Friday, February 22, 2002

Lawmaker calls for Houston freeway truck ban

A congressman from Texas wants to ban trucks and designate toll lanes on a busy Houston freeway to ease congestion.

U.S. Rep. John Culberson (R-Houston) says in the Energy Houston magazine that federal, state and local officials should "have dirt moving by the end of this year," to expand the Katy Freeway. The expansion of the crowded West Houston thoroughfare, he says, could be cut from 12 years to six with toll lanes.

Culberson says he also is working to pass legislation for truck toll lanes, and to force trucks driving through Houston on to I-69 to further ease congestion. "I want to get trucks off west Houston's main thoroughfare and make them travel around the city to make our city roads safer," he says. "I will also increase railroad use to further eliminate trucks from using our streets."

OOIDA Vice President Todd Spencer says, "While this kind of rhetoric might sound great to the uninformed, the fact is truckers already pay a small fortune in state and federal taxes, specifically for highway maintenance and repair. When roads aren't maintained it is because too much of that money is being diverted for other purposes. The responsibility for this lies squarely with those making the decisions in state capitols and in the nation's capital.

"No one is impacted more than truckers by congestion and no one will work harder to avoid congestion than truckers," Spencer says, "but the reality here too is that when you have people, jobs, stores, and everything else, you're going to have trucks. If railroads could meet the needs of consumers, they would be hauling the freight right now."

Scholar pays tribute to dad, trucking with class project

With the help of an OOIDA scholarship, Rebecca Schnackenberg decided to take her pursuit of a college education to Concordia University in Seward, NE. With a dream of becoming a professional graphic designer, Rebecca selected the school specifically for its art program. Now, two years later, she is halfway through completing a bachelor's degree in fine arts, which she plans to use to begin a career in advertising.

She credits the work ethic instilled by her father, owner-operator and OOIDA member Robert Schnackenberg, of Higginsville, MO, for helping her strive to attain her goals. "It was hard growing up not to have my dad at home every week," she says. "But I've always admired him for the work he does. He's always worked hard for us."

Rebecca recently paid tribute to her dad and the trucking industry in a class project. "We were given instruction to select a mode of transportation and create a picture," she recalls. "As soon as the project was assigned, I knew exactly what I was going to do."

The result was a picture (shown above) honoring the trucking industry and its role in America. "My dad has driven a Kenworth as far back as I can remember," she says. Growing up in a trucking family, Rebecca says she appreciates the work of truckers like her dad. "I know how important the industry is to all of us. It keeps America going."

Rebecca is thankful for the $1,000 scholarship -- renewable for four years -- she received to help pay for her education. "I would again like to say thank you," she says. "This scholarship has been a great help in paying for my college tuition, and the opportunity to pursue my goals."

2002 scholar award hopefuls:

Students interested in applying for the 2002 scholarship awards program are asked to submit a 500-word essay concerning the impact of trucking on their life and academic career along with their application. To be eligible for the scholarship program, the student's parent, grandparent or legal guardian must be an OOIDA member. The top five scholars will be selected from all applicants.

Applicants should contact Angel Burnell at 1-800-444-5791 or (816) 229-5791 for more information, or visit www.ooida.com and click on "scholarship program" in the members-only section to download an application. Students must include a copy of their high school transcript and proof of enrollment or acceptance into a college. Applications can be returned by fax to (816) 427-4468. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2002.

Tax-deductible donations to the OOIDA Scholarship Program can be sent to the OOIDA Foundation Inc., 1 NW OOIDA Drive, Grain Valley, MO 64029.
by Keith Goble, staff writer

Michigan bridge to close on I-75

Starting Mar. 1, the eight-lane Zilwaukee Bridge on Interstate 75 near Saginaw, MI, is to be closed for at least one month to replace the bridge's expansion joints. Drivers will be detoured to I-675 during the shutdown.

The bridge, which spans the Saginaw River between Saginaw and Bay City, handles about 51,000 vehicles a day. About 30,000 vehicles travel on the four lanes of I-675 in that area each day, according to a published report. The project could keep the bridge closed until just before Memorial Day.

New Mexico issues new cab cards

The jurisdiction of New Mexico is issuing new International Registration Plan (IRP) cab cards. The plate number printed on the IRP card now matches the sticker. The new cards went into effect Feb. 11. The old cards expire Dec. 31, 2002.

Stainless steel clad bumper now standard on Peterbilt 387

Peterbilt Motors Co. recently announced the aluminum stainless-steel clad bumper is now standard equipment on the Peterbilt Model 387.

"Enthusiasm for the new bumper has been high, so it was a natural decision to make it the standard bumper for the Model 387," says Dan Sobic, Peterbilt assistant general manager. "It's aerodynamic, lightweight and extremely durable."

The bumper's mirror-finish, stainless-steel surface is 10 times thicker than chrome plating for improved corrosion resistance, and the aluminum substructure reduces weight by about 50 pounds compared to chromed steel bumpers.

Optional chrome mirror housings are also available, combining with the bright-finish bumper to create a complete chrome appearance package. Additionally, the bumper is backed with a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty.

OOIDA calls Iowa truckers to action on split speed limit bill

Members of the Iowa House of Representatives will soon be voting on legislation (HF 268) that will increase speed limits on the state's interstate highways to 70 mph for cars while maintaining the 65 mph maximum for trucks over 10,000 pounds.

OOIDA has sent letters to every member of the state House of Representatives urging them to not create a differential speed limit between cars and trucks. "While I am sure that many lawmakers will read the letter they receive from OOIDA," says OOIDA's Todd Spencer, "our words mean far more when they are reinforced by calls and contacts from the folks back home.

Spencer says this legislation could be debated on the House floor as early as Monday, Feb. 25, 2002 at 5:00 p.m., so time is of the essence.

The bill already has two amendments that will also be considered and debated on fines for speeding. Amendment 8048 would place the fine for any speeding violation of 10 mph or less over the limit at $100, for 11 to 20 mph over the limit at $200, and for speeds above 20 mph over the limit at $200 plus $25 for each mph above the 20 over.

Amendment 8050 has slightly lower amounts for fines for speeding violations, but it contains a provision that would allow the police agency writing the speeding ticket to keep half the amount of the fine to purchase new patrol vehicles. This could easily be an open invitation to create speed traps, says Spencer.

If and when this legislation is passed by the House, it would move to the state Senate. In January of 2001, Senate Bill 27 was introduced to increase speed limits to 70 mph for all vehicles. The legislation was assigned to the Senate Transportation Committee with no further action since then.

Note to Iowa truckers: If you already know who your state representative is call 515-281-3221 and they will connect you. If you do not know who your state representative is call Angel Burnell at OOIDA (816-229-5791) for assistance.

Family denied last hours with dad

On New Year's Eve, while on the road, trucker Michael Doty collapsed and in less than 24 hours died from an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Imagine Michael, fighting for his life in a strange hospital, assuming his family had been notified and hoping to see his wife walk through the door. Imagine Bobbi Doty, at home, totally unaware of her husband's collapse. By the time she found out, it was too late to make it to his bedside. What happened?

On New Year's Eve, Doty, an owner-operator and OOIDA member from Skiatook, OK, pulled into a TA truckstop outside Spartanburg, SC. While inside, he suffered what appeared to onlookers to be a heart attack. Paramedics were quickly called to the scene as Michael expressed concern about his truck and repeatedly asked for someone to contact his wife and his carrier, Cannon Express.

Shortly after Michael was taken to a nearby hospital, a night manager at the truckstop allegedly made a phone call to Cannon, letting them know what had happened to their owner-operator. During the call, the manager said the family had not been notified and asked that they be contacted immediately. Cannon never made that call.

At the hospital, doctors determined the main blood vessel to Michael's heart had ruptured. Surgery to repair the artery was delayed several hours as doctors waited for Michael's dangerously low blood pressure to climb. Twelve hours later, with little improvement in his condition, doctors decided they no longer could delay the surgery. As Michael was prepared for surgery, a doctor called his home. It was the first time his wife, Bobbi, learned something was wrong.

As family made preparations to rush to Spartanburg, Michael was wheeled into surgery. He passed away about nine hours later. His family was still hours away.

The family is left asking why Cannon never contacted them. They have yet to receive an explanation. "I feel that (Cannon) robbed us of the last hours we could have spent with him had we been contacted prior to the hospital's call," Bobbi says. "We lost 12 hours because Cannon didn't bother to call."

Bill Elliot, director of operations at Cannon Express, told Land Line that it is not the company's policy to call the family in such cases because "the company does not know what's going on." Cannon apparently did call drivers to the Spartanburg truckstop to transfer Michael's load into another truck.

Once in town, the family drove to the TA truckstop on Interstate 85 at exit 63 to try and find out exactly what happened. The family says employees at the truckstop confirmed two Cannon drivers were at the truckstop to pick up the load only hours after Michael was rushed to the hospital.

"He was hauling jeans to Texas," Bobbi says. "The jeans were more important to them than the man behind the wheel."

Over the next few days, the family says the company also made it difficult to retake possession of his truck. As the family prepared to put Michael to rest and bring his truck back home, they say Cannon continued to complicate matters. "Cannon initially told us they would make sure the truck was returned to us," says Bobbi, "only to reverse themselves days later claiming their liability insurance wouldn't allow them to bring the truck to us, which I can understand, but why tell us initially you will do something if you really can't."

Bobbi says Cannon also was unwilling to discuss Michael's finances, claiming they had 45 days until required by law to divulge the information. "We still haven't received any clear word about Michael's finances," she says. "We only received a final paycheck because we persisted. It just feels like they don't want to acknowledge us."

Michael's son-in-law, Jeff Brace, and a CDL-holding family friend, drove back to Spartanburg to retrieve the truck. "When we told Cannon we were going to pick up the truck and bring it home, they asked us to stop at their headquarters in Springdale, AR, so mechanics could remove the truck's satellite system," Jeff says. "Once we arrived, employees began ripping off the truck's plates, permits and license. They took everything off because they said it was their property."

Jeff pleaded with Cannon to reinstall the plates so they could take the truck home to Oklahoma. "Bobbi needs to sell the truck to help pay for funeral costs and other expenses," says Jeff. "But they didn't care." After a few hours, Cannon agreed to reattach the plates. "They made sure we knew they wouldn't release Michael's escrow and settlement until we sent the plates back to them," he says.

The family has been upset most by what they perceive by Cannon to be a complete disregard to Michael's memory and what he did for the company. "He worked with them since last August," Bobbi says. "He believed in them so much he even bought about 1,000 shares of their stock. This is his thanks?"

"They have hundreds of awards and certificates of achievement displayed on their walls about how good they are and they got them because of their drivers," Jeff says. "How could a company receive all these awards and honors and then treat the memory of my father-in-law with such disdain and outright cruelty?"

Bobbi says the family has been overwhelmed by the support and kindness of hundreds in the trucking industry that sent cards, letters and donations after hearing Michael's story on Truckin' Bozo. "The people who have contacted us have been so kind," says Bobbi. "Truckers are generous and wonderful people."
-- Keith Goble, staff writer

Click here to link to Cannon's response

Will temporary injunction stop IRP from slapping sanctions on Oklahoma?

On Nov. 26, the International Registration Plan (IRP) board voted to impose sanctions if Oklahoma failed to implement the amendments to IRP's rules on established place of business. The new rules were drafted by the Oklahoma Tax Commission and approved by Gov. Frank Keating only to be stymied by a temporary injunction issued in February. (See web news from Wednesday, Feb. 13.)

On Feb. 8, in response to a lawsuit filed Feb. 4, 2002, by ProCert Inc. and others, the state District Court of Oklahoma County issued a temporary restraining order restraining the tax commission from implementing, enforcing and administering the new rules. The new rules would have prohibited trucking companies from using third party agents to establish places of business in Oklahoma under the IRP.

According to a Feb. 15 article in the Oklahoman, in the past five fiscal years, Oklahoma received $68.7 million in taxes collected by other states from truckers. Almost half goes into the state's general fund. Another 35.46 percent is designated for schools. Imposing sanctions, or refusing to pass along Oklahoma's split of taxes collected from truckers, could cost the state of Oklahoma $1.24 million a month.

Will other states turn a cheek to the injunction and consider Oklahoma's failure to implement the new rules good enough reason to go ahead with sanctions? In a recent news memo to members, the Washington, DC, IRP office said based on a review of the original November motion and on the advice of legal counsel, the chair of the IRP Board of Directors has concluded that sanctions will not be imposed until the IRP board meets to reassess this matter.

New Jersey plans to amend big truck ban

State officials may soon amend a ban that prohibits big trucks off several smaller New Jersey highways. If approved, the changes would restrict trucks from 220 miles of state highways, 65 fewer miles than are currently restricted.

The state Transportation Department formally announced its plan this week to allow 102-inch-wide trucks to return to stretches of 12 highways in nine counties. NJDOT said the proposed changes would allow truckers to connect smaller routes to larger routes and "avoid the roundabout routing necessitated by gaps in the (intrastate access travel) network."

Former Gov. Christie Whitman imposed the ban in 1999 prohibiting big trucks from traveling on roads that were not major highways designated as part of the network. The department has scheduled a public hearing on the proposal at the DOT's Trenton headquarters from on April 2 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

North American Truck Show scheduled for May in Boston

The North American Truck Show will hold its 30th anniversary show May 2-4 at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston. This year's show will feature professional industry seminars and technical sessions.

One of the longest running annual truck shows in North America, NATS will again include all the major truck OEMs, as well as the major engine/component OEMs. The Massachusetts Motor Transport Association will host daily seminars and technical sessions, which will be conducted by truck industry experts. Topics will include, among others: hazardous material training, preparing for a successful DOT compliance audit, tax elimination strategies and fleet insurance savings strategies.

The Massachusetts State Police "Road Team" will conduct Q&A sessions on roadside inspections, and hold a panel presentation on diesel emissions testing standards.

While at the show, be sure and look for OOIDA at booth #2436.