Keep on truckin'
We've been unable to shed light on the source or otherwise trace the lineage of this photo. If nothing else, perhaps it represents one novel use for all those used trucks cluttering up the economic landscape around here.
What price congestion?
I can't understand why so-called experts keep saying that mass transit doesn't help… I also want to point out that when there are alternatives for non-freight road users, there is at least hope to develop policies like congestion pricing that would favor higher-value road uses such as freight traffic. Without decent mass transit, it will be politically impossible to get the public to agree to be priced off the road.
— Eric Bruun, transportation engineer, via email
“There are a lot of application service providers out there that are selling logistics experience that they don't really have.”
— Logistics guru Robert V. Delaney, vice president, Cass Information Systems, at a recent press conference
LETTER OF THE MONTH
Don't misunderstand what I am about to say; I don't condone unsafe or illegal driving practices. (See Driver's Lounge, 6/01, pg. 22.) However, this “politically correct” attitude is BS! This is a totally unconstitutional proposal! It is out and out DISCRIMINATION to hold one class of whatever to a different standard than others. What needs to be done is to enforce all the laws equally FOR ALL DRIVERS! And that means four wheelers too.
— Burt Lewis, Tampa, FL, via email
Those were the days…
From the “Driver's Manual” published by the Central Motor Freight Assn., Chicago, IL, in 1943:
“Wet, dirty or greasy bed of truck must be covered or cleaned before loading freight which may thereby become damaged. Any offensive odors in truck must be reported before loading freight.”
“Under no circumstances is a driver to become involved in an argument with patrons or their employers. Tact and courtesy must prevail in any event.”
“Driver should not undertake to pass a streetcar on the left when traveling in the same direction.”
“No vehicle may be operated upon the highways unless equipped with a windshield wiper.”
“A man and his truck. It's a beautiful thing.”
— bumper sticker seen on a tractor-trailer operated by John Ferris Trucking, Bath, NY
Fit for the King
Brian Shaw loves three things-trucks, the color purple and Elvis Presley. So when the opportunity arose to combine all three, he did. The result is this one-of-a-kind tractor that's taken second place in its category during judging at both the Great American Truck Show and Mid-America Truck Show. Shaw's rig is a 2001 Freightliner Classic XL.
Elvis figures prominently both inside and outside the truck. On the visor, Shaw keeps several 1950s-era vintage photos of the King in plain sight. And the back of the cab is emblazoned with the King's personal motto, “Taking Care of Business.”
Why does Shaw like trucking? “Because of the people I meet on the road,” he says, “and the chance to see a world from the highway that almost no one else gets to see.”
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