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Trucker Survival Tool & Zombie Apocalypse Defense Axe

Saw this today.  Apparently, it’s a great tool every truck driver should have to get out of a jam. Also useful for the zombie apocalypse.  I just ordered 10 of them.

Enormous Semi-Tractor Size Changes Could Come to Trucking

We are less than 3.5 months away from one of the biggest changes to potentially take place in the trucking industry in recent history.  If you thought detention costs were high and driver’s patience short,  wait till the new rules are implemented.  The (HOS) Hours of Service rules by the Department of Transportation is to limit 34-hour restarts to once per week and will reduce a driver’s average maximum allowable hours of work per week from 82 hours to 70 hours – a 15% reduction.

I’ve always been an advocate for driver’s safety and most importantly civilian safety on the roads.  I know there are driver’s out there who will take loads that are more than 750 miles long and deliver next day.  I know there are driver’s out there who will take TEAM required loads and drive for 20+ hours straight to make more money.  In both instances this puts a dangerous driver on the road and puts all the other drivers that cross his path at risk.  I’m hoping this will deter drivers from taking these type of loads and performing unsafe trips.

With less allowable driving time under the new rules I think companies are going to implement new detention policies.  I personally try to minimize the cost of detention to my customer by ensuring the driver has marked in and out times on their bills, make sure they called us when they were approaching a detention charge, and delaying the “detention conversation”.  With these new rules it’s going to be nearly impossible to play hardball with detention charges and subsequently accessorial charges are going to rise.

As a shipper of product this means you’re going to have to stage your freight accordingly, you’re going to have to be more efficient at loading trucks-keeping it under 2 hours.  You might want to think about setting up a delivery appointment schedule vs. First Come Fist Serve.  If you’re not able to maximize loading/unloading times and fight to pay detention charges drivers are not going to take your loads and you’re freight costs will go up.

I’m interested to hear what you think,  maybe this is something you’ve been expecting and have already implemented new policies.  I would like to hear what you think about the new rule change.

MONSTER TRUCKS IN TRUCKING!!!

MONSTER TRUCKS IN TRUCKING!!!

What I don’t get is why did it take so long for someone to invent this and why Wal-Mart?  To me it’s a no brainer!!  If you pay attention to any news in regards to Freight there is a driver shortage.  Driver recruiters are struggling to find qualified drivers that are safe and experienced.

It seems like a perfect storm is brewing for an increase in rates.  Less drivers, higher gas prices, experienced drivers commanding higher pay, it all plays into your rate.  Leave it to Wal-Mart to find a solution.  Now I’ve never been a huge fan of Wal-Mart but they’ve found a partial solution to the driver shortage issue so they’re ok in my book.

I’m curious to see when this will roll over into the Over The Road (OTR) world.

Election Day!!!

As someone who follows politics, current events, and loves Chicago sports I was torn yesterday between a decision.  In hindsight it was wasn’t that difficult but at the time I was struggling. 

Free Bulls Game or Vote?  

Seeing as I live in Chicago, Barack Obama already won-that’s how I justified it in my head….but then I gave it much more thought and reminded myself that is our right to vote.  There are millions of people all over the world that would love to be able to have a say in who their elected leaders are.  

I woke up early and did it this morning and I’m still going to the Bulls game. BOOM!!!

So what does this have to do with Truckers and Transportation?  I’ve come across a number of people that have moved in the last year or have not registered to vote in their district and it’s sad.  It’s quite simple to register in your district.  

Then I thought about our drivers who are on the road nearly 6 day’s out of the week constantly moving.  How do they vote?  Absentee ballot?  Early voting in their hometown?  I would imagine that truck drivers have strong opinions when it comes to politics and issues facing voters.  There sure is a lot of time to think about the issues while you’re driving on the road.  I’d be curious to know what percentage of truck drivers actually vote and how they do it.  I’m going to do a little research over the next few days with my dispatchers and find out how these guys and gals get errr done. 

 

 

 

El Nino is Spanish for the The Ninoooo

Good Morning and Good Monday!!!  As the East Coast and oddly the Mid-West brace for Hurricane Sandy (supposedly the strongest storm in 100 years, nothing like media sensationalism) there are a few things in the logistics community we should keep in mind.

#1 Make sure the place you are picking up at or delivering to is open, if it’s closed, you need to be flexible in regards to your shipments.   If there is one thing that is certain in this business is the uncertainty that is always present.

#2 While it’s important to get your shipments to your Just In Time customers, driver safety is always a top priority.  We can replace the product or post-pone  it, you can’t replace a life.

#3 Next week is going to be a little crazy.  Like any storm that puts shipments on hold, snow included.  There are going to be trucks in unusual spots up and down the east coast.  You need to be patient if you have a pickup next week.

Lastly, always be prepared.  For those of us who are not affected by Hurricane Sandy it’s a great reminder to always be ready for any type of disaster.  Having an emergency preparedness kit is essential for you and your family.  Do you have a week’s worth of water for everyone in your family?  Do you have non-perishable foods stored in the house in a water tight sealed bag?  You can never be too prepared.  http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit

Have a great week!  Good luck to those of you who are going to get hard by Sandy.

The fr8master

I’m Going Green!!!

Whether or not you believe that Global Warming is happening right now (personally I hope it’s happening because I hate winters in Chicago) doesn’t quite matter, what you do need to believe in is the ROI in going green.

How you read the news has an effect on the environment. Do you read on your IPAD or are you subscriber to the print news? Do you watch your TV on an energy efficient flat screen or an old tube television? Are your light bulbs fluorescent or incandescent?

Trucking companies are asking these same questions about their fleet. Compressed Natural Gas or CNG powered trucks are being introduced to large fleets. With enough Natural Gas produced in the US to power our autos for the next 150 years, this source of energy is becoming a better alternative than diesel. The obvious major drawback is lack of CNG fueling stations but it’s a step in the right direction.

My buddy works for a Tire Distributor and he told me there has been an increase demand in double wide trailer tires. These tires reduce the weight and rolling resistance for a trucks. At double the cost, companies are seeing a real advantage to these tires and willing to pay the extra $ for em’.

 

The other day I was driving on 355 and saw a fold-able tail on the trailer complete with side fins. I’ve seen a couple of these since then and did some research on them. They help reduce fuel cost by 1.5-3%. You might not think that’s a lot but with gas prices so high it makes A LOT of sense.

The ? I’m asking myself is, “Will all of these green technologies and methods translate into lower trucking rates? ” My guess is probably not but I do know that companies who are willing to take these measures is a carrier I trust to haul my freight.

Do you think these are going to translate into lower rates?

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I’m excited to start this blog dedicated to helping others evaluate, improve, and rethink their logistics program.  As hard as it is to make this subject fun, I’m going to do it.  It can be an extremely frustrating and stressful  to make sure all of your freight is tracked, scheduled for pickup, and delivered on time.  It requires patience, an uncanny ability to read between the lines, and strong negotiating skills to manage a successful logistics program.

Through this blog you will get tips and tools about all aspects of transportation drivers, dispatchers, brokers, carriers, attorneys, claims issues, 3PL’s, and much more.

The fr8tmaster blog is ready to go.