Truck Stop Tips For Ultimate Safety and A Good Night’s Sleep

By Zoey

The truck driving occupation certainly requires a degree of alertness as well as concentration. Having that unique capability to rest in an environment in which you feel safe is no minor issue. The ideas presented here will hopefully be able get the rest you'll need and to avoid risky truck stops.

Truck Stop Tip #1: Security

One of the most important factors in find in truck stops is security. For example, you should ask yourself whether your particular parking area has sufficient lighting. See if there are any CCTV cameras or if there are any security guards that patrol the region. This is especially important during the nighttime, in the event that you see potential lot lizard, drunks or other vagrant individuals walking around during the day.

Truck Stop Tip #2: Finding Clean Parking Areas

You definitely don’t want to spend the night in a parking area that is overflowing with rubbish and garbage cans. It is best to find areas that are cleaned frequently as that is often a good measure of the security you’ll have to park your truck there. In case the parking lot is not very large or has tiny parking spaces it's generally not a bad idea to go somewhere else. These kinds of places can make it notoriously difficult to steer your truck.

Truck Stop Tip #3: Locating Cheap Fuel

There are hundreds of fueling facilities throughout the country and some are better than others. Experienced truck drivers have suggestions from their company on where to find such great locations, which can also include great food and safe spots to rest.  A trucking GPS can also come in handy to find such places. Having a discount club card for particular truck stop chain can help to save money as well.

Fuel costs can be a big factor in determining on a truck stop. Oftentimes it can pay off to drive a bit further and locate a truck stop with more acceptable fuel prices. It's also a good idea to look over the quality of the area in which you will pump. For example, if you find that there are plenty of spills, you should go someplace else or you'll end up smelling of fuel for the rest of the day – and possibly your whole trip.

Truck Stop Tip #4: Don’t Do Your Regular Shopping

The truck stop is simply there for your temporary convenience. The costs of buying any goods are generally higher than you would pay locally for the same items.  Be sure to always buy common everyday items you’ll need before going out on your trip so that you will have to pay premium prices for them at your truck stop. 

A Brief History of the American Trucking Association

For well over 80 years now, the American truckingAssociation has worked hard to fight for the rights of truckers, as well as developing innovative new technology to ensure the highest standards of highway safety and environmental sustainability.

It all began and 1933, when the Federation Trucking Associations and the Highway Freight Association met during a Chicago spring break to talk about the best way to fulfill get businesses to comply with the Code of Fair Competition.  Fortunately, both groups united to form the present day American Trucking Associations with Ted Rodgers appointed as the first president.

During the roaring 30’s, they were able to sustain many conferences and annual conventions. However, most importantly the government was able to issue the first rules in regards to service hours for truckers all around the country.

The 40’s then began on the right foot with the acquisition of a wonderful set of headquarters in Washington DC.  Cooperation together with the Navy and Army allowed the American trucking Association to army personnel as a new form of responsibility, resulting in many more conferences during the war.  Under the direction of Chairman E.J. Buhner, the ATA enjoyed a powerful conglomeration of state organizations, councils and the actual staff of the headquarters.

The 50s and Onward

The introduction of new technologies such as trucks being powered by gas, electricity and steam made the use of horses obsolete.  The ATA now had the additional responsibility of promoting more research for the entire trucking industry. During this time, the federal-aid Highway act was signed into law as new interstates were being built all over the country.  They were also able to move into six-story headquarters on P Street, while expanding their lobbying efforts a great deal.

Failures and Successes for the American Trucking Association

While the ATA initially failed to lobby for increases in truck size and weight limitations, they successfully won their struggle in 1974.  During this time, they were able to purchase additional properties on First Street that asserted their presence on Capitol Hill.  With a large task force in place, they thought to do regulate the entire trucking industry and were successful in 1980 with the passing of the Motor Carrier Act.

The ATA continues to fight for the rights of truckers with the development of new service hours rules to significantly reduce truck crashes, fighting for lower fees and taxes, developing the “Share the Road” program  to educate drivers on the importance of sharing the road with large trucks, as well as developing a strong sustainability program in order to reduce the carbon footprint over the next decades to come.

Truck Drivers Suffer From Sleep Apnea

By Olivia

Sleeping apnea is a disorder whereby an individual's breathing stops and starts repeatedly while sleeping. It is condition that affects not only truck drivers in the trucking industry, but Americans at large. It is estimated that over 100 million Americans are not getting enough night rest and report by FMCSA also has it that about 30 percent of truck drivers (totalling about 1.9 million truck drivers) suffer from mild to severe sleep apnea. We should note that this disorder affects not only truck drivers but also non truckers alike. There are different types of sleep apnea but obstructive sleep apnea is the most frequent case found. It is understood that having a tired driver behind the wheel will not only put his or her life at risk, but also lives of drivers that ply the same highways. Also, excessive sleepiness leads to being slow to reaction times, inattentiveness causing drivers to be at major risk on the highway and also reduced alertness.

There are different symptoms and risk factors associated with sleep apnea that an individual should observe. They include the following:

• A Body Mass Index above 30, 35 or 40 (Reports suggest that there are about 6 million truckers and 8 million trucking-related jobs in the US. Research also shows that about 73 percent of drivers are overweight, 50 percent are obese and 12 percent have a BMI of 35 or greater). 
• Loud snoring during sleep (snoring does not necessarily mean an individual has sleep apnea)
• I nterruption of breathing during sleep (five or more times during one sleeping cycle)
• Feeling fatigued during the day
•  Consuming caffeine to keep alert
•  Smoking
• High blood pressure (HBP is more related to obesity than sleep apnea)
• Diabetes (this is also more related to obesity than sleep apnea)
•  Depression
• Headaches

Being between the ages 40 and 60 years (Children can also be effected. Those over 60 years also see a drop in sleep apnea cases).

Other cases include;

•  Being male makes you more prone to having sleep apnea disorder, however, females also stand a chance.
• Being African-American or Hispanic

Complications and effects of sleep apnea are as follows:

• cardiovascular problems
• fatigue,
• eye problems,
• complications with medications
• surgery

Truck drivers suffer poor health due to the challenges associated with their job and lifestyle.

The MRB has mandated the FMCSA that any driver with a BMI of 35 should be screened for sleep apnea using a PSG. If diagnosed, such driver should be treated with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine for at least four hours a day usually during their sleep period.

Despite its advantges, the CPAP machine also has its drawbacks: 

•  It is obtrusive
•  difficult to use,
• expensive to maintain

I stand to believe that adequate and affordable medical insurance or plan that includes the sleep apnea plan should be provided to truck drivers. This would afford them the opportunity to take the test and also get treated if by any chance, diagnosed with the sleep apnea disorder. Truckers need to be aware of sleep apnea to protect themselves and their job. And If you do have concerns about having sleep apnea, you should not be bothered, rather, you should get tested.

Fatigued commercial truck drivers should also desist from plying the road as this is a threat to the safety of his life and other drivers at large. A rested and productive driver leads to safer roads as well.

The Rise and Demise of Truck Lease-Purchase Programs

Large numbers of truck drivers have been learning about lease-purchase plans that are being pushed by so many different trucking companies and are probably wondering whether this is something that they should get themselves into.

Many of these contracts are also getting a very bad rap, with the benefits being placed primarily on the side of the trucking companies – not the individual truckers who get signed up into one of these programs.  On the surface it may certainly seem so! After all, the trucking company gets to pass along the prices of fuel, licensing & maintenance costs and health insurance right onto the truck driver, while foregoing the need to provide them with a proper 401k plan!

This article will highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages of truck-lease purchase programs to see if they are something that can benefit you.

The Benefits of Truck Lease-Purchase Programs

Commercial truck leasing provides enormous benefits to the truck company that is leasing their trucks out as mentioned above, but part of these benefits are certainly transferred over to the actual truckers, even if it is done indirectly. The operating expenses of a firm can be seriously affected by the costs of buying new trucks and leasing can be a vital strategy, to keep buying and maintenance costs as low as possible.

Since companies who buy new trucks often have to deal with the harsh realities of getting a loan from the bank, leasing is an excellent way for them to avoid this. But wait! You may be asking – that’s great for them, but what’s in it for me? Well, in order to make these offers more attractive for drivers, the company can quickly draft up a lease-purchase agreement that requires no credit checks, down payments or any other large security measures used in traditional loan applications. Instead, all the money simply comes from the trucker’s pay check.

You can also look at this way – leasing is a precious way to spare cash for the company on cost of buying new trucks. This cash can then be used to provide better wages and conditions for the company’s employees – at least one hopes so. With that in mind, let’s move onto the drawbacks of getting into these lease-purchase programs, and there are many!


The Negatives of Truck Lease-Purchase Programs

Trucking is not a very predictable business. What happens if you incur any injuries, accidents and illnesses while on the job? Guess what, your paycheck stops but your lease-purchase contract doesn’t! And when that happens don’t expect the trucking companies to suddenly become a charity for you.

Also, you never really own your truck and you are stuck with the company you rented from. If you are renting your truck from a company, it is really owned by them. This means you can’t just leave to a different company if you get tired of their terms.

Be sure to always read the fine print of any contract. Many contracts are cleverly drafted to ensure that any problems will always be your fault. Learn from the errors of other people who have been in such contracts to get a better idea if this is something suitable for you.