tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1377474042138710492009-11-22T21:18:35.337-06:00Jami Jonesjami_jones@landlinemag.comBlogger314125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-80208236672507466562009-11-20T14:26:00.002-06:002009-11-20T14:34:46.677-06:00

By now you may have heard about a recent report that showed roads and bridges in New York state are getting only one-third of the money they should be receiving.That’s right. And while it’s no revelation that states raid one fund to help plug leaks elsewhere, it doesn’t make it any easier for the public – in this case, residents of the Empire State – to stomach such ghastly figures.According to a

Keith Goblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01008390464524334391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-27704035760716639302009-11-13T14:58:00.002-06:002009-11-13T15:03:33.563-06:00

All too often, it’s the fiery crash that grabs up media headlines and leaves audiences with an irrational fear or dislike for heavy trucks that share their roadways.While crashes and fatalities do occur and are tragic, the viewer rarely gets to hear stories about other trucking issues or from the men and women behind the wheel.Every so often, someone gets it right. Recently, that someone was Dan

David Tannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208723662505554367noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-11886700547776139782009-11-12T15:11:00.001-06:002009-11-12T15:25:21.450-06:00

Trucker Larry Works, a longtime OOIDA member with a larger-than-life personality, died earlier this week.Larry’s widow, Chris Works, told me that truckers and friends were welcome to make a donation to the American Lung Association in lieu of flowers.I got to know Larry two years ago, when he called Land Line to talk about his 2006 arrest at a Joplin, MO truck stop.As Land Line detailed in this

Charlie Moraschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14158407873835161917noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-44013783960785280622009-11-10T15:37:00.001-06:002009-11-10T15:41:02.166-06:00

In 1953, a roving sniper was on the loose terrorizing communities, shooting people to death at random. All the shots allegedly were fired from the same weapon. Detectives frantically pursued the killer, questioned suspects, analyzed clues, and followed countless leads.The story dominated the national media, which called the shootings “an unprecedented wave of fear.” The story sounds a lot like

Keith Goblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01008390464524334391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-51262999965311455282009-11-04T14:31:00.002-06:002009-11-04T14:38:32.877-06:00

Truck writers are a nutty bunch. I got an e-mail today from Rufus Sideswipe, the gearjammin’ imaginary pal of Land Line columnist Bill Hudgins. This e-mail was a copy of a note sent to another Land Line columnist, Dave Sweetman.Rufus, it seems, read Sweetman’s column in the October Land Line and liked it a lot. If you haven’t read it, it’s called “Blue Highways,” and I agree it’s one of Sweetman’

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-74417195390053423142009-11-02T15:00:00.001-06:002009-11-02T15:03:01.097-06:00

With all the hammering the diesel engine industry – which in the U.S. means trucking – has taken over emissions, it’s nice to see that attention is turning toward four-wheeled emitters. At least, it is in Australia (aka Oztralia or Oz), where Mazda is testing a car that uses SCR to reduce greenhouse gases in exhaust.Selective catalyst reduction – SCR – is emerging as a popular choice for diesel

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606718552758601629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-72151204525089366372009-10-29T15:30:00.001-05:002009-10-29T15:35:01.694-05:00

As noted in Land Line’s daily news, the White House, DOT and Centers for Disease Control are advising drivers how to try to keep the flu out of your rig – and presumably your home, your body and your loved ones.Here’s my advice: Do it.Health risks aside – and these may range from mild to serious, depending on how healthy you are to start with and perhaps how old you are – there’s a very practical

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606718552758601629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-20344692208402386992009-10-28T14:45:00.003-05:002009-10-28T14:53:36.230-05:00

Last weekend, I traveled to Willie’s Place in Carl’s Corner, TX, to cover the first-ever U.S. “Convoy for a Cure” for OOIDA’s Land Line Magazine. And I am proud to say that I convoyed with some of the most courageous truckers you will ever meet.Many of the women truckers I met at the “Cure” convoy are also breast cancer survivors, who have done battle with this brutal disease and won. Their

Clarissa Kell-Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17987151564812919034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-72719370827975760182009-10-26T15:06:00.004-05:002009-10-27T09:41:55.579-05:00

Jasmine Jordan, 16-year-old daughter of two OOIDA members, is home resting a stress fracture for the next three to four weeks. Jasmine found out last week she had a small fracture in her foot, and will take an additional three weeks off minimum.If you follow Jasmine, also known as Jazzy, on her www.runwithjazzy.com/ Web site, or follow her on the Facebook or Twitter social networking sites, you

Charlie Moraschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14158407873835161917noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-67045341182801887332009-10-23T14:18:00.002-05:002009-10-23T14:27:02.546-05:00

After I finish writing this, I am heading to Willie’s Place in Carl’s Corner, TX, to participate in the first-ever U.S. “Convoy for a Cure” on Oct. 24.OOIDA Life Member Cindy Stowe (pictured here) of Will’s Point, TX, has been planning the “Cure” convoy for months now, and I can’t wait to see it all come together. It’s for such a great and worthy cause – to raise money for breast cancer

Clarissa Kell-Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17987151564812919034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-36003889380983406422009-10-22T14:45:00.002-05:002009-10-22T14:48:52.076-05:00

On Saturday, Oct. 24, a good friend of the trucking industry will try to walk at least a mile for a cause that is important to him and 46 million others known to be affected by arthritis. Ken Cummings is a guy many of us have known for years as a hard-working member of the Newport sales staff.One of my favorite magazines – Editor & Publisher – once named him number one sales executive. Quite an

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-80750575878825257552009-10-21T15:24:00.002-05:002009-10-21T15:28:17.987-05:00

Last weekend, I was part of the OOIDA posse that left the nice 39-degree rainy weather in Grain Valley, MO, for the Truck Show Latino in balmy Pomona, CA, where it was 92.One of the first people I ran into was OOIDA Life Member Frank Pangburn, hiking briskly down the aisle in his mango Crocs, arms full of T-shirts and paperwork. Inside the Fairplex-Pomona, the Truck Show Latino was taking shape,

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-46705151342151848132009-10-16T15:10:00.002-05:002009-10-16T15:18:47.326-05:00

On Monday, Oct. 12, Jasmine Jordan crossed into New Mexico from Arizona – the third state the 16-year-old has run through as she makes her eastward trek across the U.S.Jordan, daughter of OOIDA members Lee and Paulette Jordan, is running 100 miles per week across the U.S. in an effort to bring awareness to rising health care expenses and to fundraise for a truckers’ medical charity called the St.

Charlie Moraschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14158407873835161917noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-74463713061286486782009-10-15T13:51:00.002-05:002009-10-15T13:54:55.371-05:00

You would think the Mamas and the Papas classic hit, “California Dreamin’” would be on Joe Rajkovacz’ playlist since embarking on his 12-day journey from OOIDA’s HQ in Grain Valley, MO, to several scheduled stops in California.But you would be wrong. He and OOIDA Life Member Bill Rode are going down the road in OOIDA’s “Spirit of the American Trucker” tapping their feet to the

Clarissa Kell-Hollandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17987151564812919034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-41107819960364375212009-10-13T13:39:00.005-05:002009-10-13T14:26:40.549-05:00

Truckers carry on through all kinds of weather, which may help explain why a lashing rainstorm on Oct. 9 failed to keep some 1,300 people from making their way to the 2009 Tennessee Truck Show in Crossville, TN, to cheer show organizers Joey and Vicky Holiday and their special guest, country legend Aaron Tippin. The rain began to relent just as the concert began in a cavernous service building

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606718552758601629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-60589973066399031532009-10-06T16:03:00.003-05:002009-10-07T09:49:18.280-05:00

Jasmine Jordan hears the class bell.She pays attention, readies her pen and may occasionally doodle alongside notes just like the other students at Fergus Falls Senior High School in St. Cloud, MN.Jazzy, however, happens to be 1,200 miles away.Jasmine, also known as Jazzy, is running cross country to raise awareness for medical expenses, particularly for truck drivers who lack health care

Charlie Moraschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14158407873835161917noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-14417012132822557952009-09-29T14:10:00.002-05:002009-09-29T14:15:43.935-05:00

I’m not a pushover. And I’m certainly not a nostalgic softy. Too many years of journalism have me a little jaded and a little hardened – kind of like the truckers I work for.At least that’s what I like to claim. It’s easier to put on a tough outer shell and act like I’m hard as nails – kind of like the truckers I work for.Well, my bluff was called this past weekend, and I’d bet more than a

Jami Jonesjami_jones@landlinemag.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-59728807974960452082009-09-28T15:00:00.003-05:002009-09-29T13:18:27.278-05:00

On Sunday, Sept. 27, the New York Times ran a story by Matt Richtel titled “Truckers Insist on Keeping Computers in the Cab.” To read the article, click here.Don’t just read the article. Be sure and read the comments section.I really like the dolt from North Carolina who doesn’t need trucks. How’s that garden behind the Piggly Wiggly doing there, Bubba? And as for the main text of the piece ...

David Sweetmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06288934277228215653noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-19826087391717947032009-09-25T15:18:00.003-05:002009-09-25T15:57:45.362-05:00

There has been a lot of discussion this year at statehouses and from safety advocates touting the need to make roadways safer. The purpose seems straightforward. But states aren’t sending a clear message about how to accomplish the task.Massachusetts lawmakers are taking a long look at giving older drivers greater scrutiny when it comes time to get their licenses renewed.The push for legislation

Keith Goblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01008390464524334391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-34571102169493131892009-09-17T11:57:00.003-05:002009-09-18T12:22:22.794-05:00

The Freedom of Information Act was signed into law in 1966. Lyndon Johnson was president back then, and I was barely out of high school. The Act mandates that information held by federal agencies must be made available through a request process, unless it’s exempt for super special reasons.The info is not always hush-hush stuff, but filing a FOIA request frequently provides some surprising, even

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-72745323812639879032009-09-16T15:18:00.001-05:002009-09-16T15:22:04.188-05:00

With a little more than a year left in office for Tennessee’s two-term Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen, the Volunteer State is already rumbling under the wheels of would-be successors. One of those is Bill Haslam, whose family started Pilot Travel Centers; he has been the corporation’s president for 18 years.Flying the Republican standard from his aerials, Haslam has served as mayor of Knoxville

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606718552758601629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-62465870937058482032009-09-10T10:16:00.002-05:002009-09-10T10:26:39.769-05:00

Some time back a letter was sent to me by a trucker whose quick actions behind the wheel had prevented a woman in a car from being smashed to smithereens. She was multitasking – handing off soft drinks and straws to her kids in the back seat – and never even saw the danger. And she never saw the move by the trucker, a defensive move that came natural to him, but one that saved lives. The driver

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-34610978039187497682009-09-01T15:34:00.003-05:002009-09-01T15:48:15.742-05:00

You’re entering a major city – let’s say Atlanta – and traffic is moving slowly.Just when you think you’re going to be late to pick up or deliver a load, an opportunity greets you in the form of a sign. It says you can pay a toll, hop on an express lane, and bypass the congestion.That’s the concept behind congestion pricing, offering motorists a choice to pay a toll to travel in a faster-moving

David Tannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208723662505554367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-92054171465197795672009-08-31T14:58:00.003-05:002009-08-31T15:09:53.491-05:00

As presidential appointments go, the pick didn’t make many national headlines.On Aug. 20, it was announced that President Obama had selected Christopher Hart to serve a term as vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.“Vice Chairman Hart comes to the Board after a long career in transportation safety, including a previous term as a member of the NTSB during the 1990s,” the

Charlie Moraschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14158407873835161917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137747404213871049.post-15113371432977001242009-08-24T15:33:00.004-05:002009-08-24T15:48:13.738-05:00

“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign/ Blocking out the scenery/ breaking my mind/ Do this, don’t do that/ can’t you read the sign?”If your senses are becoming increasingly overloaded, perhaps it’s time to adopt this 1971 hit by the Five Man Electrical Band as your ringtone. Just don’t answer any calls or text messages while driving.The very devices that make our business and personal lives easier can

David Tannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208723662505554367noreply@blogger.com2