Posts Tagged ‘Jan-2008’

Sometimes it seems dispatchers reward certain drivers with the best routes and punish others. How are assignments determined? The dispatcher’s goal is to minimize empty miles for drivers, says Dr. Peter Swan, assistant professor of Logistics and Operations Management at Pennsylvania State University. Larger carriers like J.B. Hunt use a computer program that looks six hours ahead and lets dispatchers know when a load needs to be picked up, who is going to be there, and if the dri…

Independent trucker Dave didn’t think there was much he could learn about sharing the road with bikes when he signed up for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s (MSF) basic rider course. A 30-year OTR driver, Dave had about every state Department of Transportation endorsement possible. In class, he was the wisecracker, joking about how easy the practice exercises were. But motorcycle instructor and former trucker Jim Van Den Elzen of the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College rider t…

ATA Honors UPS Driver In 2005, William G. Gray, Jr., was named the Maryland State Driver of the Year. Now the Cumberland-based driver for UPS Freight is the American Trucking Associations’ 2007 National Truck Driver of the Year. A 28-year veteran of the road with 2.7 million accident-free miles, Gray is a member of the Allegany County of Maryland Safety Coalition, teaching safe driving techniques to local teens and senior citizens. “The trucking industry is proud to recognize B…

I consider myself a professional trucker, and I take great pride in it. As such, I strive to perform my duties and responsibilities conscientiously. That’s why I always wear a seat belt. Seat belt laws and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations are not my motivation. I buckle up because there is no question that seat belts save lives and prevent serious injuries. I have been on accident scenes where drivers have died due to injuries from being tossed about inside their vehicles…