Trucking News
It’s busy times in trucking. Yeah, it’s always is pretty hectic. But with the recent Hos changes, the beginning of winter, and a surge in Coronavirus – it just feels a little more hectic this year.
So, we’re bringing you some trucking headlines in case you missed it.
Winter Trucking
10 things you can do to have a safe trip this winter – Winter weather can bring extra dangers, especially to truck drivers spending hours on the road at a time. While it’s best to avoid hazardous conditions, you may not always have a choice. No matter where your route takes you, you need to be prepared and know how to drive safely with snow or ice.
Winter – Mother Nature’s Ultimate Road Test – InBritish Columbia, the chances of being injured or killed in a motor vehicle incident (MVI) dramatically increases during the winter driving season (October 1st to April 30th).
Winter means things in different parts of the province. From rain and fog, to snow and ice, make sure you’re ready for whatever is in store for B.C. this winter. Prepare now to stay safe on the roads this winter.
Prepare for uncertain winter weather with these apps – Regardless of the season, the savvy trucker always has a weather eye open and consults the forecast for where they’re going as they do their trip planning.
Trucking Health
A truck driver’s guide to masks, gloves and cleaning during Covid-19 – The Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety is recommending a series of best practices when it comes to masks, gloves and safety protocols for transportation employees such as truck drivers.
Cross-border truck drivers don’t need to wait 14 days for doctor visits, college says – Essential workers like truck drivers are not required to quarantine for 14 days after returning to Canada, even though the rule applies to other people entering the country.
Wendy’s considers going drive-thru only, cutting out their trucker customers – The problem posed for the trucking community by closed restaurant dining rooms was highlighted during the early days of the Coronavirus crisis when many states required restaurants to close their dine-in options. Truckers who were providing the toilet paper, hamburger, and other desperately needed items to grocery stores found themselves struggling to find a meal. The problem was so acute that some local police departments actually stepped in to try make sure that truckers passing through their cities were fed.
Continuing proliferation of self-serve mobile tech reducing in-person contact at truck stops – Long before the pandemic, truck stops and franchise outlets were using mobile apps for order-and-pay food service as well as parking and shower reservations. Now, with an incentive for drivers and truck stop operators to minimize interpersonal contact, such tech-based innovations are more in demand. With their built-in efficiencies, even apart from pandemic concerns, there’s no reason to expect a reversal in their market penetrations.
Trucking Health
Are Your Drivers Getting Enough Sleep? – NSF says drowsy driving is reaching epidemic proportions in 2020, with an estimated 100,000 police-reported crashes involving drowsy driving every year in the U.S. According to one report from the Governors Highway Safety Association, an estimated 5,000 people died in 2015 in crashes involving drowsy driving.
Driver talks about the struggle of trucking with mental illness in video – MisFit Trucker opened up to the trucking world about his journey of coping with mental illness while on the road. He shared a video to You Tube about his struggle with attention defecit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), and bipolar disorder.
Trucking Safety
Ontario to invest in northern rest areas – The province of Ontario has committed to building four new rest areas in Northern Ontario and will also expand or repair 10 existing facilities.
Coming soon: Better ONroute truck stops – Truck stop operator ONroute is taking a series of measures to improve the customer experience at its sites, and that will include more food choices and parking spaces.
‘If I go over 3 hours on a break, does it count against my 14?’ – More questions and answers about new HOS regs.
Brake Safety Week Places More than 5,000 Trucks Out of Service – According to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, this year’s Brake Safety Week saw 12% of the 43,565 commercial motor vehicles inspected placed out of service for brake-related violations.
On the Lighter Side
This song is being called ‘the anthem of 2020 for the truckers, the outlaws, and the cowboys’ – Automobile movie icon John Schneider is back with an instant hit song for all of you outlaw truckers out there.
