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Truck drivers are often seen with large thermos of coffee and carrying
cases of soda pop. We even have our own names for coffee, a cup of 40 weight or
a cup of joe. Truck stop wait staff almost always assume that a driver will
order coffee and arrive at the table with coffee pot in hand. Caffeine and
energy drinks fuel us as surely as diesel fuels our trucks, but is all of that
really good for us. Perhaps wrongly, many of us do not drink too much water
thinking that we will have to stop too often and think we need the caffeine to
function.
The human body consists of about 80% of our bodies at birth and about 70%
as adults. Human brains consist of 75% water as do muscles. Blood is made up of
90% water. 75% of humans are chronically dehydrated.
Dehydration can cause many illnesses and have many effects on the body.
Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%. It can cause hunger
pains, and fatigue as well as increased risks of colon, bladder and breast
cancers. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory,
trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a
printed page.
We gain water from both food and drinks, though caffeine in a drink such as
coffee or soda pop actually dehydrates us. It is recommended that humans consume
about 91 ounces of water a day. Though that sounds like a lot of water, about
20% comes from the food we eat.
Here are some other interesting facts about hydration:
Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3% and One glass
of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters
studied in a University of Washington study.
Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could
significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without
water. If a human does not absorb enough water dehydration is the result.
A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48 cups) of water per day.
By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent
of its total water amount.
The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is
weight from water, not fat.
Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water
intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and
causes an imbalance of water in the brain
Dehydration occurs most often in the morning and can cause cardio-vascular
problems such as heart attack and stroke.
Though truckers other than flatbedders, cattle haulers and delivery drivers
do not do a lot of physical activity through their work days, mental stress is
affected adversely by a lack of water in our bodies. The drivers that do hard
physical work lose a lot of water especially during the warm months, or if they
wear protective clothing that can lead to heat stroke.
Having that caffeine drink to get you jump started might be a good thing
when starting your shift, but do not forget to have your 8-10 glasses or bottles
of water throughout the day too. It cannot hurt and sure could help you do your
job better and perhaps even live your life longer. Yes, you may have to stop a
time or two more a day, but isn’t it worth it if you feel better overall. Who
knows, we might have discovered the cure for the so- called problem of driver
fatigue…just have a big glass of water!
By Sandy Long
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Ex-employee of Kearny trucking company admits $900K fraud
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NEWARK — A former employee of a northern New Jersey trucking firm
has admitted his role in a scheme that defrauded the company of more
than $900,000.
Herbert Rodriguez, 44, of Woodbridge, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Newark to conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
Rodriguez admitted he conspired with a second worker to submit fake
vendor invoices to his employer, Kearny-based J.F. Lomma Inc.
Rodriguez obtained hundreds of checks from the company, which he cashed.
Rodriguez faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine at sentencing on June 7. Source: New Jersey
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Overturned lorry cements traffic chaos
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Traffic on St Daniel’s Hill in Pembroke, ground to a halt on Monday
when a cement lorry overturned at Well Hill, near Golden Grove school.
The accident occurred at around 2pm and traffic was redirected.
Dyfed-Powys Police said no injuries were reported but the road was
closed until 5.15pm, while the vehicle was recovered with the use of a
crane.
The closure of the road caused traffic to back-up on St Daniel’s Hill, one of the main routes in and out of Pembroke.
Town clerk Hugh Colley said: “Everyone is extremely relieved that
no one was injured and that the crash barriers did their job.”
Source: Milford Mercury
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Lorry driver charged following £750K cocaine find
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KENT
NEWS: A lorry driver has been charged with drug smuggling following the
discovery of £720,000 worth of cocaine hidden in several wine boxes.
Alan Davage, from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, was arrested at
Dover’s Eastern Docks yesterday and will appear before Folkestone
magistrates tomorrow.
UK Border Agency officials took the 61-year-old into custody after
searching a lorry loaded with car parts and plants, finding
approximately 18kg of the class-A drug in one of the vehicle’s side
lockers.
Inquiries are continuing.
Source: Kent News
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This column is dedicated to the middle aged male driver who turned left
in the intersection and completed the turn half way into my lane as I
approached him and half way into the lane that he was supposed to be
using. Was he being inattentive, careless or did he not know any better?
Unless you are using an intersection that allows a left turn from
multiple lanes, you approach the intersection in the lane closest to
the center line. Enter the intersection itself with your vehicle still
positioned to the right of the center line. If it is possible, turn
your vehicle in an arc with an apex to the right of the center of the
intersection. Enter the first available lane for your direction of
traffic, with your vehicle positioned to the right of the center line
of that road before you leave the intersection.
If multiple lanes are allowed to turn left, exit from and enter into
the corresponding lanes on either side of the intersection in the
manner outlined already. Of course, it may not be possible to remain to
the left of the center of the intersection depending on the lane that
you are in. Also, while it may not be illegal to change lanes in an
intersection, a defensive driver will not do so.
Sir, you stick to your lane and I will stick to mine. While you may
otherwise be a nice person, I don't want to accidentally meet you at an
intersection!
Reference Links
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Second transformer on the move
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By Hayley Robinson
Motorists are being warned of traffic delays as the second of
four massive generators is transported from Chatham Docks to
Sittingbourne this weekend.
As of Friday night those travelling between Medway and
Sittingbourne via the A249 are advised to find an
alternative route if possible.
Officers from Kent Police’s Roads Policing Unit will be
escorting a specialised lorry as it transports the
428 ton generator from Chatham Docks to the National Grid
substation, in Ypres Drive, Kemsley.
The lorry will leave Gillingham at 10pm on Friday. During this
stage vehicles will be able to follow behind the police escort.
It will use the M2 and M20 before
joining the A249.
Police will stop traffic at the
M20/A249 roundabout to allow the load to get up Detling Hill.
It will come off at the Iwade
junction and will stop along the Sheppey Way in the early hours of
Saturday.
At 3pm on Sunday the load will then
be escorted back down the A249 and come off at the junction for
Kemsley and to its destination just off Ypres Drive.
The generator weighs 428-tonnes,
and the trailer is 104.24m long, 5.9m wide and 5.24m high and
travels at a maximum of 14mph. No vehicles are allowed past the
moving lorry.
National Grid has requested
residents keep Ypres Drive, Grovehurst Road and Grovehurst Avenue
clear of parked vehicles tomorrow, Sunday and Monday.
The old Sheppey Way is closed until
Monday and traffic heading for Iwade village should follow the
detour route along Old Ferry Road.
Sittingbourne Messenger reader Charlie Ryder snapped
these pictures as the huge vehicle made its way along
Grovehurst Avenue in Sittingbourne as the crowds gathered to see it
on Sunday.
Despite careful planning, the
journey wasn’t as smooth as it could have been – the lorry broke
down on Yokosuka Way in Gillingham when one of its hydraulic hoses
failed.
A police spokesman said: "A new
hose had to be fitted and the road cleaned to ensure it was safe
before the road could be reopened after about 45 minutes."
The electricity company arranged
for the quad booster transformer to be transported from Chatham
Docks to the site near Sittingbourne to help "ensure London and the
South East continue to enjoy safe and secure electricity
supplies." Source: Sittingbourne Messenger
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EOBRs: Canadian council collecting stakeholder comments
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A Canadian project group is soliciting comments from trucking
industry stakeholders on the feasibility of mandating electronic
on-board recorders in commercial vehicles.
The project group,
developed by the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators at
the request of the Canadian federal government and the urging of the
Canadian Trucking Alliance, will use the comments in making
recommendations later this year to a council of deputy ministers.
The
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, a stakeholder member of
CCMTA, plans on submitting comments by the March 11 deadline.
OOIDA
Director of Regulatory Affairs Joe Rajkovacz said OOIDA’s input on
EOBRs will be similar to comments filed with the U.S. Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration. Visit www.ooida.com and click on “Issues and Actions” to view OOIDA’s comments on the topic.
The
Canadian project group plans to include stakeholder input in its status
report in May to the full CCMTA. Then the group will report a list of
recommendations in the fall to the Canadian Council of Deputy Ministers.
“Among
the key issues under consideration are enforcement, data requirements,
privacy protection, application, technology and manufacturing
considerations,” CCMTA officials stated in a recent newsletter.
The
project group is keeping hours of service and cross-border operations
in mind as it develops its EOBR report. The group expects to harmonize
efforts with U.S. rulemakings.
– By David Tanner, associate editor
Courtesy of LandLine Magazine
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Traffic stop leads to big cocaine bust
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MONTGOMERY, AL . One person is in custody and $6.7 million in
powder cocaine has been seized after a drug bust in Montgomery.
Montgomery police confiscated the drugs after pulling over an 18-wheeler Wednesday for a traffic citation.
Officers found 67,000 grams of cocaine after a search of the big rig.
Federal charges are pending in this case according to Montgomery Police. Source: WAFF48NEWS
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From the Road to the Campaign Trail: Alaskan Owner-Operator Runs For Governor
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Operator Runs For Governor
By Diana Britton, Managing Editor
While you'd typically see "Singin' Sam" Little hauling produce in his
Kenworth truck between Seattle and Alaska, this spring and summer you
might see his truck and trailer out on the campaign trail, as truck
driver Little is running for Governor of Alaska on the Republican
ticket.
While Little is somewhat of a household name among Alaskan truckers for
his song "Kamikaze Trail," which has been featured on the History
Channel, he's now trying to make a name for himself in politics.
Getting Into Trucking
Sam's been playing guitar and singing since he was a kid. In 1969, he
recalls singing in a gospel tent in California, where he met a girl.
That's when he realized he had to get a job.
Over the next 20 years or so, Sam did both driving and singing. His
trucking career eventually led to a job with Vic Hoskins Trucking in
Washington, hauling produce into Alaska.
Little still contracts with Hoskins, but in 2003, he started his own
trucking company, Little Country. He now runs three to four trucks
along his Alaska-Washington route. "I've always been independent," he
said.
While he's been fortunate these days, Little understands what it's like
to be a small business owner. His campaign was born out of the beating
this sector has experienced, and he'd like to work to keep projects and
cash flow going. "I would like to bring it back to the working people."
The Issues >>>>>>>>>>.................
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Billionaire Truck Driver Lindsay Fox
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Lindsay Fox's company had its best year ever and helped raise the Australian's worth to $1.5 billion.
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The
global economic downturn was bad news for most businesses but not for
the one belonging to Australian trucking billionaire Lindsay Fox.
Suntanned after a Christmas break at his $20 million beach house in
Portsea, near Melbourne, Fox responded bluntly to questions about tough
times: "No, no, no. It's the best year in the history of the company.
Most of our business is FMCG [fast-moving consumer goods], food and
beverages, plus we do a lot in the mining sector. Everyone's eating
more at home, everyone's drinking, and everybody who's a miner is
digging." The downturn boosted demand for chocolate, ice cream,
biscuits and beverages, items that his 5,000 red-and-yellow trucks
deliver. (Signs on the backs of all trucks read: "You are now passing
another Fox.") Alcohol sales were up 5.9% in Australia last year, good
news again for Fox, whose privately held Linfox says it carts a bit
more than half of the country's booze. It also moves 5.4 billion liters
(1.4 billion gallons) of gas, $51 billion worth of retail products and
a million tons of timber a year. Fox,
72, who dropped out of school at age 16 and bought a secondhand truck,
is now worth $1.5 billion, $500 million more than a year ago and enough
to rank No. 10 among Australia's 40 Richest. Linfox, which also owns
Melbourne's second- and third-biggest airports as well as the Armaguard
cash-transport business, has $3 billion in sales, up from less than $2
billion in fiscal 2007. Net profits, which the company does not
disclose, are conservatively estimated to be $100 million for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. Linfox does claim that ebit, ebitda
and free cash were all up about 20% in the past year.>>>>.....................
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West Yorkshire drug gang found guilty
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Cannabis resin was smuggled into the country each time under a legitimate load as the lorry had a false floor.
On
June 30, police raided Stanton Works haulage yard, in Heaton Street,
Cleckheaton, where they found the lorry and 500kg of cannabis resin
worth over £2m, the court has heard.
The jury was told this came
just months after 200kg of cannabis resin worth just under £1m was
collected from the Huntsworth Arms pub car park, in Bradford.
Police stopped a van carrying the load on the A1 which was destined for the North-East.
Two men had already pleaded guilty to their part in the alleged conspiracy.
Damion
Lister, 36, of St Peg Close, Cleckheaton, who also lives in Spain, had
previously admitted conspiring to supply drugs and conspiring to import
drugs.
Paul Rowntree, of Ashbury Close, Outwood, Wakefield, had also previously admitted conspiracy to supply drugs.
Lee
Scarse, 48, from Wiltshire but who also lives in Spain, helped Lister
organise the shipping of the drugs from Spain to the UK.
Conspiracy
He was on trial and found guilty of conspiring to supply drugs and conspiring to import drugs by a unanimous verdict.
The jury also unanimously found Martin Jolliff, 47, of Carr Street,
Cleckheaton,
guilty of both charges and Harold Rawson, 62, of Rawson Street, Wyke,
unanimously guilty of conspiracy to supply drugs and conspiracy to
import drugs by a majority of 10 to two.
The court had heard
that Rowntree was said to be an intermediary between Jolliff and Rawson
and a father and son both called William Thompson, aged 49 and 27, both
of County Durham.
William Thompson senior was found guilty of
conspiracy to supply drugs by a majority of 10 to two while his son was
cleared of the same charge unanimously.
Police found just under
£1m of cannabis in Thompson senior's van which was being followed by
Rowntree and Andrew Purcell, 28, of Muirfield Drive, Thornes, Wakefield
who was also found unanimously guilty of the same charge.
Then on June 30, the Spanish lorry was seen being driven by Jolliff into his friend's haulage yard at Stanton Works.
Ian
Bennett who owns that yard and who was also on trial was unanimously
found not guilty of conspiring to supply drugs and conspiring to import
drugs.
Police raided the yard and found Scarse, Jolliff, Rawson
and Lister inside with the lorry, tools to open the false floor as well
as bags of cannabis and money.
Sentencing was adjourned until March 26.
Source: Yorkshire Evening Post
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Cost of Operation Stack lorry park could rise to £75m
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Exclusive by political editor Paul Francis
The costs of building a lorry park to cope with Operation Stack
could be as much as £75million, it has emerged.
Kent County Council wants to build
the lorry park on a 70-acre site off the London-bound stretch of
the M20, at Aldington near Ashford.
Under the council's proposals, the park would be capable of
holding up to 3,000 lorries, taking them off the motorway when
Channel crossings are suspended because of industrial action or bad
weather.
The estimated costs of building the lorry park have previously
been put at between £35million and £40million.
KCC first suggested the lorry park would cost about £26million -
but that figure rose after the council had to rule out using a
"grass-crete" surface that would have helped reduce its visible
impact.
However, even those estimates did not account for the potential
costs of building new slip roads to access the site from the
motorway, along with some kind of additional bridge.
The county council says changes needed to access the site could
push the overall sum up to £75million.
With councils facing a wide-ranging squeeze on public sector
spending, the capital costs could place a question mark over
whether the site could be built in the next few years.
However, county road chiefs say the possible funding
headache does not mean the scheme should be ditched.
Cllr Nick Chard (Con), KCC cabinet member for highways, said it
was vital for the Government to recognise the case for a park as an
alternative to Operation Stack and to help with the costs.
He said: "If we come up with a cost-benefit analysis, the
Government would fund it. It's about us putting together a cogent
case.
"I do accept it's a great deal of money - but Operation
Stack is not going to go away and if anything, the problems are
going to get worse; we cannot ignore it."
KCC recently announced plans for a high-level summit to consider
the impact of Operation Stack on the county.
Cllr Chard said the idea was to find a consensus around what
solutions were possible.
"It may be that there is more than one solution. Operation Stack
has a huge impact on people’s lives and we haven't yet solved
it." Source: Kent Online
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Snow leaves thousands of homes without power
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Thousands of people across Scotland are still
without power after snow brought down electricity lines and caused
disruption on the roads and railways.
Scottish and Southern
Energy said it was working to restore services to 5,000 homes, mostly
in Perthshire and some in the Highlands.
The A9 was closed in several places, but has now reopened. No trains were running between Inverness and Perth.
More than 150 schools were shut or partially closed across Scotland.
Scottish and Southern said some 45,000 homes had been cut off on Thursday, but supplies were restored to 40,000.
The
company's Ross Easton said he was confident the 5,000 customers without
electricity would have their power restored by the end of the day.
"Because of the weather other faults have been coming in but we've been battling against the weather to restore supplies.
"In
Dunblane and Auchterarder there are some problems as well as in
Aberdeenshire, but our engineers are out there working to restore
supplies.
"We were working as late as we could last night."
Perth and Kinross Council opened a number of emergency reception centres to give residents heat, light, and hot drinks.
Northern Constabulary has reopened the A9 northwards at the Raigmore Interchange in Inverness after shutting it earlier.
Elsewhere, a power cable fell onto the B974 Banchory to Fettercairn Road in Aberdeenshire, about two miles from Strachan.
And there have been more landslides at Bervie Braes, Stonehaven, after heavy rain overnight.
Scottish snowfall 'wonderful'
About 65 households had been evacuated from the affected area or were in the process of moving.
Forty schools have been shut in Aberdeenshire and a further 37 affected by partial closures.
Highland Council said 47 schools were closed and more than 30 schools are shut across Tayside and Central Scotland.
No
trains were running between Inverness and Perth due to the snow and
services between Inverness and Aberdeen have been disrupted by
signalling problems.
ScotRail said: "Services between Edinburgh/Glasgow Queen Street and Inverness will terminate at Perth.
"Due
to roads being closed, we are unable to provide alternative transport
and our customers are advised not to travel on this route."
Ferry sailings between Stornoway and Ullapool have been cancelled.
Stranded motorists
On Thursday, heavy snow caused travel disruption across the country.
Rail
services between Aberdeen and Inverness, Perth and Inverness and
Glasgow and Fort William were affected and hundreds of drivers were
left stranded on a 25-mile section of the A9 in Perthshire, some for
more than 17 hours.
The road, which has now been cleared and is
described as passable with care, was blocked between Perth and Dunblane
because of a fallen power line and jack-knifed lorries.
Civil volunteers in 4x4s were sent to provide food and drinks to stranded motorists.
Twelve
snow ploughs and gritters were deployed to work on both carriageways of
the A9 between the roundabouts to clear the road.
The B8033 Kinbuck to Braco road was closed for the night at Kinbuck Bridge after it was struck by a lorry.
Source: BBC NEWS
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Lorry driver is hijacked at gunpoint on Deeside Industrial Park
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A LORRY driver was kidnapped at gun point during a hijacking on Deeside Industrial Park.
The
male driver of the Ray Stewart Haulage lorry carrying Umbro sportswear,
was threatened with the gun before being forced into a black people
carrier by three people in balaclavas.
The burnt-out lorry, minus its load, was later found in the St Helens area and the driver was freed unhurt in Wigan.
Police are now appealing for witnesses to the incident which happened at around 8am on Wednesday of last week.
The thieves are thought to have got away with thousands of pounds worth of England football shirts
A
spokesperson from Umbro said: “Umbro has been informed of the incident
concerning the stolen England away football shirts and are co-operating
fully with police.
“We encourage anyone offered suspicious
England away shirts to report it to police immediately as this is a
serious criminal matter.”
Police are urging anyone who was in
the Drome Road area on zone three of Deeside Industrial Park at that
time and saw anything suspicious to contact them.
Sgt Craig
Turner said: “The driver was uninjured, but very shocked. Deeside
Industrial Park is a busy area, especially at this time of the morning,
and we are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen the vehicle or
noticed anything suspicious.”
The stolen vehicle was a black Volvo FH12 Sleeper cab, with ‘Ray Stewart Haulage’ written on the sides in gold and silver.
Anyone
with information is asked to contact officers at Mold CID on 101 if
calling from Wales or Crimestoppers Wales anonymously on 0800 555 111,
send a text to 66767 or email northwalespolice@ north-wales.police.uk. Source: The Flintshire Chronicle
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Big-Rig Careens Off Freeway into Car Dealership
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(KTLA News)
INDUSTRY -- A big-rig hauling an empty car carrier careened off the
westbound Pomona (60) Freeway in Industry Friday night and crashed into
a Ford dealership.
The accident happened around 9:40 p.m. near South Azusa Avenue.
About a dozen cars at the dealership were damaged.
The big-rig blew a tire, and then went over the side of the freeway and
into a fence before hitting a pole, according to the California Highway
Patrol.
An ambulance was called, but no injuries were reported, CHP Officer Patrick Kimball said.
Rain was falling in the area and roads were slick at the time of the crash, but the CHP did not indicate road conditions were.
Source:(KTLA News)
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