Some trucking companies really want to take time to train new truck drivers and ensure that they know what they are doing and some throw 2 students together like the company today.  I am talking about Covenant Transport although they are not the only company doing this.  After new driver complete training with a trainer, they then are required to team for 3.5 months.  This time can be with another student who also only has a few weeks of driving.  Would you allow a student doctor to perform an operation on you?  I doubt it.  Driving is life and death decisions all the time.  New drivers need to be trained by an experienced driver.  I think a trainer should have 5 years of all season driving and no ticket or accidents.  I rarely see that kind of requirement in the industry.  Check out today's video.

Let me know what you think about students training each other.

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​See you on the road!

An article appeared recently on the American Trucker website.  You can read it HERE.  In it, an owner-operator laments the truck parking problem.  His problem on that day was a driver parked in front of him blocking him in.  Apparently the driver of the truck blocking him told him that she would be leaving at 5am.  All he did was ask her if she could find a better spot.  What?  He said he was in a legal parking spot so we will give him that.  So, you tell her to move, if she won't move you call her company and the police to get her moved.  Immediately get on the website of the company, get on their social media pages, get all up in their faces.  I ask you, is this particular parking problem the fault of the ELD as the driver claims or are there any other things?  This problem was that driver not managing their time better.  Don't get me wrong, the ELD is certainly a problem for some people.  This driver runs the east coast where parking is at the largest premium.  You cannot allow people to block you in like that.  Ever.  The driver also says he runs an unpopular route and is making less than last year.  Look, you may have to change what you do to remain successful.  If what you are doing is not working, do something else.  Really.  As hard as that is to believe, you aren't owed a living.  The ELD only enforced laws that were already on the books.  Want to end the ELD?  Run legal.  Let that load sit 5 miles from its destination.  Put the pressure on the shippers and receivers.  We will talk more about this today on my live show on YouTube which I do every Monday at 1pm EST.

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​See you on the road!

According to ATBS, which is a tax and accounting service for owner operators, 2018 saw a record year for them.  The average owner operator made $65,360.  Flatbedders did the best at just over $77,720, vans are next at $66,655 and reefers bring up the rear at $53,798. That is the amount after all expenses.  These numbers bear out what I have said which is an owner operator generally cannot beat the pay of a good company driver.  This is net to the owner before they buy any health insurance or take any paid time off like vacation.  Now, if you want to be an owner operator by all means you should because life is too short to not do what you want but just don't think that after expenses you are going to be some kind of millionaire.  People can boast all they want on YouTube but these are actual numbers from over 15000 owner operator tax forms done by ATBS.  

An interesting guide was sent to me that I want to share.  It is a guide to APU weight exemptions and it is state by state.  Check it out.
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Do you have your tickets to the Mid-America truck show yet?  Time is running out!  Get them HERE.

​See you on the road!

Truckers Stand As One is having yet another slow roll protest.  This time it will be in Indiana around the 465 loop of Indianapolis on Thursday, February 21.  They are going to roll the loop twice at 45 mph and then head off to invade a TA on I-70.  Brilliant.  Since most of the public has no idea what they are doing, what exactly is this going to accomplish?  I'll tell you what:  Nothing.  You don't like the ELD regulations?  Follow them 100%.  Yes.  If drivers would actually follow the laws completely most freight would come to a quick end.  If you are 3 miles from your destination you should stop there for 10 hours.  Yes.  When the regulations actually have a negative impact on shippers and receivers is when you will see some action and not before.

The suggestion that drivers are now driving tired because of the ELD regulation is simply not true UNLESS these same drivers were falsifying there logs before the ELD mandate took effect.  Why?  Because the ELD mandate did not change any log regulation it just made it more enforceable.  If you can't figure out how to make a living working 14 hours a day I don't know what to say to you.  Who wants to work more than that?

Run legal and you will see a change in the regulations.  Protests that simply inconvenience the public will accomplish nothing and are not the answer.

Check out the links page HERE to register for your free tickets to the Mid-America Truck Show and some other great deals!

​See you on the road!

A new study that we are going to talk about on my regular Monday 1pm EST live show says that the parking issues we are facing cost the average driver $4600 a year.  This is due to driving around looking for a spot.  The wasted ELD time and the miles are not paid (for most) and it adds up over an entire year.  Do you agree?  How long do you spend looking for parking?  That ELD time can't be regained so it certainly is costing money.  How do we solve it?  Do we ask the government to solve it even though all I hear is "I want the government to leave me alone and let me do my job"?  I'll say this, if you wait for the government to solve this you will be waiting forever.  There is really no good way out of this by a parking solution.  There is a way out individually, I believe.  Have you ever considered a dedicated run?  You could do the same thing every day or every week going to the same places.  You would then be able to figure out the ideal parking for you.  I know that many drivers don't like this because it becomes monotonous.  Remember, at its core trucking is a job and the more efficiently you do that job the more you make an hour.  The other solution of course is to be a local driver that goes home everyday.  Then you won't need to find a parking spot.  Even though there are many openings for local drivers, most drivers won't consider them.  How is the parking for you?

See you on the road!

JJ Keller is coming out with a new dashcam and it is for fleets.  If you are a company driver and your company uses JJ Keller Encompass suite of software you may see one of these cameras in your truck soon.  It does not look at the driver, YET but who knows what the future holds.  What it does do is allow the fleet to monitor your driving in REAL TIME.  Now, I get tons of emails from people telling me this isn't possible and that companies can't do that.  It says right on the website that they can do it.  Here is the YouTube video I did about it:
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The thing is that many companies have some back office schlub do the "coaching" to drivers that have some kind of violation that the cameras records.  The one telling you how to drive is legally prohibited from driving a truck on any public street in the United States but they are going to tell you what you did wrong.  That needs to end.  If there is going to be any type of driver intervention as they call it, it should be from another experienced driver at the company that has reviewed the footage.  A night dispatcher that doesn't know his rear from a gladhand has no business telling a professional driver, many with decades of experience, how to drive.

If you listen to Audiobooks I have an offer for you from Audible for a free trial and 2 free books.  Checking it out costs you nothing and helps the channel.
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See you on the road!

J. J. Keller, known for their comprehensive list of compliance items, now has a way to watch you drive.  They call it Encompass and of course they tout it as a safety device.  They say they will be able to see "problematic driver behavior" so the company can provide "coaching" and "training" to these drivers.  Right, some 22 year old dispatcher with a business degree who has no idea how to even start a truck is going to provide coaching.  Of course, they say it will absolve drivers in accidents but I have yet to see an instance where a driver was cleared solely because of footage that was looking at him and without that the driver would be at fault.  Keller says they have these things in 11000 fleets already.  They do not mention how many actual trucks use them.  Don't be fooled by this safety mumbo-jumbo.  It will just be used to watch you and get rid of people they don't like or are otherwise a problem.  Younger drivers are more likely to tolerate the cameras and they of course make less so the industry loves that kind of big brother thinking.  The cameras are creeping in and if we don't act soon we won't be able to stop them.

I was asked about this on my regular Monday live show on YouTube so I have an offer for you.  If you like audiobooks  you can get a free trial of Audible.  You get 2 books free and then its only $14.95 a month, cancel anytime.  You keep the free books even if you cancel so its worth it just to try it and get a couple of books.  Clicking helps the channel as well and costs you nothing.  Check out Audible HERE.

Do you have your tickets to the Mid-America Truck Show yet?  Time is running out to get in for free!  I will be there Friday and Saturday so come down and say hi.  There is plenty to see and do so I will see you there.  Get your tickets HERE.

See you on the road!

I saw an article, which I will link below, about some annoyed truckers taking a slow roll in Texas to protest industry regulations blah, blah blah.  They cruised along at 45 mph.  Brilliant.  I find it interesting that one news outlet reported that "hundreds" of trucks took part in the protest while every other news source said 10-15 trucks were involved.  In the pictures you can see maybe a dozen trucks.  Also in the pictures I hope you will notice many long nosed Petes and other long trucks, many with extra light bars and big bumpers added.  Why am I pointing this out?  Because, if you aren't making any money because of regulations where do you get all the  lights?  They are not a DOT requirement so you must add them because you like them.  Don't gripe about not making any money and then put thousands of dollars of unnecessary lights on your truck.  Also, how about becoming more fuel efficient?  Want to make money, get 8mpg.  These drivers are just a bunch of cry babies who want to run illegal.  In one photo, a bobtail has its load lights on.  It is illegal to have white lights facing the rear so that truck should have been pulled over, inspected and ticketed.

Don't fall in with this crowd, although I don't know if 10 trucks is a crowd.  Figure out the rules of whatever game you are playing and figure out how to win with those rules.  You can run legal and win in trucking.

ARTICLE

​See you on the road!

There is yet another petition circulating to get the White House to change the ELD rules which it can't do because it is law and Congress needs to change it.  Ok, that being said, will you please stop trying to make the day longer?  Many drivers are on the wrong side of this.  How many hours a day do you want to work?  If you can't make a living in 14 hours a day I don't know what to tell you.  Where is the petition asking that drivers get paid for all of their time?  Imagine if you got paid hourly plus OT for every minute you were on-duty or driving.  How many hours would you need to work at that point?  This wanting to work over 70 hours a week has got to stop.  You shouldn't want to work more, you should want to make more.  Stop sitting around for free!  The only reason companies can do it is because you put up with it.  Would you allow a fast food restaurant to not pay your kid for 4 hours a day of work?  Of course not.  Why do you accept it?  Stop volunteering at your job.  70 hours is more than enough.  If anything, it should be less hours a week.  There is also a movement to exempt smaller carriers from the ELD requirement.  Again, no.  This would set up a 2 tiered system.  Do you realize that when you run over your log you are reducing your pay and holding down the pay of the entire industry?  You are the cause of your own low pay and the cycle perpetuates.  There is an article you can read about this HERE.  #GETPAID

​See you on the road!