticed lately how many advertisements there are for big businesses claiming to be going green with environmentally friendly products? It must be the in thing to do, or at least another way to spin the markets

The power of numbers

We had a pretty big milestone this week on the Land Line Web site that I wanted to share.In July, for the first time ever, landlinemag.com reached more than 10,000 visitors a day. Actually, it was 10,929, to be more specific. That’s a total of 338,810 visitors over the course of the entire month.Not that we’re keeping track or anything.Needless to say, this is big news for Land Line and OOIDA.

House of Reps was right to put brakes on Mexican trucks entering the U.S.

During the past year in Congress a battle has been raging, and its outcome could have far-reaching implications for our economy, our security and the safety of our nation’s highways and roadways.This battle, over whether Congress will allow a controversial and dangerous plan to allow Mexico-domiciled trucking companies and truck drivers full access to our nation’s highways, has reached a critical

Troll to get new digs in less than a day

Here’s something that made us say “wow” at a recent staff meeting. It’s called “rapid replacement technology” and its being used in Canada to replace a 500 metric-ton bridge in less than one day. Ontario Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield stated that a bridge crew will use the technology to replace the Island Park Bridge on Highway 417 – and the highway will only be closed for a total of

I’ve got the gold, man, if you’ve got the sacks

Goldman Sachs is a name that is making it into a lot of transportation news headlines, coupled with words such as “privatization,” “toll roads” and “foreign investors.” Goldman Sachs, of course, is one of the largest investment firms on the planet and numero uno in annual net income compared to investment sector peers. The firm is playing a big new role in mentoring states on how to wade into

Speed limiters not just a Canadian issue

I went online this week to check on the progress of a petition started by a hard-working owner-operator named Jean Catudal of Quebec who wanted to speak out against government proposals calling for mandatory speed limiters. I was disappointed to see that only 314 people had signed it since July 8, including only 43 from the U.S. Let me remind anyone interested in this issue, including U.S.

How many times have I been on camera today?

Remember the Bellamy Brothers’ song? “I’m an old hippie and I don’t know what to do, should I hang on to the old, should I grab on to the new?” That lyric is exactly how I feel about surveillance cameras everywhere. The whole camera surveillance issue is a dilemma for me. Cameras are everywhere. Is all that security necessary? Is it protective overkill? I suppose when I’m out there in

The right man for the job? I don’t think so

I don’t think a one of us has traveled over a bridge since the I-35W bridge collapse this past week without catching our breath just a bit. Its collapse was a disaster of monumental proportions.

The federal government is scrambling for answers on why the bridge collapsed – as expected.

In addition, just a few short days into the investigation, I have to tell you that the handling of the bridge

Cardboard cutouts of kids? You kiddin’ me?

We see stories like this one all the time. People in neighborhoods, cities, heck, even on highways who are tired of speeding traffic take matters into their own hands to slow things down. Usually, the Land Line crew finds more humor than ingenuity in their tactics. Take for example a case a while back where an individual hired scantily clad men and women to stand alongside the roadside holding

The good, the bad and the ugly

A trucker, I’m not. But, most of you know that I’ve been around the industry long enough and fought enough battles with you to know that I am a huge fan and advocate. I love my job and what I do. One of the things I face every day it seems like is debunking the myths, tall tales and outright misconceptions of truckers. You know what I’m talking about. The one where truckers are wild-eyed,

Crumbling or not, these bridges are ours

When tragedy happens, the public reacts – usually with support, concern and aid. Human compassion has been strong in the aftermath of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Politicians and officials were among those who acted quickly, calling for investigations, widespread bridge inspections and to allocate funds to the rebuilding and relief effort. While a noble gesture, their actions have

Poetry perspective

Sadly, the deadline for poetry submissions into Land Line Magazine’s poetry contest has passed, and I am left wondering what I will do with my mornings now that I won’t be greeted with mail or faxes from my “poetry peeps” left in my chair and inbox for me to find and read every morning.

But what an amazing response we received from our Land Line readers – we received more than 500 entries since

Oh Deere, the irony: Ohio farm tractors can speed up

We reported this week that Ohio has passed a law that will allow farm tractors to kick it up a notch when rolling down the road. The old speed limit was 25 mph, but since some tractors are capable of going up to 42 mph now, they changed the law to basically let tractors go at whatever speed they are officially rated to do. The reason is to reduce rear-end collisions and reduce frustration of

Dangerous curves ahead?

DISCLAIMER: This blog entry contains a link to material that may not be suitable for younger audiences Every day at 9:15 a.m., the Land Line and “Land Line Now” staffers gather in the “war room,” where we hash over the day’s top trucking stories and decide what’s going on the Web site and radio show for that day. Almost without fail, someone brings a story to the table that’s, well … let’s just

We’ve been down this road before

With most state legislatures done for the year, many are taking time now to discuss how best to fill holes in budgets that will need to be confronted once the calendar turns over. Among those budgets where lawmakers seemingly are always trying to fit pieces of the puzzle together is transportation. In my time covering state legislative issues I’ve grown accustomed to the practice. I know that

Spending an allowance wisely

I was one of the fortunate kids on my block to receive an allowance as an adolescent. It wasn’t big bucks, but I could almost always ask my parents for a dollar as long as I gave a reason.

“Save some for a rainy day” was a common bit of advice, but I likely just ran off and bought junk food or something frivolous like a typical young person might.

The human temptation of having cash in hand is

Mainstream media picking up on ‘hot fuel’

We all rely somewhat on the mainstream media as we get our daily dose of information. But, as we all know, they don’t always nail down the whole story or have time or space to dedicate to details. The Kansas City Star deserves kudos for breaking the story to the mainstream with a provocative series beginning in August 2006. Since then, more mainstream media sources – your major newspapers,

Driver health – for the industry, for the public, for yourself

I was talking last month with a trucker about the renewed focus on driver health. He described himself as an aging driver who sat on his worn-out butt most of his waking hours, legs numb from extension, blinking into the glaring asphalt, living “cheeseburger to cheeseburger.”
“The DOT wants to make sure you’re fit to drive a truck. Studies are telling us how bad our health is,” he told me. He

A cool, green way

I spent much of last week delving into the world of the California Air Resources Board and all its glory. Even drivers who make only the occasional trip into California have been hearing talk of the state’s new rules set to begin Jan. 1, 2008, including a five-minute limit on idling and a restriction for diesel-fired APUs on ’07 and newer trucks. After hours of research and writing, I got

Expanding and contracting arguments

I’m sure you’ve heard about the issue known as “hot fuel,” what with two recent congressional subcommittee hearings and a failed vote at the National Conference on Weights and Measures that could have given states some incentive to correct the problem. We’ve gotten some interesting comments by phone and e-mail relating to the issue in recent weeks. One person wrote to me to imply that “

Making common sense, well, more common

I am constantly amazed by the seeming lack of common sense I run into every day. Ignorance seems to run amuck everywhere from grocery store lines, to the interstates, to – unfortunately – even our government. I have pondered why this is openly in many conversations. Generally, I throw my hands up in the air in disgust because there doesn’t seem to be an easy answer. That was, until the other

Produce and poetry – what a combination

What do produce and poetry have in common? Me. I am kind of the “whatever” gal at Land Line – besides covering the produce industry and the complicated issues affecting the truck drivers who haul it, I also am the point-person for this year’s poetry contest, which, to say the least, has been quite entertaining. Oh, what you must see while out on the road. For those of you who have already

Paying the piper

For the past three decades, our living colonies have continued to spread out to form suburbs. And, with that shift has come increased numbers of commuters and bottlenecked rush hours, a price we may or may not have agreed to pay when we moved into our suburban homes. One significant price to pay for living in the ’burbs is fuel cost. It’s time to pay the piper. Even in Missouri, a