Here are five things worth knowing in the world of trucking today, Jan. 10:
1. ‘Blind’ trucker spreads awareness about distracted driving
Videos posted by truck driver Pattie Houston and her sister went viral on Facebook last week, after Houston planned to spread awareness about the dangers of texting and driving. According to a Live Trucking report, Houston, who has been driving a truck for more than 10 years, was fed up over the increase in the number of motorists she saw texting and driving. She decided to do something about it. She posed as a blind woman, and made a scene feeling her way around a Walmart parking lot, before climbing into her Jeep and driving away, shocking onlookers. The message behind her video called out to people who text and drive: “Whatever you do, please do not text and drive … it’s like driving blind.”
2. Lawsuits filed against LA port trucking companies
On Tuesday, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer filed lawsuits against three NFI Industries-owned trucking companies for “intentionally misclassifying hundreds of truckers as independent contractors rather than employees,” the American Journal of Transportation (AJOT) wrote. According to the Journal, the Teamsters applauded Feuer for taking action against K&R Transportation, CMI, and California Cartage Express. AJOT has more.
3. Iowa DOT releases app to help drivers pass CDL
Want to pass your commercial driver’s license (CDL) test on the first try? Well, in Iowa, there’s an app for that. Radio Iowa reports that Mark Lowe, director of the Iowa Dept. of Transportation, believes a new mobile application can help applicants better prepare for the written part of their CDL exam. The app was unveiled on Jan. 8 during a statehouse news conference. According to the report, the Iowa Motor Truck Association helped develop and test the app.
4. Trump’s infrastructure team meets with senators
President Trump’s infrastructure team was scheduled to meet with a bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday afternoon in an effort to discuss the administration’s infrastructure plan, The Hill reports. According to the report, the group discussed investing $1 trillion into the nation’s infrastructure and bringing down the permitting process to two years. More talks regarding the infrastructure plan are scheduled for later this week. The Hill has more.
5. Not enough drivers: Oil heat customers are feeling it
Some residents in Portsmouth, NH, have waited days – weeks even – to get heating oil delivered to their homes. According to a Fosters.com report, the problem isn’t supply, it’s getting the oil to the customers quickly enough. According to the report, Donna Buxton, owner of Buxton Oil in the state, said her company has been in the business for 50 years, and this is the first year it has struggled to keep up with demand. Part of the reason, Buxton explained, is a declining amount of delivery drivers, who are required to have their commercial driver’s license and hazardous waste materials license.
