Source: iowadot.gov/rules/rulesoftheroad.htm

Not just a courtesy, it’s the law
Move over or slow down to keep everyone safe!
Rules of the Road Move Over or Slow Down

By following these two simple rules, you can help save lives, avoid receiving a traffic ticket and prevent the potential loss of your driver’s license. Iowa law requires motorists to:

1. Change lanes or slow down when approaching a stationary emergency, tow or maintenance vehicle that has its flashing lights activated.(Iowa Code section 321.323A)

2. Yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle displaying flashing lights or giving an audible signal by moving over to the right, stopping and waiting until the vehicle has passed before proceeding. (Iowa Code section 321.324).

These laws are designed to protect motorists, persons being transported in emergency vehicles and personnel at high risk while performing their duties on Iowa’s roadways. A good rule of the road is to change lanes or slow down anytime you are approaching a vehicle that is slow moving, stopped or stranded on the shoulder, if you can safely do so.

Iowa's road workers, Highway Helpers, law enforcement personnel, emergency personnel, and tow truck operators urge drivers to provide them the room they need to safely perform their jobs.

Penalties for violating the law

Motorists are warned to move over or slow down or pay the price.

The scheduled fine for a conviction of violating Iowa Code 321.323A or 321.324 is $100 plus any surcharge and court costs.

After July 1, 2012, upon receiving a record of a person’s conviction for a violation of the move over law that resulted in a crash causing damage to the property of another person or bodily injury to or death of another person, the Iowa Department of Transportation shall suspend the person’s driver’s license/operating privileges, upon 30 days’ notice and without preliminary hearing, as follows.

For a violation causing damage to the property of another person, but not resulting in bodily injury or death of to another person, the Iowa DOT shall suspend the violator’s driver’s license or operating privileges for 90 days.

For a violation causing bodily injury to another person, the Iowa DOT shall suspend the violator’s driver’s license or operating privileges for 180 days.

For a violation causing death, the Iowa DOT shall suspend the violator’s driver’s license or operating privileges for one year.

A person convicted of a violation that resulted in a crash causing bodily injury to or the death of another person may be subject to an additional fine, beyond the scheduled fine for a violation of the move over law and any other penalties allowed by law. The additional fine is $500 for a violation causing bodily injury to another person and $1,000 for a violation causing death.

Road Signs

Move Over or Slow Down signSigns that describe the state law are posted statewide on all the major interstate routes and state entries.

Iowa’s highway safety, emergency, maintenance, and utility personnel appreciate your cooperation and compliance with Iowa law to ensure the safety of the public and those whose job it is to maintain the roadways and provide assistance to you... Continue reading.

Source: iowadot.gov/rules/rulesoftheroad.htm

An Iowa pro-life group is on track this year to meet requirements for a state-issued license plate carrying a pro-life message. More than 1,000 Iowa motorists have expressed interest in "Choose Life" plates similar to those offered in more than 25 states. After more than 10 years of trying to win approval, Iowa Right to Life got a green light from DOT to begin accepting applications for the plate. The group was given a year to gather orders - including a $50 payment - for at least 500 plates before the DOT would issue "Choose Life" plates.

There's about a one-month turnaround between when the orders are received and when the plates will be ready for distribution. The group estimates it has received about one-third of the necessary orders. Unlike organizations behind other specialty plates, Iowa Right to Life won't get any of the proceeds. Iowa Right to Life has until the spring to meet the 500-order minimum . If 500 orders are received, then inmates at the Anamosa State Penitentiary will begin manufacturing the plates. If the minimum is not received within a year, the department may cancel its approval of the application or grant an extension.

News Release
July 10, 2012

J. J. Keller Introduces New Flatbed Cargo Securement Training Program

Neenah, WI – J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.®, a leading provider of compliance products and services in transportation, construction, human resources, and other industries, has developed a new driver training program designed to reduce the risk for cargo securement violations, accidents, and liability.

Cargo Securement FLATBEDS training program teaches drivers how to keep their flatbed loads in place and in compliance with 49 CFR Section 392.9 and Part 393, Subpart I. The program goes beyond the minimum requirements by including best practices and how-to information to further ensure the proper and safe securement of cargo. Plus, it underscores the impact of cargo securement violations, on both the individual driver and the carrier, under CSA.

The training program covers key topics: correct tiedown use, rub rail issues, headerboards, and other aspects of proper cargo securement. It also includes separate segments on the five most common types of commodities: heavy equipment, lumber and building materials, metal coils, concrete pipe, and logs.

According to Daren Hansen, Senior Editor-Transportation Safety at J. J. Keller, “This training program truly covers a lot of ground. Of course it explains the regulations and the consequences of securing cargo improperly, but it goes well beyond that. It really conveys the responsibility that drivers have for protecting their cargo, their vehicles, the public, and their own personal safety throughout the transportation process, from pre-trip right up to the point of delivery."

The program features a closed-captioned DVD video that includes a Main Program, Hazard Perception Challenge Scenarios, a 10-question Quiz, and a Note to Trainers. The video uses state-of-the-art techniques to demonstrate proper load securement, plus situational scenarios to increase drivers’ comprehension. Supporting materials include an Instructor’s Guide, a Trainer Tools CD-ROM with two PowerPoint® presentations, and an Awareness Poster.

The program also includes a Driver Training Packet, containing (1) Cargo Securement FLATBEDS Driver Handbook, (1) Cargo Securement Handbook for Drivers, and (1) Cargo Securement Sliding Calculator. The packets are recommended for each driver and are available online at jjkeller.com/53827.

The DVD training program, with all the components listed above, is priced at $365.

Cargo Securement FLATBEDS is available in additional formats that feature the same expert content, enabling trainers to respond to a variety of student learning styles and maximize the potential for learning to occur, while providing consistent information company-wide.

J. J. Keller's training formats include Video On Demand, which grants access to J. J. Keller's entire video training library and is available in Pay Per View or Subscription Service. In July 2012, Interactive Online will be available, enabling self-paced learning anywhere there is an Internet connection. In August 2012, Interactive CD-ROM training will also be available, which enables self-paced learning without an Internet connection.

To learn more about J. J. Keller's new Cargo Securement FLATBEDS, visit jjkeller.com/53827 or call 800-327-6868.

About J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.®
 J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. was established in 1953 and has become the nation’s leader in risk and regulatory management solutions. The company offers 6,000+ products and services, employs over 1,200 associates, and serves more than 350,000 customers, including over 90% of the Fortune 1000.

To help transportation professionals address a broad range of responsibilities, J. J. Keller offers a diverse product line, including training programs available in multiple formats — Interactive Online, Training On Demand, Interactive CD-ROM, DVD-based, and consultant-led — as well as software, safety posters, compliance manuals, and newsletters that help transportation professionals to improve safety, comply with government regulations, follow industry best practices, and stay profitable. For more information, visit jjkeller.com.

For more information, contact:
Mary Borsecnik
Corporate Marketing Communications Specialist
J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.®
1-800-843-3174, ext. 7050
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Gary Lautenslager recalls memories, friendships and company growth throughout his 44-year journey

GREEN BAY, Wis. — (July 11, 2012) — Gary Lautenslager has seen a lot in his lifetime. A great deal of the memories, friendships and adventures he has experienced throughout his life come from the 44 years he spent behind the wheel as a driver for Schneider National, one of the nation’s largest truckload carriers. In July Lautenslager, Schneider’s longest-tenured driver, is pulling the brakes on a career that has helped define the person he is today.

Of all the things Lautenslager says he has loved about his career, the best part is the freedom: “You're out on your own. You get to see a lot and I’ve had a lot of time to think about things. I always tell others my office is the open road,” he said. “Though it feels like the right time to hang up the truck keys, I’ll always consider myself a Schneider driver.”

Lautenslager first came to Schneider in 1964. While unsure of his next steps, Lautenslager left the company for four years. It was during that time, he says, that he realized he was meant to be on the road. There was only one company he had in mind: He returned to Schneider National in 1968 and called the company home for more than four decades. In hindsight, he says he never imagined he’d work for a company that would grow into one of the largest multimodal carriers in the country.

“It’s pretty rare to hear of workers sticking by one company for 44 years,” said Mike Hinz, vice president at Schneider. “Gary’s loyalty is inspiring to all of us here at Schneider. For that, he will forever be a member of the Schneider National family.” In May the company hosted a reception for Lautenslager to celebrate his upcoming retirement and thank him for his steadfast dedication.

In addition to his career on the road, Lautenslager also spent several years as a Driver Trainer in Green Bay, Wis., and West Memphis, Ark., sharing with others what he knew about the world of truck driving. He says he has probably taught hundreds of new drivers throughout his career and did it because he enjoyed teaching others the skills he had learned in order to help them build a better future for themselves.

Eventually, his love for driving rubbed off on someone else close to him: his wife, Patricia. In 1990, she decided she too wanted to hit the open road and together, the two have worked side by side as Team Drivers ever since.

Patricia says it takes a special kind of personality to be able to help people. “As both an instructor and a friend, there have been many times when we've been on the road and seen people in very perilous situations. And Gary has taken it upon himself to walk over and say ‘Hey, you know, I'm a Schneider driver, is there something I can do to help you?’”

When Lautenslager reflects back on his first experiences as a driver, he contends that it was a much scarier time back then. Training programs were practically nonexistent and drivers were expected to learn on the fly. But thanks to advances in technology, and carriers like Schneider that offer ongoing driver training programs, today’s drivers face a very different - but healthier – work life.

Technology and knowledge aside, Lautenslager says there’s one core component that makes a good company great: its people. He attributes his long career with Schneider to its down-to-earth and hard-working people as well as the company’s respect for a job well done.

During his retirement reception, Lautenslager shared a few of his memories and insights with his Schneider National family. Among them:

Favorite Place to Drive Through: Madawaska, Maine, for its beautiful wildlife and laid-back people Most Amazing Sights: Watching a plane land on Interstate 10 outside of Amarillo and a hot-air balloon land on an entrance ramp in Iowa Best Day Ever: To be one of six drivers personally invited by company founder Al Schneider to attend his induction into the Packers Hall of Fame Total Miles Driven: 3.8 million Reasons for Staying Loyal to One Company for 44 Years: Schneider offered freedom on the road, friendly people who were easy to work with and an overall tremendous work environment Key to a Long, Happy and Successful Truck Driving Career: Having patience, great listening skills and a positive relationship with your leader

When asked what he plans to do once he’s done behind the wheel, Lautenslager says he’s most looking forward to just relaxing and admits he will probably have to fight the itch to drive again.

Drivers interested in forging a long, successful career like Lautenslager’s are encouraged to visit www.schneiderjobs.com or call 1-800-44-PRIDE (1-800-447-7433).

About Schneider National, Inc.
Schneider National has exceptional career paths for professional drivers and truck school graduates. Solo and team opportunities exist for company drivers and owner-operators in Schneider’s Regional, Over the Road, Dedicated, Tanker, Oil Field Transportation and Expedited lines of business. Local and regional solo opportunities also exist for company drivers in Schneider’s Intermodal division.

A $3.4 billion company and one of the largest truckload carriers in North America, Schneider has been a top choice for drivers for more than 75 years. Schneider provides drivers great weekly miles, steady freight and the comfort of knowing that “safety first and always” is the cornerstone of the company’s philosophy. Schneider is ranked a top-paying carrier by the National Transportation Institute and has been nationally recognized for its support of veterans, Reservists and National Guard members. For more information about Schneider National career opportunities, visit www.schneiderjobs.com. You can also connect with Schneider on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jobsatschneider and Twitter at www.twitter.com/schneiderjobs.

Source: fleetowner.com/fleet-management/slow-
climb-driver-wages-pressuring-turnover-rate

Jul. 10, 2012 11:31am Brian Straight | Fleet Owner

Driver turnover is not expected to improve through the remainder of 2012 according to a new survey of carriers. According to Transport Capital Partners’ (TCP) Second Quarter 2012 Business Expectations survey, small increases in driver wages through the remainder of the year will likely result in an exacerbation of the driver turnover problem and not lead to a significant increase in drivers entering the industry.

“Carriers are concerned about unseated trucks and the lack of applicants for a variety of reasons. Extended long-term unemployment encourages looking for a new job only as these benefits run out. Additionally, the increase in construction is resulting in former and current drivers moving back to that industry,” said Lana Batts, TCP Partner.

TCP surmised that the low increase in wages combined with the improving construction industry - which will likely further improve with the passage of the 27-month transportation bill last week – drawing potential drivers back to work there will continue to drive turnover.

Mike Card, president of Combined Transport and first vice chair of American Trucking Assns. (ATA), appearing recently on Fox Business News’ The Willis Report, echoed TCP’s thoughts.

“If the driver could stay home every night, that’s what they’d prefer. Being gone long hours is tough on the family,” he said. “A lot of these truck drivers have other skills like construction, plumbing, electrical, so if they have an opportunity to work closer to home, local driving jobs, that’s what they are going to do.”

The American Trucking Assns. (ATA) recently announced that first-quarter driver turnover for truckload carriers jumped to 90%, the highest it’s been since the first quarter of 2008. Turnover at truckload fleets with less than $30 million in revenue jumped to 71%, up from 55%.

“We were surprised that the turnover rate dipped in the fourth quarter,” said Bob Costello, ATA chief economist. “This report of a slight rise at large fleets and a significant increase at smaller fleets matches up with what we hear regarding the health of the industry, the tightening of the labor market for drivers and demand for good, quality, experienced drivers.”

Turnover at less-than-truckload fleets remained low, at just 8%, but that also was a 1% increase from the previous quarter, ATA said.

According to TCP’s survey, 93% of carriers expect wages to rise over the next 12 months, although 71% believe those increases will be less than 5%... Continue reading.

Source: fleetowner.com/fleet-management/slow-climb-driver-wages-pressuring-turnover-rate

Diesel rose for the first time in three months, rising 3.5 cents to $3.683 a gallon, while gasoline also increased, the Department of Energy said Monday.

Gasoline gained 5.5 cents to $3.411, also its first increase in three months, DOE said following its weekly survey of filing stations.

The diesel increase left it 21.6 cents below the same week last year, while gasoline is 23 cents below a year ago, DOE said.

Prior to Monday, diesel had dropped 50 cents in 12 straight previous declines and gasoline fell 58.5 cents in 13 consecutive downturns.

Oil rose $1.54 to settle at $85.99 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Monday, Bloomberg reported.

Each week, DOE surveys about 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.

By Transport Topics

This story appears in the July 9 print edition of Transport Topics.

The House approved a bill on June 29 that would block any federal mandate requiring the use of electronic onboard recorders on vehicles, including a regulation included in the highway funding legislation President Obama was expected to sign late last week.

The measure, from Rep. Jeff Landry (R-La.), was included as an amendment to an appropriations bill that would fund transportation and housing programs in fiscal year 2013. It would prohibit the Department of Transportation from using funding to develop an EOBR mandate or any other requirements that vehicles use tracking devices.

“The Department of Transportation has become obsessed with electronically monitoring vehicle movements,” Landry said in a June 27 speech proposing the amendment.

Landry told his colleagues that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is currently developing an EOBR mandate.
“Even the name sounds scary,” he said. “This regulation is so costly that even President Obama has singled it out as a regulation which needs more studying. He did so because it is estimated that the mandate will cost the trucking industry at least a billion dollars to implement.”

“The truckers in my district cannot afford this cost,” Landry said.

FMCSA did not respond to a request for comment on the legislation.

Shortly after voting on the appropriations bill, representatives approved highway funding legislation that had come from conference negotiations between the Senate and House. It directs DOT to write an EOBR man-date within a year after the law is signed, to take effect two years later. The president planned to sign the bill July 6.

Landry’s EOBR provision faces an uphill battle. A House-Senate conference is likely because a bill the Senate Appropriations Committee passed in April lacks the EOBR language.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chairwoman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee that oversees transportation, opposes Landry’s amendment, and the Senate bill includes nonbinding instructions to DOT to develop an EOBR mandate, her spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association praised the passage of the Landry amendment.
“We’d like to thank the co-sponsors for their bipartisan opposition to the [EOBR] mandate,” OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer said in a statement. “The association and its members see no reason for the costly government surveillance that such a mandate would entail.”

However, American Trucking Associations accused the House of using a backdoor method to cripple the measure.
“Though opponents of honest, fair and efficient enforcement of important safety rules have used this back door to thwart the will of Congress, we fully expect that the language of the conference report — agreed to by House and Senate leaders of both parties — will be the final word on the use of electronic logs and that DOT will quickly move to require this important safety technology on all trucks,” ATA President Bill Graves said in a statement.

ATA is confident that the anti-EOBR language will not be in the final Senate bill or the conference bill that would be written if the Senate and House language differs, spokesman Sean McNally said.

Lane Kidd, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, blamed OOIDA’s lobbying for the amendment. “It was really disheartening to see OOIDA be so effective at getting some misinformation out there early,” he said.

“And unless the Senate would concur on it, it’s a puff of smoke,” Kidd said. “Nothing will happen.”

During debate on the measure, Landry told his colleagues he had bipartisan support, including support from Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. That committee did not return a request to confirm Landry’s statement.

However, Rep. John Olver (D-Mass.), the top Democrat in the House’s transportation appropriations subcommittee, opposes the amendment, his spokeswoman said, declining to comment further.

Landry’s spokesman cited support from Americans for Tax Reform, which referenced the EOBR mandate’s estimated $1.1 billion cost to the trucking industry in a recent white paper, in which it encouraged lawmakers to support the amendment.

The multimodal collaborative partnership we've formed with Stevens Transport over the years, has enabled my team to focus on Heinz network solutions over a cross segment of business units. I can honestly say Stevens' "can do" solutions oriented mentality sets them apart from their completion."

Matt Stalter

Heinz North America
Group Leader, Transportation

Special thanks to the Stevens-Heinz customer service team of Connie Doak and Brandy Rogers for their timeless support for the H.J. Heinz account.

[from L-R] David Domencic-Heinz, Todd Aaron, Connie Doak, Steve Aaron, Clay Aaron, Matt Stalter-Heinz, Sandy Evett-Heinz

9757 Military Parkway - Dallas, TX  75227 [972]-216-9000

LAS VEGAS -- Retiring truck drivers have shifted the industry into a shortage.

Transportation companies have said the jobs are tough to fill because fewer younger drivers want to deal with the sacrifices that come with the job.

With his nephew as co-pilot, Jonathan Patterson is on his way to Illinois, leaving behind a wife and four kids.

"(The family) is why I'm doing it," said Patterson, a truck driver.

Being thousands of miles away and gone for days and even weeks at a time, he said trucking can take a toll.

"It's very tough," he said. "That's probably why young truckers don't want to do it."

Patterson said he gets homesick, but the 26-year-old said he knows it will make his family's life better.

"It was a decision," he said. "Either stay here and work minimum wage jobs and do them at once or go over the road and making plenty of money so we can actually live comfortably."

According to the American Trucking Association, the industry is short about 20,000 drivers.

In two years, that number is expected to accelerate to more than 100,000.

About 80 percent of goods, such as food and clothing, is delivered by truck.

With fewer drivers on the roads, prices paid for the goods could become a lot more.

At the American Institute of Technology, drivers are trained to not only handle the trucks, but what to expect from a trucking lifestyle... Continue reading.

Source: www.8newsnow.com/story/18959401
/fewer-truckers-getting-behind-the-wheel

Source: pressofatlanticcity.com/business/even-with-jobless-
rate-high-trucking-companies-still-struggling-to/
article_6cd41bf0-c320-11e1-ab41-001a4bcf887a.html
Posted: Sunday, July 1, 2012 12:00 am
By GLORIA LLOYD, Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer

RALEIGH, N.C. — A job seeker looking through classified advertisements in North Carolina is very likely to see trucking companies from as far away as Massachusetts and Nebraska calling for applicants for open positions they cannot fill.

Despite a national unemployment rate topping 8 percent, trucking companies are struggling to recruit and retain enough drivers due to a host of factors.

The shortage dates back to the years leading up to the recession, when well-paying construction jobs were plentiful and the industry had problems finding replacements for all of the veteran drivers who were retiring. That there remain hundreds of thousands of driver vacancies today — four years after the real estate bust — speaks in part to the waning popularity of the profession made famous by such movies as “Smokey and the Bandit” has become.

“You have drivers retiring every day,” said Charlie Gray, owner of Carolina Trucking Academy in Raleigh. “For every driver that goes out the back door, you better have a driver coming in the front door. There’s not a lot of people coming in the front door.”

The shortage is good news for those looking for work in the industry.

Companies desperate for quality drivers have begun offering sign-on bonuses, higher salaries and safety bonuses. And yet there’s still a national shortage, conservatively estimated, of at least 200,000 workers, said David Heller, director of safety and policy at the Truckload Carriers Association.

An aging workforce, a requirement that long-haul drivers be at least 21 years old and new federal safety regulations have all played a role in the current shortage.

The aging population of truck drivers, in particular, has become a bigger issue than anyone expected.

Demographic changes mean there simply aren’t as many potential men under the age of 35 as there were in the baby boomer generation, said Charles Clowdis, managing director of transportation industry services at IHS Global Insight.

Younger workers who traditionally may have gone into trucking choose other occupations over a life that requires long stints away from home. Since a college education is not required for truck driving, but truck drivers have to be 21 to cross state lines, trucking companies lose potential employees who go to other industries, enroll in a trade school or enter the military.

Although the industry is suffering from a shortage of all types of drivers, most of the open positions are for truckload carriers, which transport goods over long distances.

“The job of being an over-the-road truck driver is difficult,” Clowdis said. “You’re away from home; it’s somewhat of an unset schedule; you may leave on Monday, get somewhere Thursday, and Friday get sent in the total opposite direction. That’s the segment that’s hurting the most.”

New government regulations limiting drivers’ hours and monitoring drivers for safety violations have exacerbated the shortage, said Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations, which put the industry’s annual turnover rate at 88 percent in December.

“Some companies say they could actually add more equipment if only they could find more drivers,” he said. “As long as you have a good driving record, you can easily get a job in this industry... Continue reading.

Source: pressofatlanticcity.com/business/even-with-jobless-rate-high-trucking-companies-still-struggling-to/article_6cd41bf0-c320-11e1-ab41-001a4bcf887a.html