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Later this day, the AP published this piece: Impact of volcanic ash surfacing for US businesses Excerpt: "On Friday afternoon, FedEx stopped accepting virtually all its lower-priority international shipments, which can include a wide variety of products from auto parts to clothing, in order...

The eruption of a volcano in Iceland and the ash spewed into the air has turned much of Europe into a no-fly zone. The immediate business impact is discussed in this AP article. Excerpt: "Airlines are already counting the cost of grounded planes, and there are growing fears about the...

Yes Humble2drive! Yes, LDB! Yes, Layoutshooter! The more information that can be made available to trucks, the better deadhead and layover decisions can be made. I believe this would serve the carrier well too as the trucks will tend to go where other trucks aren't. If Diane and I had been...

This assigns a presumption of guilt to recruiters, which drivers often do. Indeed, popular acceptance and emotional strokes can be easily found at truck stop lunch counters and other places truckers gather if you complain about recruiters that lie. The ironic thing is, the complainers will...

To bring those who missed the show into the loop, these are the shorts in question. It's been nine months since the 2009 show and people are still talking about them. Exhibitors, take note.:D

There are several shippers and consignees in OR and WA that Diane and I have served. In 2008 and 2009, we picked up or delivered 14 times in those two states, serving 10 separate customers. I know an expediter who lives in California and he frequently runs freight in and out of OR and WA. With...

A while back, Diane and I were near Spokane getting the truck washed when a neighboring business owner approached us to ask about the truck. "What do 'ya haul in that thing? I've never seen a FedEx truck like that before." You know the questions. We all get them. Anyway, as we visited, he...

Diane and I set expediting goals before we entered the business and pursue them to this day. These goals are stated in writing. They are end results we intend to enjoy today and achieve in the future. Our goals guide our actions. If we find ourselves off track as we sometimes do, we modify our...

I have to hand it to you about health and fitness, and even more so about the committment required to achieve what you have achieved.

Glad to hear you landed on your feet and the wheels are rolling.

A new topic that will be very much on drivers' minds in July 2010 and beyond is CSA 2010. Of particular interest to drivers will be their CSA score as it is coming to be informally known. As you plan your exhibit, think about tapping into that interest to draw the qualified people you seek...

Everyone talks about the cost per mile and cost per day (week, month, year) of operating a truck. Why is talk about profit per mile and profit per day (week, month, year) so infrequent? For whom exactly are expediters in business to make a profit for?

While Diane and I were stopped at a rest area today (E I-40/N-I-85, M139) a truck rolled in with a bad Michelin super single tire. A few minutes later a road service truck pulled in and changed the bad one with a new, re-capped super single. The original tire was bought new, it was not a re-cap...

Link: An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking

It is very helpful. Thank you again for the good work you are doing with this and for the interesting and informative information.

Reconsidering Super Singles

Thank you, Doug. I appreciate the good work you are doing. I'm sure others do too. :)

That is an interesting point about personal conveyance ("accountance") and you are right. There is more than one liability issue in play here. A carrier that restricts how an independent contractor legally uses his or her truck when that truck is not under dispatch is a carrier that may create...

My concern is broader than 0.7 or 30 minutes or whatever the number may be. My concern is that the number is arbitrary. It is becoming clear from the FMCSA rules and publications posted here in EO, and from the contractors who have had serious visits with FMCSA officials about this, that...

Well, at least there is a sign someone is listening and he admits to not knowing the whole story. That 0.7 rule is looking more and more arbitrary all the time, and unecessary. As our carrier office people get more educated about the rules the paper trail issue should go away. As I read the...