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Dear {FName},

We hope you enjoyed a safe and relaxing Labor Day Weekend and that you were able to spend some quality time with family and friends.

Since we usually have a lot of time on our hands between issues, we wondered how the idea of Labor Day came about. So, we googled it up and found this item on History.com.

Labor Day History

As the Industrial Revolution took hold of the nation, the average American in the late 1800s worked 12-hour days, seven days a week in order to make a basic living. Children were also working, as they provided cheap labor to employers and laws against child labor were not strongly enforced.

With the long hours and terrible working conditions, American unions became more prominent and voiced their demands for a better way of life. On Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers marched from city hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first-ever Labor Day parade. Participants took an unpaid day-off to honor the workers of America, as well as vocalize issues they had with employers. As years passed, more states began to hold these parades, but Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later.

On May 11, 1894, workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago struck to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. They sought support from their union led by Eugene V. Debs and on June 26 the American Railroad Union called a boycott of all Pullman railway cars. Within days, 50,000 rail workers complied and railroad traffic out of Chicago came to a halt. On July 4, President Grover Cleveland dispatched troops to Chicago. Much rioting and bloodshed ensued, but the government's actions broke the strike and the boycott soon collapsed. Debs and three other union officials were jailed for disobeying the injunction. The strike brought worker's rights to the public eye and Congress declared, in 1894, that the first Monday in September would be the holiday for workers, known as Labor Day.

The founder of Labor Day remains unclear, but some credit either Peter McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, or Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, for proposing the holiday.

Although Labor Day is meant as a celebration of the labor movement and its achievements, it has come to be celebrated as the last, long summer weekend before autumn.


Another thing we got to wondering about, (we told you we had a lot of time on our hands) is how cell phones have changed the trucking industry. That led us to this article from the Chicago Tribune about the CB radio.

That '70s gadget, the CB, hangs on

Radios remain viable communication tools; Cobra sales grow with enhanced technology

Eric Benderoff | Tech Buzz
August 25, 2008

Thirty years from now, will we recall a song that captures the significance of today's technology? Will someone have penned a tune about the iPhone that is so vivid that it becomes a cultural touchstone?

That's what happened in 1975, when "Convoy" became a No. 1 hit. The song popularized CB radio's strange language, partially reborn today in the lingo used for text messaging.

Few gadgets have the cultural association, for better or worse, as CB radio has with the 1970s. Other examples from that era include Atari's home version of "Pong" and the first Sony Walkman.

Those two gadgets are gone, though variations (Xbox and iPod) exist. Amazingly, CB radios still sell in an era of widespread wireless communication devices. They even look similar.

About 800,000 CB radios are sold in the U.S. each year. That's a far cry from the 10 million iPods that Apple moves each quarter, but not a bad little number for a market most of us probably didn't think existed anymore.

"It's a large category for us," said Sally Washlow, a vice president for Chicago's Cobra Electronics, which has about 60 percent of the market. "But it is a niche category."

Today, Cobra's CB sales are increasing, albeit slightly, in what Washlow calls a "flat" category because the company adds new wrinkles to a technology that hasn't changed in 40 years.

In July, Cobra introduced a model that features a Bluetooth wireless connection so truckers can integrate a mobile phone into the CB radio. Phone calls are routed through the CB radio, which can help truck drivers conform to hands-free driving laws, Washlow said. The 29 LTD BT sells for $189.

Still, why would someone need a CB radio? Wouldn't a mobile phone with a Bluetooth earpiece suffice?

"It's a very important communication tool for professional drivers," Washlow said. "Everybody may have a cell phone, but they don't know the number of the people next to them on the highway. With a CB radio, for example, I can talk to other drivers on the road to see what's going on up ahead of me."

For those who need a reminder (and those who are unfamiliar), "citizens' band" is a short-distance radio frequency used for personal communications. It's not a one-to-one communication device like a telephone; rather, it allows a community of users to chat on the same radio channel.

On the road, it allows truck drivers to talk to each other, and in the 1970s and '80s, drivers of station wagons and hatchbacks joined in on the fun. "I think of the CB radio as the original chat room," Washlow said.

I vividly recall road trips down to the "bikini state" (Florida) during those days, driving with friends' parents where the CB radio was the preferred form of entertainment. (The other choice was Neil Diamond on the 8-track.)

We would chat with people, usually other kids who thought they were cool, saying things like, "Hey, good buddy. This is the Tiger (everyone needed a "handle") wondering where the smokey bears (police) are hiding on I-seven-five (the freeway)."

Then someone named Big Al or Sloppy Joe would respond that "a bear in the air" (police helicopter) was nearby or that a "dozing smokey" (police in a stopped car) was by mile-marker 83.

C.W. McCall's song, "Convoy," immortalized the CB culture and its bizarre slang. Here's how it starts:

"Ah, Breaker One-Nine, this here's the Rubber Duck. You got a copy on me Pig-Pen? C'mon."

"Ah, yeah 10-4 Pig Pen, fer sure, fer sure. By golly it's clean clear to Flag-Town, C'mon."

Fer sure, fer sure, this kitschy song was catchy, but I think it hit No. 1 because most people were listening to figure out what the heck C.W. was saying.

Regardless, it seemed that everyone was buying CB radios in the wake of that song, leading to Burt Reynolds star turn in "Smokey and the Bandit" and a movie version of the "Convoy" song, directed by Oscar-nominated Sam Peckinpah. Yes, the '70s were strange.

CB radios can be bought at truck stops or online. Cobra's new Bluetooth model is sold at RadioShack, but you may have to ask.

I stopped at a downtown outlet recently to look for CB radios. The clerk said he had the new one from Cobra in stock, but it was not on the shelf.

"Not too many people ask for them in Chicago," he said, noting that he last sold a CB radio about seven months ago.

Maybe we just need a new song? 10-4, good buddy.


The only idea for a song we could come up with is, "I've Got the I Can't Afford an iPhone Blues."

Maybe someday we'll write it and make us a million or two. And, when we do, we'll share it with you.

Of course, we'll need to understand the tax implications before we send you your cut.

Here's a little tip from the folks at PBS Tax and Bookkeeping Service about 'gifts'.

GIFT TAX

You can give any one person up to $12,000 annually (amount subject to
change) without reporting it to the Internal Revenue Service. The person
receiving the gift does not have to report it either.

Exceptions - Tuition or medical expenses paid directly to school or
institution by you for someone's benefit. These do not count against the
annual limit and have no dollar limitations.

A husband and spouse can give separate gifts of up $12,000 to the same
person without making a taxable gift.

If you would like to receive an occasional tax tip, visit PBS Tax and Bookkeeping Service or call 800-697-5153. You will actually talk to a live person!


Last issue we said the talk around the office was that freight was starting to pick up. We also told you that it was just talk. And, you proved us right.

Here are the results from the TruckDriver.com Freight Shakin' Survey.

Do you think freight is beginning to pick up?

Yes - 27%
No, it's getting worse - 39%
Seems about the same to me - 34%

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of you reported you thought freight was staying the same or getting worse. We told you it was just talk!
Speaking of talk, (watch how cleverly we tie this issue all together) what about the CB radio? Do you still have one? Do you still use it? Do you plan on buying a new one?

Take The TruckDriver.com You Gotta a Copy On Me, Good Buddy Survey and tell us about your CB.

We'll catch you on the flip-flop.

Until next time, keep on truckin' and please drive safely.


Your Comments Are Always Welcome

We do like to hear from you and invite you to let us know how we can improve the e-Report. Please send your ideas and suggestions to: jobs@truckdriver.com


"Cause we gotta mighty convoy, rockin' through the night
Yeah we gotta mighty convoy, ain't she a beautiful sight?
Come on an' join our convoy, ain't nothin' gonna git in our way
We're gonna roll this truckin' convoy, cross the USA
Convoy... Convoy...
"

~ C. W. McCall ~



September 1,
2008