The 2-year anniversary for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA’s) Regulatory Guidance concerning the use of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) for personal conveyance is just around corner. I still get numerous questions at Ask The Expert by motor carriers and drivers on how and when to use this off-duty time, so I thought of revisiting this topic.
Do you need to be compliant with the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate? Are you currently just using BigRoad’s Mobile App? This is a great start, but you’re going to need BigRoad’s DashLink ELD by December 18, 2017 in order to be compliant!
Thanksgiving, whether Canadian or American, is a great time of year. It brings together families, food and, if you are lucky, you usually get some time off as well. Folks gather round and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on TV. The local stores and shopping malls are usually pretty crazy – not just leading up to Thanksgiving but especially the day before…and heaven knows the day after as well!
As much as we complain about what a pain it is to get to the store during these busy periods, it’s actually pretty convenient. And who do we have to thank? We have truck drivers to thank! These are the folks who transport all the goodies cross country so that we can step out to the store and easily access everything we need.
Sitting down: it’s one thing truckers do more than virtually anybody else. When you’re spending as much as 11 hours of your day driving, it’s easy to see why so little time is spent on a physical activity.
And that’s cause for concern, since several recent studies have shown that sitting for extended periods of time can lead to cardiovascular problems, weight gain, depression, diabetes, some forms of cancer, and even premature death. Researchers behind one recent study concluded that “higher amounts of daily total sitting time are associated with greater risk of all-cause mortality and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity appears to attenuate [lessen] the hazardous association.”
Read More »Sitting’s the New Smoking: What Does That Mean For Truckers?
The transition from being the driver of a company-owned truck to becoming an owner-operator involves understanding what the trucking industry needs. The industry itself is a living, breathing thing and its main focus is on supporting businesses by providing them with the goods they need to run smoothly. As an owner-operator, you will be part of this supply chain and need to understand your customers’ needs.
A year ago a friend of mine quit his company driver job at a well-known trucking company to become an owner operator. At the time, I thought he was crazy! He was giving up a stable paycheck, a guaranteed run, benefits, and more to follow his dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Little did I know, he put a lot of planning and research behind his decision which ultimately helped him become the successful owner operator he is today. Over the weekend he shared his top 5 tips for things to consider before becoming an owner operator with me.
Read More »5 Things to Think About Before Becoming an Owner Operator
Santa’s on his way! Retail companies are putting the pedal to the metal to keep pace with record-high online shopping for the holidays.
If Santa didn’t have his own private sleigh to fly, he’d be a trucker! This holiday season, let’s thank the truck drivers out there. They work hard, all hours of the day, away from their families, to give us a merry Christmas.
