The Old Mailbag

From: JP
Sent: Thursday, August 01, 2013 10:45 PM
To: jobs@truckdriver.com
Subject: RE: What's APPening? 

Does anyone know how to get the cigarette smoke smell out of sleeper berth curtain's? We just got this new 2013 International ProStar from the company we drive for, and it only has 2800 miles on it, but I think the person must have smoked that many cigarettes inside the sleeper berth!!!

We have used the white vinegar wash on everything, and that has helped, but we can not get the smell out of these curtains. We have washed them with a hose and baking soda, vinegar, that orange cleaner for odors etc. Nothing seems to get this smell out, and I do not even know where to maybe get a replacement. We do not and have never smoked, so this is a real gross smell to us. We changed the mattress's and everything we could wash we did, this is the culprit. I would put them in the washer, but they have magnet's along the edge to close the curtain and I'm afraid it would break them all up. Any help would be appreciated. thanks

Editor: Thanks for writing JP. We asked around and were told that you might try a little hand washing with Fresh Wave Laundry Fresh Wash. They say this stuff works wonders. We’ve heard that many drivers keep a jar of Fresh Wave Crystal Gel in their truck to keep it odor free. Visit Fresh Wave for more information.

Anyone have other suggestions for JP?  

Secretary Foxx Announces Proposal to Save Trucking Industry $1.7 Billion Annually by Eliminating Major Paperwork Burden

"This is a great example of the progress being made under the Administration's regulatory lookback initiative," said Office of Management and Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell. "The Administration is carefully examining rules on the books to see where we can streamline, modify or repeal regulations to reduce unnecessary burdens and costs on businesses and consumers. By making this common-sense change to the DVIR process, the Department of Transportation is dramatically reducing paperwork burdens on the trucking industry, while continuing to protect public safety."

Current federal regulations require commercial truck drivers to conduct pre- and post-trip equipment inspections and file Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs) after each inspection, regardless of whether or not an issue requiring repairs is identified. DVIRs are the 19th-highest paperwork burden, based on the number of hours needed to comply, imposed across all federal agencies and only 5 percent of reports filed include defects. Today's announcement represents the largest paperwork reduction achieved since President Obama's May 2012 Executive Order to reduce regulatory burdens on the private sector.

Under the proposed change announced today, commercial truck drivers would continue conducting pre- and post-trip inspections. However, DVIRs would be required only if defects or deficiencies were discovered by or reported to the driver during the day’s operations.

"We can better focus on the 5 percent of problematic truck inspection reports by eliminating the 95 percent that report the status quo," said Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "Moving to a defect-only reporting system would reduce a significant paperwork burden facing truck drivers and save the industry billions without compromising safety."

Federal regulations require that every commercial vehicle in the U.S. undergo a thorough annual safety inspection conducted by a certified commercial vehicle mechanic. In addition, state and federal inspectors conduct unannounced, random inspections of commercial vehicles at terminals, weigh stations, truck stops along the roadside and at destinations. Vehicles that fail random safety inspections are immediately placed out of service and not allowed to operate until the identified safety problems are addressed. In 2012, approximately 3.5 million random inspections were conducted.

In June 2012, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration eliminated a comparable requirement for truck drivers operating intermodal equipment trailers used for transporting containerized cargo shipments. By eliminating a requirement for drivers to submit "no defect" inspection reports of intermodal equipment trailer, cost savings to the intermodal industry is estimated to be $54 million annually without an adverse impact upon safety.

The FMCSA will collect and review comments on the proposed rule, which is available at: www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/rulemakings/proposed/Driver-Vehicle-Inspection-Report-NPRM.pdf.

President Obama launched the Administration's regulatory lookback initiative in January 2011 by issuing Executive Order 13563. The Order commenced an historic government-wide review of regulations on the books, with the goal of eliminating or modifying out-of-date, ineffective or overly-burdensome regulations.

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TruckDriver.com
Carrier of the Month
Ozark Motor Lines, Inc.

From its first deliveries to West Plains, Mo., in the back of a 1949 Ford pickup, Ozark Motor Lines has built itself into one of the top interstate motor carriers in the Mid-South.

In 1961, Mose and Dorothy Higginbotham founded the company in Memphis, Tenn., as a regional LTL carrier. Ozark incorporated in 1967. Although adding customers each year, the company remained primarily a local carrier until the early 1980s.

It's move into long-haul transport coincided with the deregulation of the U.S. trucking industry. Faced with the vigorous competition in the LTL business that followed deregulation, Ozark’s new owners—sons Steve and Tommy Higginbotham—accepted the offer of an LTL customer wanting a long-distance interstate carrier out of Memphis.

The company’s purchase of its first sleeper tractors marked the company’s second beginning.

Today, Ozark boasts a fleet of over 700 tractors. Equipped with satellite communications equipment, Ozark drivers deliver freight to customers throughout the United States.

Still owned by the Higginbothams, the company maintains its headquarters in Memphis, TN, and operates terminal facilities in Lebanon TN, Evansville IN, Springfield MO, Lenoir NC, and Oakland MS.

Ozark offers competitive wages and benefits. After orientation in Memphis, drivers get a clean, late-model; satellite communications-equipped Freightliner conventional. 100% no touch freight, 90 percent of which comes on one-pickup / one-stop orders. They serve customers throughout the United States, although they won't send you into New York City unless you want to go. Ozark delivers no freight in Canada. But no matter where you go, you can count on getting home about every eight to 10 days if you chose to run OTR.  Join a family-owned company that cares about its people.

Take a minute and browse through their website. Learn about Ozark and you'll soon see that this is where you should be earning your pay. It only takes a minute to fill out their on-line application and they will get back to you quickly, usually in less than 24 hours! So that you can start down the road to employment happiness as soon as possible.

Ozark Motor Lines, Inc.

Women In Trucking Foundation Awards Six Scholarships

Trista Ellis was a nurse when she met her husband, a professional driver. She enjoyed the stories he shared about his career and soon she decided to join him on the road. For six months she accompanied him as a passenger, when she found herself, “happier than I had ever been in my entire life.”  

She was eager to learn more about the trucking industry and to become his team driver. Trista enrolled at York Technical College in Rock Hill, South Carolina where she will graduate next month in the CDL training program. “I am completely devoted to this career,” Trista said, “I believe that if more women were exposed to this industry, they would love it as much as I do.” She will join her husband as a team driver at Crete Carriers.

Trista was in the first group of students to receive funding from the Women In Trucking Scholarship Foundation, established in 2013. Five women and one man, all members of the Women In Trucking Association, were each awarded a $500 scholarship for driver training.

The scholarship application process began in April and continued through the end of July. Funding was available in four areas:  leadership, technical training, safety, and driving. There were fourteen applications received, all for driver training.

“We are so pleased to be able to provide a portion of the tuition these students must pay to start their career in the trucking industry,” said Jan Hamblin, Chairwoman of the WIT Foundation board of directors. “We would have liked to have awarded training funds for safety, leadership, and technical skills as well, but we’re happy to help bring six new drivers into the industry.”

The foundation will begin accepting applications again in January, 2014 until the end of March. Donations to the foundation can be made anytime. Information can be found at womenintruckingfoundation.org. The applicant must be a member of the Women In Trucking Association and be enrolled in a training program in one of the four areas of study. Funds are to be used for tuition and checks will be mailed directly to the school.

The six recipients and their training facilities are:
*Julie Schroeder, CDL-Southeast Community College, Lincoln, NE
*Lavina Price, Central NM Community College, Albuquerque, NM
*Trista Ellis, York Technical College, Rock Hill, SC
*Josese Cox, Central NM Community College, Albuquerque, NM
*Michele Turner, Greenville Technical College, Greenville, SC
*Kathleen Smith, Colorado Transportation School, Commerce City, CO

About Women In Trucking: Women In Trucking was established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry. Membership is not limited to women, as sixteen percent of its members are men who support the mission.

The TruckDriver.com Format Survey is ready for review. Here are the results.

What is your favorite format for listening to music?

AM Radio - 5%
FM Radio - 28%
Satellite Radio - 45%
Internet Radio - 13%
CD - 13%
Cassette tape - 0%
Vinyl Record - 1%
MP3 - 8%
It's all good to me - 13%
I don't listen to music - 4%

Three things jumped out at us immediately.

1. 0% for cassette tapes - these are bound to be the collector’s items of the future!
2. 1% for vinyl records - purists everywhere are cringing.
3. 130% for a total - the math don’t work! We’re pretty sure some of you double-dipped on this one!

Let’s get back to trucking with the TruckDriver.com Miles Survey.

Keep on truckin’ and please drive safely.

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