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Letters
Unsafe Intermodal Equipment
Just wanted to say that I couldn't agree more with your sentiments and opinions expressed in Doug Condra's article (April HDT page 6) "Let's put the blame where it belongs."
I have been in the trucking industry only a relatively short period of time (5 years) and have progressed through as security/gate checker at a railyard to my current position as safety director for a moderate-size carrier in Chicago. I cannot even begin to tell you how many hours in my week are devoted to going through maintenance bills on chassis when they should not have been used in the first place. It has become almost impossible to go into a railyard and hook up to a box without some sort of problem (legs won't crank, no lights, etc.), which obviously kills our independents on time. Yet you can do nothing about it.
The freight has to move, no one at the rail is willing to fix it because "it's not our problem."
Our drivers are then stuck pulling substandard equipment, become subjected to roadsides and my safety rating gets destroyed. Then, on top of it, we are the ones who see the repair bill on it four months later.
It is good to see that someone is addressing the issue that is on a lot of our minds and glad to hear that it sounds like there is finally some federal involvement to assist with the problem. Keep up the great work and thanks for the article.
Ryan Andrews, Safety Director
Bear Cartage & Intermodal Inc.
Chicago, Ill.
More Intermodal Concerns
I am the maintenance manager at TCW/Tennessee Express located in Nashville, Tenn. We are a regional company with eight terminals in six states. The majority of our freight is intermodal. I can tell you firsthand the equipment we pull is in far worse shape than most know. For the year of 2003, TCW spent more than $250,000 repairing chassis owned by the rail and shipping lines. These people are Mr. Magoo when we check the equipment out and Sherlock Holmes when we check it back in, charging the carriers for repairs that should have been done before the equipment was checked out in the first place.
I have written letters to Sen. Frist, Rep. Cooper and Sen. Alexander urging them to support H.R. 2863. I can't understand why all the attention to the Mexican equipment to make them DOT legal, and at the same time allow the intermodal companies to operate unsafe equipment.
Oscar Latham
Nashville, Tenn.
New Diesel?
I am a small petroleum marketer. While reading the article "Slippery Situation," (Doug Condra column, March HDT) it occurred to me you might entertain another thought for an article: Does anybody think truckstops, cardlocks etc. have an empty tank in the ground just waiting for a new fuel? Particularly, if the "new" diesel will only be "new" for 5 years then it will all be one diesel fuel again. Try spending $30,000 to $50,000 for tankage, getting the cost back in 5 years. Yeah, right. So the engine manufacturers can manufacture, the refiners can refine, the oil makers can make new oil, but where will they get the fuel locally?
Just a thought.
Mike Green
Via e-mail
Detention Time
I am the warehouse/operations manager for Gem State Paper & Supply and I would like to comment on detention time and the fees involved. First, I would like to say we are a driver-friendly warehouse. I get a lot of positive feedback from drivers on how well they are treated while here. A cup of coffee and a few kind words go a long way in this business. We strive to get them in and out as fast and safe as possible. However, what do we do when we schedule an appointment time and the truck fails to show. Sometimes two days late. Who gets the bill?
Are the trucking companies going to reimburse me for all the lost time and wages I pay for bringing in a crew and not having a truck to unload because of a thousand different reasons? Why don't you address this in an article for all to see. I for one would really like to see some response. My time and the time of my crew is just as valuable.
Thank you,
Jim Gibson
The Nature of Truckers
I am glad to see a larger push to educate America (Truckers As Terrorists?, Deb Whistler Editorial March). However, I believe it will have little effect. A recent article in a transportation magazine reported 4.6 million Class 8 tractors are on the highways.
If just 5% of the drivers of these trucks are bad, then there are 230,000 bad drivers on the highways. If just 1% are bad, that is still 23,000 bad drivers. It is no wonder that the industry has a bad reputation.
Human nature will prevail no matter what. Human nature is like this: If you are out shopping and have a bad experience with a salesman at a store, you typically leave the store and buy your products at another store. When you do that, you have blamed the whole store for the actions of one person.
Human nature is no different when dealing with trucking. One bad trucker makes the whole industry look bad in the eyes of the public.
Changing laws will not improve our reputation. Doing ad campaigns will not improve our reputation. Until trucking companies communicate better so that the 230,000 bad drivers cannot get driving jobs, we will continue to have a bad reputation. I can see no other way out.
Bill Williford - Safety Director
TSD - Texarkana, Texas
Trucking Image
Is courtesy doomed? The image of the trucking industry needs help. I am a driver with over 3,000,000 safe miles, and personally I am embarrassed by the actions of truck drivers today.
All of the marketing campaigns are useless unless companies take the issue seriously and slow their trucks down.
What good is a sign promoting the trucking industry when it passes you (tailgating another car) at 85 mph? Until courtesy comes back, our image is doomed.
Dave Heriaud
Via e-mail
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