U.S. Xpress offers jobs to exiting soldiers with new Military Incentive Program

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (May 23, 2007) – U.S. Xpress voiced its continued support for America’s troops today with the announcement of its new Military Incentive Program.

The program, which is available to anyone who has served at least two years in the armed forces and separated within the past 12 months, offers former soldiers a head start on the truck driving career path with special increased salary rates.

Participants in the program will be credited with two years of job experience. That means their starting pay will be equal to that of a truck driver who has already been behind the wheel for two years. For new CDL graduates, that means an increase in starting pay of up to 6.5 cents per mile.

“The men and women of the U.S. armed forces give so much to our great country,” said U.S. Xpress Field Recruiting Manager Homer Paul. “The Military Incentive Program is our way of saying thanks.”

According to Paul, participants in the program could earn up to $40,000 or more in their first year of work with U.S. Xpress, and would also be eligible for CDL tuition reimbursement.

“The Military Incentive Program is a win-win situation for everyone,” Paul said. “The participants are getting the benefit of being ahead of the game in terms of salary, plus they’re getting to work with one of the leading companies in the trucking industry. And we are getting the benefit of receiving the kind of highly trained and dedicated individuals that you find in the armed forces.

“We want to give these individuals a well deserved jump-start into their professional driving careers,” Paul said, “and our Military Incentive Program will do just that.”

"Operation Safe Driver" Targets CMV - Non CMV Drivers

CVSA

Washington, DC (October 16, 2007) – In an effort to address the twelve percent
of fatal crashes on highways involving trucks and buses, the Commercial Vehicle Safety
Alliance (CVSA), in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
(FMCSA), is launching a new campaign concentrating on the unsafe driving practices of
commercial and non-commercial drivers. The effort, dubbed “Operation Safe Driver,” is
intended to improve commercial and non-commercial driver behavior and performance
through effective enforcement, education and awareness strategies. The program will
occur October 21-28, 2007 across North America.

“Research has shown that most fatal crashes stem from decisions or actions made
by the driver – passenger vehicle drivers as well as commercial operators,” said John H.
Hill, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “All drivers need
to remember that the responsibility for driving safely is literally in your hands.”

The objectives of the campaign are to:

• Increase commercial vehicle traffic enforcement activity;

• Increase non-commercial vehicle traffic enforcement activity;

• Increase safety belt enforcement activity;

• Increase driver roadside inspections;

• Increase driver regulatory compliance;

• Implement commercial driver educational and awareness programs to the
motor carrier population; and,

• Increase the awareness to the motoring public about safe operations around
commercial motor vehicles.

“Through Operation Safe Driver, CVSA and our partners in law enforcement aim
to take enforcement action against unsafe and fatigued commercial drivers and non-
commercial drivers operating in an unsafe manner around commercial drivers, and to
raise the awareness of the motoring public about the hazards of operating around
commercial vehicles,” said Stephen F. Campbell, CVSA’s Executive Director.
“Improving highway safety for commercial vehicle operations starts with the driver and
focusing attention on the importance of safe driving and proper driving techniques are
critical to making our highways safer. In addition, the motor carrier industry plays an
important role and we encourage them to implement proactive steps to ensure their
drivers are well rested, buckle up and do proper trip planning to make it to their
destinations safely.”

“It is important to share the road responsibly with other vehicles, including
commercial motor vehicles. Drivers of passenger vehicles need to understand how
commercial motor vehicles operate and know their limitations. Sharing the road
responsibly will mean safer drivers and fewer deaths and injuries on our nation’s
roadways,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Chairman of the Governors Highway Safety
Association.

CVSA is an international not-for-profit organization comprised of local, state,
provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials and industry
representatives from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Our mission is to promote
commercial motor vehicle safety and security by providing leadership to enforcement,
industry and policy makers. In addition, CVSA has several hundred associate members
who are committed to helping the Alliance achieve its goals; uniformity, compatibility
and reciprocity of commercial vehicle inspections, and enforcement activities throughout
North America by individuals dedicated to highway safety and security. For more on
CVSA visit www.cvsa.org.

Career schools a growing part of upper-level education

From http://www.examiner.com/a-977325~Career_schools_a_growing_part_of_upper_level_education.html :

BALTIMORE, MD (Map, News) - Career and technical schools make up the fastest-growing segment of higher education as more adults decide four-year universities aren’t for them, and the stigma dismissing for-profit institutions as diploma mills fades.

From 2005 to 2006, the number of bachelor’s degrees granted at colleges grew 2 percent, while technical schools jumped 20 percent, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

“There is still a place for schools that teach liberal arts where students find out who they are, but for those people who know what they want to be, like a nurse, or a worker in hospitality or criminal justice, they see our schools as preparing them for that occupation,” said Harris Miller, president of the Career College Association.

Thomas Bien, 30, of Catonsville, enrolled at ITT Technical Institute in Owings Mills for the practical, hands-on experience of learning data communications and system technologies.

“We’re not just working from books; we have an overall knowledge of how it’s supposed to work,” he said. “It’s a laid-back atmosphere. I’m not scared to ask a question. The instructors are always available, and I can go to them at any time.”

Wanting to make more money, Dustin Witherite, 22, of Reisterstown, enrolled at ITT, where he studies information security systems.

Maryland has more than 100 career and technical schools, according to Kris Marino, executive manager of the Maryland Association of Private Colleges and Career Schools.

Nationally, most students attending for-profit schools are working adults in their mid-20s and 30s who want a career change or to earn more money by getting a post-secondary degree, industry leaders say. More than a third of them are minorities, totaling 37 percent, compared with traditional schools’ 24 percent.

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CVTA Mid West Regional Meeting - Nov. 30

REGIONAL PRELIMINARY AGENDA

November 30, 2007

Indianapolis, IN

Marriott Indianapolis North

Make plans to attend now.

A few of the topics to be discussed:

Best Practice Techniques for Instructors & for Recruiting
Instructor Certification
Mandatory Training

To view a preliminary agenda of the Mid-West Regional metting, click here. (Link no longer works)

CVTA Supports GetTrucking.com

"Top 10 Signs You're Ready To Be A Trucker"

That's the headline on GetTrucking.com, a new website geared primarily toward helping people determine if trucking would be a good career for them, and then showing them the right path to take if it is.

With statements like "[If] your commute to your job is more interesting than your job", you know the site is 10 Signs You Should Be A Trucker well written and will resonate with its intended target audience. It certainly makes one want to read further. Of the many trucking related websites that spring up everyday, this is one to watch.

Visit Get Trucking for yourself. We're sure you'll agree that it is a great starting place for people interested thinking about truck driving as a career.

Senate Blocks Funding / Mexican Trucks

The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday (Sept. 11) to block funding for a Bush administration test program to let Mexican long-haul trucks operate in the United States under 1994's North American Free Trade Agreement.

One day after a fiery truck accident killed dozens in Mexico, the Senate approved an amendment to a transportation spending bill that would cut off funding for the test, which the administration authorized last week to run for one year.

The House of Representatives has passed a similar measure.

The White House on Tuesday threatened to veto the broad transportation bill because it would spend more money than President George W. Bush requested. It said the administration opposes any restrictions on the cross-border trucking program.

The administration said "it has the necessary safeguards in place to ensure a safe and secure program."

A tractor-trailer loaded with explosives blew up in a huge fireball on Monday after hitting a pickup truck in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. At least 29 people were killed.

Calling the accident a warning to proceed cautiously, North Dakota Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan led the effort to deny funding for the program.

Dorgan questioned Mexican truck safety rules, as well as the handling of the test by the Bush administration, which he said "rushed to implement the pilot program late last week -- literally in the dark of night."

He said the Transportation Department authorized the program too quickly, despite a report that found numerous problems with Mexican truck safety records.

Dorgan said the vote against the program was "a turning of the tide on the senseless, headlong rush this country has been engaged in for some time to dismantle safety standards and a quality of life it took generations to achieve."

The pilot program involves both Mexican trucks operating in the United States and U.S. trucks being allowed to operate in Mexico, within limits on both sides.

Arizona Republican Sen. John Kyl, defending the program in Senate floor debate, said the test would involve a maximum of 100 Mexican companies and 500 to 600 trucks on U.S. roads.

"It is worth giving this program a chance ... It is much more efficient and much cheaper for American consumers if those Mexican trucks can travel in the United States," Kyl said.

Missouri Republican Christopher Bond said, "There is some strong support for allowing these trucks to run in the United States." He cited a letter of support for the program from agribusiness interests that said NAFTA promises the program.

John Hill, an administrator in the Transportation Department, called the vote to block the program "a sad victory for the politics of fear and protectionism."

Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown compared pressure to open up U.S. roads to Mexican trucks to the kind of free-trade pressures that opened U.S. markets to tainted food and toys from China "because it serves multinational corporations."

Brown said, "This pilot program doesn't make sense ... Too often in this chamber we write trade deals that ignore consumers and coddle corporations."

On the overall transportation bill, the Senate approved on Monday an amendment providing $1 billion more for bridge renovations nationwide after last month's collapse of a span in Minnesota and fears that other U.S. bridges were unsound.

Washington (Associated Press)

TL Carrier Turnover Rates - Slightly Down

The line-haul driver turnover rate among large for-hire truckload carriers -- fleets with at least $30 million in annual revenue -- experienced its first quarterly decrease in a year during the 2007 second quarter, the American Trucking Associations reported Tuesday, Sept. 18. Driver turnover is for employee, over-the-road, line-haul drivers only and does not include local drivers such as for port operations.

ATA, which began collecting driver turnover statistics in 1995, reported that turnover for large TL carriers was at a 116 percent annual rate during the quarter, down from a rate of 127 percent in the first quarter of the year. “Soft freight volumes and looser capacity during the quarter likely helped lower the rate of turnover,” says ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “However, the rate still remains high and hasn't been below 100 percent since the fourth quarter of 2002.”

Small TL carriers -- fleets with less than $30 million in annual revenue -- saw their average turnover rate decrease to 90 percent, marking the lowest annualized rate in 2 years; this is the first time that the small fleet turnover rate has been below 100 percent since the third quarter of 2005. The less-than-truckload (LTL) line-haul driver annualized turnover rate was just 13 percent during the 2007 second quarter, compared with 14 percent in the previous three-month period.

Both large TL and LTL fleets experienced reductions in total employment during the second quarter of this year, a trend that started during the fourth quarter of 2006 for the TL sector and in the first quarter of 2007 for the LTL industry. As freight has softened, both large TL and LTL carriers have tried to “right-size” their operations, ATA says. The small TL carriers had essentially no change in total employment during the quarter.

By CCJ Staff

Large TL driver turnover down 11% in 2Q, ATA says

By CCJ Staff

The line-haul driver turnover rate among large for-hire truckload carriers -- fleets with at least $30 million in annual revenue -- experienced its first quarterly decrease in a year during the 2007 second quarter, the American Trucking Associations reported Tuesday, Sept. 18. Driver turnover is for employee, over-the-road, line-haul drivers only and does not include local drivers such as for port operations.

ATA, which began collecting driver turnover statistics in 1995, reported that turnover for large TL carriers was at a 116 percent annual rate during the quarter, down from a rate of 127 percent in the first quarter of the year. “Soft freight volumes and looser capacity during the quarter likely helped lower the rate of turnover,” says ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “However, the rate still remains high and hasn't been below 100 percent since the fourth quarter of 2002.”

Small TL carriers -- fleets with less than $30 million in annual revenue -- saw their average turnover rate decrease to 90 percent, marking the lowest annualized rate in 2 years; this is the first time that the small fleet turnover rate has been below 100 percent since the third quarter of 2005. The less-than-truckload (LTL) line-haul driver annualized turnover rate was just 13 percent during the 2007 second quarter, compared with 14 percent in the previous three-month period.

Both large TL and LTL fleets experienced reductions in total employment during the second quarter of this year, a trend that started during the fourth quarter of 2006 for the TL sector and in the first quarter of 2007 for the LTL industry. As freight has softened, both large TL and LTL carriers have tried to “right-size” their operations, ATA says. The small TL carriers had essentially no change in total employment during the quarter.

That Truck Driver You Flipped Off?

From the Star Tribune

That Truck Driver You Flipped Off? Let Me Tell You His Story.

Article by: DAN HANSON
Updated: August 3, 2011 - 9:53 AM

Let me tell you a little about the truck driver you just flipped off because he was passing another truck, and you had to cancel the cruise control and slow down until he completed the pass and moved back over.

His truck is governed to 68 miles an hour, because the company he leases it from believes it keeps him and the public and the equipment safer.

The truck he passed was probably running under 65 mph to conserve fuel. You see, the best these trucks do for fuel economy is about 8 miles per gallon. With fuel at almost $4 per gallon -- well, you do the math. And, yes, that driver pays for his own fuel.

He needs to be 1,014 miles from where he loaded in two days. And he can't fudge his federally mandated driver log, because he no longer does it on paper; he is logged electronically.

He can drive 11 hours in a 14-hour period; then he must take a 10-hour break. And considering that the shipper where he loaded held him up for five hours because it is understaffed, he now needs to run without stopping for lunch and dinner breaks.

If he misses his delivery appointment, he will be rescheduled for the next day, because the receiver has booked its docks solid (and has cut staff to a minimum). That means the driver sits, losing 500-plus miles for the week. Which means his profit will be cut, and he will take less money home to his family. Most of these guys are gone 10 days, and home for a day and a half, and take home an average of $500 a week if everything goes well.

You can't tell by looking at him, but two hours ago he took a call informing him that his only sister was involved in a car accident, and though everything possible was done to save her, she died. They had flown her to a trauma hospital in Detroit, but it was too late.

He hadn't seen her since last Christmas, but they talked on the phone every week. The load he is pulling is going to Atlanta, and he will probably not be able to get to the funeral.

His dispatcher will do everything possible to get him there, but the chances are slim. So he has hardly noticed your displeasure at having to slow down for him. It's not that he doesn't care; he's just numb.

Everything you buy at the store and everything you order online moves by truck. Planes and trains can't get it to your house or grocery store. We are dependent on trucks to move product from the airport and the rail yards to the stores and our homes.

Every day, experienced and qualified drivers give it up because the government, the traffic and the greedycompanies involved in trucking have drained their enthusiasm for this life. They take a job at a factory if they can find it, and are replaced by an inexperienced youngster dreaming of the open road. This inexperience leads to late deliveries, causing shortages and higher prices at the store, and crashes that lead to unnecessary deaths. It is even possible that is what led to the death of this driver's sister.

This is a true story; it happened last week. The driver's name is Harold, and I am his dispatcher.

Dan Hanson, of Belle Plaine, Minn., is a fleet manager.