Roses & Razzberries – October 2022
ROSES for a team of truckers in Omaha, Neb., who parked their trucks on Interstate 680 to assist first responders as they helped an individual suffering a mental health crisis. A KETV-TV report said Omaha police officers noticed a woman holding onto the fence on the interstate bridge. Omaha police worked with the Nebraska State Patrol as well as the truck drivers to close the interstate while responders attended to the woman, who was uninjured. Kent Grisham, president of the Nebraska Trucking Association told KETV-TV this was just another example of truckers going above and beyond.
ROSES to truck driver Daniel Bittle, who recently aided fellow drivers at a rest stop off Interstate 77 near Statesville, N.C. Bittle told the Queen City News he looked in the mirror of his cab and saw a raging fire. Turns out, the fire was coming from a tractor-trailer parked near several other trucks. To make matters worse, the fire took place around 3 a.m. Bittle acted quickly, going from truck to truck, and waking the drivers to let them know they needed to wake up and move their trucks. Fortunately, everyone escaped the fire safely, including the driver of the truck on fire. According to the Queen City News report, Bittle helped five drivers avoid what could have been a terrible situation.
RAZZBERRIES for recent driver training exemption requests by the SBL Driving Academy, UPS, Western Area Career and Technology Center and Railsback HazMat Safety Professionals. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association opposed these requests, citing driver training as an integral aspect of improving highway safety. There has been plenty of opportunity to prepare for FMCSA’s driver training rule changes, OOIDA said. “The delayed implementation of the final rule from 2020 to 2022 allowed even more time for training providers to meet the requisite experience of operating a (commercial motor vehicle) or the minimum experience as a (commercial motor vehicle) theory instructor. The entry-level driver training rule should not be diluted to accommodate entities that have failed to prepare for its implementation.”
ROSES to the founder of the World’s Largest Truck Convoy for Special Olympics, Norman Wayne Schneiderhan, who died July 26. Schneiderhan served 38 years as a police officer and retired as a corporal with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in 2016. Yet, “Cpl. Norm” (as many knew him) was largely known for his fundraising work to benefit Special Olympics. Through the convoy, Schneiderhan helped raise $5 million to benefit Special Olympics. “Norman was a kind man who cared for his family, friends, neighbors and coworkers,” his obituary read. “If anyone needed anything he would do everything he could to help them.”
RAZZBERRIES for the alleged illegal disposal and transportation of hazardous materials by Old Dominion Freight Line. A total of 17 investigators found that Old Dominion disposed of hazardous waste in the company’s trash receptacles, unlawfully transported hazardous waste out of state without proper documentation and without a transporter’s registration, and failed to train employees in the proper management of hazardous waste. Commercial chemical products, paint materials, ignitable liquids and cleaning agents were among the hazardous waste in this case. These violations resulted in a settlement of $1.36 million, according to a news release from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. Old Dominion developed and implemented new policies and procedures after prosecutors brought the issues to their attention, according to the release. We’d hope so.
ROSES to Veteran Carriers for their Feed-A-Trucker event at a local convenience store. Veteran Carriers started in 2017 as a 40-truck operation and has grown to a company of approximately 150 trucks. Hannah Cooch, service adviser for Veterans Carriers, told WSAV-TV that the company wanted to do something to give back to the trucking community and the people that keep America running. The event provided truckers who visited the store with an $8 meal voucher at the EnMarket off Highway 80 in the Savannah, Ga., area. LL