Trucking industry will spend record amount on diesel in 08: ATA

The trucking industry will pay a record amount for fuel in 2008, according to projections from the American Trucking Associations.

The US-based trucking industry lobby group projected the industry will shell out US$135 billion for fuel this year, up US$22 billion compared to 2007.

The association's president and CEO said the industry is experiencing the highest prolonged fuel prices in history. Fuel is beginning to surpass labour as a fleet's largest operating expense, he pointed out.

"The trucking industry is making great strides in its efforts to reduce overall fuel consumption. But an affordable supply of diesel fuel is imperative to keep our trucks moving," said ATA president and CEO Bill Graves. "There is little to suggest that fuel prices will decline any time soon. Yet every day, ATA hears new stories from its members about how escalating fuel prices are hurting their businesses and affecting their livelihood."

Over the past five years, the cost of filling up a tractor-trailer has surged 116%, the ATA reports. The association is calling on US Congress and President George W. Bush to increase diesel supplies to counter further price spikes.

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ATA offers California idling survey

The American Trucking Associations has been asked by the California Air Resources Board to help gauge how prepared trucking companies are for an upcoming change in the state's idling laws.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, sleeping or resting in a sleeper berth will not be exempt from California's statewide five-minute idling limit. Once the change takes effect, idling will not be a legal option for truckers who want to keep their cabs comfortable while resting. Trucking companies doing business in California are asked to complete a brief survey at www.truckline.com/carb_idlereg. Source

What makes a Truck Driver a Truck Driver?

I have asked this same question for most of my truck driving career. Because if anyone has had to ride for 11 hours in a tractor trailer, especially one that is governed below the posted speed limit then you know it seems like takes forever to get anywhere.

Or maybe it is when you have drove 11 hours and you and 10,000 other trucks have to park, and you pull into 20 truckstops to find a parking place only not to find one and have to continue on until you do find a place to park.

I know what it is. It is because we get to park in a truckstop and go inside and sometimes pay to take a shower! Or better yet is when we have to pay to park! But we go inside and pay to take a shower, and have to take a shower in everybody else's filth! I have actually taken showers before and felt cleaner before showering then afterwards.

Then there is always the fine luxury of having too eat in the same truckstop. Because we have already driven over the 11 hour driving limit because we could not find a place at one of the nicer truckstops, so we had to settle for Joe Blows truck stop! If you are lucky you won't catch something from showering, and you won't get food poisoning from eating the half cooked meal that you have to settle for.

Then we have to pay for it! Almost double the price of what you could eat at a decent diner, only because this was the only place left to park!

Then we get too sleep, if you can without being bothered by a lot lizard who keeps banging on the side of your truck wanting to know if you need some company.
After which we have already spent over "our" budget for the day because we had to park here at Joe Blows truck stop.

Then 10 hours later (sometimes sooner) we get to get up and take off driving for a company who has a 90 mile and hour dispatcher.
Or drive for a good paying company who has these dispatchers who only find 350 mile runs, but to horrible receivers who are only open certain hours of the day. Who gets twice as many trucks as they can unload, and then tell you there is no parking on their lot, that you need to come back the next day.

Then we get to go through the same horrible episode from the day before because you have spent almost all your hours at the said receiver.

I have been driving for 10+ years and still do not know why I wanted to be a truck driver for. I know what I said before I went to Driving school, but this was not true in the real world.

Speed Limiter Petitions Draw Heavy Response

The Department of Transportation received nearly 3,700 responses, many of them anonymous, to a pair of petitions seeking a federal regulation to limit truck engine speeds to 68 miles per hour, with comments ranging from strong support to warnings of increased road rage.

Backers of a speed limiter requirement included advocacy groups and truck fleets, but many of the opponents were largely owner-operators and organizations representing them.

Some supporters wanted speed limiters retrofitted to all trucks, rather than only newly manufactured trucks, as cited in the petition American Trucking Associations filed last year requesting the regulation (10-23, p. 1).

“Speeding is a serious problem,” said Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. “Advocates supports retrofitting existing heavy trucks with speed limiters to the extent possible and a requirement for speed limiters on all newly manufactured heavy trucks.”

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued their request for public opinion after American Trucking Associations and Road Safe America filed petitions seeking a speed-limiter rule.

Road Safe’s petition sought a speed limiter requirement for all , including those already on the road.

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