Easy snack ideas for long trips

Not everyone can eat a well balanced meal while on the road for a long time, so here are some quick "fixes" for in between those meals when you are most likely to eat sugary foods.

Here are some great ideas curtosey of OTRTDriverhealth.com:

• Fresh fruit – whole or sliced and packed individually in reusable containers 
• Raw vegetables – including carrots, peppers, zuchinni and baby tomatoes, cherry or grape whichever you prefer. 
• Trail mix of nuts, sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds
• Instead of munching on chips, eat natural popcorn 
• As an alternative for buns and breads opt for pita triangles made from whole wheat. Adding some hummus makes them lovely and moist. 
• Never mind PB&J, put the peanut butter on a pumpernickel bagal and top it with sliced banana. 
• Make a smoothie from any type of fruit. You can use fresh if it's in season or if not then used canned or frozen fruit. Add low fat milk, low fat yogurt, soy milk, protein powder or fruit juice 

Just by making a few tweaks in your snacking, you can still enjoy what you love without the guilt!

HOS is slowing the rate increases for trucks

"An uneven flow of freight volume combined with the still-uncertain impact of changes to hours of service (HOS) regulations that went into effect July 1 are retarding the ability of carriers to win significant rate increases, at least for the moment."

 According to Jonathan Gold, vice president of the National Retail Federation, told Fleet Owner than many of the group’s members are “still trying to figure out” what alternations they’ll need to make to their supply chain operations due to HOS changes. Gold went on to add, "Many are still trying to ascertain what changes will be needed, it’s all part of evaluating their supply chain needs.” What does this mean for the industry? It means that U.S. economic growth should continue to strengthen and thus boost freight demand and hopefully things can get to a consistent growing level again. 

Curtosey of Fleet Owner

New violations in Hours of service

Apparently, two new violations have been added to carrier profiles on the FMCSA site. On the site, it reflects violations of the new HOS. 

"The system now codifides violations of the 30-minute break requirement of the new hours rule with a 7-point severity weight that contributes to the Hours of Service Compliance Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Category.

The second new violation added into the CSA system is related to alcohol possession and brings a severity weight of 3 to the Controlled Substances/Alcohol BASIC. The new codification allows roadside inspectors to distinguish between alcohol possession and use, as the use/under-the-influence violation is a 5-point weight."

Story curtosey of ccjdigital.com

The Annual Transportation Stat. Report has just been Released

The U.S. Transportation Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics has just released the Transportation Statistics Annual Report for 2012.

The 17th edition of this congressionally mandated report presents key transportation indicators along with an overview of the transportation system. It also includes data and information about freight movement, transportation and the economy, system reliability, transportation safety, energy use and environmental impacts.

In addition, it focuses on closing data gaps and improving the ways in which transportation statistics are collected, compiled, analyzed, and published.

You can view the entire report on the BTS website.

What every driver needs to stay connected

Sometimes technology fails, so it is good to have a back up plan when out on the road. According to Drive Smart, here are three gadgets that can come in handy when you are on that long trip and need a reliable technology backup.

1. Electric Power Inverter:

This is the least costly way to make sure you have constant usability of your gadgets. While on the road, it’s essential to access GPS and your phone at all times. Having a backup power supply, such as an electric power inverter, gives some leniency of your power.

2. Portable Solar Panel:

While they don’t carry as great of a charge as an electric power inverter typically does and take a bit longer to charge, they can keep your essentials ready to access whenever you need them.

3. Mobile Wireless Internet:

With the availability of mobile wireless Internet packages, these inconveniences are only optional. As connectivity becomes a greater concern for an increasingly connected industry, it’s crucial for drivers to have a contingency for when they lose availability for an extended period of time.