Category: Auto

Easter Weekend Is Filled With Happy Family Times, but Also DUIs: Here’s What You Should Know

Easter Weekend Is Filled With Happy Family Times, but Also DUIs: Here’s What You Should Know

Posted by | Apr 2, 2018 | |

It’s Easter Sunday, which is a time of religious celebration and hunts for chocolate-coated Easter eggs. But all the jubilee means there’s a lot of drinking and a lot of driving to get to family and friends. This year, the holiday coincides with April Fools’ Day, which adds a little bit of potentially risky mischief. If you’re going to drive today, you should be more aware of your alcohol consumption. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are more car accidents caused by drivers driving under the influence (DUI) during the holidays, like Easter. Why? Research...

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Truck Catches Fire in Redding and Forces Shutdown of Highway Off-Ramp: Why the Truck Driver May Be Liable

Truck Catches Fire in Redding and Forces Shutdown of Highway Off-Ramp: Why the Truck Driver May Be Liable

Posted by | Mar 31, 2018 | |

On March 30, 2018, a semi-truck carrying 50,000 pounds of 10 four-by-four units of lumber was flagged down by an ambulance that saw the truck’s tires smoking. The truck pulled over on the shoulder of the off-ramp of Redding, CA Southbound Interstate 5’s South Bonnyview exit. The truck caught on fire there around midnight, which forced authorities to close down the off-ramp. The Redding Fire department was able to contain and quell the fire without incident – no person suffered injuries. But officials reopened the ramp almost 12 hours later, at around one o’clock p.m.. The fire department gave...

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The Electronic Logging Device Rule (ELD) Extension Ends in 1 Day! On April 1, 2018, Police Can Delay Your Haul by 10 Hours or More

The Electronic Logging Device Rule (ELD) Extension Ends in 1 Day! On April 1, 2018, Police Can Delay Your Haul by 10 Hours or More

Posted by | Mar 30, 2018 | |

Doctors aren’t forced to use computers at their workplace, nor are they forced to keep medical records. But the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will be forcing most truck drivers to install an electronic logging device (ELD) in their trucks to record their Hours of Service (HOS). The sweeping mandate has been announced as early as 2015, and most of the truck driving industry has heard about it prior to 2017. Why Are Truck Drivers Being Forced to Use Computer Loggers in Their Trucks? The FMCSA has looked through their gathered statistics and studies and found that truck...

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Lucky Owner-Operator Trucker SuperFan Wins a Free Peterbilt Rig – The Pros and Cons of Being an Owner-Operator

Lucky Owner-Operator Trucker SuperFan Wins a Free Peterbilt Rig – The Pros and Cons of Being an Owner-Operator

Posted by | Mar 25, 2018 | |

On March 23, 2018, Peterbilt announced at the 2018 Mid-America Trucking Show that owner-operator Rick McClerkin was the winner of the one-millionth truck Peterbilt has manufactured since the company’s inception. Peterbilt’s giveaway included 1,500 contestants spanning the U.S. and Canada, but only McClerkin was ultimately deemed worthy of the “SuperFan” title. McClerkin has been a truck driver since he was 17 – now he’s 61. Throughout his trucking life, he’s become a steadfast, loyal fan to Peterbilt. He uses two Peterbilt rigs for his owner-operator business, but has a collection of 11 other Peterbilt rigs – of which, seven...

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Are You Being Paid Fairly When Your Truck Breaks Down?

Are You Being Paid Fairly When Your Truck Breaks Down?

Posted by | Mar 23, 2018 | |

Breakdown pay is when you’re paid for downtime while your truck is being repaired because it broke down or had a significant mechanical issue while you were delivering a haul. Truck driving companies have varying policies on breakdown pay: some pay $100 per downtime day, while others have no breakdown pay policy and pay their truck drivers $0 even if they had to wait days away from home. If you’ve broken down while doing a haul for your employer and they decided not to pay you, a truck driver attorney can help you get compensation and back pay. Why...

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