Posted by Karen Thomas on Fri, Jul 31, 2009 @ 12:20 AM
Got a clunker? If it's a passenger vehicle, you're in luck. The government has a rebate program for those old yard dwellers, hand me downs, and leases that were returned to dealerships only never to be driven again. There's even a site - Cars.gov - that helps consumers buy or lease a more environmentally-friendly vehicle from a participating dealer when they trade in a less fuel-efficient car or truck.
The cost? One billion. The plan - that those with "clunkers" can receive $3,500 or $4,500 discount from the car dealer when they trade in their old vehicle and purchase or lease a new one.
While there's some government dollars backing the "clunker for environment" trade in, what about salvaged, un-drivable big rigs? Most semi trucks will last for 1,000,000 miles and 1,500,000 miles, more if maintained properly.
If you need to salvage a truck, or fleet of 1,000, there are salvage yards throughout the country that can preserve, so to speak, the life of the out of commission big rig. For example, A & A Truck Parts Salvage is a truck parts salvage yard that specialized in a full line of used and rebuilt truck components that includes light truck parts, medium truck parts and heavy duty truck parts. A quick Google search will reveal several local yards that do the same.
Need parts to extend the life of your big rig(s)? You can find specialized parts and accessories at truck salvage yards as well - chrome parts and tarp tie downs. Companies even have their entire inventory online to view before making a purchasing decision at the yard.
Posted by Karen Thomas on Fri, Jul 31, 2009 @ 12:18 AM
Highway funding passed in a jiffy. With the August recess fast approaching on Capital Hill, Congress beat the vacation clock and passed emergency legislation that uses $14 billion from the general treasury, which will go towards unemployment benefits and highway projects.
The Ways and Means Committee reported, "With overwhelming bipartisan support, the House of Representatives today passed H.R. 3357 by a vote of 363-68. The legislation, sponsored by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), would keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent through the end of fiscal year 2009 by transferring $7 billion from the General Fund to the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund to meet an expected shortfall."
"This bipartisan bill will provide the necessary funds to keep important transportation initiatives operating in states across the country and should keep the Highway Trust Fund fully funded through 2009," said Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman John Lewis (D-GA). "Our nation's roads are the heart of our system of transportation. We have one of the best highway systems in the world. We need to do all we can to protect the resources set aside to strengthen and maintain that system."
Next up - the Senate must vote to approve (or not) the highway funding bill.
Posted by Karen Thomas on Sun, Jul 26, 2009 @ 03:52 PM
Brake for this: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration imposed new braking standers for large trucks.
Despite reports that large commercial vehicles have shown a decrease in their involvement in fatal crashes, the NHTSA still found cause to enforce even more stringent braking standards to improve this trend even more. According to the NHTSA, last year 4,229 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks, which is down 12 percent from the 4,822 deaths recorded in 2007.
Braking - and braking quickly - is an inevitable situation for any truck driver due to increased traffic, rocky roads, tumultuous weather, last minute lane changes, and more. Statistics show that most trucking accidents are caused by brake failures and defective tires. According to the Department of Transportation, 29.4% of all large truck crashes involved brake failure, brakes out of adjustment, or other brake-related issues.
While maintenance is critical to ensuring a truck can operate at peak condition, safety standards go a step further.
The NHTSA issued a new braking standard that is intended to save lives by improving large truck stopping distance by 30 percent. Specifically, a tractor-trailer traveling at a speed of 60 miles and hour must be able to stop completely at 250 feet - 155 feet less than the previous standard.
The Projections:
The NHTSA estimates that, "the new braking rAAequirement will save 227 lives annually, and will also prevent 300 serious injuries. It is estimated to reduce property damage costs by over $169 million annually," (www.nhtsa.gov).
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Posted by Brandy Alvarado on Mon, Jul 13, 2009 @ 10:46 AM
Training Day. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Department of Transportation (DOT) is awarding $6.7 million towards training grants in transportation, engineering and construction. At a time when the national unemployment surpasses 9%, aptitude is everything whether you’re an intern or experienced veteran.
U.S Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said, “Providing individuals with the job training skills they need is key to keeping our highway system up and running. These training programs will help ensure that the American highway system has able stewards for years to come.” (www.dot.gov.)
The grants will supplement state department programs and On-the Job Training Support Services. Grants were awarded to several states including California, where programs in cities including Long Beach, Cypress, and Sacramento received monies from $50,000 to $130,000.
In addition to government training programs sponsored by the ARRA, the transportation industry is a direct beneficiary of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), which coordinates the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) research programs and is charged with advancing the deployment of cross-cutting technologies to improve our Nation’s transportation system. Amongst several programs, RITA provides education and training in transportation and transportation-related fields.
Training and continuing education is critical to job performance in any field. The transportation industry specifically benefits from a number of government program designed to keep industry professionals prepared for the evolutions that will inevitably take place.
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Posted by Brandy Alvarado on Sun, Jul 12, 2009 @ 10:55 AM
RSI’s Gas Saving Tip of the day: Diesel’s getting sporty. Audi - known for creating a sharp looking vehicle with lean lines and modern intrigue released came out with the Q7 TDI clean diesel. Why a diesel? Truck drivers know this one - fuel efficiency. A single drop of diesel fuel has 12% more power than the equivilant amount of gasoline. The Los Angeles Times reported additional benefits as well:
• TDI clean diesel engines reduce carbon emissions by 20% over gasoline engines.
• If one-third of Americans switched from gasoline to clean diesel, it would be the equivalent of planting 2.2 billion trees.
County: San Bernardino
Date: July 12th, 2009
Station: 76
Address: 1195 East Walnut Street and South Grove Ave., Ontario
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.49
Date: July 12th, 2009
Station: G&J Food Mart
Address: 15515 Bear Valley Road and Cypress Ave., Hesperia
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.53
Date: July 12th, 2009
Station: Chevron
Address: 1780 South Grove, Ontario
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.53
(Gas prices found at www.sanbernardinogasprices.com)
County: Los Angeles
Date: July 12th, 2009
Station: Mobil
Address: 6423 Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Victory Blvd., Canoga Park
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.37
Date: July 12th, 2009
Station: Petro Bras
Address: 7515 Alondra and Garfield, Paramount
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.41
Date: July 12th, 2009
Station: Gas and Go
Address: 105 East Arrow Highway and San Dimas Ave., San Dimas
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.51
(Gas prices found at www.losangelesgasprices.com)
County: Riverside
Date: July 12th, 2009
Station: Fastrip
Address: 10306 Arlington Ave. and Tyler Ave., Riverside
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.49
Date: July 12th, 2009
Station: Chevron
Address: 8283 Arlington Ave. and Lake Street, Riverside
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.49
Date: July 12th, 2009
Station: Morongo Travel Center
Address: 49020 Seminole Drive and Apache, Cabazon
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.49
(Gas prices found at www.riversidegasprices.com)
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Posted by Brandy Alvarado on Tue, Jul 07, 2009 @ 10:57 AM
Despite the fact diesel prices are quite a bit lower this summer than last, there’s still concern about fuel costs in general, in addition to a heightened focus on the environment across several industries. Fortunately, there are several resources – trade publications, websites, non-profits, and other organizations that fuel the trucking industry with a steady stream of information pertaining to the environment and transportation.
Environmentalleader.com is one such resource. The site is a leading daily trade publication keeping corporate executives fully informed about energy, environmental and sustainability news.
Just this past week, environmentalleader.com reported the Capitol Hill debut of 7 medium- and heavy-duty hybrids from five major truck makers and six driveline suppliers including ArvinMeritor, Azure Dynamics, Bosch Rexroth, Daimler, Dueco/Odyne, Eaton, Mack, Peterbilt, Freightliner, Kenworth, Navistar, UPS, and FedEx Express. A well-timed event that followed the passing of the Obama administration’s climate bill that requires the U.S. to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 and by about 80 percent by mid-century.
The hybrid trucking event on Capitol Hill was orchestrated by the transportation group CALSTART and its Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF). warns that hybrid trucks need help to succeed and retain the technology lead American firms now have. According to environmentalleader.com, “The event outlined the benefits of hybrid technology, and provided highlights from a new Duke University study, commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund and CALSTART’s Hybrid Truck Users Forum Incentives Working Group. The report indicates that more than 30 states are home to truck and component manufacturing and development in the clean truck sector, and that the growth of the industry offers solid economic opportunities for the U.S.,” (www.environmentalleader.com).
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Posted by Brandy Alvarado on Sun, Jul 05, 2009 @ 10:59 AM
RSI’s Gas Saving Tip of the day: Fourth of July has come and gone, but the long weekend still remains. And that means “low” diesel prices do as well. At least compared to last year. Just 12 months ago diesel prices hit $4.767 - a difficult number to digest for fleet owners and owner-operators everywhere. This 4th we saw a the national average hover around $2.629, according to AAA.
County: San Bernardino
Date: July 5th, 2009
Station: G&J Food Mart
Address: 15515 Bear Valley Road and Cypress Ave., Hesperia
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.61
Date: July 5th, 2009
Station: ARCO
Address: 16337 Main Street and 3rd Ave., Hesperia
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.61
Date: July 5th, 2009
Station: Food 4 Less
Address: 16337 Main Street and 3rd Ave., Hesperia
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.63
(Gas prices found at www.sanbernardinogasprices.com)
County: Los Angeles
Date: July 5th, 2009
Station: Mobil
Address: 6423 Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Victory Blvd., Canoga Park
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.49
Date: July 5th, 2009
Station: 76
Address: 5601 Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Burbank Blvd., Woodland Hills
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.51
Date: July 5th, 2009
Station: V & G Auto Service
Address:13755 Fransisquito Ave. and East Garvey Ave., Baldwin Park
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.59
(Gas prices found at www.losangelesgasprices.com)
County: Riverside
Date: July 5th, 2009
Station: Chevron
Address: 8283 Arlington Ave. and Lake Street, Riverside
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.59
Date: July 5th, 2009
Station: 76
Address: 4890 Van Buren Blvd. and Wells Ave., Riverside
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.61
Date: July 5th, 2009
Station: Chevron
Address: Van Buren and Jurupa, Pedley
Price of Diesel Fuel: $2.63
(Gas prices found at www.riversidegasprices.com)
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Posted by Brandy Alvarado on Sat, Jul 04, 2009 @ 11:01 AM
The beaches are packed, barb-b-que’s are fired up, pies are in the oven – and millions of Americans are on the road, including those operating big rigs. If you are travelling this weekend, it’s important to keep an eye on several things that can impact the celebratory weekend.
Generally on the forefront of any driver’s mind is fuel prices. Fortunately those very prices are a lot less than they were a year ago – yet still steep considering the economy and the most recent jobless figures. The Associated Press reported that, “Oil prices hovered above $66 a barrel Friday in light holiday trading a day after grim unemployment numbers from the U.S. and Europe sent prices tumbling. By mid-afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for August delivery was down 16 cents to $66.57 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Thursday, it fell $2.58, nearly 4 percent, to settle at $66.73.
With so many people on the road, it’s extremely important to drive responsibly. Insurance.com recommends Checking your tires for proper inflation, making sure your battery is full, turn on your lights to make sure all are working properly, and have a proper first aid and roadside assistance kit accessible at all times.
Truck drivers especially have to be on the defense with the influx of cars on the road. The Truckersreport.com offers tips for big rig operators such as remembering when taking sharp curves or cornering to slow down before the curve and power through the curve. You always want to keep a pull on a trailer and never let a trailer push you through a curve.
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