Tell my family…

There is little in life more sacred than trying to fulfill the final requests of a dying person – even if that person is a stranger.Military personnel write letters to loved ones in the event they are killed in the line of duty. Many police officers and firefighters do the same. Those letters connect a family in a way words cannot describe.In the aftermath of a tragic accident, many times those

The final stretch

Jasmine Jordan is less than 400 miles from entering Times Square in New York City – her goal in what will be a 10-month journey.That’s about 594,000 strides, and roughly two pairs of pink Saucony running shoes – quite a distance for most people.17-year-old Jasmine, however, has proved she’s cut from rare cloth.Jasmine, who also goes by Jazzy, is running from California to New York to raise

Doc shopping making a comeback?

Improving the health of truck drivers industry-wide is a noble cause – and something that needs to happen. The average life expectancy of truck drivers is age 61. That’s 13 years shorter than for the average adult.The devil is in the details when it comes down to how to go about improving truck driver health.Right now, sleep apnea is the hot button issue drawing all of the attention. No one can

For OOIDA, NAFTA’s still a ‘top drawer’ mission

For many years, one of my reporting “beats” for Land Line was NAFTA. I covered it from the early ’90s until our Senior Editor Jami Jones joined our staff in 2004. In her first week, I handed over an armload of files.Fifteen pounds of files moved from my top drawer to her top drawer, and she officially inherited all things NAFTA. Of all the issues we cover, NAFTA still occupies the most file

Sometimes you’re the windshield …

Ah, springtime. For many, it means long days spent barbecuing or hanging out at the beach. But for truckers hauling in the South, this year’s balmiest season will also include one very unwanted accessory – lovebugs.No, we’re not talking about 1960s Volkswagens here. The lovebug – also known as Plecia nearctica in the entomological community – is a small, black bug that, until recent years, was

California drops the ball on collecting revenue

We are constantly reminded that government at all levels is far from perfect. Officials rarely do what we ask of them and seemingly always find ways to further complicate matters they delve into.This realization can be found anywhere. In California, there is a glaring example of state government “dropping the ball” when it comes to holding everyone who gets behind the wheel accountable for poor