Used Work Trucks

When it comes to choosing a career most of us want a job that can pay us well, as well as give us a job satisfaction. Trucking is one such option that allows you to be adventurous and at the same time earn a stout pay packet. Truck driving has become well loved in America with as many as 3 million Americans driving trucks as full timers. It is an upcoming field with a secured job future. Trucking can earn you up to $100,000 a year. There are still many companies who look out for responsible drivers and if you are looking forward to get into trucking, you need to know all the things that are required to become a commercial truck driver.
Initially, there are was not much qualification required for truck drivers. But, a person who has completed a high school diploma or a GED is considered for the post of driving. If you have not completed any of this you still may have slim chances of getting the job, if the driving record is clean. When hiring a commercial truck driver, emphasis is laid on the way you drive and your past record of driving. You should not be convicted for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Also you should not have too many tickets for over speeding. You should not be involved in any accident or other road mishaps. Most of the companies are looking for a person who can handle the trucks responsibly and the fact that a person has clean driving records shows that he or she has been responsible enough.
To improve your driving skills you can attend a school and get trained to drive a truck. You need to be brilliant at your driving to survive in this field. The driving schools not only teach you how to handle a truck, but also make you aware of safety tips and rules when you hit the road. Many schools do give placement as well, but you need to pass the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations Exam run by U.S Department of Transportation. A commercial truck driver is required to obtain a permit for driving a truck of 26000 pounds and a small truck carrying perilous items. Before you are hired by any company you would have to undergo a hearing and vision test to make sure you have a excellent eye sight. You would also have to go through a drug test. These tests are vital to avoid any mishaps later.
A commercial truck driver needs to travel many places at odd hours. Though the jobs sounds very fascinating, it’s not very simple. You may delight in driving but handling a huge truck is a huge responsibility. Trucking has proved beneficial to many men and women. There are many people who earn extra by working extra hours.
All it takes to be a truck driver is guts, confidence and a sound knowledge of roads and driving. If you are the one who is ready to travel places and adapt yourself to any environment, commercial truck driving is certainly one of the best career option for you.

Tow trucks are used by towing companies and some auto repair companies in order to drag heavy vehicles. Generally tow trucks are more useful in roads. Since the vehicle can help generating more revenues to towing companies, the cost of the vehicle is more. Hence many companies look for tow truck financing.

There are various types of tow trucks which are used for various purposes. Boom tow truck is one among them which has boom winch to pull heavy vehicles that are trapped into ditches or other places where normal tow trucks are not useful. Due to this specialized nature, they are extremely expensive and so the companies need boom tow truck financing.

Hook and chain tow trucks are very useful in transporting vehicles from one place to another in case the vehicle may not be able to transport themselves. For this purpose, the truck has separate hook and chain. This truck is highly useful in case of towing accident vehicles. Due to their cost, many companies look for hook and chain tow truck financing.

Wheel lift tow trucks have a large yoke to support the towing vehicle by touching only the wheel. This truck is useful in towing vehicles without any scratches. Flat bed tow trucks also called roll back tow trucks or slide tow tracks can carry any type of vehicles irrespective of its weight. They offer invaluable service for towing companies. Their comfortable features and sophisticated nature make them highly expensive. Therefore tow truck financing is often desirable.

Quick pick tow trucks also known as integrated tow trucks or repo provide priceless services for legal agencies and repossession companies. They are used to remove the illegally parked vehicles. Since people may get mad while towing their vehicles, it is vital to do the work speedily. Quick pick tow trucks provide such quick towing service. Due to their special feature, they are quite pricey. Hence tow truck financing is often preferable to buy them.

Tow truck generates revenue to many companies. Even if any company uses it for its internal fleet and does not generate any income, the cost of the tow trucks are really high and many companies find it impossible to buy from their own money. Therefore they need to consider tow truck financing to buy it.

There are some genuine financing companies that can know the need of tow trucks and they arrange for quick approval of desired amount to towing companies or some other auto repair companies that want to buy these trucks. A simple application process is enough to get speedy approval of the amount. They provide financial help at low interest rates. Hence the towing companies find it simpler to repay the low monthly payments since they are generating much revenue with the help of tow trucks.

Tow truck financing is the best option to buy the expensive vehicles. A simple online application is enough to get financial help.

Large trucks account for a disproportionately large share of traffic deaths based on miles traveled. The fatal crash rate for large trucks is 50 percent greater than the rate for all vehicles on the roads.

Fatalities from large truck crashes have increased approximately 10 percent from 1995 through 1998, moving up from 4,918 deaths in 1995 to 5,374 deaths in 1998. Large trucks – including tractor-trailers, single-unit trucks and certain heavy cargo vans with yucky weight more than 10,000 pounds – account for a disproportionately large share of traffic deaths based on miles traveled. The fatal crash rate for large trucks is 2.6 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled more than 50 percent greater than the rate for all vehicles on the roads.

Surveys indicate that many highway motorists are intimidated by the mere size of a truck or bus. When you combine this perception with a highway crash and the resulting roadway congestion, the public image of the motor carrier industry takes a beating no matter who caused the crash. By driving safely to prevent crashes, you can improve that image and save time, money, and, most importantly, lives.

When driving on the highway, motorists are at a serious disadvantage if involved in a crash with a larger vehicle. In crashes involving large trucks, the occupants of a car, usually the driver, sustain 78 percent of reported fatalities. In order to keep you and your family safe when driving around large trucks and buses, you should be extra cautious. Sharing the road with larger vehicles can be perilous if you are not aware of their limitations. Read the car driver safety tips to help you prevent an accident and minimize injuries and fatalities if one does occur.

To help reduce crashes and fatalities, Congress directed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to work together to educate motorists on how to share the road safely with commercial motor vehicles (CMVs).

The result of this government collaboration was the development of the Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) program—a high-visibility traffic enforcement program that uses communication, enforcement, and evaluation activities to reduce CMV-related crashes, fatalities, and injuries.

In the fall of 2004, Washington was selected as the first pilot State for the TACT program. Based on the success of the Washington State TACT program and other traffic enforcement programs such as Click It or Ticket, FMCSA encourages additional States to undertake TACT programs on roadways with injuries and fatalities resulting from crashes between cars and trucks.

The TACT program combines outreach, education, and evaluation with targeted enforcement activities to raise awareness among car and truck drivers about safe driving behaviors. Unsafe driving behaviors may include, but are not limited to: unsafe lane changes, tailgating, failing to signal lane changes, failing to yield the right of way, speeding, and aggressive driving (a combination of two or more behaviors).

LARGE TRUCK CRASH FACTS

* 5,374 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks in 1998, representing thirteen percent of all traffic fatalities. Of these, 78 percent were occupants of another vehicle, 14 percent were large truck occupants and 8 percent were non-occupants. An additional 123,000 people were injured in those crashes. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA)

* In 1997, large trucks made up three percent of all registered vehicles and seven percent of all vehicle miles traveled. Yet, large trucks constituted nine percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes, and four percent of all vehicles involved in injury and property-hurt-only crashes that year. (NHTSA, 1999)

* In 1998, large trucks were more likely to be involved in a fatal multiple-vehicle crashes opposed to a single-vehicle crash than were passenger vehicles (84 percent of all large trucks in fatal crashes, compared with 62 percent of all passenger vehicles). (NHTSA, 1999)

* One out of eight traffic crash fatalities in 1998 was the result of a collision involving a large truck. (NHTSA, 1999)

* Most of the fatal crashes involving large trucks occur in rural areas (67 percent), during the day (68 percent) and on weekdays (80 percent). (NHTSA, 1999)

* A loaded tractor-trailer requires 20-40 percent further stopping distance than a car. With an empty trailer, the discrepancy between the truck and the car is even greater. (NHTSA, 1999)

* Of the trucks with out-of-service violations, more than one-third of them have problems with brakes. (Federal Highway Administration, 1998)

* All new tractors and trailers are required to have anti-lock brakes. Anti-lock braking systems are effective in preventing wheel lock and loss of steering in emergency stopping, especially on wet roads.

* Federal regulations allow drivers of large trucks to drive up to 16 hours a day. But, drivers under the regulations can compile 60 hours in less than five days by alternating ten hours of maximum permitted continuous driving with the minimum eight hours off duty. Surveys reveal that many drivers of large trucks violate the regulations on hours of service. Studies also show that driver fatigue plays a role in large truck crashes and that drivers are more likely to crash after many long hours of driving. (IIHS) The Department of Transportation is currently considering a revision of these hours-of-service rules.

* Nearly 30 percent of large truck drivers involved in fatal crashes in 1998 had at least one prior conviction for speeding, compared to slightly less than 20 percent of the passenger vehicle drivers in fatal crashes. (NHTSA, 1999)

We all know the kind of lives that men in the military live. Most of the times, they live a very tough and hard life. They are cut off from civilization and in the times of war, have to literally hang on to their sanity. No doubt, it is an honorable and respectable job, but it also puts them under immense pressure. This is one of the main reasons, why they would want to make ‘trucking’ an immediate job option after retirement. It cuts out their stress completely from their lives.
Trucking is one of the jobs or occupations that has the least, or practically no amount of stress at all. Even most experts have proved, that if you are stressed out, you need to go for a drive. The whole atmosphere of the scene and breeze works well for you. Driving is a fantastic way of de-stressing. The scenery and the folks you keep encountering on the way, all add color to your life and make it more fascinating.
And when you talk about trucks, they are not too hard at all to drive. In fact, they are simple and simple to drive. Trucks have power steering, fully equipped with all kinds of satellite communication, phones, and DVD system, which make the journey all the more comfortable and exciting. They have different kind of set up from what they normally used to be. What they need is a stretch of open road.
Even though, it is a fact that military men make excellent drivers is because of their special training and education that they had received, while in the services of the military. The kind of heavy vehicles that they drove is a kind of expertise that they have developed over a period of time. This is the main criterion, why most trucking companies are more than willing to hire ex-servicemen. They really don’t need to spend much time and money on training them, to do trucking well. They are most glad to recruit them, who are thorough professionals.
After retirement, it is hard to find an occupation that pays well. But, in the trucking business you get life insurance, free medical check ups, overtime, and many other added benefits. Some military guys, who have been into repairing and servicing of trucks, find this quite a lucrative business to pursue after retirement. Since they have been working in the maintenance department for so many years, it becomes very simple for them to continue to do the same.
Even most trucking companies would happily hire a hardcore mechanic anytime. Someone who they know, is well versed with his stuff, would be selected immediately. So really, whether you are driving or repairing a truck, it is still an enjoyable occupation to get into post retirement. But honestly, there is nothing like trucking business. You are free to make money according to how many trips you want to make or choose to be at home with your family. There is no pressure and you can really get the time to ’smell the rain’, something you longed for in the earlier part of your life. Hence trucking is a excellent occupation after you retire from the forces.

Any accident involving trucks can be devastating because of the very nature of these vehicles. At a speed of 80 mph, the impact between the truck and the other vehicle can be huge. When it comes to determining liability, there are a number of individuals who can be blamed for whatever injury that will be sustained.Let us find out who are the persons likely to be made responsible for personal injuries or deaths to the innocent victims.The DriverThe most likely person to take the responsibility for any injury is none other than the driver. At the very least, he/she will be included in the list of defendants whenever a lawsuit will be pursued by the victims of the accident. This is because the truck driver is the one to have caused the injury.Some of the vital facts that will determine the liability of the driver in your case may include the following:

The three instances mentioned above could spell the difference in determining liability for the injuries you sustained.The Trucking FirmAnother entity that could be held liable for injuries or deaths is the firm where the truck driver is employed. This will only hold right if the driver is using the truck owned by the company at the time of the accident. In this instance, the truck driver and the truck owner may be held liable for hurts in the accident.To establish liability of the driver and the vehicle owner in a truck accident, the following elements must be present:

In reality, it all boils down to truck accident insurance. Depending on who will be blamed for the accident, either a victim will be covered by the driver’s or the company’s health insurance plot. Again, the awarding of the insurance needs must meet certain conditions.First, if the driver drove their truck of his own concurrence, the insurance plot will provide coverage for injuries or hurts up to a fixed dollar cost.Second, if at the time of the accident, the driver was working for a trucking firm, the insurance carrier will be included in any case that will be filed as well.In California, the possibility of truck accidents is very high. Because of its huge highways and freeways, more and more vehicles not only trucks become involve in collisions, which result to injuries or death.If you want to determine the liability of a driver or trucking company, get the services of truck accident attorneys in California. They can help you determine how much you can claim as well as the possible hurts that come with the case.To help you with truck accidents and related issues, you can avail of the services of credible and experienced personal injury attorneys to help you. Log on to our official website and let your case be appraised free of charge.

Most of the moving trucks are designed for shifting all the household accessories while moving. All these moving trucks are specially designed to load all types of heavy accessories of any house. While transporting the all the accessories of any house, these moving trucks can give more importance to the safety and proper handling of delicate home accessories. Therefore, these moving trucks are bound to not hurt single hardware while shifting it from one place to another. By using the moving trucks, we can easily handle and transport our household goods. These moving trucks are incorporated with large in size floor space. Therefore, that makes you to load up lower and stretch these things out. These moving trucks play a vital role in shipping the people, delivering diminutive types of loads. These moving trucks are used as the best alternative for home improvement projects.Apart from shifting the household material, accessories, these moving trucks also load heavy goods like building construction material like cement, grills, heavily weighted machines, industrial products, agricultural products and foods. While transporting the food material, these moving trucks are specially designed with air conditioned storage system. Also while loading automotive products like motorcycles, four wheelers and tractors, these moving trucks have to careful about their loading weight and driving speed which cause major accidents by ignoring them. These moving trucks are technically well designed for heavy loading. These moving trucks are like vans and contain low deck. These trucks are particularly manufactured very close to the ground. They are incorporated with loading slope which is used for loading and placing the heavy accessories and helps to lessen the loading time and physical work. Some moving trucks provide a large space with slope that it is very simple for our belongings to feel free in and out of the trucks. For providing sufficient space for loading, most of the moving trucks are designed cushion polish bar with central tie-downs on inner wall of the moving trucks. These moving trucks also contain the flat decks and ample of other inbuilt functions which gives you the feeling of living in the home. There is an excess amount of breathing space, headroom and widen room. In addition, the air conditioning facility is useful to keep you fresh and cool in hot climate. While offering the service of transporting of house accessories, the transport and truck manufacturing companies provides a wide range of models of truck for their customers. These moving trucks are designed with air-ride deferment, which provides smooth riding by using rubber bladders that are like a hot-air balloon and these bladders are used instead of springs of metals. At the time of parking, The Air-Ride can even be depressed when the vehicle is parked, which lesser the floor of the moving trucks from simple loading as well as unloading. These moving trucks are incorporated with several features like seats which are well-covered with cloths. It also contains the manual and automatic transmission. These moving trucks have a suspension of Gentle Ride, holdup with 2″ ball.

The number of truck accidents in California is very alarming. In 2007 alone, there are 10,626 non-fatal crashes and 5,315 recorded injuries in crashes involving large trucks. Also, in 2003, there were a total of 332 fatal truck accidents. In addition, every 16 minutes, a truck gets involve in accidents which results in major injuries and even death, mostly by the driver or passengers of the other vehicle.Various measures are being done by the government to reduce these numbers. In fact, laws were passed to regulate the trucking industry and to lessen accidents involving trucks and buses. Here are some of the laws:• The Code of Federal Regulations provides that truck owners should require their truck drivers and operators to rest after 10 hour of driving.• The same code also requires truck drivers and operators to record their duty status every day.• There are regulations requiring the truck owners to maintain their vehicles properly and to inspect them regularly for defective parts.• There are laws against over-loading.• Traffic laws require drivers to undergo written and actual tests to find out if they are capable and skilled enough to operate large vehicles especially on long hours.But despite government precautions, accidents involving trucks and large vehicles cannot be avoided probably because drivers and operators disobey these laws for personal and economic reasons.Listed below are the most common causes of truck accidents in California:1. Trucks are being used to deliver food and other goods to places of fantastic distances. Thus, drivers are forced to drive non-stop for long hours otherwise; the goods might perish or expire.2. The operators tend to drive quick in hopes that they would be able to get the job done as soon as possible. But since the average weight of a truck is around 80,000 pounds, it is hard to maneuver, control or even halt, causing it to crash unto a fixed structure or unto another vehicle.3. Because drivers drive for long hours, they get tired and sleepy making it hard for them to stay alert. As a result, they lose control of the steering wheel.4. Because of personal and monetary interests, some drivers disregard the law provisions on over-loading. The more goods they can deliver means the more money they can earn.5. Another cause for truck accidents is defective mechanical parts. Owners don’t inspect and maintain their vehicles vigilantly. Some truck accidents are caused by busted head or taillights, loose wheels, or not working brakes.6. Trucks can be intimidating by its size. Its size enables it to swerve or pass through traffic unharmed. But a single road miscalculation can cause collision with another vehicle.7. Due to cost-cutting measures, some truck owners hire drivers who are incompetent and unskilled when it comes to operating large and heavy vehicles. It takes a skilled driver to steer trucks carrying a long and heavy haul on sharp curbs. That is the reason why there are special tests to determine the capacity of a person to drive trucks.If you or a loved one had been a victim of truck accidents because of the truck driver’s recklessness, the best and first thing to do is to contact a California Truck Accident Lawyer who could help you. A Truck Accident Lawyer can give you legal advice and help you determine and obtain your legal demands easily and hassle-free.To help you with truck accidents and other related issues, you can consult with our expert Los Angeles truck accident lawyers. To avail of our free case evaluation, you can visit our website.

Accidents involving commercial trucks often result in serious injuries or death. Every year, thousands of people are killed because of reckless truck drivers.



If you have a loved one that was killed in a commercial truck accident, an experienced truck accident attorney or law firm, like Bush Lewis P.L.L.C. in Beaumont, Texas can help you file a wrongful death claim after a truck accident.



Ken Lewis is an experienced Texas truck accident attorney. “I know the rules and regulations involved when filing a wrongful death claim after a truck accident. This can be a hard and confusing process for someone without experience,” says Lewis.



Truck accidents are often more serious than regular accidents because of the size of the commercial truck. A commercial truck accident can involve trucks that are as much as 20 times the size of a regular automobile. This means that the repercussions from a truck accident can be much more serious.



Driving a commercial truck well takes skill, knowledge, and experience; because of this, truck driver are required to follow different rules and regulations. Unfortunately, not all truck drivers follow the rules they are supposed to, and driving a commercial truck recklessly can lead to tragic accidents.



Reckless driving involves driving a vehicle in an unsafe, negligent, or perilous manner. This can include:

· Speeding

· Weaving in and out of traffic

· Tailgating

· Disregard for safety

· Disregard for property

· Disregard for people



When the person driving recklessly is behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound commercial truck, accidents that result can be disastrous. State and Federal Laws limit the amount of time a truck driver can be on the road because when a truck driver is tired or fatigued they may be prone to driving recklessly. If the driver has been driving for too many hours, the commercial trucking company the truck driver works for may be held liable for the truck accident.



Also, reckless truck drivers may have a history of causing truck accidents. This can show that the driver is a hazard on the road, and that they have a habit of driving their truck recklessly.



Filing a wrongful death lawsuit attempts to establish that the reason your loved one passed away was a direct result of the truck driver causing a truck accident. Many different things can cause truck accidents, and reckless driving is one of them. Filing a wrongful death claim can be hard, and an experienced truck accident attorney can aid you with the process.

Classic Trucks in the movies and starring in TV Commercials!

Owners of ancient trucks would never deny permission for somebody to take a picture of their vehicle. Do you want to take a picture of my truck? Go ahead. Next time don’t even question!

Let’s suppose somebody came up to you and questioned for permission to take a picture of your classic truck to publish in a magazine or a website. Would you refuse? Of course not. You’re proud of your truck and you want the whole world to see it.

But there are people who don’t want to have their classic trucks photographed or filmed. They spend a lot of time fixing their trucks, they go to car shows to show off what they have and yet they refuse to have their trucks filmed or photographed. It doesn’t make sense and it’s not very smart either. Maybe they don’t need the money…

Now let’s suppose you had a chance of having your truck filmed for a TV commercial or, better yet, for a movie! How fantastic would that be? Let’s also suppose that some TV producer chose to make a new series based on the 1940’s, 1950’s or 1960’s. Wouldn’t he(she) need a lot of cars from those eras? And if the series became a hit the vehicles would be used again and again.

Yeah. It it possible and it’s not even too hard. You just have to promote your vehicle in the right places. There are companies out there looking for vehicles exactly like yours. Many companies in fact. They look for classic trucks for sale and they buy them. They look for classic cars of all types and they pay rent to the car owners in order to film the cars. There are companies that go after owners of classic cars, ancient trucks and hot rods in order to list these vehicles in large databases. Advertising agencies place ads in the papers when they need an ancient car or pickup truck for a TV commercial. Keep your eyes open because your huge chance may come from that direction.

If you have a excellent set of pictures of your small jewel you’re one step closer to fame and fortune. Well, may be not fortune but fame is possible…

A movie production company may need classic trucks just like yours. They might need your truck to spend, say, three days in Hollywood and a week on location in New York. They would make the arrangements to have the vehicle transported to both places and might even be willing to pay for your expenses to go along. You would see how a movie is made and you could even end up meeting a couple of well-known movie stars just because you own an antique truck.

The producer of a movie or a TV commercial may be looking for a perfectly restored ancient car, one that looks like it came out of the showroom a couple of days ago. But directors want their films to look real. Therefore they may need a regular classic vehicle, one that shows it’s been used. And they might even need a real wreck, a rust bucket so to speak. Your chances are real, no matter what condition your truck is in. Don’t be ashamed of it. Go ahead and try.

And how does this thing work? First you have to find an agent, a company that has the contacts and knows where to go with your truck pictures. Get listed on their databases and be patient. You might get a call the following morning but it could also take a couple of years.

Here are a few suggestions of sites you can visit to learn more about this:

MovieVehicles.com

OldCarLocator.com

Cornwell & Sheridan Motor Cars

TVParty.com

Classic-Chassis.com

If you’re really committed to the thought of having your vehicle on a movie or a TV commercial you may do what actors do. Have a professional photographer take a series of shots of the vehicle and send them to advertising agencies or talent agencies. Or have a nice video produced, send it to talent agencies and upload it to YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video and so on. Even wedding planners may be interested in your ancient truck or classic car. Promote it well and one day you’ll get your huge break.

And here’s another very vital thing to keep in mind: don’t hide your prized possession in your garage. Take it to shows, go to swap meets and take your chances at show prizes. You may win a simple trophy and you may also get some prize money. But you’ll have to make sure your truck is in show condition before you do that. Nobody will allow you enter your classic car or ancient truck in a car show if the car or truck is not worth showing. Movies and TV commercials might look for regular ancient trucks or classic cars, but car shows don’t. Car shows want the cream of the crop, so to speak.

All of this is right all over the world. Movies are made everywhere these days and so are TV commercials. Classic car and ancient truck shows are common in nearly every country and you can take advantage of that to make money with your truck or classic car.

Money? With ancient trucks and classic cars? Yep. It’s possible mainly because nobody is making trucks like yours anymore.

If you’ve had a truck accident anywhere in California from Oxnard to Palmdale, Apple Valley to Camarillo, from Corona in Orange County, CA to Fontana, from Victorville to Twentynine Palms or even in Hesperia, Moreno Valley, San Diego, Oceanside, Ontario, Perris, Redlands, or Palm Springs, you’ve probably been wondering if the California state legislators are working on any new ways to try to prevent truck accidents.

I had heard that the state’s legislators were rushing to pass some new laws to prevent truck accidents so I called one of my state Senators to get a sneak peak at just how the proposed legislation would affect huge rig truck drivers in California and personal injury victims.

“So you’re outlawing texting by truck drivers?” I questioned.

“Who told you that?” the Senator questioned. “We’re outlawing jacknifing”

“Huh?” I questioned. “Jacknifed trucks aren’t jacknifed intentionally.”

“Then why do they happen so often?” the Senator questioned. “From now on, if you jacknife your truck, you do the time.”

“Oh excellent grief,” I said. “What else are you considering to prevent huge rig accidents?”

“Blind spots,” the Senator said proudly.

“This is ridiculous,” I said. “That comes with the territory of driving a huge rig truck. You might as well outlaw trucks from carrying any loads.”

The Senator made a note of that despite my frown.

“Have you considered the fact that in as much as 75 percent of the car versus huge rig truck accidents, the driver of the car is at fault?”

“Of course we know that,” the Senator said. “Seventy-five percent?”

I nodded.

“Something’s got to be done about those car drivers,” the Senator said.

“You Senators still have a excellent thought to want to improve truck safety,” I said. “You’re just going about it the incorrect way.”

“What do you suggest?” the Senator questioned.

“Focus on ensuring that huge rigs have properly functioning brake systems,” I said and watched the Senator taking furious notes.

“That’s excellent. That’s really excellent. Anything else?” the Senator questioned.

“Spot check the trucks for proper loading and not just weigh them,” I said

“Brilliant, brilliant,” the Senator said. “Anything else?”

“How about penalizing companies that skirt the rules on resting truck drivers so they don’t fall asleep on the roads,” I suggested.

“That can be done, sure,” the Senator said.

“But you’re going to have to ensure that the logs of truck drivers aren’t fudged when it comes to recording the hours a truck driver spends behind the wheel,” I said.

“We’ll place our best minds on it,” the Senator said.

I shuddered to reckon what that might produce.

“Anything else?” the Senator questioned.

“How about spot checking the truck drivers for alcohol or drugs?” I questioned. “You do it for car drivers on weekends and holidays. Why not for truck drivers?”

“Excellent question,” the Senator said. “Do you have any other suggestions?”

“I do,” I said. “Why don’t you have the Highway Patrol focus their attention more on trucks that exceed the speed limit than on car drivers.. Can you imagine how much more perilous a huge-rig truck is driving at a perilous speed with a full load is than a small car?”

“It’s harder to catch those truck drivers,” the Senator said. “Don’t they still have CB radios and use code language like in the Dukes of Hazard?”

I shook my head and left as the Senator was rushing back to tell his colleagues what fantastic new thoughts he had come up with to prevent truck accidents.

News Note – On October 1, 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger banned motorists from texting, writing or reading messages on electronic devices. The law goes into effect January 1, 2009.

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