Fuel Prices and You

A lot of people are concerned with the rising cost of fuel, from truckers to taxi drivers to bus companies to the general motoring public. There are some people that don't realize the full extent of the impact that rising fuel costs will have on them as an individual. The fact is fuel prices have almost doubled in the last five years and it will eventually cause a nationwide inflation on everything we purchase. So when you go to the store don't be surprised if you see the price of milk and bread and everything on the shelf start to rise.

Source: Energy Information Association

Source: OPEC

If you look at the above chart, you will notice a severe spike in fuel prices occuring. This affects everyone and I'll tell you how. The first thing that will happen is the drivers will pay more at the pump which will raise their operational costs. The truck drivers are then going to pass that cost on to the companies that they haul for in whats called a fuel surcharge to cover the added cost. The companies that are shipping products are going to pass that on to whomever they get paid buy be it retail sales or to a manufacturer who will in turn raise the retail sale price to cover the cost. So if you think you are not gonna be affected by fuel prices other than at the pump you are sadly mistaken.

I'm not sure why there hasn't been more vocalized concern for rising fuel prices than there already is, but there needs to be. Truckers have started organizing convoys on the capitol and other major cities to draw attention to this, and have even talked about strikes, which by the way would not be a good thing for anyone. Something needs to be done.

Some people say why don't we open up our oil reserves to control fuel prices. I believe this could help to fend of the rising prices, but it would only be a temporary fix. With the highest estimate of oil reserves in the United States only being 220 billion barrels, that would last at best 11 years. What we really need is to focus on the technology that will allow us to become oil independent. Biodiesel seems to be a promising method of improving our situation. Most biodiesel is virtually non-toxic, and produces much cleaner exhaust. Concerns have arisen though with the fact that most biodiesel is created using corn or soybeans, which could put a strain on food supplies. One little known method of biodiesel, that I personally would like to see more time invested in is using algae. Algea can be grown at wastewater treatment plants and other facilities already in use, which would use their waste resources to create a new resource. Its still in the very early stages of research but I think if we put some time into it, it could be well worth it. Check out the Algaculture link at the bottom for more information.

Another, immediate, action we can take is to reduce idling. Many trucks now have generators or APU's on them that run off the same diesel tank and use a fraction of the fuel it takes to idle the engine. Many states already have idling laws to restrict the idling of diesel trucks and for good reason. A truck can consume one gallon of gas per hour while idling. If you own your own truck I encourage you to invest in a generator or APU. It will pay for itself many times over. If you work for a company that doesn't use this technology, encourage them to do so, or even to open a company account with IdleAire. I have used IdleAire a few times and it is a pretty nice service. And for pete's sake don't idle your truck or run your generator when its not necessary. If its a nice day and you can sleep comfortably without it turn it off.

Im sure there will be more to follow on this topic, but I think I have provided a sufficient amount of information to show everyone just how important it is to be concerned and try to actively do something about our fuel consumption, fuel prices, and oil dependancy. I am shocked that this country is for the most part just sitting back and taking it. We need to act.

Algaculture

National Biodiesel Board

IdleAire

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Truck Driver Training

A lot of people are under the misconception that anybody can jump in a truck and do the job. This is not farther from the truth. The trucking industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries, in spite of the so called deregulation in 1980. It takes a keen knowledge of all the laws and regulations to be able to do the job safely and legally. While attending a truck driving school is not mandatory, most companies wont look at you for employment without it.

There are a couple different wasy to go about getting this schooling. You could go to a public truck driving school, but if you do make sure it is approved by the Professional Truck Driving Institute (PTDI). If not, it may still be a good school, but most companies will prefer to see the seal of approval from the PTDI. You can find a list of PTDI approved schools in the links at the bottom of this post. However, going to a public school can be very expensive. If you choose to attend a public school, I would look for one that offers job placement assistance. Even though you have completed a school, you may still find it hard to find a job, because many companies require you to already have some experience.

You need to watch out for schools though. Try to find out their reputation and talk to some graduates if you can. You have to remember that they are in business for one reason, to make money. There have been scams at some places where they would fail students the first time around so they would have to pay again, not because they didn't meet the requirements.

There is hope though. You have the option to go to a company for training. Mostly only the large companies will offer training, because they are the only ones rich enough to be self insured so they dont have to answer to the insurance company, and usually it is paid training. This is the way that I got my training and would recommend to anyone who wants to work as a truck driver. If you think about it why wouldnt you want to get paid to do something rather than pay someone else to do it. The only downfall to this method is that you usually have to sign a contract to work for the company for a certain amount of time, usually a year, or you will have to repay them for the training. I would recommend staying for the full time period agreed upon for two reasons. First, and most obvious, you wont have to pay for your training, and second you you can gain the required experience required by most companies which will make it easier to find another job. However, if you really dislike large companies, some companies will agree to pay for your training, where you will leave the large company after graduating there school and the company you chose to work for will pay for it. If you do it this way, make sure you get everything in writing from the company that has agreed to pay for the training. Another reason I recommend going to a company for training is that I believe the quality of training will be better due to the fact that they aren't making money on most people, unless u leave before the time period, and they are training you to drive their equipment so it only makes sense for them to train you right.

There are two basic parts to any truck driver training program. The first part will be the classroom training where you will learn all the laws and regulations and how to complete your log book, as well as some basic truck functions like shift patterns. The second part is the hands on or on the road portion where you will learn to drive the truck on the road, manuever in a parking lot, back up the truck, and pre trip inspections to name a few. Neither part is more important than the other because you need both to successfully become a truck driver. Make sure you pay close attention through all of your training. And, please, if you happen to get a trainer who is much younger than you, don't think he doesn't know anything. He probably knows a lot more than you ever will.

I hope you will find this information useful and take my advice to go through a company for your training, it only makes sense. And to any of you that do make the plunge into a driving career, I wish you only the best, and remember you can always find me here if you need any information or guidance.

Keep the shiny side up,

Young Trucker

Professional Truck Driver Institute

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Reply To: Anonymous

There are several things to look at when you are deciding to work for a large company over a small company. The biggest difference between large and small is the overall way that they operate. A large company will most likely be operated mostly through the use of satellites and computers, where as most smaller companies will still find using the phone for dispatch. You'll have to forgive me because this could get a little lengthy, but trucking is something I am very passionate about, and I love to inform people especially those that know nothing about the industry because its a shame that we have gotten to a point where truck drivers don't get the respect that they deserve, nor do, in most cases, the truck drivers give the motoring public the respect that they deserve, but thats another story for another time, I will try to post that later on.



I can't really say if I prefer small or large companies, Im still torn on that subject, but they both have advantages and disadvantages, and some people like to operate a different way. I like large companies because they have the ability to have freight in most cases even when freight is slow. Smaller companies may slow down as the economy slows down. I prefer smaller companies on the fact that generally they do not have computer systems that track every little thing that the driver does. Most companies do have computer and satellite systems, large or small, but the uses of these systems vary greatly. Large companies tend to do 90% of their business over computers and satellites, like dispatching, getting directions, and most communications with your dispatcher are done through text messages on the satellite. Keep in mind I have only actually worked for one large company and one small company, but I believe these differences will hold true through most of the companies. Smaller companies, the one I work for, only use the satellite mainly for truck and trailer positioning. For example, you would send a message when u pick up or drop a trailer, or when you make a delivery or pickup, but then once you send the message, you would still call in to find out your next work assignment.

Most people are under the misconception that you are just a number to the larger companies, but this is only true to a certain point. Yes to the bigwigs in the corporate offices, you are just a number, but most of the time, you deal with a small group of people, for me was about 4 people, and that group only interacts with 50-60 drivers. So its kind of like having a small company atmosphere inside the larger company.

Many people like the fact that the satellite can track your hours and wont let you work over them, but I don't. I am a firm believer that truck drivers are grown men and they know when they need to sleep. If you think about it logically, and in a real life situation, it makes it really rough on the driver to have to follow the current hours of service. Let me explain. When I worked for the larger company, I would be on the road for a minimum of two weeks at a time. So now not only do I have to work about my daily hour usage, I also have to worry about my weekly hour usage. (If you would like more detail on the hours of service let me know.) In short, I could not drive more than about 8 to 8.5 hours a day to stay under the weekly hour limit. This means that for about 16 hours a day I would have to sit. Who wants to sit in a truck that long, most people wont sleep 16 hours. I just don't agree with the hours of service set the way they are.

Also one last note about large versus small companies. Equipment. Most large companies will buy the low end equipment with a quick turnover rate. The large company I worked for would sell their trucks after 3-4 years of service. Smaller companies, the smart ones, dont want to have to buy new trucks that often, so they generally buy a little bit higher quality. Also with the large company trailer changes were more than a daily occurance most days, and you never knew what to expect when picking up a different trailer. Most people would drop trailers that needed repairs, rather than taking the time to repair them and have them ready for the next driver. A smaller company doesn't have so many trailers and usually you will keep the same trailer for the whole trip and return it to the terminal, where you would write it up and go home, so generally the trailers are better maintained and ready for the road. Don't get me wrong, its not the large companies fault the trailers are in ill-repair, its just the fact that the driver wants to get on with his next load and doesn't want to take the time to write it up and/or find a shop to fix it.

As for my military career, I was in the Army. I was honorably discharged for being a homosexual when I "came out" to my commanding officer. I did it for many reasons, not just to get out because I didn't like it. That could not be farther from the truth. I enjoyed my time in the service and I would be more than willing to return if and when they get rid of their dont ask dont tell policy. I did what I did because I realized I was putting my life on the line for a country that doesn't even want me to be there doing just that. Does that make sense? I will support my country again when my country is ready to support me. I know its still a touchy subject for many people, and I could spend all day writing a monologue about it, but I'll keep it short for now because I've already ranted on about the trucking subject.

I would have to say that my favorite job that I've had besides trucking would be working in a small tire shop. I don't know if its because its still related to transportation, or if its because I like to use my mechanical skills, or maybe a little bit of both. After that I would have to say doing the flooring was fun to, because I like to do home maintenance and remodelling type work. Im a result oriented person, I like to see the results of my work.

I don't really have a lot of hobbies I guess. Just working on my truck (1984 Dodge 1/2 ton), driving (I like to just get in and go for a drive for no reason sometimes), camping (though I don't get to do much of it), and my new hobby, writing this blog. As for living in rural Pennsylvania, I love it. Im the type of person who likes to be out away from the confusion and noise of the city, but still close enough to go to the city for a fun night or a short weekend trip. Where I live its only a short drive to all the major cities; Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Harrisburg, York, and even not really too far for a day trip or weekend trip to New York City, though I don't have to much desire to go there. I've been to NYC for work many times, but it just doesn't strike me as the type of place I want to hang out.

Thanks for the great questions. Thats what I'm looking for, someone who wants to know things about me or about anything random they happen to be thinking about. So please don't be afraid to ask, and also, don't be afraid to identify yourself.

Live, Laugh, and Love

Young Trucker

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First Blog: A little about me.

Welcome to my blog. My name is Clinton and I hope that I will bring you some useful information through this blog, as well as to entertain you a bit with the trials and tribulations of my life. I am 22 years old, and I am a truck driver. I like to surf the internet and randomly learn new things. If you ask me about anything I will share my views and thoughts on the subject. With that said, that is part of what I would like to do with this blog, to have my readers ask questions and for me to answer them. So don't be afraid to post a comment with a question or to shoot me an email if you would prefer to do it that way.



So now a little more info about me. I was born in York, PA. Although I have moved a lot in my life, most of the moves were in a 20 mile radius. I graduated high school in 2004 and went directly into the military. I spent 8 months in the military when I was honorably discharged. I spent most of my enlistment in Virginia Beach, and I have to say, its a nice place, but the cost of living is pretty high. Wouldn't mind moving back someday. After that I moved to Georgia for about 6 months where I laid flooring on Ft. Stewart. I enjoy doing remodelling and home repair kind of stuff. When that was finished, I moved back to PA and bounced around doing a few odds and ends type jobs until i turned 21 when I began my trucking career. I worked for one of the largest trucking companies for a little over a year, and then moved to a smaller local company. Driving has always been my life long goal, so I feel that I have achieved my goal very early in life. But, I am still goal oriented because I have created a new goal to buy my own truck. Once I achieve that goal I will implement a new goal and so on and so forth. I will always have a goal and I will work as hard as it takes to achieve that goal.

I am still single, and would like to get involved with someone, but it is not at the top of my list of things to do. It is sometimes difficult to have a relationship when you work as hard as I do in the trucking industry. Mainly because I am on the road more than I am home.

I intend to post regularly on this blog as often as I can, up to several times a day, depending on the response that I get from my readers. I will check it as often as possible to answer any questions that may be asked from my readers. So be sure to check back often, and make sure to ask questions. Feel free to ask anything even if it is totally unrelated to anything that has been talked about. I enjoy helping people with their problems and if there is anything you need help with feel free to ask. If I do not have an answer for the question I am more than happy to take the time to find an answer or to help point you to where you could find an answer. I guess you could say it would be kind of like a question and answer blog. If you have any questions on the trucking industry those I can usually answer pretty quickly because I have been around the industry most of my life. But again feel free to ask anything about anything and I'll do my best to find an answer.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope this will take off and gain a lot of readers where we can interact with each other.

Until next time,

Young Trucker

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