Posts Tagged ‘Jan-2009’

January 1st, 2009

How Low Can I Go?

A lesson in lowered fuel consumption

By David A. Kolman

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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January 1st, 2009

Walk This Way

Following the herd takes on whole new meaning

Talk about herd mentality. When it comes to doing everything together, cows have just about everyone beat. From sleeping and eating to huddling together when it rains, cattle cope through their day-to-day activities as, well, a herd. But now it seems they do all of these things facing in the same direction. Images from Google Earth have confirmed that cattle tend to align their bodies in the magnetic north-south direction, leading researchers to believe that they have an internal magnetic compas…

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January 1st, 2009

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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January 1st, 2009

In Case of Emergency

New Hazmat response centers to roll in on the back of a rig

The world is changing, and so is the technology used to handle a variety of natural and manmade disasters. While it might not be pleasant to think about a national disaster striking, being prepared for such an event is becoming a fact of life. Which is why TruckVault Products has developed Hazmat Emergency Response Center (H.E.R.C.), an emergency response trailer designed to treat victims of radiation or chemical exposure, fire or other wide-scale traumas. “No one in the country has addre…

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January 1st, 2009

The Road Ahead

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

By Mindy Long

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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