Trucking News - January 2012
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
Criminals in Mexico break into trucking yards for U.S. load info
01/02/2012 - 8:37:50 am - Armed with guns and threats, thugs with ties to Mexican organized crime organizations reportedly strolled into five different trucking yards in north Mexico last week ...
Waivers continue for hay haulers as TX and OK struggle with drought
01/02/2012 - 8:39:01 am - Texas and Oklahoma remain under a state of emergency for severe drought, and a number of states continue to issue waivers to hay haulers as part of the relief effort ...
Illinois law intended to improve truck routing
01/02/2012 - 8:40:05 am - A new law in Illinois is intended to provide truck drivers with better information about local truck routes. The official rollout date is Sunday, Jan. 1. Gov. Pat Quinn ...
DOT truck inspector of Buffalo gets 18 months for taking bribes
01/02/2012 - 8:41:22 am - The former head of an FMCSA inspection office has been sentenced to 18 months for taking bribes and allegedly using the power of inspections to help certain motor carriers ...
Washington state border inspection station no longer locks drivers in room
01/05/2012 - 1:55:40 pm - Brian Waterhouse didn’t like the feeling of being locked into a room. After being directed to an inspection site about 2 miles from the U.S.-Canada border in Blaine, ...
IFC acquires, closes two trucking companies in past year
01/05/2012 - 1:56:39 pm - In the three years that Integrated Freight Corp. of Sarasota, FL, has been in operation, two of the four established trucking companies it has acquired during that time have ...
Heads up, highway users: New state laws now in effect
01/05/2012 - 1:57:39 pm - Numerous rules of interest to truck drivers have taken effect since the New Year. Much attention has been paid to the federal rule in effect Tuesday, Jan. 3, to ...
St. Christopher fund offers unique $10,000 scholarship to truckers
01/05/2012 - 1:58:47 pm - Medical conditions sideline numbers of professional truck drivers each year. The St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund is now accepting applications for a ...
California woman pleads guilty to embezzling from trucking company
01/09/2012 - 12:28:00 pm - The last of three trucking company office workers has pleaded guilty to stealing company money by adding dollar amounts to their own paychecks. Stephanie Yost, 39, of ...
Swift trucking school lawsuit over CDLs scheduled for September trial
01/09/2012 - 12:29:24 pm - Gary Grant didn’t know his CDL had been suspended in 2008 until he’d driven on it for several weeks. It was how he discovered the license had been suspended, ...
Truck discount pays off for Austin toll road
01/09/2012 - 12:30:35 pm - An incentive to get more truckers using a tolled bypass of downtown Austin, TX, is working by all accounts, including from the truckers themselves. The Texas Department of ...
Trucking company owners cited for failure to carry workers’ comp
01/09/2012 - 12:31:31 pm - It’s a sad reality that many truck drivers find out the hard way, after an injury, that their company has failed to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Besides being ...
Goodyear to buy old Roadway HQ in Akron, Ohio
01/13/2012 - 11:40:08 am - Trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. said recently it is selling the former Roadway headquarters in Akron, OH, to the developer of a new Goodyear headquarters. ...
Arkansas trucker killed while unloading logs
01/13/2012 - 11:40:36 am - A 61-year-old Arkansas man was killed last week while unloading a logging truck. James Earl Hargis, of Marble, AR, was reportedly killed instantly by a log that fell ...
Two rest areas reopen on I-75 in Pasco County, FL
01/13/2012 - 11:41:14 am - Truckers who travel Interstate 75 in Pasco County, FL, may notice that two new rest areas, which were torn down more than a year ago, have now reopened. One new rest ...
Chuck Bosselman loses battle with cancer
01/13/2012 - 11:41:51 am - Chuck Bosselman, 67, lost his battle with cancer on Saturday in Grand Island, NE, surrounded by family. Bosselman was a second-generation business owner. His father, Fred, ...
Nebraska truck bills cover texting, medical certification
01/13/2012 - 11:42:52 am - Truck issues are expected to get some attention at the Nebraska statehouse during the session that started a week ago. Among the topics that are likely to draw consideration ...
Cross border suits now combined
01/13/2012 - 11:43:43 am - Two separate lawsuits to stop the Mexican cross-border trucking program have now been merged into one lawsuit. One was first filed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers ...
Animal rights group claims it burned cattle trucks
01/13/2012 - 11:44:49 am - Animal rights activists are claiming responsibility for arson fires that destroyed more than a dozen cattle trucks at a California ranch early Sunday morning. The Fresno Bee ...
Carriers’ unpaid fines cost blameless drivers time
01/13/2012 - 11:46:11 am - “Driver, pull around to the parking lot and come in here,” the voice told truck driver John Flester. Flester, an OOIDA member from Jessup, MD, who has driven truck ...
Don Schneider dies at age 76
01/16/2012 - 3:34:20 pm - Alzheimer’s Disease has claimed the life of former Schneider National president and chief executive officer Donald Schneider. He died Jan. 13 at age 76. Schneider ...
The 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show countdown is on
01/16/2012 - 3:35:08 pm - We are counting down until the 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show. Now is the time to start planning your trip. The 41st anniversary of MATS is set for March 22-24 at the Kentucky ...
Medical certification rule to have truckers checking in with DMV
01/16/2012 - 3:37:24 pm - After Jan. 30, truckers headed off to the state driver’s licensing agency need to have one more piece of paper to stay legal with your CDL – proof of medical certification ...
Missing trucker found at South Dakota truck stop
01/19/2012 - 2:43:22 pm - Authorities have called off the search for a missing truck driver on Monday, Jan. 16, after she returned to the truck stop where she was first reported missing early Sunday ...
Kansas man allegedly stole, sold county-owned truck for profit
01/19/2012 - 2:44:24 pm - Federal prosecutors say a former county department head from Kansas bought a big rig with government money before he and his wife allegedly sold the truck and other equipment ...
Ohio Turnpike reports safest full year in history; credits speed limit change
01/19/2012 - 2:45:27 pm - With just six traffic-related fatalities in 2011, the Ohio Turnpike reported its safest full year in history. Notably, 2011 was the same year the Ohio Turnpike Commission ...
Free driver appreciation concert at the Midway Truck Stop this weekend
01/19/2012 - 2:46:28 pm - Trucker Charity and Operation Roger are hosting a free concert featuring Terry Wooley as a gesture of driver appreciation this weekend at the Midway Truck Stop and Travel ...
Ohio bill would raise speed limit to 70 mph
01/19/2012 - 2:48:03 pm - Truckers and other drivers traveling Ohio’s interstates could soon travel the same speed as they do on the Ohio Turnpike and in neighboring states. Rep. Ron Maag, ...
IFC official says Cross Creek will reopen
01/19/2012 - 2:49:13 pm - Cross Creek Trucking laid off more than 200 truck drivers in December 2011 because of “restructuring.” A company official announced on Tuesday, Jan. 17, that Cross Creek ...
North Carolina trucking company president pleads guilty to lying
01/23/2012 - 1:25:42 pm - The owner of a North Carolina trucking company has pleaded guilty to lying about driver hours-of-service logs. According to the DOT’s Office of Inspector General, ...
Toll rates: fear and loathing in the Mojave Desert
01/23/2012 - 1:27:10 pm - Travelers from Los Angeles County to Las Vegas may soon be getting a long-promised new roadway along a 63-mile stretch in the high desert, but truckers are concerned about the ...
Missouri lawmakers begin I-70 toll talk
01/23/2012 - 1:28:16 pm - A Missouri legislative panel met this week to discuss a push to charge tolls on Interstate 70. OOIDA officials say truckers already pay taxes and other user fees to ...
UPS driver killed
01/23/2012 - 1:29:57 pm - In North Carolina, a UPS driver was killed early Wednesday, Jan. 18, when his tractor-trailer hit the guardrail on a bridge on Interstate 85 about 40 miles north of Charlotte ...
Truckers targeted by two robbers in red Caddy, one suspect arrested
01/23/2012 - 1:31:18 pm - Police in Alabama say two armed robbers targeted truck drivers during three separate incidents on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Three truckers were robbed at gunpoint early ...
Developer announces plan for 60-acre `truck hub` near Williston, ND
01/23/2012 - 1:33:48 pm - While many states are struggling with high unemployment rates and budget deficits, business is booming in North Dakota. Oil companies are flocking to North Dakota, ...
Trucker dies after being pinned between trailer, loading dock
01/23/2012 - 1:35:01 pm - A truck driver died last week after being crushed between his trailer and a Pittsburgh loading dock. Il Kim, 59, of Norton, IL, died Wednesday afternoon, according to ...
Missouri bills cover medical certification, driver safety
01/23/2012 - 1:39:03 pm - Missouri lawmakers wasted little time after the first of the year in addressing a hot topic for truckers. Other issues that soon could receive consideration cover licensing ...
Some states still not ready for medical certification reporting rule
01/23/2012 - 1:40:42 pm - As the deadline approaches when truckers must verify medical certification with their home state licensing agencies, more states are reporting their plans for accommodating ...
Could Idaho soon have uniform speeds?
01/27/2012 - 12:24:51 pm - An Idaho state lawmaker is ready to do away with the state’s split speed limit. Idaho law now authorizes motorists to drive 75 mph on interstate highways while trucks ...
Oral arguments set for Friday in drivers’ short mile case against Swift
01/27/2012 - 12:26:10 pm - Oral arguments are scheduled for Friday, Jan. 27, in the class action lawsuit filed by truck drivers against Swift Transportation. The drivers allege they were underpaid based ...
Truckers speak up for lower tolls in Austin
01/27/2012 - 12:27:33 pm - With a reduced toll rate set to expire Wednesday, Jan. 25, truckers that travel the Interstate 35 corridor in Austin are hoping to persuade the Texas DOT to make the lower ...
Community seeks idling restrictions in North Bend, WA
01/27/2012 - 12:29:28 pm - Truckers who live around North Bend, WA, say they can’t remember a time when the local truck stop, known as “truck town,” wasn’t there. As the community around ...
Security consulting firm says 2011 saw big increases in cargo theft
01/27/2012 - 12:30:24 pm - The good news is most cargo theft incidents don’t involve violence. And for the bad news – cargo theft continues to rise at about 8 percent a year in total number ...
South Dakota bill would void indemnity clauses
01/27/2012 - 12:32:10 pm - Intended to level the playing field for truckers doing business in South Dakota, a bill halfway through the statehouse would protect truck drivers in the state from an unfair ...
Trucking-related companies make PIRG’s ‘Dirty Thirty’ list
01/27/2012 - 12:33:54 pm - A national consumer advocacy group has published its “Dirty Thirty” list of companies that received more money in tax breaks than they paid in federal income taxes – and ...
TA/Petro campaign results in record donation to truckers fund
01/27/2012 - 12:35:33 pm - The bean counting is done. The TravelCenters of America has concluded its second annual “Band Together for SCF” campaign with $212,538.87 in donations to support the St. ...
Starting Monday, medical certification reg kicks in
01/31/2012 - 10:27:27 am - Starting Monday, Jan. 30, truckers headed off to the state driver’s licensing agency need to have one more piece of paper to stay legal with their CDL: proof of medical ...
The 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show countdown is on
01/31/2012 - 10:29:05 am - We are counting down until the 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show. Now is the time to start planning your trip. The 41st anniversary of MATS is set for March 22-24 at the Kentucky ...
Schneider driver dies of self-inflicted gunshot after standoff
01/31/2012 - 10:30:57 am - In Edwardsville, IL, north of St. Louis, a driver for Schneider National shot himself in the head after a nine-hour standoff with police at a company terminal on ...
Drug testing operator admits lying over truck driver`s tests
01/31/2012 - 10:32:08 am - A drug testing company operator has admitted to lying about whether commercial truck drivers working for client motor carriers had passed drug tests. Mounir Khouri ...
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01/02/2012 - 8:37:50 am - Armed with guns and threats, thugs with ties to Mexican organized crime organizations reportedly strolled into five different trucking yards in north Mexico last week ...
Waivers continue for hay haulers as TX and OK struggle with drought
01/02/2012 - 8:39:01 am - Texas and Oklahoma remain under a state of emergency for severe drought, and a number of states continue to issue waivers to hay haulers as part of the relief effort ...
Illinois law intended to improve truck routing
01/02/2012 - 8:40:05 am - A new law in Illinois is intended to provide truck drivers with better information about local truck routes. The official rollout date is Sunday, Jan. 1. Gov. Pat Quinn ...
DOT truck inspector of Buffalo gets 18 months for taking bribes
01/02/2012 - 8:41:22 am - The former head of an FMCSA inspection office has been sentenced to 18 months for taking bribes and allegedly using the power of inspections to help certain motor carriers ...
Washington state border inspection station no longer locks drivers in room
01/05/2012 - 1:55:40 pm - Brian Waterhouse didn’t like the feeling of being locked into a room. After being directed to an inspection site about 2 miles from the U.S.-Canada border in Blaine, ...
IFC acquires, closes two trucking companies in past year
01/05/2012 - 1:56:39 pm - In the three years that Integrated Freight Corp. of Sarasota, FL, has been in operation, two of the four established trucking companies it has acquired during that time have ...
Heads up, highway users: New state laws now in effect
01/05/2012 - 1:57:39 pm - Numerous rules of interest to truck drivers have taken effect since the New Year. Much attention has been paid to the federal rule in effect Tuesday, Jan. 3, to ...
St. Christopher fund offers unique $10,000 scholarship to truckers
01/05/2012 - 1:58:47 pm - Medical conditions sideline numbers of professional truck drivers each year. The St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund is now accepting applications for a ...
California woman pleads guilty to embezzling from trucking company
01/09/2012 - 12:28:00 pm - The last of three trucking company office workers has pleaded guilty to stealing company money by adding dollar amounts to their own paychecks. Stephanie Yost, 39, of ...
Swift trucking school lawsuit over CDLs scheduled for September trial
01/09/2012 - 12:29:24 pm - Gary Grant didn’t know his CDL had been suspended in 2008 until he’d driven on it for several weeks. It was how he discovered the license had been suspended, ...
Truck discount pays off for Austin toll road
01/09/2012 - 12:30:35 pm - An incentive to get more truckers using a tolled bypass of downtown Austin, TX, is working by all accounts, including from the truckers themselves. The Texas Department of ...
Trucking company owners cited for failure to carry workers’ comp
01/09/2012 - 12:31:31 pm - It’s a sad reality that many truck drivers find out the hard way, after an injury, that their company has failed to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Besides being ...
Goodyear to buy old Roadway HQ in Akron, Ohio
01/13/2012 - 11:40:08 am - Trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. said recently it is selling the former Roadway headquarters in Akron, OH, to the developer of a new Goodyear headquarters. ...
Arkansas trucker killed while unloading logs
01/13/2012 - 11:40:36 am - A 61-year-old Arkansas man was killed last week while unloading a logging truck. James Earl Hargis, of Marble, AR, was reportedly killed instantly by a log that fell ...
Two rest areas reopen on I-75 in Pasco County, FL
01/13/2012 - 11:41:14 am - Truckers who travel Interstate 75 in Pasco County, FL, may notice that two new rest areas, which were torn down more than a year ago, have now reopened. One new rest ...
Chuck Bosselman loses battle with cancer
01/13/2012 - 11:41:51 am - Chuck Bosselman, 67, lost his battle with cancer on Saturday in Grand Island, NE, surrounded by family. Bosselman was a second-generation business owner. His father, Fred, ...
Nebraska truck bills cover texting, medical certification
01/13/2012 - 11:42:52 am - Truck issues are expected to get some attention at the Nebraska statehouse during the session that started a week ago. Among the topics that are likely to draw consideration ...
Cross border suits now combined
01/13/2012 - 11:43:43 am - Two separate lawsuits to stop the Mexican cross-border trucking program have now been merged into one lawsuit. One was first filed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers ...
Animal rights group claims it burned cattle trucks
01/13/2012 - 11:44:49 am - Animal rights activists are claiming responsibility for arson fires that destroyed more than a dozen cattle trucks at a California ranch early Sunday morning. The Fresno Bee ...
Carriers’ unpaid fines cost blameless drivers time
01/13/2012 - 11:46:11 am - “Driver, pull around to the parking lot and come in here,” the voice told truck driver John Flester. Flester, an OOIDA member from Jessup, MD, who has driven truck ...
Don Schneider dies at age 76
01/16/2012 - 3:34:20 pm - Alzheimer’s Disease has claimed the life of former Schneider National president and chief executive officer Donald Schneider. He died Jan. 13 at age 76. Schneider ...
The 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show countdown is on
01/16/2012 - 3:35:08 pm - We are counting down until the 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show. Now is the time to start planning your trip. The 41st anniversary of MATS is set for March 22-24 at the Kentucky ...
Medical certification rule to have truckers checking in with DMV
01/16/2012 - 3:37:24 pm - After Jan. 30, truckers headed off to the state driver’s licensing agency need to have one more piece of paper to stay legal with your CDL – proof of medical certification ...
Missing trucker found at South Dakota truck stop
01/19/2012 - 2:43:22 pm - Authorities have called off the search for a missing truck driver on Monday, Jan. 16, after she returned to the truck stop where she was first reported missing early Sunday ...
Kansas man allegedly stole, sold county-owned truck for profit
01/19/2012 - 2:44:24 pm - Federal prosecutors say a former county department head from Kansas bought a big rig with government money before he and his wife allegedly sold the truck and other equipment ...
Ohio Turnpike reports safest full year in history; credits speed limit change
01/19/2012 - 2:45:27 pm - With just six traffic-related fatalities in 2011, the Ohio Turnpike reported its safest full year in history. Notably, 2011 was the same year the Ohio Turnpike Commission ...
Free driver appreciation concert at the Midway Truck Stop this weekend
01/19/2012 - 2:46:28 pm - Trucker Charity and Operation Roger are hosting a free concert featuring Terry Wooley as a gesture of driver appreciation this weekend at the Midway Truck Stop and Travel ...
Ohio bill would raise speed limit to 70 mph
01/19/2012 - 2:48:03 pm - Truckers and other drivers traveling Ohio’s interstates could soon travel the same speed as they do on the Ohio Turnpike and in neighboring states. Rep. Ron Maag, ...
IFC official says Cross Creek will reopen
01/19/2012 - 2:49:13 pm - Cross Creek Trucking laid off more than 200 truck drivers in December 2011 because of “restructuring.” A company official announced on Tuesday, Jan. 17, that Cross Creek ...
North Carolina trucking company president pleads guilty to lying
01/23/2012 - 1:25:42 pm - The owner of a North Carolina trucking company has pleaded guilty to lying about driver hours-of-service logs. According to the DOT’s Office of Inspector General, ...
Toll rates: fear and loathing in the Mojave Desert
01/23/2012 - 1:27:10 pm - Travelers from Los Angeles County to Las Vegas may soon be getting a long-promised new roadway along a 63-mile stretch in the high desert, but truckers are concerned about the ...
Missouri lawmakers begin I-70 toll talk
01/23/2012 - 1:28:16 pm - A Missouri legislative panel met this week to discuss a push to charge tolls on Interstate 70. OOIDA officials say truckers already pay taxes and other user fees to ...
UPS driver killed
01/23/2012 - 1:29:57 pm - In North Carolina, a UPS driver was killed early Wednesday, Jan. 18, when his tractor-trailer hit the guardrail on a bridge on Interstate 85 about 40 miles north of Charlotte ...
Truckers targeted by two robbers in red Caddy, one suspect arrested
01/23/2012 - 1:31:18 pm - Police in Alabama say two armed robbers targeted truck drivers during three separate incidents on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Three truckers were robbed at gunpoint early ...
Developer announces plan for 60-acre `truck hub` near Williston, ND
01/23/2012 - 1:33:48 pm - While many states are struggling with high unemployment rates and budget deficits, business is booming in North Dakota. Oil companies are flocking to North Dakota, ...
Trucker dies after being pinned between trailer, loading dock
01/23/2012 - 1:35:01 pm - A truck driver died last week after being crushed between his trailer and a Pittsburgh loading dock. Il Kim, 59, of Norton, IL, died Wednesday afternoon, according to ...
Missouri bills cover medical certification, driver safety
01/23/2012 - 1:39:03 pm - Missouri lawmakers wasted little time after the first of the year in addressing a hot topic for truckers. Other issues that soon could receive consideration cover licensing ...
Some states still not ready for medical certification reporting rule
01/23/2012 - 1:40:42 pm - As the deadline approaches when truckers must verify medical certification with their home state licensing agencies, more states are reporting their plans for accommodating ...
Could Idaho soon have uniform speeds?
01/27/2012 - 12:24:51 pm - An Idaho state lawmaker is ready to do away with the state’s split speed limit. Idaho law now authorizes motorists to drive 75 mph on interstate highways while trucks ...
Oral arguments set for Friday in drivers’ short mile case against Swift
01/27/2012 - 12:26:10 pm - Oral arguments are scheduled for Friday, Jan. 27, in the class action lawsuit filed by truck drivers against Swift Transportation. The drivers allege they were underpaid based ...
Truckers speak up for lower tolls in Austin
01/27/2012 - 12:27:33 pm - With a reduced toll rate set to expire Wednesday, Jan. 25, truckers that travel the Interstate 35 corridor in Austin are hoping to persuade the Texas DOT to make the lower ...
Community seeks idling restrictions in North Bend, WA
01/27/2012 - 12:29:28 pm - Truckers who live around North Bend, WA, say they can’t remember a time when the local truck stop, known as “truck town,” wasn’t there. As the community around ...
Security consulting firm says 2011 saw big increases in cargo theft
01/27/2012 - 12:30:24 pm - The good news is most cargo theft incidents don’t involve violence. And for the bad news – cargo theft continues to rise at about 8 percent a year in total number ...
South Dakota bill would void indemnity clauses
01/27/2012 - 12:32:10 pm - Intended to level the playing field for truckers doing business in South Dakota, a bill halfway through the statehouse would protect truck drivers in the state from an unfair ...
Trucking-related companies make PIRG’s ‘Dirty Thirty’ list
01/27/2012 - 12:33:54 pm - A national consumer advocacy group has published its “Dirty Thirty” list of companies that received more money in tax breaks than they paid in federal income taxes – and ...
TA/Petro campaign results in record donation to truckers fund
01/27/2012 - 12:35:33 pm - The bean counting is done. The TravelCenters of America has concluded its second annual “Band Together for SCF” campaign with $212,538.87 in donations to support the St. ...
Starting Monday, medical certification reg kicks in
01/31/2012 - 10:27:27 am - Starting Monday, Jan. 30, truckers headed off to the state driver’s licensing agency need to have one more piece of paper to stay legal with their CDL: proof of medical ...
The 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show countdown is on
01/31/2012 - 10:29:05 am - We are counting down until the 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show. Now is the time to start planning your trip. The 41st anniversary of MATS is set for March 22-24 at the Kentucky ...
Schneider driver dies of self-inflicted gunshot after standoff
01/31/2012 - 10:30:57 am - In Edwardsville, IL, north of St. Louis, a driver for Schneider National shot himself in the head after a nine-hour standoff with police at a company terminal on ...
Drug testing operator admits lying over truck driver`s tests
01/31/2012 - 10:32:08 am - A drug testing company operator has admitted to lying about whether commercial truck drivers working for client motor carriers had passed drug tests. Mounir Khouri ...
