Trucking News - September 2004
Our news is provided as a courtesy Of OOIDA / Land Line Magazine
Used with permission. Unauthorized Use or Duplication Is Prohibited
Used with permission. Unauthorized Use or Duplication Is Prohibited
Seven foreign truckers freed in Iraq
09/02/2004 - 8:27:02 am - Iraqi militants released seven truckers Wednesday, Sept. 1, that had been held hostage since July. The truckers, employed by a Kuwati trucking firm, were released ...
Trucking owners and driver indicted for HOS violations
09/02/2004 - 8:28:00 am - Robert and Rose Vyhnalek, joint owners of R.J. Vyhnalek Trucking of Wilber, NE, and Richard Crawford, a Vyhnalek driver, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Omaha, NE, ...
GAO: States contributing greater share for highway funding
09/02/2004 - 8:29:26 am - The nation’s investment in the highway system has doubled the past 20 years, with states and localities contributing more than the federal investment, GAO reported in an ...
Sprint, SBC to let Wi-Fi users access both networks
09/02/2004 - 8:31:30 am - Truckers who use Wi-Fi could soon access the Internet at a much larger number of hot spots, thanks to a new deal between Sprint and SBC Communications. The two ...
Evacuations under way as second hurricane bears down on Florida; storm likely to hit this weekend
09/02/2004 - 8:33:50 am - As workers continue the cleanup from Hurricane Charley, a second storm – just as powerful – is headed toward Florida, with forecasters predicting it could make landfall by ...
Trucking school students die in collision with train
09/02/2004 - 8:35:03 am - Three students attending a Georgia college’s truck driving school and their instructor were killed when a train hit the rig used to train the students Monday, Aug. 30 ...
FMCSA takes another look at EOBR use for commercial drivers
09/02/2004 - 8:41:21 am - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wants comments by the end of November related to possible requirements that carriers use electronic onboard recorders to ...
NAST show season in full swing; next up St. Ignace
09/05/2004 - 10:04:34 am - The National Association of Show Trucks has some major fall events on its planner. The NAST series will continue in September with two more shows. First will be ...
Special Olympics fund-raiser spreads across North America
09/05/2004 - 10:06:19 am - The World’s Largest Truck Convoy is expected to be four times bigger this year than it was in 2003, and organizers anticipate raising more than four times as much as they did ...
ITS in Anaheim is Sept. 23-25
09/05/2004 - 10:08:41 am - The International Trucking Show moves to Anaheim, CA, this year. The show is sponsored by the California Trucking Association and will be held Sept. 23-25 at the Anaheim ...
GATS is Sept. 10-12
09/05/2004 - 10:09:17 am - The Great American Trucking Show is planned for Sept. 10-12 in Dallas. The country western group Diamond Rio will perform on Friday, Sept. 10. The event is sponsored by Mobil ...
OOIDA members dominate Waupun Jamboree awards
09/05/2004 - 10:10:22 am - With 13 trophies between them, OOIDA members Todd Job, Harvey and Karen Zander and Rick and Sandy Hemchak led the award winners at the 15th Annual Waupun (WI) Truckers ...
Record number of absentee votes expected this year
09/05/2004 - 10:11:40 am - A record number of Americans overseas are expected to vote by absentee ballot in this year’s November election, Agence France-Presse reported Thursday, Sept. 2 ...
Get ready for the Labor Day road rush
09/05/2004 - 10:13:31 am - Truckers get ready: The AAA is expecting more four-wheelers on the road this Labor Day weekend than last year, Michael Right, the group’s vice president of public affairs, ...
U.S. court: Fuel tax on Native Americans invalid
09/05/2004 - 10:14:31 am - The U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, has ruled that an Idaho fuel tax imposed on fuel delivered to Native American-owned fuel stops located on a tribe’s reservation was ...
Two governors issue emergency orders; hurricane warning in place for Florida
09/05/2004 - 10:16:36 am - The governors of both Georgia and Florida have declared states of emergency in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Frances. As of late Thursday afternoon The ...
Oklahoma loses another round in registration fee case
09/05/2004 - 10:17:45 am - Oklahoma’s latest attempt to stop an order that would compel it to pay 12 other states roughly $28 million has failed. U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton ruled Tuesday, ...
North Carolina DOT: Aging roads are priority
09/08/2004 - 9:31:53 am - North Carolina will spend less on new highways but more on maintenance, upgrades, mass transit and technology under a 25-year plan by the state Board of Transportation ...
New York ticket revenue measure opposed
09/08/2004 - 9:33:29 am - A state lawmaker wants to repeal a section of New York’s budget that has the state taking money that cities and towns collect from lead-footed drivers. The new law ...
Bill to reduce registration surcharge now law in Illinois
09/08/2004 - 9:35:30 am - Illinois will gradually reduce the Commercial Distribution Fee – a 36 percent surcharge placed on truck registrations in the state last year – now that Gov. Rod Blagojevich ...
FHWA studies LCV use in Western states
09/08/2004 - 9:37:42 am - At the request of the Western Governors’ Association, the Federal Highway Administration has assessed the impact of lifting the current freeze on longer combination vehicles ...
Transportation conferees return to grapple with highway funding issues
09/08/2004 - 9:38:43 am - Reauthorization of the federal highway and transit programs is one of a slate of issues members of Congress will face when they return from recess Tuesday, Sept. 6. However, ...
SPECIAL REPORT: OOIDA’s case against Ledar in hands of judge
09/08/2004 - 9:45:35 am - The fate of a trucking company that owner-operators say lured them into lease-purchase agreements and then deducted so many chargebacks that they ended up driving for free is ...
Florida extends size and weight rules
09/10/2004 - 9:58:29 am - Prior to Hurricane Frances, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush issued an executive order extending the allowances for size and weight that became effective after Hurricane Charley, ...
Bill to encourage off-peak use of ports waits for Schwarzenegger’s signature
09/10/2004 - 10:01:16 am - A bill that is designed to encourage truckers and others involved in intermodal freight at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to move their loads during off-peak hours ...
Trucks restricted from left lane in Central Texas
09/10/2004 - 10:03:50 am - Police have begun enforcing new truck lane restrictions on Interstate 35 in Central Texas. The left lane restriction, approved by the Texas Transportation ...
DOT to conduct second audit on grade crossings
09/10/2004 - 10:05:45 am - The U.S. Department of Transportation says it will conduct a second audit on highway grade crossing safety inspections, focusing this time on laws and regulations governing ...
Report: Trucking’s role in congestion increase low
09/10/2004 - 10:10:35 am - The Texas Transport Institute released a September study saying congestion continues to grow in urban areas, but that trucking operations are not among the most worrisome ...
Truck speeds boosted on Ohio Turnpike
09/10/2004 - 10:12:15 am - Starting today, truckers on the Ohio Turnpike have the OK to increase the speed to 65 mph, the same as all other vehicles. At the urging of Gov. Bob Taft, the Ohio ...
North Carolina OKs rumble strip projects
09/10/2004 - 10:13:30 am - North Carolina is getting ready to spend millions to make highways in the state safer. The state highway department last month approved spending $7 million over the ...
First evacuations ordered in Florida Keys as third hurricane threatens
09/10/2004 - 10:14:55 am - Florida, still recovering from two massive hurricanes, is in the likely path of a third storm, this one more deadly and powerful than the first two. Hurricane Ivan, ...
Diesel prices rise – Ivan suspected culprit
09/14/2004 - 8:51:55 am - The average national retail price of diesel has increased to $1.874 from last week’s average of $1.869 per gallon, the U.S. Energy Department announced Sept. 13 ...
It’s a dog’s life …
09/14/2004 - 8:53:35 am - A trucker who was on his way to Omaha, NE, had a little surprise recently when he discovered that a dog had hitched a ride on his truck by clinging to the trailer in pounding ...
Truckers should avoid reflux before it becomes something worse
09/14/2004 - 9:00:39 am - We’ve all heard the ads on TV and radio: If you have heartburn, and especially if you have it on a regular basis, you could have acid reflux disease. But what many ...
Hurricane postpones World’s Largest Truck Convoy in Florida, Georgia
09/14/2004 - 9:01:44 am - Two of the 22 states slated to participate in the World’s Largest Truck Convoy for Special Olympics have postponed the dates of their convoys because of hurricane activity ...
Bad driver surcharge sought in Maryland
09/14/2004 - 9:03:29 am - A Maryland lawmaker wants “bad drivers” to help the state cut medical malpractice insurance costs. State Sen. Rob Garagiola is considering reintroducing his Driver ...
Ivan now predicted to hit near Alabama-Florida border
09/14/2004 - 9:04:35 am - Florida’s hurricane-ravaged peninsula may be spared the full force of Hurricane Ivan, forecasters predicted. Maps from the National Hurricane Center and the ...
U.S. says sharper focus on container security in order
09/14/2004 - 9:10:26 am - The United States is placing a renewed emphasis on the possibility that trucks carrying nuclear bombs could be triggered by remote control after they leave busy ports in Los ...
Kentucky TV station, Ol’ Blue team up for safety public service announcement
09/15/2004 - 11:56:02 pm - Drivers in and around Bowling Green, KY, may be more careful and safer these days, thanks to a public service announcement featuring the Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement agency ...
Graduated driver’s licenses endorsed in Wyoming
09/15/2004 - 11:57:48 pm - Wyoming teens would have to wait until their 17th birthday before they could get a full-scale driver’s license under a state legislative proposal approved last week ...
Groups work to widen U.S. 54 from Wichita to Mexico
09/15/2004 - 11:58:42 pm - A combination of local officials, trucking companies and others are working to expand U.S. 54 in western Kansas to four lanes, The Hutchinson News reported recently ...
Northern Virginia GOP legislators support bonds for transportation
09/15/2004 - 11:59:55 pm - A group of Republican state lawmakers from northern Virginia touted a plan Wednesday, Sept. 13, to use the state’s budget surplus to produce $5 billion over 20 years for road ...
California bill would protect port truckers from shipper ‘fines’
09/16/2004 - 12:02:20 am - The California Legislature has passed a bill that gives intermodal trucking companies and truckers protection from certain actions – including shipper-imposed “fines” – by ...
API notes need for legislation to protect diesel users
09/16/2004 - 12:03:07 am - The American Petroleum Institute in a Sept. 9 letter to Congress said legislation to protect diesel fuel users is needed at a time when crude oil hovers near or about the ...
Senate defeats GPS amendment
09/16/2004 - 12:04:49 am - By a 55-34 vote, the Senate has defeated a proposal that would have provided $70 million for a global positioning system for trucks carrying hazardous materials, according to ...
Are anti-icing chemicals affecting you and your truck?
09/19/2004 - 12:24:24 am - The OOIDA Foundation is conducting a survey to gather data about the effects of anti-icing chemicals on owner-operators and their equipment. The 21-question survey ...
September 11 Commission wants security teams named early
09/19/2004 - 12:25:42 am - Presidential candidates should announce key Cabinet members before the November election so they can get security clearances as soon as the president takes office, the ...
Customs, FMCSA to test new pre-note e-manifest program
09/19/2004 - 12:26:41 am - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in conjunction with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, plans to test the pre-notification rules of automated truck manifest ...
Brown replaces Helmick as head of California Highway Patrol
09/19/2004 - 12:28:05 am - Michael Brown has been named to replace Dwight “Spike” Helmick as head of the California Highway Patrol. A patrol spokesman confirmed that Helmick’s resignation ...
Swift downgraded, analysts note low driver pay
09/19/2004 - 12:29:23 am - Trading for shares in Swift Transportation Co. tanked Sept. 15 after the company lowered third-quarter earnings, leading to several analyst downgrades. Poor driver pay was one ...
Old HOS rules vs. new focus of latest Public Citizen request
09/19/2004 - 12:30:35 am - After the FMCSA asked a federal court for an extra six months to correct the concerns of the court, Public Citizen and other activists asked the same court put old HOS rules ...
Utah County removes road tax from ballot
09/19/2004 - 12:32:17 am - Utah County commissioners did an about face this week and pulled a quarter-cent sales tax for transportation from the November ballot. Commissioners voted last ...
Fuel tax sought for Oklahoma roads, bridges
09/19/2004 - 12:33:52 am - A coalition launched a petition drive Sept. 15 for a statewide vote to raise fuel taxes to fix Oklahoma’s roads and bridges. Neal McCaleb, chairman of Oklahomans ...
Ivan’s eastern turn avoids fuel price disaster
09/19/2004 - 12:35:27 am - According to the federal Minerals Management Service, Hurricane Ivan shut down output of about 4 million barrels of crude from Sept. 13 until Sept. 16 – resulting in eight ...
Truck driver charged with rape, kidnapping
09/19/2004 - 12:38:32 am - A truck driver who lives in Lincoln, NE, was arrested earlier this week in connection with the alleged kidnapping and rape of an Oklahoma City woman, police officials ...
IdleAire hires firm to help it add 200,000 spaces nationwide
09/21/2004 - 10:00:32 am - IdleAire is working on a project that it says will lead to equipping 200,000 more truck parking spaces nationwide with the company’s idle-alternative system. The ...
California acts to bring state in line with federal regs
09/21/2004 - 10:02:25 am - The California General Assembly has OK’d a bill to bring California law into line with a number of federal regulations, guidelines and requirements. The bill, ...
South Carolina database targets uninsured motorists
09/21/2004 - 10:03:53 am - Driving in South Carolina without insurance now is a little more difficult. An electronic database designed to expose uninsured motorists went into effect last week ...
Terrorism, cheap freight threaten Jordan’s trucking industry
09/21/2004 - 10:05:33 am - The recent hostage taking and threats against Jordanian truck drivers entering Iraq is severely damaging the country’s trucking and distribution sector with some analysts ...
Transportation leaders explore funding options
09/21/2004 - 10:07:02 am - User fees, private-public partnerships and bond issues are among future funding options for highway and transit systems, according to leaders who last week attended the U.S. ...
Land Line Magazine Exclusive: Kidnapped girl found thanks to trucker’s tip
09/21/2004 - 10:07:22 am - A kidnapped 5-year-old little girl is safe and sound, reunited with family members after a truck driver spotted the car of the suspected kidnapper and tipped off police ...
Not more powerful than a locomotive, but definitely faster than a speeding bullet …
09/23/2004 - 10:54:46 am - All you truckers out there who are running compliant, but feel just a bit guilty about the few times when you go 5 or 10 over the limit, let us offer you a little guilt relief ...
Trucking school trains with top of the line semi simulator
09/23/2004 - 10:56:13 am - Is it live or is it Memorex? The Western Dakota Technical Institute in South Dakota is now testing drivers’ skills with a new high end simulator that boasts all the bells and ...
Virginia candidates for governor outline transit ideas
09/23/2004 - 10:58:09 am - Improving Virginia’s roads and bridges is expected to figure prominently in next year’s race for the governor’s seat. With that in mind, the two likely ...
Illinois Tollway proposes expanded off-peak toll discounts, but rates still to double
09/23/2004 - 11:01:29 am - The Illinois Tollway is considering a plan that would scale back proposed toll increases on trucks, a spokeswoman for the agency told Land Line. In August, Gov. Rod ...
First round of convoys kick off Special Olympic fund-raiser
09/23/2004 - 11:09:13 am - Truckers from Missouri and Kansas did their part Saturday to help make this year’s nationwide convoy for Special Olympics more than four times bigger than last year’s event ...
Connecticut scraps plan for breakdown lanes
09/25/2004 - 8:34:47 pm - A proposal to ease congestion on Interstate 95 in Connecticut by allowing drivers to use the breakdown lanes for travel has been axed. While a report to the state’s ...
Tennessee scrutinizes increased truck traffic
09/25/2004 - 8:37:37 pm - Tennessee transportation officials say they are concerned about a “dramatic” increase in the number of tractor-trailers traveling through the state. As a result, ...
January hazmat fingerprint deadline nears – but some states not ready
09/25/2004 - 8:39:28 pm - As the Jan. 31, 2005, deadline to fingerprint truck drivers that haul hazardous materials approaches, many states say they may be unable to comply on time. Among ...
White House mulls refiner request to tap into petroleum reserve
09/25/2004 - 8:40:39 pm - The Bush administration said Thursday, Sept. 23 it is weighing a request from several U.S. refiners to borrow crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help offset ...
Indiana to give drivers reminder on license renewal
09/25/2004 - 8:41:47 pm - Starting next month, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will mail reminders to motorists whose driver’s licenses are about to expire. About 90,000 notices will be ...
Texas town awaits toll vote
09/25/2004 - 8:42:56 pm - A group of El Paso residents recommended converting Interstate 10 into a toll road at a meeting of the city’s Transportation Policy Board Friday, Sept. 24. The El ...
Halliburton may sell part of KBR
09/25/2004 - 8:44:39 pm - Halliburton Corp. may sell off all or part of its Kellogg, Brown & Root subsidiary, a company spokeswoman confirmed. KBR employs a number of truckers, including ...
For now, Michigan wins trash talk debate
09/27/2004 - 8:05:15 pm - A bill that lets Michigan regain control over out-of-state trash has been voted out of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials by a ...
Mineta announces $44.2 million for border security grants
09/27/2004 - 8:06:36 pm - U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced a total of $44.2 million in grants to improve border truck inspection facilities in four states to check trucks as ...
Feds look for possible connection between Texas wreck, Illinois CDL scandal
09/27/2004 - 8:13:49 pm - Federal investigators are checking to see whether a trucker involved in a fatal collision in Texas had links to the 1990s bribes-for-CDLs scandal in Illinois, sources told ...
Truckers reportedly quitting at CA ports
09/27/2004 - 8:14:44 pm - Too much congestion at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has caused some truckers to quit. Media reported Sept. 27 the underlying cause is the volume of ...
Yikes — average diesel price spikes
09/27/2004 - 8:16:31 pm - The average national retail price of diesel has increased from $1.912, per gallon to $2.012 the U.S. Energy Department announced Sept. 27. The highest prices in the ...
The Silver Fox and his girl, Shirl, on the road to recovery
09/29/2004 - 5:49:58 pm - Land Line columnist Pete Rigney, known in the trucking community as “The Silver Fox,” always said that he and his wife, Shirley, did everything together. But surely, he ...
Idaho panel to craft roads solutions
09/29/2004 - 5:51:22 pm - Members of a transportation task force say they have some ideas about solving Idaho’s backlog of highway improvement projects. One scheme appears weighted toward ...
Pennsylvania short on road funds
09/29/2004 - 5:52:24 pm - Pennsylvania has a huge transportation funding gap that proposed federal legislation and even an 8-cent-a-gallon increase in the state’s fuel tax will not plug ...
Black truck driver alleges discrimination by Wal-Mart
09/29/2004 - 5:54:13 pm - A recent federal lawsuit charges Wal-Mart Stores Inc. with discouraging black drivers from applying for driving jobs at distribution centers in 12 southern states ...
Crude awakening
09/29/2004 - 5:55:14 pm - For the first time, national headlines are addressing the often-ignored story of how soaring diesel prices affect small-business trucking and other sectors of the economy ...
No justification yet to require EOBRs, FMCSA says
09/29/2004 - 5:56:46 pm - The recent creation of universal standards for black boxes removes one roadblock to the government requiring their use, but officials with the FMCSA say the mere existence of ...
< Back to News Archive
09/02/2004 - 8:27:02 am - Iraqi militants released seven truckers Wednesday, Sept. 1, that had been held hostage since July. The truckers, employed by a Kuwati trucking firm, were released ...
Trucking owners and driver indicted for HOS violations
09/02/2004 - 8:28:00 am - Robert and Rose Vyhnalek, joint owners of R.J. Vyhnalek Trucking of Wilber, NE, and Richard Crawford, a Vyhnalek driver, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Omaha, NE, ...
GAO: States contributing greater share for highway funding
09/02/2004 - 8:29:26 am - The nation’s investment in the highway system has doubled the past 20 years, with states and localities contributing more than the federal investment, GAO reported in an ...
Sprint, SBC to let Wi-Fi users access both networks
09/02/2004 - 8:31:30 am - Truckers who use Wi-Fi could soon access the Internet at a much larger number of hot spots, thanks to a new deal between Sprint and SBC Communications. The two ...
Evacuations under way as second hurricane bears down on Florida; storm likely to hit this weekend
09/02/2004 - 8:33:50 am - As workers continue the cleanup from Hurricane Charley, a second storm – just as powerful – is headed toward Florida, with forecasters predicting it could make landfall by ...
Trucking school students die in collision with train
09/02/2004 - 8:35:03 am - Three students attending a Georgia college’s truck driving school and their instructor were killed when a train hit the rig used to train the students Monday, Aug. 30 ...
FMCSA takes another look at EOBR use for commercial drivers
09/02/2004 - 8:41:21 am - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wants comments by the end of November related to possible requirements that carriers use electronic onboard recorders to ...
NAST show season in full swing; next up St. Ignace
09/05/2004 - 10:04:34 am - The National Association of Show Trucks has some major fall events on its planner. The NAST series will continue in September with two more shows. First will be ...
Special Olympics fund-raiser spreads across North America
09/05/2004 - 10:06:19 am - The World’s Largest Truck Convoy is expected to be four times bigger this year than it was in 2003, and organizers anticipate raising more than four times as much as they did ...
ITS in Anaheim is Sept. 23-25
09/05/2004 - 10:08:41 am - The International Trucking Show moves to Anaheim, CA, this year. The show is sponsored by the California Trucking Association and will be held Sept. 23-25 at the Anaheim ...
GATS is Sept. 10-12
09/05/2004 - 10:09:17 am - The Great American Trucking Show is planned for Sept. 10-12 in Dallas. The country western group Diamond Rio will perform on Friday, Sept. 10. The event is sponsored by Mobil ...
OOIDA members dominate Waupun Jamboree awards
09/05/2004 - 10:10:22 am - With 13 trophies between them, OOIDA members Todd Job, Harvey and Karen Zander and Rick and Sandy Hemchak led the award winners at the 15th Annual Waupun (WI) Truckers ...
Record number of absentee votes expected this year
09/05/2004 - 10:11:40 am - A record number of Americans overseas are expected to vote by absentee ballot in this year’s November election, Agence France-Presse reported Thursday, Sept. 2 ...
Get ready for the Labor Day road rush
09/05/2004 - 10:13:31 am - Truckers get ready: The AAA is expecting more four-wheelers on the road this Labor Day weekend than last year, Michael Right, the group’s vice president of public affairs, ...
U.S. court: Fuel tax on Native Americans invalid
09/05/2004 - 10:14:31 am - The U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, has ruled that an Idaho fuel tax imposed on fuel delivered to Native American-owned fuel stops located on a tribe’s reservation was ...
Two governors issue emergency orders; hurricane warning in place for Florida
09/05/2004 - 10:16:36 am - The governors of both Georgia and Florida have declared states of emergency in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Frances. As of late Thursday afternoon The ...
Oklahoma loses another round in registration fee case
09/05/2004 - 10:17:45 am - Oklahoma’s latest attempt to stop an order that would compel it to pay 12 other states roughly $28 million has failed. U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton ruled Tuesday, ...
North Carolina DOT: Aging roads are priority
09/08/2004 - 9:31:53 am - North Carolina will spend less on new highways but more on maintenance, upgrades, mass transit and technology under a 25-year plan by the state Board of Transportation ...
New York ticket revenue measure opposed
09/08/2004 - 9:33:29 am - A state lawmaker wants to repeal a section of New York’s budget that has the state taking money that cities and towns collect from lead-footed drivers. The new law ...
Bill to reduce registration surcharge now law in Illinois
09/08/2004 - 9:35:30 am - Illinois will gradually reduce the Commercial Distribution Fee – a 36 percent surcharge placed on truck registrations in the state last year – now that Gov. Rod Blagojevich ...
FHWA studies LCV use in Western states
09/08/2004 - 9:37:42 am - At the request of the Western Governors’ Association, the Federal Highway Administration has assessed the impact of lifting the current freeze on longer combination vehicles ...
Transportation conferees return to grapple with highway funding issues
09/08/2004 - 9:38:43 am - Reauthorization of the federal highway and transit programs is one of a slate of issues members of Congress will face when they return from recess Tuesday, Sept. 6. However, ...
SPECIAL REPORT: OOIDA’s case against Ledar in hands of judge
09/08/2004 - 9:45:35 am - The fate of a trucking company that owner-operators say lured them into lease-purchase agreements and then deducted so many chargebacks that they ended up driving for free is ...
Florida extends size and weight rules
09/10/2004 - 9:58:29 am - Prior to Hurricane Frances, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush issued an executive order extending the allowances for size and weight that became effective after Hurricane Charley, ...
Bill to encourage off-peak use of ports waits for Schwarzenegger’s signature
09/10/2004 - 10:01:16 am - A bill that is designed to encourage truckers and others involved in intermodal freight at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to move their loads during off-peak hours ...
Trucks restricted from left lane in Central Texas
09/10/2004 - 10:03:50 am - Police have begun enforcing new truck lane restrictions on Interstate 35 in Central Texas. The left lane restriction, approved by the Texas Transportation ...
DOT to conduct second audit on grade crossings
09/10/2004 - 10:05:45 am - The U.S. Department of Transportation says it will conduct a second audit on highway grade crossing safety inspections, focusing this time on laws and regulations governing ...
Report: Trucking’s role in congestion increase low
09/10/2004 - 10:10:35 am - The Texas Transport Institute released a September study saying congestion continues to grow in urban areas, but that trucking operations are not among the most worrisome ...
Truck speeds boosted on Ohio Turnpike
09/10/2004 - 10:12:15 am - Starting today, truckers on the Ohio Turnpike have the OK to increase the speed to 65 mph, the same as all other vehicles. At the urging of Gov. Bob Taft, the Ohio ...
North Carolina OKs rumble strip projects
09/10/2004 - 10:13:30 am - North Carolina is getting ready to spend millions to make highways in the state safer. The state highway department last month approved spending $7 million over the ...
First evacuations ordered in Florida Keys as third hurricane threatens
09/10/2004 - 10:14:55 am - Florida, still recovering from two massive hurricanes, is in the likely path of a third storm, this one more deadly and powerful than the first two. Hurricane Ivan, ...
Diesel prices rise – Ivan suspected culprit
09/14/2004 - 8:51:55 am - The average national retail price of diesel has increased to $1.874 from last week’s average of $1.869 per gallon, the U.S. Energy Department announced Sept. 13 ...
It’s a dog’s life …
09/14/2004 - 8:53:35 am - A trucker who was on his way to Omaha, NE, had a little surprise recently when he discovered that a dog had hitched a ride on his truck by clinging to the trailer in pounding ...
Truckers should avoid reflux before it becomes something worse
09/14/2004 - 9:00:39 am - We’ve all heard the ads on TV and radio: If you have heartburn, and especially if you have it on a regular basis, you could have acid reflux disease. But what many ...
Hurricane postpones World’s Largest Truck Convoy in Florida, Georgia
09/14/2004 - 9:01:44 am - Two of the 22 states slated to participate in the World’s Largest Truck Convoy for Special Olympics have postponed the dates of their convoys because of hurricane activity ...
Bad driver surcharge sought in Maryland
09/14/2004 - 9:03:29 am - A Maryland lawmaker wants “bad drivers” to help the state cut medical malpractice insurance costs. State Sen. Rob Garagiola is considering reintroducing his Driver ...
Ivan now predicted to hit near Alabama-Florida border
09/14/2004 - 9:04:35 am - Florida’s hurricane-ravaged peninsula may be spared the full force of Hurricane Ivan, forecasters predicted. Maps from the National Hurricane Center and the ...
U.S. says sharper focus on container security in order
09/14/2004 - 9:10:26 am - The United States is placing a renewed emphasis on the possibility that trucks carrying nuclear bombs could be triggered by remote control after they leave busy ports in Los ...
Kentucky TV station, Ol’ Blue team up for safety public service announcement
09/15/2004 - 11:56:02 pm - Drivers in and around Bowling Green, KY, may be more careful and safer these days, thanks to a public service announcement featuring the Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement agency ...
Graduated driver’s licenses endorsed in Wyoming
09/15/2004 - 11:57:48 pm - Wyoming teens would have to wait until their 17th birthday before they could get a full-scale driver’s license under a state legislative proposal approved last week ...
Groups work to widen U.S. 54 from Wichita to Mexico
09/15/2004 - 11:58:42 pm - A combination of local officials, trucking companies and others are working to expand U.S. 54 in western Kansas to four lanes, The Hutchinson News reported recently ...
Northern Virginia GOP legislators support bonds for transportation
09/15/2004 - 11:59:55 pm - A group of Republican state lawmakers from northern Virginia touted a plan Wednesday, Sept. 13, to use the state’s budget surplus to produce $5 billion over 20 years for road ...
California bill would protect port truckers from shipper ‘fines’
09/16/2004 - 12:02:20 am - The California Legislature has passed a bill that gives intermodal trucking companies and truckers protection from certain actions – including shipper-imposed “fines” – by ...
API notes need for legislation to protect diesel users
09/16/2004 - 12:03:07 am - The American Petroleum Institute in a Sept. 9 letter to Congress said legislation to protect diesel fuel users is needed at a time when crude oil hovers near or about the ...
Senate defeats GPS amendment
09/16/2004 - 12:04:49 am - By a 55-34 vote, the Senate has defeated a proposal that would have provided $70 million for a global positioning system for trucks carrying hazardous materials, according to ...
Are anti-icing chemicals affecting you and your truck?
09/19/2004 - 12:24:24 am - The OOIDA Foundation is conducting a survey to gather data about the effects of anti-icing chemicals on owner-operators and their equipment. The 21-question survey ...
September 11 Commission wants security teams named early
09/19/2004 - 12:25:42 am - Presidential candidates should announce key Cabinet members before the November election so they can get security clearances as soon as the president takes office, the ...
Customs, FMCSA to test new pre-note e-manifest program
09/19/2004 - 12:26:41 am - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in conjunction with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, plans to test the pre-notification rules of automated truck manifest ...
Brown replaces Helmick as head of California Highway Patrol
09/19/2004 - 12:28:05 am - Michael Brown has been named to replace Dwight “Spike” Helmick as head of the California Highway Patrol. A patrol spokesman confirmed that Helmick’s resignation ...
Swift downgraded, analysts note low driver pay
09/19/2004 - 12:29:23 am - Trading for shares in Swift Transportation Co. tanked Sept. 15 after the company lowered third-quarter earnings, leading to several analyst downgrades. Poor driver pay was one ...
Old HOS rules vs. new focus of latest Public Citizen request
09/19/2004 - 12:30:35 am - After the FMCSA asked a federal court for an extra six months to correct the concerns of the court, Public Citizen and other activists asked the same court put old HOS rules ...
Utah County removes road tax from ballot
09/19/2004 - 12:32:17 am - Utah County commissioners did an about face this week and pulled a quarter-cent sales tax for transportation from the November ballot. Commissioners voted last ...
Fuel tax sought for Oklahoma roads, bridges
09/19/2004 - 12:33:52 am - A coalition launched a petition drive Sept. 15 for a statewide vote to raise fuel taxes to fix Oklahoma’s roads and bridges. Neal McCaleb, chairman of Oklahomans ...
Ivan’s eastern turn avoids fuel price disaster
09/19/2004 - 12:35:27 am - According to the federal Minerals Management Service, Hurricane Ivan shut down output of about 4 million barrels of crude from Sept. 13 until Sept. 16 – resulting in eight ...
Truck driver charged with rape, kidnapping
09/19/2004 - 12:38:32 am - A truck driver who lives in Lincoln, NE, was arrested earlier this week in connection with the alleged kidnapping and rape of an Oklahoma City woman, police officials ...
IdleAire hires firm to help it add 200,000 spaces nationwide
09/21/2004 - 10:00:32 am - IdleAire is working on a project that it says will lead to equipping 200,000 more truck parking spaces nationwide with the company’s idle-alternative system. The ...
California acts to bring state in line with federal regs
09/21/2004 - 10:02:25 am - The California General Assembly has OK’d a bill to bring California law into line with a number of federal regulations, guidelines and requirements. The bill, ...
South Carolina database targets uninsured motorists
09/21/2004 - 10:03:53 am - Driving in South Carolina without insurance now is a little more difficult. An electronic database designed to expose uninsured motorists went into effect last week ...
Terrorism, cheap freight threaten Jordan’s trucking industry
09/21/2004 - 10:05:33 am - The recent hostage taking and threats against Jordanian truck drivers entering Iraq is severely damaging the country’s trucking and distribution sector with some analysts ...
Transportation leaders explore funding options
09/21/2004 - 10:07:02 am - User fees, private-public partnerships and bond issues are among future funding options for highway and transit systems, according to leaders who last week attended the U.S. ...
Land Line Magazine Exclusive: Kidnapped girl found thanks to trucker’s tip
09/21/2004 - 10:07:22 am - A kidnapped 5-year-old little girl is safe and sound, reunited with family members after a truck driver spotted the car of the suspected kidnapper and tipped off police ...
Not more powerful than a locomotive, but definitely faster than a speeding bullet …
09/23/2004 - 10:54:46 am - All you truckers out there who are running compliant, but feel just a bit guilty about the few times when you go 5 or 10 over the limit, let us offer you a little guilt relief ...
Trucking school trains with top of the line semi simulator
09/23/2004 - 10:56:13 am - Is it live or is it Memorex? The Western Dakota Technical Institute in South Dakota is now testing drivers’ skills with a new high end simulator that boasts all the bells and ...
Virginia candidates for governor outline transit ideas
09/23/2004 - 10:58:09 am - Improving Virginia’s roads and bridges is expected to figure prominently in next year’s race for the governor’s seat. With that in mind, the two likely ...
Illinois Tollway proposes expanded off-peak toll discounts, but rates still to double
09/23/2004 - 11:01:29 am - The Illinois Tollway is considering a plan that would scale back proposed toll increases on trucks, a spokeswoman for the agency told Land Line. In August, Gov. Rod ...
First round of convoys kick off Special Olympic fund-raiser
09/23/2004 - 11:09:13 am - Truckers from Missouri and Kansas did their part Saturday to help make this year’s nationwide convoy for Special Olympics more than four times bigger than last year’s event ...
Connecticut scraps plan for breakdown lanes
09/25/2004 - 8:34:47 pm - A proposal to ease congestion on Interstate 95 in Connecticut by allowing drivers to use the breakdown lanes for travel has been axed. While a report to the state’s ...
Tennessee scrutinizes increased truck traffic
09/25/2004 - 8:37:37 pm - Tennessee transportation officials say they are concerned about a “dramatic” increase in the number of tractor-trailers traveling through the state. As a result, ...
January hazmat fingerprint deadline nears – but some states not ready
09/25/2004 - 8:39:28 pm - As the Jan. 31, 2005, deadline to fingerprint truck drivers that haul hazardous materials approaches, many states say they may be unable to comply on time. Among ...
White House mulls refiner request to tap into petroleum reserve
09/25/2004 - 8:40:39 pm - The Bush administration said Thursday, Sept. 23 it is weighing a request from several U.S. refiners to borrow crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help offset ...
Indiana to give drivers reminder on license renewal
09/25/2004 - 8:41:47 pm - Starting next month, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will mail reminders to motorists whose driver’s licenses are about to expire. About 90,000 notices will be ...
Texas town awaits toll vote
09/25/2004 - 8:42:56 pm - A group of El Paso residents recommended converting Interstate 10 into a toll road at a meeting of the city’s Transportation Policy Board Friday, Sept. 24. The El ...
Halliburton may sell part of KBR
09/25/2004 - 8:44:39 pm - Halliburton Corp. may sell off all or part of its Kellogg, Brown & Root subsidiary, a company spokeswoman confirmed. KBR employs a number of truckers, including ...
For now, Michigan wins trash talk debate
09/27/2004 - 8:05:15 pm - A bill that lets Michigan regain control over out-of-state trash has been voted out of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials by a ...
Mineta announces $44.2 million for border security grants
09/27/2004 - 8:06:36 pm - U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced a total of $44.2 million in grants to improve border truck inspection facilities in four states to check trucks as ...
Feds look for possible connection between Texas wreck, Illinois CDL scandal
09/27/2004 - 8:13:49 pm - Federal investigators are checking to see whether a trucker involved in a fatal collision in Texas had links to the 1990s bribes-for-CDLs scandal in Illinois, sources told ...
Truckers reportedly quitting at CA ports
09/27/2004 - 8:14:44 pm - Too much congestion at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has caused some truckers to quit. Media reported Sept. 27 the underlying cause is the volume of ...
Yikes — average diesel price spikes
09/27/2004 - 8:16:31 pm - The average national retail price of diesel has increased from $1.912, per gallon to $2.012 the U.S. Energy Department announced Sept. 27. The highest prices in the ...
The Silver Fox and his girl, Shirl, on the road to recovery
09/29/2004 - 5:49:58 pm - Land Line columnist Pete Rigney, known in the trucking community as “The Silver Fox,” always said that he and his wife, Shirley, did everything together. But surely, he ...
Idaho panel to craft roads solutions
09/29/2004 - 5:51:22 pm - Members of a transportation task force say they have some ideas about solving Idaho’s backlog of highway improvement projects. One scheme appears weighted toward ...
Pennsylvania short on road funds
09/29/2004 - 5:52:24 pm - Pennsylvania has a huge transportation funding gap that proposed federal legislation and even an 8-cent-a-gallon increase in the state’s fuel tax will not plug ...
Black truck driver alleges discrimination by Wal-Mart
09/29/2004 - 5:54:13 pm - A recent federal lawsuit charges Wal-Mart Stores Inc. with discouraging black drivers from applying for driving jobs at distribution centers in 12 southern states ...
Crude awakening
09/29/2004 - 5:55:14 pm - For the first time, national headlines are addressing the often-ignored story of how soaring diesel prices affect small-business trucking and other sectors of the economy ...
No justification yet to require EOBRs, FMCSA says
09/29/2004 - 5:56:46 pm - The recent creation of universal standards for black boxes removes one roadblock to the government requiring their use, but officials with the FMCSA say the mere existence of ...
