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News Wire: Senator introduces competitive switching legislation

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Posted by BaltACD on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 8:30 PM

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by tree68 on Monday, June 19, 2017 2:12 PM

CSSHEGEWISCH
I guess that breathing clean air is discriminatory to truck drivers.

In researching the effects of carbon monoxide on firefighters, it's been discovered that the folks inside fighting fire are at low risk.  It's the folks standing around outside (apparatus operators, command staff) that are taking the beating.  Even a researcher, standing yards away from a scene, had measurable levels of CO in her blood.

You can't win...

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Posted by Shadow the Cats owner on Monday, June 19, 2017 1:58 PM

I'm all for reasonable regulations however when regulations get taken to the extreme we end up with massive screw ups that the people operating in those industries could see coming yet the regulators that come up with them could not.  

The railroads alone have seen a couple in the last few years with the PTC mandate how well has that gone guys.  Then we had the Feds proposed new rule on how to move CBR that never made it into the rulebook as once it was proposed everyone was like this would plug up the system so freaking bad that nothing would get moved at all.  I wonder how well the electronic brakes system is going to work out for you being forced with the new tanker standard.  

 

Yes regulations are needed however anymore it is like instead of fixing the issue with the current one aka see the issue they come up with a more outrageous one to make the first one look sane.  Anyone remember Obama's EPA and their Waters of the USA declaration that stated even a puddle of water was subject to the Clean Water Act and all the powers the EPA to regulate it.  

 

 

 

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Posted by Norm48327 on Monday, June 19, 2017 10:52 AM

BaltACD
Only when helped along by further governmental restrictions.

Thumbs Up

Norm


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Posted by BaltACD on Monday, June 19, 2017 10:15 AM

CSSHEGEWISCH
I guess that breathing clean air is discriminatory to truck drivers.

Only when helped along by further governmental restrictions.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Monday, June 19, 2017 10:10 AM

I guess that breathing clean air is discriminatory to truck drivers.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Shadow the Cats owner on Monday, June 19, 2017 9:25 AM

There are decent carriers out there I work for one.  The trouble is we don't have the money a carrier like Swift Scheinder Werner Prime Celedon and other Mega Fleets can pour into recruiting.  My boss also has a restricted hiring area as we tend to run an out and back loop.  We run out to our customers where they are then reload back towards the yard.  95% of our drivers live within 20 miles of our terminal and get home on weekends normally they get home on Friday and leave out Sunday night.  I spent more on postage last year than I had to spend on recruiting new drivers.  Why after our last expansion the boss is not going to grow more than 5 trucks a year.  So instead of needing 20 drivers a week I might need 2 if that.  It is Monday when I should be getting ready to run the new drivers to their whiz quiz and such.  Nope no new drivers this week or next week.  Yet at Swift systemwide I can bet on about 200 new drivers in their door this week alone.  

 

The only group that has fought these abusive lease purchasing scams and they make a Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme look legit is OOIDA.  I know of several drivers that somehow thru sheer will and dedication made it thru their lease purchase agreement and then at the end found out from the bank that actually held the note that the CARRIER had not forwarded any payments towards the trucks.  Yes these drivers were taken advantage of majorly however they also could have stood up for their rights at anytime they all live in CA where if a business breaks the law the fines for the business will just about break the business owners back and destroy the company.  

 

However the Government Officals don't get off scott free either in this one also.  They were the ones that decreed your truck is worthless in this state and had to be scrapped sorry it was paid for with cash and made you money and you can't get a new one financed so your out of luck.  You have a truck that meets the standards and your an independant trucker SORRY YOU CAN'T GO INTO HERE ANYMORE.  You either sign on with this list of approved carriers or your out of a job.  These were the decrees of both the State Government and agencies that run the ports.  So the Government had a huge hand in why these drivers all of whom if you read the article had their own trucks prior to the ports being banned from older trucks having issues.  

 

 

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Posted by jeffhergert on Monday, June 19, 2017 12:53 AM

zardoz

 

 
CMStPnP

 

 
CSSHEGEWISCH

A fair number of public utilities are interested in this legislation in a push for mandated competitive rates for trainloads of steam coal to power plants.

 

OK so maybe Wisconsin Electric or whatever it is called.    Still to me seems more like an out of state interest as when I lived there I never heard of WE complaining about haulage rates only rail service delays due to bad weather and not enough stock piled coal............that was a long time ago though.....back in the BN-Milw days of coal hauling.

 

 

 

Just recently Weinergies (which is what they actually call themselves, a play on Wisconsin Electric, as they now count natural gas as part of their corporate structure) announced that they are putting the Pleasant Prairie power plant on shutdown due to lack of demand.

 

 http://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/energy/2017/01/20/we-energies-idle-one-its-coal-plants-half-year/96847234/

I mention this only because the Pleasant Prairie power plant is actually served by both the UP and CP; in fact a few years ago (2009) the coal was actually being brought in by the CP.

 

Great. Some more work gone.  Actually, my terminal already lost these trains to the @#$%# Long Pool.  

Jeff

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Posted by jeffhergert on Monday, June 19, 2017 12:36 AM

Shadow the Cats owner

 

 
schlimm

Typical nonsense.  Blame the government and the victims ("poor dumb driver") for trucking companies engaging in criminal behavior.

 

 

 

3 Facts not mentioned in that article that are very important.  1st CARB banned all trucks manufactured before a certain date to even RUN in CA again unless retrofitted with extensive upgrades.  2nd the Port of Long Beach and Los Angelos decided that only certifed carriers of their Choice could run in and out of the ports.  My boss can not even deliver in those Ports if we wanted to we have to have one of their CERTIFED carriers pickup our trailer and carry it into the port and deliver the load.  3rd and this is the kicker lease purchases are designed to FAIL the language in them is setup so the carrier wins all the time.  They can charge you whatever they want for anything.  They can and will overcharge you for things like tires repairs in their shop.  Then they can reposses that truck for anyreason they choose.  Plus if they do take that truck back or you quit you lose every single dollar you have paid into that truck.  The company chooses which loads you get to haul NOT YOU so if your getting close to getting that truck paid off they can pull you off those good paying runs and then cause you to fail.  Here are a few cases to read up on Google OOIDA vs CR England or OOIDA vs Prime Inc  and see what a Federal Judge thought about how these lease purchases were set up.  England had to pay their original lease holders that they owed escrow mainatance accounts to 19.5% intrest.  Why so much that was what they charged them if they fell negative.  So the Judge said good enough for you perfect for the drivers.  They also had to redo all the calculations on overcharged Maintance fees tire overcharges and a bunch of other items.  It was so bad at one point England was almost looking at bankrupcy protection to protect what was left.    

 

 

Sorry Schilm I deal with drivers who have been almost driven to bankrupcy by carrier lease purchase deals when they come to work for us.  We refuse to even offer one.  We do have what are Owner/Operators that have their own trucks finaced on their own that are paid a percentage of the load revenue and we do pay a decent amount for them.  

 

USA Today had a featured article on this.

https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/investigations/2017/06/16/port-trucking-companies-buried-their-poor-immigrant-workers-debt/102840562/ 

Jeff

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Posted by zugmann on Sunday, June 18, 2017 8:20 PM

schlimm
3. Seems like questionable practices that the trucker victims should challenge through the Federal CFPB for relief and ending the scam, if it is as you portray it.

With many being poor, imigrants (or both) that won't happen soon.  Would be nice if the honest companies would help lead the charge (ya know, police their own sort of thing), instead of blaming the gov't or the victims.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by schlimm on Sunday, June 18, 2017 7:31 PM

Shadow the Cats owner
3 Facts not mentioned in that article that are very important.  1st CARB banned all trucks manufactured before a certain date to even RUN in CA again unless retrofitted with extensive upgrades.  2nd the Port of Long Beach and Los Angelos decided that only certifed carriers of their Choice could run in and out of the ports.  My boss can not even deliver in those Ports if we wanted to we have to have one of their CERTIFED carriers pickup our trailer and carry it into the port and deliver the load. 

1. CA is well within its rights to have more stingent pollution regulations. They have for many (nearly 50) years.

2. Restricting the ports to certain in-state operators makes sense in line with #1.  Allowing out-of-state trucks would circumvent the regs.

3. Seems like questionable practices that the trucker victims should challenge through the Federal CFPB for relief and ending the scam, if it is as you portray it.

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Posted by Shadow the Cats owner on Sunday, June 18, 2017 9:07 AM

schlimm

Typical nonsense.  Blame the government and the victims ("poor dumb driver") for trucking companies engaging in criminal behavior.

 

3 Facts not mentioned in that article that are very important.  1st CARB banned all trucks manufactured before a certain date to even RUN in CA again unless retrofitted with extensive upgrades.  2nd the Port of Long Beach and Los Angelos decided that only certifed carriers of their Choice could run in and out of the ports.  My boss can not even deliver in those Ports if we wanted to we have to have one of their CERTIFED carriers pickup our trailer and carry it into the port and deliver the load.  3rd and this is the kicker lease purchases are designed to FAIL the language in them is setup so the carrier wins all the time.  They can charge you whatever they want for anything.  They can and will overcharge you for things like tires repairs in their shop.  Then they can reposses that truck for anyreason they choose.  Plus if they do take that truck back or you quit you lose every single dollar you have paid into that truck.  The company chooses which loads you get to haul NOT YOU so if your getting close to getting that truck paid off they can pull you off those good paying runs and then cause you to fail.  Here are a few cases to read up on Google OOIDA vs CR England or OOIDA vs Prime Inc  and see what a Federal Judge thought about how these lease purchases were set up.  England had to pay their original lease holders that they owed escrow mainatance accounts to 19.5% intrest.  Why so much that was what they charged them if they fell negative.  So the Judge said good enough for you perfect for the drivers.  They also had to redo all the calculations on overcharged Maintance fees tire overcharges and a bunch of other items.  It was so bad at one point England was almost looking at bankrupcy protection to protect what was left.    

 

Sorry Schilm I deal with drivers who have been almost driven to bankrupcy by carrier lease purchase deals when they come to work for us.  We refuse to even offer one.  We do have what are Owner/Operators that have their own trucks finaced on their own that are paid a percentage of the load revenue and we do pay a decent amount for them.  

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Posted by zardoz on Saturday, June 17, 2017 9:48 PM

schlimm

 

 
zardoz
Just recently Weinergies

 

\

 

It's We Energies.  Power demand is still below levels prior to the 2008 recession.

 

I was referring to the phonetic usage (the slang is sometimes used by the companies' employees), rather than the literal.

But you are correct; my utility payment is sent to We Energies.

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Posted by schlimm on Saturday, June 17, 2017 8:16 PM

zardoz
Just recently Weinergies

\

It's We Energies.  Power demand is still below levels prior to the 2008 recession.

C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan

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Posted by zardoz on Saturday, June 17, 2017 7:56 PM

CMStPnP

 

 
CSSHEGEWISCH

A fair number of public utilities are interested in this legislation in a push for mandated competitive rates for trainloads of steam coal to power plants.

 

OK so maybe Wisconsin Electric or whatever it is called.    Still to me seems more like an out of state interest as when I lived there I never heard of WE complaining about haulage rates only rail service delays due to bad weather and not enough stock piled coal............that was a long time ago though.....back in the BN-Milw days of coal hauling.

 

Just recently Weinergies (which is what they actually call themselves, a play on Wisconsin Electric, as they now count natural gas as part of their corporate structure) announced that they are putting the Pleasant Prairie power plant on shutdown due to lack of demand.

 http://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/energy/2017/01/20/we-energies-idle-one-its-coal-plants-half-year/96847234/

I mention this only because the Pleasant Prairie power plant is actually served by both the UP and CP; in fact a few years ago (2009) the coal was actually being brought in by the CP.

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Posted by zardoz on Saturday, June 17, 2017 7:46 PM

BaltACD

 

 
CandOforprogress2
We have choice with Cell Phones, Electricity,Gas and other utlities

 

They want you to THINK you have a choice.  It's all a shill game.

 

Choice is an illusion created between those with power and those without.

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Posted by schlimm on Saturday, June 17, 2017 5:30 PM

Typical nonsense.  Blame the government and the victims ("poor dumb driver") for trucking companies engaging in criminal behavior.

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Posted by Shadow the Cats owner on Saturday, June 17, 2017 7:49 AM

BaltACD

 

 
Shadow the Cats owner
Anymore batteries for cell phones come in one variety and those are the ones that can catch fire.  Anyone remember the Samsung Galaxy 7 phone fiasco that was IIRC in 2015 or last year were the batteries would literally explode.  Or the Dreamliner plane having to be grounded until they literally put the batteries also Lithium Ions into a stainless steel case that vents to the outside and has a Halon fire control system in it.  

 

Yes I would love for all Law Enforcement officers to carry a response guide that way when there is a trailer full of 3077 that is unexpanded styrofoam that goes over we don't have a total freaking panic yet when a trailer full of liquid chorline or pure hydrocholric acid tips they don't have a clue around here.  Yes there are some good law enforcement officers that know their stuff.  However the latest generation makes me go we are screwed.   If the book doesn't tell them how to fix the issue they are lost.  I had to show one of our newest office workers how to make change for the pop machine for one of our mechanics this week.  She did not know that 5 dollars was the same as 20 quarters.  Yet these are future leaders of America and I am scared to death. 

 

Maybe they could ride with these drivers.....

https://www.usatoday.com/pages/interactives/news/rigged-forced-into-debt-worked-past-exhaustion-left-with-nothing/

 

Alot of that if you read the article can be placed right on the doorstep of CARB and their descion to ban anytruck that did not meet thier OWN Emission standards from the state of CA.  Drayage work is not for the newest trucks in the world.  Then throw in when they did it the newest model trucks were so freaking unreliable that hell even my boss had trouble turning a profit with them.  

 

Also a Lease Purchase plan is NOT geared for the employee it is geared so the company wins.  Why do you think they push them so hard instead of the carrier having to make the 2500 a month payment let some poor dumb driver make them plus have to pay for maintance fuel and any other crap that happens to the truck.  

 

The Ports threw out all true independants right about the time all this crap started in Long Beach and LA also.  You either signed on to one of their Approved carriers leased a truck from them or lost your job.  So the whole system was set up to screw the drivers.  If anyone is to be blamed for the whole screw up in this one Blame the State of CA and then the Ports of Long Beach and LA.  They created the perfect storm for drivers to get abused like no tomorrow by carriers and now are facing the effects of it.

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Posted by tree68 on Friday, June 16, 2017 10:29 PM

Shadow the Cats owner
Yes I would love for all Law Enforcement officers to carry a response guide that way when there is a trailer full of 3077 that is unexpanded styrofoam that goes over we don't have a total freaking panic yet when a trailer full of liquid chorline or pure hydrocholric acid tips they don't have a clue around here. 

Heck, I carry an ERG in my own truck, and have it on my phone...

Around here, we refer to the troopers as gray canaries...

LarryWhistling
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Posted by schlimm on Friday, June 16, 2017 10:22 PM

BaltACD
Maybe they could ride with these drivers..... https://www.usatoday.com/pages/interactives/news/rigged-forced-into-debt-worked-past-exhaustion-left-with-nothing/

+1  Trucking companies. Thumbs Down

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, June 16, 2017 8:22 PM

Shadow the Cats owner
Anymore batteries for cell phones come in one variety and those are the ones that can catch fire.  Anyone remember the Samsung Galaxy 7 phone fiasco that was IIRC in 2015 or last year were the batteries would literally explode.  Or the Dreamliner plane having to be grounded until they literally put the batteries also Lithium Ions into a stainless steel case that vents to the outside and has a Halon fire control system in it.  

 

Yes I would love for all Law Enforcement officers to carry a response guide that way when there is a trailer full of 3077 that is unexpanded styrofoam that goes over we don't have a total freaking panic yet when a trailer full of liquid chorline or pure hydrocholric acid tips they don't have a clue around here.  Yes there are some good law enforcement officers that know their stuff.  However the latest generation makes me go we are screwed.   If the book doesn't tell them how to fix the issue they are lost.  I had to show one of our newest office workers how to make change for the pop machine for one of our mechanics this week.  She did not know that 5 dollars was the same as 20 quarters.  Yet these are future leaders of America and I am scared to death. 

Maybe they could ride with these drivers.....

https://www.usatoday.com/pages/interactives/news/rigged-forced-into-debt-worked-past-exhaustion-left-with-nothing/

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by tree68 on Sunday, June 11, 2017 9:36 PM

Deggesty

And, there are some who think that a quarter of an hour is twenty-five minutes.

And don't forget, you can order 12 nuggets, but not a dozen...

LarryWhistling
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Posted by samfp1943 on Sunday, June 11, 2017 9:02 PM

[quote user="Shadow the Cats owner"]

  "...Yes there are some good law enforcement officers that know their stuff. However the latest generation makes me think, we are so screwed. If the book doesn't tell them how to fix the issue they are lost. I had to show one of our newest office workers how to make change for the pop machine for one of our mechanics this week. She did not know that 5 dollars was the same as 20 quarters. Yet these are future leaders of America and I am..."[/quote]

[ Shadow the Cats owner] I know I do not have to tell you this, as I suspect in your job you deal with these kind of folks whule soing your job.... While working in my capacity at a medium sized trucking company, I was amazed atthe level of functional illerateacy in our driving force...In an ability to read, and understand the Rand McNally Trucker's Atlas, every driver got on completion of their orientation week.     That coupled with their ability to communicate [via Qualcom in their truck] information they needed to complete their jobs. As well as, reading, comprehending and understanding signage on the highways.  Also apparent was a supreme lack of their duties, and responsibilites regarding issues surrounding their own safety and that of the truck,trailer and their load... I can appreciate your position, and I am empathetic; but also glad, I am retired and out of that rat race!

 

 


 

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Posted by jeffhergert on Sunday, June 11, 2017 4:53 PM

Speaking of phosphoric acid spills.

http://www.nonpareilonline.com/news/train-spills-phosphoric-acid-across-iowa/article_1ef89f4c-3ae3-5b85-bb89-32c467e7e636.html

The scariest part is this was almost 13 years ago.  It seems like it was only 4 or 5 years ago.

Another article about the spill from the Des Moines Register via the BLE-T website.

http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=12114 

Jeff

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Posted by Deggesty on Sunday, June 11, 2017 4:41 PM

And, there are some who think that a quarter of an hour is twenty-five miuntes.

Johnny

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Posted by Shadow the Cats owner on Sunday, June 11, 2017 3:45 PM

Anymore batteries for cell phones come in one variety and those are the ones that can catch fire.  Anyone remember the Samsung Galaxy 7 phone fiasco that was IIRC in 2015 or last year were the batteries would literally explode.  Or the Dreamliner plane having to be grounded until they literally put the batteries also Lithium Ions into a stainless steel case that vents to the outside and has a Halon fire control system in it.  

 

Yes I would love for all Law Enforcement officers to carry a response guide that way when there is a trailer full of 3077 that is unexpanded styrofoam that goes over we don't have a total freaking panic yet when a trailer full of liquid chorline or pure hydrocholric acid tips they don't have a clue around here.  Yes there are some good law enforcement officers that know their stuff.  However the latest generation makes me go we are screwed.   If the book doesn't tell them how to fix the issue they are lost.  I had to show one of our newest office workers how to make change for the pop machine for one of our mechanics this week.  She did not know that 5 dollars was the same as 20 quarters.  Yet these are future leaders of America and I am scared to death.  

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Sunday, June 11, 2017 1:18 PM

Maybe troopers and reular police need to carry a copy of the Haz Mat guide ?  Tree should give us his take.

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Posted by samfp1943 on Sunday, June 11, 2017 11:33 AM

Shadow the Cats owner

I think a better search would be plants that USE dangerous chemicals and watch people scream.  You would be amazed at what gets used where for things.  I still laugh at that one State trooper wanting to shut down the highway for a Phosphoric acid tanker that overturned around here a while back.  My driver is pumping it off not even wearing breathing protection he is dressed as required and the cop is wanting to evacuate the area.  My driver hands him a Coke bottle and says read the dang ingrediants officer.  Yet we walk around with one of the most dangerous inventions inches from our head all the time.  The simple lithium ion battery pack.  What am I talking about those are thermally unstable when they fail they overheat and can burn.  

 

 

Trooper Clueless ! :

                                          I would guess that like many folks, are unaware the part chemicals play in everything from food to household cleaning products to may uses in industrial applications... By themselves, we are daily transporting, and using stuff we take for granted; because 'our government, is watching out for our best interests'.... Huh?

  One has to wonder, like so many, did that Trooper catch the offer  of the Coke? Phosphoric Acid being a key ingredient in many caramel colored, soft drinks, and Cokes...Blindfold

 

 


 

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Posted by zugmann on Sunday, June 11, 2017 10:32 AM

Shadow the Cats owner

  Yet we walk around with one of the most dangerous inventions inches from our head all the time.  The simple lithium ion battery pack.  What am I talking about those are thermally unstable when they fail they overheat and can burn.  

 

 

Hope you don't allow them in your trucks.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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