Mid-America Trucking Show

Posts Tagged ‘Jan-2009’

Chill Out

Keep moving in the winter months

The cold, dark winter months can really affect you. Mood changes, depression and weight gain are very common because people dole out the comfort foods and cut back on activities to cope with dreary, shorter days. But those making an effort to keep healthy and fit should not change their focus due to the season — we all still need to exercise and eat properly year round. In fact, exercise helps you deal with the mood swings that often come with the season.Most people who exercise in the w…

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How Low Can I Go?

A lesson in lowered fuel consumption

There are three fundamental factors that affect a vehicle’s fuel consumption: the vehicle, driving conditions — which are outside the control of driver and vehicle — and driver operation. Believing myself to be a fuel-conscious driver, I was excited by the opportunity to participate in an Isuzu Motors Ecology and Economy Drive program at the manufacturer’s Wacom proving grounds in Hokkaido, Japan. The event was designed to demonstrate that focusing on specific, key driv…

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Eyes Wide Open

This driver always pays attention to what is happening outside her window

I was getting divorced and had two children to take care of. At the time I drove a school bus, and my soon-to-be-ex husband used to say that if I could drive a bus I could handle a truck. So I called up a training academy to learn how to drive a truck. I even held myself back an extra week before graduating because I didn’t feel completely confident with my skills yet. I met an owner-operator when I had just completed training, and hired on to share his runs between Maryland and Delaware t…

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The Road Ahead

Talking with Rep. Jim Oberstar, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

When it comes to transportation, Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) is one of the most powerful leaders on Capitol Hill. He serves as chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which has jurisdiction over America’s surface transportation, freight and passenger rail and the inland waterway system.

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It Takes Two

The operating partnership between trucker and spouse

Trucking is often a husband and wife enterprise, requiring the full dedication of both to make it a success — whether they drive team or one’s on the road and the other home. As any trucker will attest, the truck decides everything: when you’ll be home, when you have to leave again, whether you have money for the long-awaited vacation or the vacation becomes a new transmission. Trucking takes marriage to a whole new level.One driving, one at homeGail and Paul Morrison have do…

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