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,