Buck Black, founder of TruckerTherapy.com, knew he wanted to become a therapist when he was in fifth grade. Buck says about how he got started, “I have always enjoyed helping people and talking with people. The more I studied psychology, the more interested I became. Once I started volunteering at a crisis hotline, I was hooked.”

Buck’s educational background includes a Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) from Indiana University. Buck adds, “I earned my Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University (Lafayette, Indiana campus), where I double majored in Psychology and Sociology with a minor in Computer Technology. In addition, I have received training on a variety of clinical subjects including anger management, anxiety, couples counseling, codependency, personality disorders, PTSD and various types of sexual issues. I continue to learn more about counseling and therapy by participating in anger management workshops and various trainings, as well as reading and lecturing about various topics related to counseling and online coaching.”

Most therapists only work with their clients face to face; Buck did too for a while. Then he had several truckers as clients and quickly learned that with their erratic schedules, they missed many appointments. Buck knew the importance of those truckers continuing with their therapy so came up with the idea of offering phone and Skype counseling. It worked so well for those driver clients that Buck started TruckerTherapy.com to offer those services to more drivers.

There is a difference though between face-to-face counseling and phone or Skype work. “Services are a bit different over Skype. I think the biggest challenge is the client’s quality of equipment (mike, camera, computer, and internet connection stability/speed) and the occasional unavoidable technical glitches. Therefore, that is something you usually do not have to deal with in an office setting. I always give my clients my phone number and keep my phone next to my computer when doing a session. If the connection fails, the phone is a good backup.” Buck relates.

“The phone obviously cuts out the body language, but is still quite effective.” He adds. “I encourage my clients to stop me if they disagree with what I am saying. Sometimes, there is a miscommunication; maybe the phone broke up or I used the wrong choice of words. This cannot be addressed if the client does not speak up. I believe there is a good sense of relationship between the client and me when using Skype or phone; however, the client must want to use Skype or phone. If the client does not like the technology, then the relationship would be very difficult to form. I do continue my in-office practice for those truckers who can make it to Lafayette Indiana and of course, my non trucking clients.”

Truck drivers are under a tremendous amount of stress from the job and from being away from home so much, this can lead to mental health issues. This is such a common problem that the FMCSA Medical Review Board has suggested regulations be enacted so that doctors performing DOT physicals look for signs of depression.

Buck says, “if you are having issues that you are not dealing well with, contact me or another licensed therapist to help you. If the person is in emergency crisis and is suicidal or homicidal, or has a chronic mental illness, distant services probably are not the best options. I screen each client to ensure his or her goals are attainable over the phone or with Skype. If I feel there may need to be a need for emergency services or a high level of care, then I refer the client to face-to-face therapy, but either way, I will try to assist in getting a driver the help he or she needs.”

Buck Black’s appointments can be adjusted to accommodate a truck driver’s schedule. “I take “call ins,” like “walk-ins” for lack of a better term, Monday through Friday; however, I’m usually booked all day long, so I cannot accommodate this very often. I am able to guarantee an appointment within two business days or it is free except for when my voicemail and website states I am on vacation. I work until 10pm ET and I am usually able to be talked into a Sunday evening appointment.” He laughs.

Though Buck does accept some insurance plans, most insurance companies will not pay for phone or Skype counseling. However, the cost per session is not exorbitant, only $50.00, not a great amount to spend per session for a driver to get their lives back on track. Furthermore, by working on a cash basis, the only person who will see a driver’s file is Buck himself, no reporting to insurance companies or the driver’s carrier.

Buck invites every driver who is having mental health issues to visit TruckerTherapy.com and check out the site for more information. He will tell anyone that truckers give so much of themselves to do their job that he feels that he should assist them when he can. It is a novel concept, someone wanting to help truck drivers; Buck Black has come up with a way to do so.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

On February 6, 2012, a meeting was held between the FMCSA Medical Review Board and the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee to discuss, once again, sleep apnea, BMI and truck drivers. The upshot of that meeting, citing the possibility of fatigue related accidents, is that drivers with a BMI (body mass index) of 35 or more will have to have a mandatory sleep study done if the FMCSA takes the recommendations to regulation. This though studies and statistics show that fatigue is related to approximately 1.4% of all truck related crashes. What is really going on?

Health

It is a fact that Americans are growing larger in both height and weight. Three of the major factors in an increase of weight are availability of food, decrease of physical activity and a prevalence of car usage. However, there are other factors; (from wikidpedia.com) “(1) insufficient sleep, (2) endocrine disruptors (environmental pollutants that interfere with lipid metabolism), (3) decreased variability in ambient temperature, (4) decreased rates of smoking, because smoking suppresses appetite, (5) increased use of medications that can cause weight gain (e.g., atypical antipsychotics)…” Then there is stress.

Stress causes an increase in a hormone called cortisol that can cause obesity. People’s bodies, those who experience high levels of work related stress, release cortisol in response to the ‘flight or fight’ factors found in the brain. Cortisol causes excess belly fat. A study done on the difference between regular shift workers and irregular shift truck drivers shows a marked increase in cortisol production for irregular shift truck drivers.

Sleep apnea is the current disease du jour and much has been written on this condition. While obese people are perhaps more susceptible to developing sleep apnea, it is not only fat people who do get it; many are susceptible. “According to the American Sleep Apnea Association (quoted at yahoo voices), people who are at a “normal” weight (with a BMI of less than 25) are at a 16.4 percent risk of sleep apnea. People who are “overweight” (with a BMI of 25 to 30) are at a 38.1 percent risk of sleep apnea, while those who are “obese” (with a BMI of more than 30) are at a 45.5 percent risk of sleep apnea. Other factors that can cause sleep apnea are high blood pressure, being over the age of 65, being male, a large neck circumference, alcohol, tranquilizer and sedative use, smoking, sitting for long periods of time, stroke, brain tumor or heart disorders.”

Safety

In a webinar presented by Ralph Craft, Ph.D., Senior Transportation Specialist, FMCSA Office of Analysis, Research, and Technology (ART) with Kirse Kelly, Web Conference Host, FMCSA ART, Kelly spoke about misconceptions involved in large truck crash statistics. In the presentation, Kelly stated, “Being unable to perform the task of driving means you are asleep, you are in diabetic shock so you can’t drive, or you have had a heart attack, or passed out, or any other medical condition that hits you and now you are no longer able to perform the task of driving.” Notice that being obese was not mentioned.

Finland did a study on truck crash causation as did the FMCSA using statistics from the Michigan State Patrol, neither showed a predominance of fatigue as factors causing the accidents cited. Finland 2%, Michigan 2.4%. Overall, accidents involving commercial vehicles has gone down and stayed relatively flat over the last 3 years.

Money

Sleep apnea is a big business ticket. NPR reports, “Medicare payments for sleep testing increased from $62 million in 2001 to $235 million in 2009, according to the Office of the Inspector General.” In the same report, “Dr. Fred Holt, an expert on fraud and abuse and a medical director of Blue Cross Blue Shield in North Carolina, says some patients aren’t having basic exams done first and are therefore being prescribed expensive tests they don’t need. Not everyone who snores has a chronic disorder, he says. In other cases, Holt says, the labs prescribe CPAP machines right away without first suggesting other strategies that could reduce apnea, such as losing weight or sleeping on your side.”

Sleep apnea became an issue under the first head of the FMCSA’s Medical Review Board Barbara Phillips, M.D. who was also the Chair of the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). NSF receives funding from sources including foundations, corporations and federal agencies. Dr. Phillips has also been affiliated with Astra Zeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, ResMed, and Sanofi-Aventis; has participated as a consultant for Ogden, Newell & Welch, PLLC; has received speaking honoraria from Boehringer-Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Cephalon, JewishHeart Lung Institutes, Orphan Medical, Pfizer, ResMed, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Swedish Medical Center, and Sepracor.

Today’s head of the Medical Review Board is Benjamin H. Hoffman, M.D. M.P.H. (Texas) who is the Global Chief Medical Officer at GE Energy. GE Energy develops and markets sleep apnea aid parts.

A sleep study costs between $2,000-3,000.00. A C-PAP machine, the only corrective device suggested by the Medical Review Board, can cost over $5,000.00. Some insurance companies pay for the studies and machines, some do not.

Summary

It is true that obesity is on the rise overall in America. It is true that there are many factors that cause a truck driver and others to be obese. It is true that obesity can cause health issues such as sleep apnea. It is true that many who are not obese may suffer from sleep apnea. It is untrue that sleep apnea or fatigue causes a substantial amount of unsafe driving among truck drivers. It is very true that there is a huge amount of money to be made from the promotion of regulations requiring truck drivers to have to take mandatory sleep studies using BMI as an indicator. Therefore, it is true that it is about money.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

Hair follicle testing allows testing for drug use for up to a year previously though the trucking industry says it will only test back 90 days. To do the test, anyone trained to do so may take 50 to 120 strands of hair, preferably from the head but other body hair will work also, and then seal those hairs into an envelope and send it to the laboratory for testing. The follicle test is thought of as more accurate than urine testing being able to detect substances dating back 1 month for every 1/2 inch of hair tested. Drugs tested for by federal mandate are Cocaine (Cocaine and Benzoylecgonine), Marijuana, Opiates (Codeine, Morphine and 6-Monacteyl Morphine), Methamphetamine (Methamphetamine/Amphetamine & Ecstasy), and Phencyclidine (PCP).

A few of the reasons stated for adapting hair follicle testing over the common urine testing are that the company can see drug use further back in a person’s history, the hair can be collected at the business instead of an employee going to the clinic thereby saving time and productivity, and increased highway safety. A few people are concerned about urine testing due to hygiene concerns where they may urinate on their hands while using the cup and not able to wash their hands until they return to the lab.

In June of 2011, Gordon Klemp, president of the National Transportation Institute (NTI) said that carriers who have adopted hair follicle testing have had a 10% increase in applicants failing the hair follicle test though they passed the urine test. Klemp went on to say that in his opinion, hair follicle testing would also lead to a further driver shortage. “Roughly 25 percent of the driver work force has exited the industry during the past 10 years as a result of demographic and health issues, Klemp said. The NTI, which Klemp founded 16 years ago, conducts periodic studies of truck driver availability, compensation, and turnover, among other topics.”

Urine testing for drugs costs approximately $40 a test, hair follicle testing costs approximately $150.00.
There are drawbacks to hair follicle testing. If a root is attached to the hair collected, DNA on the person may be obtained. According to DrugTestingNetwork.com, hair tests provide “nearly twice the number of positives as urine testing,” but they are not infallible because “after a drug is used, it takes about 7-10 days for the hair containing the drug to grow out of the scalp enough to be cut. Therefore, the hair test will not include drugs used in the week prior to the test.”

False returns can occur, According to a U.S. Army study, the amount of secondhand cannabis smoke needed to cause a false positive result (failure) is quite large indeed, and would require being sealed in an unventilated car or small room filled with marijuana smokers for several hours. Hair testing however is a different matter, particularly with passive exposure to crack/cocaine, which can deposit onto hair and be readily incorporated into it. Though for cannabis, typically only metabolites (produced by the body and thus not found in smoke) are tested rather than THC, so failure is unlikely to result from non-extreme passive exposure.

From EHow.com: “Medical research described in the publication titled “Drug Testing In Hair” reveals a potential bias that appears to be inherent in hair-follicle testing. According to these findings, hair belonging to people of Caucasian ancestry, particularly blond hair, does not retain drug metabolites as well as that belonging to people of other ancestries. Such findings open the possibility of future litigation as the previous drug practices of non-Caucasians would be detectable and punishable for longer periods of time.”

While drug testing has been around since Ronald Reagan enacted drug testing in the workplace laws for safety related employees such as airline pilots and truck drivers and will continue to be done in pre-employment and random scenarios, drug testing has spread throughout industry and business. Many feel that drug testing is invasive and goes into a person’s private lives too far. It is a moot point, illegal drug use is just that, illegal, it does not matter how a person is found out; though I would rather pee in a cup rather than lose 50 to 120 strands of hair each time my name came up.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

Freight Cargo Map of the United States

- / N2N / – I have an acquaintance who owns a small, non-asset third party logistics (3PL) company.  He is constantly complaining to me about how cutthroat the transportation business is and how his customers and vendors are always cheating him out of money.  He spends a great deal of time trying to collect money and often ends up having to sue companies in order to get them to pay.

I’ve been involved in the transportation industry for a little over three years now and I can tell you that my experience has been exactly the opposite of that of my friend’s.  In three years I haven’t had a single customer stiff me for so much as a penny.  Sure, there’ve been a few slow-pays, but that’s to be expected.  In these 3 years I’ve met a lot of good people and I now consider many of them to be friends.

As a consultant that helps companies get C-TPAT certified my primary customers are importers, NVOCC’s (non vessel operating common carriers / international freight forwarders), U.S. Customs Brokers and Cross-Border Highway Carriers.  I also offer a program called “C-TPAT Compliant” for those companies that aren’t eligible for C-TPAT certification such as draymen, customs bonded warehouses, domestic trucking companies, most 3PL’s and domestic shipping and distribution companies. I think that’s a pretty good cross-section of the industry.  Even so, I’ve never encountered anyone who’s tried to cheat me.

Maybe I’ve just been lucky or maybe I’m just plain naive.  But what about you?  I’d be very interested to hear about your experiences.  I’m sure there are probably a lot of horror stories out there, but I’ll bet there are also some nice stories about transportation companies watching out for each other and stepping up to do the right thing.

——

Jeff Platts is the president of Combination Sales, Inc., a consulting firm with locations in California & New York.  Jeff can be contacted at 714-788-1531 or jeff@combinationsales.com.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  contact@nation2nation.net.

By Sandy Long
- / N2N / – There is a lot of talk these days about how to make women more comfortable about entering male dominated fields. Leveling the playing fields so that any job is available to any gender in today’s economy makes a lot of sense; but how does one make anyone comfortable in entering any profession?
When I entered trucking, way back when, the predominant idea about women in male dominated jobs was that we would not be able to do the job, that our hormones would control us and that we would not hold up under the conditions both mental and physical demanded at that time in trucking.

Women who were hired back then and who persevered, did not get emotional once a month or anytime else unless angered, did the job without asking for quarter and kept any stress related issues to themselves and just dealt with them. Women who could not do the above, did not last long.
Sexual harassment was rampant back then too though not expressed in that term when I first climbed in my first truck. It was not uncommon for a lead seat to sleep with their female second seats…therefore many of us would not run with someone that we would not have a relationship with. Of course, the equipment back then was not conducive to private sleeping arrangements; single bunk cabovers, though some of us figured out how to sleep head to toe with our co-drivers.

Some safety directors or personnel directors would expect sexual favors for a woman to move up to second seat or to go solo, we fought those types of behavior. One must remember though that back then, before AIDS and sexual harassment laws, society as a whole was still in the free love ideal, trucking was no different and we women back then understood human nature too. We knew some men were most likely going to try something with us of an intimate nature and we learned quickly how to handle those times with humor and at times aggression.
Today, in trucking, companies want to hire women for many reasons; safety, performance and care of the equipment are just a few of the reasons. Women have moved up the corporate ladder and brought understanding to the boardrooms that women are not the weak, emotional creatures we were once thought of as being. Equipment has changed to be more female (and smaller male) friendly as has the fingerprinting of loads off and on the trailers, we can easily hire lumpers now days. Have ideas changed in reality though?
Women are now entering trucking that are vastly different than those of us who entered back in the day…the 1960’s and ‘70’s. With the poor image of truckers as a whole promoted by insurance companies, lawyers and the media in general, women, who are very aware of sexual harassment laws, enter trucking and look for obstacles such as predatory behavior, sexual harassment and discrimination. At times, they perceive those things where they actually do not exist. Women have forgotten human nature, it appears, in that they do not understand the difference between a driver being interested in them personally and a safety director asking for sexual favors to keep their job.

Many women today want to be treated differently because they are women in male dominated fields. I have heard women saying they want everything from front row reserved parking at truck stops to separate truckstops all together for women only. Some do not think they should have to go to certain places because it is unsafe, though they think it ok that men should go there. Some are so fearful that they want to carry guns or mace even before they get out on the road from trucking school, they think all male drivers are predators.
Women of this type do perpetuate the myth of long ago that women cannot do the job as well as men and may be too emotional or find the stress too great to stay in the field. Companies are now afraid of the sexual harassment suits that are brought by women and some are scrambling to defend themselves against them. Even our male peers are afraid to say good morning to a lady driver because of fear of being called in on for just being polite. Trucking has not changed enough for only women to train women or for women to only deal with other women.
To make women more comfortable in entering the trucking, or any other male dominated field, education is the key. Education of both genders that is. Straight honest information beginning in the trucking schools and ending with companies and recruiters would be a good start. That education should point out the human factors that one will meet in working with the opposite gender, what exactly sexual harassment or discrimination means and how to deal with it to begin with; then further education of company personnel on how to treat everyone equally and with respect to finish off with.

In addition, straight facts on how in actuality many women of both genders are victims of crime especially by other drivers instead of making women fearful of their brother drivers should be taught and talked about.

Women entering a male dominated field have to learn that they have to fit into the field, not the field change to fit them; there is a job to be done and whether one is a male or a female, that job is the same and is done the same way. Problems only enter in on the human level and those sometimes are just nature and the way the genders differ. Any woman who enters any male dominated profession or field has to accept some hard facts about the job too. No, it might not be comfortable until you prove yourself one of the guys and that you can do the job with the rest of them, you will have to have on leather gloves instead of kid gloves to handle some of what you will find. Then you will be comfortable and succeed…if you want to badly enough.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

- / N2N / – May of 2007, Ellen Voie founded the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) with a dream of making the industry better for women and all drivers. After four years, WIT and Ellen Voie have come a long way.

With over 1600 members comprised of both drivers, carriers and others in the trucking industry, WIT has become a ‘go to’ association for people to contact for information about driver’s issues, obstacles facing women in the trucking industry and about the increasing role of women within trucking. Ms Voie has met with FMCSA’s Anne Ferro, DOT’s Ray LaHood and NTSB’s Debra Hersman among others in Washington D.C. and is working with the Department of Justice on getting a crisis line in place for drivers in trouble with trainers or who have other major issues.

This year brought the second annual Salute to the Women Behind the Wheel event in Louisville KY at the Mid American Trucking Show. NTSB Chairperson Hersman was scheduled to speak at the event and Ms Voie was implemental in Ms Hersman making the journey to Louisville by truck, some driven by WIT members. During the event, WIT’s driver advisory committee, along with America’s Road Team met privately with Ms Hersman to talk about highway safety from the driver’s point of view.

WIT’s mission statement is “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”; Ms Voie is using the current interest in women’s issues to address issues faced by all drivers. After years of work and research, Ms Voie recently completed a white paper about training protocols for WIT’s corporate members concerning abuse by some trainers of their trainees of both genders.

What is next for WIT in the future? Under Ms Voie’s capable leadership, the sky is the limit, but be assured that she will continue taking WIT forward to put faces to the women who work in the trucking industry and to assist in any way the association can to remove obstacles facing women who want to advance within trucking.
By Sandy Long, ladygodiva1953@att.net

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

- / N2N / – UPS (NYSE: UPS) has activated its newly-created Logistics Action Teams (LAT) to support the American Red Cross’s relief efforts for victims of the recent tornadoes in the southeastern United States.

Additionally, the company pledged an additional $100,000 to its original $500,000 commitment to the American Red Cross and made a $50,000 contribution to the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of the Red Cross, also earmarked for emergency relief for tornado victims.

LATs were established in January to leverage UPS’s transportation network, logistics expertise and far-reaching employee volunteer base for the benefit of the Red Cross during natural disasters and emergencies. The LAT approach was modeled after the World Food Programme’s Logistics Emergency Teams, which utilize logistics experts from private companies like UPS in times of crisis. This is the first deployment of a UPS LAT team, one of four created so far and assigned to the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter. In addition to Atlanta, UPS has trained LAT teams to work with the Red Cross in San Francisco, Houston and Louisiana.

In addition to the Atlanta team’s efforts, UPS also is managing emergency supply shipments to Alabama and Mississippi for the Red Cross’s national office.

“The UPS Logistics Action Team has been invaluable to our tornado relief operation,” said Nancy Brockway, Chief Emergency Services Officer for Metro Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross. “Their expertise has helped us be more efficient in transporting meals and supplies to the families who so desperately need them.”

Mark Krause, a UPS operations division manager, is working directly with the Red Cross’s Logistics Command Center in Atlanta. His current assignment is working with the local Red Cross Bulk Distribution Manager to help coordinate relief efforts in Georgia. Projects underway include:

• Bulk distribution of clean-up supplies to the hardest hit areas.
• Pick-up and delivery of hot meals to fixed feeding sites.
• Transportation of documents, equipment and supplies from warehouses to service delivery sites.
• Operation of daily pick-up and delivery routes between Red Cross warehouses and affected areas.

This week, UPS volunteers saw the benefits of recent donations of time and labor. On April 15 in Atlanta, the employees on their day off cut huge donated linoleum sheeting for use to protect school gymnasium floors used for shelters. That sheeting has been delivered to schools around the region.

UPSers also got a “thank you” from the mayor of Geiger, Ala., who asked UPS to lend the town two 53-foot trailers to protect personal items that were retrieved after the storms.

The Red Cross partnership and recent activation in the Southeast are extensions of The UPS Foundation’s innovative use of logistics experts for humanitarian relief around the globe.

Yuki Muramatsu, UPS Japan, has been assigned to the World Food Programme Logistics Emergency Team (LET) in Tokyo to support relief efforts for earthquake victims there. She began on March 23 and continues to serve as the LET lead coordinator, responsible for handling all incoming relief shipments for the WFP including warehouse management, customs clearance and transportation to the impacted areas.

Other recent UPS humanitarian relief activities include grants to the Red Cross of Columbia (Cruz Roja Colombiana) after extensive floods and mudslides; shipments of relief supplies to refugees in Tunisia and Liberia for CARE and the UNHCR, respectively, and continued shipping of goods for Japan relief efforts.

About The UPS Foundation
Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a legacy as a caring and responsible corporate citizen, supporting programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs. Founded in 1951, The UPS Foundation, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2011, is responsible for facilitating employee involvement in the local, national and global communities. In 2010, UPS and its employees, active and retired, invested more than $95 million in charitable giving around the world. The UPS Foundation, which has urgent humanitarian relief as part of its core focus giving areas, can be found on the web at UPS.com/foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

Mexican Truck Stop at Sunset

- / N2N / – It is amazing that the United States of America bows down to economic pressures from a third world country to allow hundreds, if not thousands, of foreign trucks and their drivers into the country to take freight out of US driver’s trailers. This after the American people, and congress, spoke and stopped the initial Mexican Border Pilot Program the first time. Mexico responded by placing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports. Under the new agreement, half the tariffs will be lifted as soon as the deal is signed, and the remainder once the first Mexican truck is allowed to enter the US. Some may call this tough politics, but it sure sounds like blackmail to me.

This new so called pilot program has a couple of new twists though. First off, companies who participated in the first pilot program will be allowed to add the time credited to them during that program to this program and can be give full authority to run in the US quickly under their own authority even if the pilot program is stopped once again.

While I do not necessarily agree that Mexican trucks or their drivers would be less safe than American trucks or truckers, I do think that by bringing Mexicans into the US to haul freight directly to and from shippers and receivers, American truckers will lose their jobs. With the current tight economy and freight situation, any addition of equipment to the supply and demand equation will tip the balance to the ones able to haul cheapest.

Part of the NAFTA agreement was that American truckers would have access to run in Mexico just like the Mexicans could run here; this is the same deal the US has with Canada. While thousands of American drivers and Canadian drivers cross the Canadian border, few if any want to cross the border into Mexico with their high crime rate, theft of equipment and drug wars not to mention their lousy infrastructure.

Another twist is that all Mexican trucks would be required to be equipped with EOBRs. Those are coming to the truck nearest and dearest to you too soon, but guess who is paying for the Mexican EOBRs; yep, the USA. The money will be taken out of the highway trust fund that US trucking companies and owner operators routinely pay into. The way I read it, the US will be paying for other things under the agreement so the Mexicans can come here and haul freight. Our government is paying someone to come in and take our jobs.

The ATA and the US Chamber of Commerce, and I am sure many corporations with operations in Mexico, are all for this latest border program. The ATA, made up of many large trucking companies with sister companies in Mexico are thinking that it will open up more freight and put more money in the company pockets due to the Mexicans hauling for cheaper rates. The US Chamber of Commerce thinks opening the border will increase commerce between the two countries. While they have not said, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what the large corporations are thinking. If they can cut out the middle drivers along the borders and the transfer warehouse costs; and get the Mexicans to haul the freight back and to from their factories south of the border into the US and back again at substantially reduced rates, their bottom-lines increase. Win win for everyone but the American trucker.

Makes one wonder what Mexico has that influences our government so greatly. Drugs? White slaves? Black market goods? Cheap labor force? Perhaps all of those things are a factor when one realizes the money the government pays itself for the trying to control those illegal things at least. There is something there though for our own government to go against so many people who don’t want the Mexican trucks here.

I am adding my voice to OOIDA’s and the Teamster’s voices; get out your ink pens, fire up those laptops and buy extra minutes on your cells and write, email and call your representatives once again about this border issue. Raise hell, tell them you won’t stand still for this. Do make sure to tell your representative that you will not be an accessory to a criminal act; the blackmailing of America. Speak out loudly and proudly as American truckers and let us put this down once and for all…again.

Sandy Long: ladygodiva1953@yahoo.com, http://www.sandylongsfaire.weebly.com

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

Washington, DC – / N2N / – BMI Corporation, a company in South Carolina, in partnership with the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has successfully developed a technology that will make semi trucks more fuel efficient with the potential to save millions of gallons of fuel. Utilizing the nation’s most powerful computer, BMI Corp designed a SmartTruck UnderTray System, a set of integrated aerodynamic fairings that improve the aerodynamics of 18-wheeler (Class long-haul trucks.  If all 1.3 million Class 8 trucks in the U.S. were configured with these components, companies could achieve annual savings of 1.5 billion gallons of diesel fuel – approximately equal to $5 billion in costs – and reductions of CO2 by 16.4 million tons.

“The Department of Energy’s supercomputers provide an enormous competitive advantage for the United States,” said Secretary Steven Chu.  “This is a great example of how investments in innovation can help lead the way to new jobs, new ways of cutting our carbon emissions, and new opportunities for America to succeed in the global marketplace.”

The work on ORNL’s Cray XT-5 “Jaguar” supercomputer shortened the computing turnaround time for BMI’s complex models from days to a few hours and eliminated the need for costly and time-consuming physical prototypes. In all, running simulations on Jaguar allowed BMI to go from concept to a design that could be turned over to a manufacturer in 18 months instead of the 3½ years they had anticipated.

With installation of BMI’s SmartTruck UnderTray System to improve the aerodynamics of Class 8 long-haul trucks, the typical big rig can achieve fuel savings of between 7 and 12 percent, easily meeting the new California Air Resources Board mandate that calls for a minimum mileage improvement of 5 percent.

BMI’s work with the Department was made possible through ORNL’s Industrial High-Performance Computing Partnerships Program, supported by the Department’s Office of Science. Through this effort, BMI was able to access Jaguar, which has a theoretical peak computational capability of 2.3 petaflops (2.3 quadrillion mathematical operations per second) making it more than 100,000 times more powerful than a typical home laptop.

Source = DOE

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

- / N2N / – In the latest issue of Landline Magazine is a letter to the editor from a friend of mine. In it he talks about how women are still treated in the industry at truck stops, shippers and receivers and among other places we all have to do business at or with. He is right in his contention that it should not happen that a woman driver is not waited on, served, talked to with respect or acknowledged as a professional driver. Things are better than they were 20-30 years ago, but there is still much room for improvement.

Some of we women drivers are working on making the changes we see as needed. Last fall, myself and several other of the Women In Trucking Association Driver Advisory Committee had a phone conference with the executives from the TA/Petro corporation. During the over two hour conference call, we women drivers addressed the very issues at truck stops that my friend in his letter to the editor mentioned; that of courtesy given to women at the restaurants, fuel desks and shops affiliated with TA/Petro. The executives all agreed that it was unacceptable for any woman to be disrespected as a customer of their truck stops and they said that they would institute some additional training for staff to address courtesy towards women drivers especially.

In addition to the above issue concerning women, during the conference call, we also initiated dialog about lighting, pot holes, security and goods available in the stores with the executives that affects all drivers not just women. One of the things I brought up specifically was cleanliness in the bathrooms and showers; I told them, “it does not make a difference if you have big orange towels and flowers if the floor is not clean.”

In my friend’s letter to the editor, he mentioned organizations that are not addressing the issues facing women quickly enough or something to that effect. As a charter member of Women In Trucking Association and as a member of their Driver Advisory Committee, I have seen some good things happen in the four years since it’s founding. A White Paper, which Ellen Voie started researching even before the founding of WIT, is now available thru J.J. Keller, free to WIT’s corporate members, that addresses the treatment of trainees of both genders.

From the Trucker.com:

“The trucking industry has struggled with how to avoid harassment issues between driver trainers and trainees during the initial weeks of employment. “The practice of putting two unrelated individuals in the cab of a truck for a few weeks of training can create a tenuous environment, especially when one is a male and one is a female,” said Ellen Voie, President/CEO of Women In Trucking Association.”

““Unfortunately, the situation is unavoidable if there are not enough female trainers to accompany a female trainee,” Voie remarked. “We realize that harassment issues are not limited to those of opposite gender, so the white paper will be gender neutral to address potential harassment scenarios and offer ways to minimize or eliminate negative interaction,” she added.”
Ray LaHood, Ellen Voie and Anne Ferro

The 2nd annual Salute to the Women Behind the Wheel will be again at MATS this year highlighting women drivers and their accomplishments. This tribute to women truckers puts women out in the limelight so to speak and brings attention to the fact that women are valuable assets to the trucking industry and are garnering millions of miles both as solo and team drivers. It might not seem like much to some people, but it is amazing to see the photo of all those women truckers in their red shirts standing together and focuses media and public attention on the positive role women play in the trucking industry.

As far as organizations go, in my opinion, OOIDA uses a sledgehammer weighted with our huge (though not huge enough yet) membership and their almost four decades of experience in making changes and in getting their point across. The Women In Trucking Association uses a tack hammer and through their affiliations with trucking companies on all levels is chipping away at the inequalities facing we women in the trucking industry in all areas of it. WIT encourages their connections to see women as a valuable resource to fill their truck’s seats and to treat them equally with our brother drivers.

As a young organization, we members at WIT are making the connections necessary to effect change in the future with politicians, companies and other organizations. Eventually, through good publicity such as the Salute to the Women Behind the Wheel, the White Paper concerning policies to avoid harassment of trainees of both genders and opportunities given to us member advocates of the trucking industry through interaction with people who approach WIT for accurate information; WIT will graduate to a bigger hammer.

Until then, we women drivers need to be patient, good things will come through hard work and finesse; I cannot wait for the day we are treated totally equally with our brother drivers, but it will come, making changes just takes some time.

By Sandy Long, ladygodiva1953@att.net

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.