Roses & Razzberries – October 2023
RAZZBERRIES to the states where distracted driving is the worst, according to a survey from the insurance company Assurance. The results showed half of the respondents in Mississippi and New Hampshire admitted to texting while driving over a 30-day period. Missouri came in third at 49%. In terms of number of incidents, West Virginia saw the most cases of distracted driving, followed by Missouri and Texas. New York had the lowest number of distracted driving by percentage as well as number of occurrences, according to the Assurance survey. Selecting music was the most common distracted-driving behavior, followed by checking the GPS and interacting with adults in the car.
ROSES for an announcement from the Nevada Transportation Board of Directors about transportation contracts that include truck parking enhancements. The new parking will include 25 parking stalls on the eastbound side of Interstate 80 in Humboldt County and 24 stalls on the westbound side of the interstate. Multiple vault toilets, new lighting and enclosed trash bins will be added along with the parking. A three-mile truck climbing lane to enhance travel for all vehicles on this stretch of I-80 is also part of the plan. According to Meg Ragonese, public information officer for the Nevada Department of Transportation, 45% of the traffic in this area consists of large trucks.
ROSES to Love’s Travel Stops for making a $100,000 donation to St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund. It began as a way to aid truckers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the fourth consecutive year Love’s has made a six-figure contribution to the Knoxville, Tenn.-based nonprofit. When an illness or injury takes professional drivers off the road, St. Christopher helps eligible over-the-road truckers with expenses like mortgage, utilities and insurance. “It’s essential to support them (professional drivers) during hardships, and we’re proud to support St. Christopher in its efforts to be there for drivers at their most challenging times,” said Jenny Love Meyer, Love’s executive vice president and chief culture officer.
RAZZBERRIES to a scam designed to steal a carrier’s DOT number. When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began requiring carriers completing a manual MCS-150 update to submit a copy of their commercial driver’s license, a door was opened for scammers to hijack the DOT number. OOIDA has recently received calls from carriers claiming to have brokers from load boards requesting a copy of their CDL before accepting the load. A reputable broker will never ask for a copy of your driver’s license, according to Crystal Minardi, a supervisor with OOIDA’s permits and licensing department. Minardi said carriers need to stay vigilant, calling this scam a nightmare. “Once the damage is done, it’s a lot to go through, and you may never recover, unfortunately,” she added. OOIDA encourages anyone with questions to contact its business services department.
ROSES to Tim Dean, a driver for Omaha, Neb.-based Werner Enterprises, who recently achieved the milestone of 5 million crash-free miles. According to a KETV-TV report, Dean is one of two drivers in the company’s history to do so. “It’s something that’s hard for people to wrap their mind around,” Dean told the ABC affiliate. “For the average driver, they’d have to get up every day and take a 100-mile road trip for 136 years.” Werner held a special ceremony to recognize Dean, who has driven for the company since 1988. He’s received numerous awards throughout his career, including being named the Nebraska Trucking Association’s Driver of the Year in 2019. “It’s the accomplishment of waking up every day, working hard and delivering goods that matter, both safely and on time, to those who have entrusted us to do so,” said Derek Leathers, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Werner. LL