Retread Tire Failure? Or Not!

articlesmcall.com

More misinformation put out by the news media looking to sensationalize an accident and blame the entire trucking industry! Find a trucker who thinks he knows it all, but don't bother seeking out the real facts on retreads. Hell, that would be too much work! Read the following story and well written comment from Tim Orr below.

Posted: 04/20/2012 By: Bryce Anslinger, banslinger@wcpo.com at kypost.com Link follows below.

RICHMOND, Ky. - Truck drivers sometimes ride on what’s called retread, or recapped, tires. It’s something done by trucking companies in an effort to save money.
A new tire costs around $400, while a recapped tire will cost around $200.
The recapped tire is made by taking a new tread and gluing it to an old tire to give it more miles.
Some truck drivers, including Merle Barnhart, say the recapped tires are unsafe.
“My personal opinion, they're not safe, I won't drive on them, I don't like them. If I’m passing a truck that's got'em I get on by him," said Barnhart, who stopped in Northern Kentucky Thursday night on his way to Houston, Texas.
Sheriff’s deputies say a piece of retread tire caused the driver of a Toyota Camry to stop suddenly on northbound I-75 Thursday morning near Walton, Ky., causing death to one person and injuries to two people . Hemendra Patel, 28, of Louisville, was driving a 2000 Toyota Camry when he stopped suddenly because of the retread tire.
Sonali Sisodia, 30, of Hendron, Va., a rear seat passenger in the Camry, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her son, Aadid Thakur, 4, who was in a child seat in the rear of the vehicle was transported to Children's Hospital in Cincinnati by a medical helicopter. A front seat passenger, Swati Sisodia, 28, of Louisville, was transported to University Hospital by a medical helicopter.
Law enforcement officers say the best thing to do if you see debris in your lane is to keep going and drive over it.
"If your car is kept going straight, you will run it over, you will cause damage, but you're going to live to tell about it," said Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Clint Arnold.
Sgt. Arnold says you're more likely to see the retread from a truck tire come off as the weather gets warmer.

Comments:

Tim Orr
Most of the statements about retreads in this story are incorrect. Any tire, retreaded or not, can fail if it is underinflated. This story mistakenly maligns retreads, the tire retreading industry, and even the trucking industry, by suggesting the focus is on saving money at the expense of safety. Chances are, the last time you flew on a commercial plane, you took off and landed on retreads. The truck driver quoted is not an expert on retreading and is misinformed. Retreads are as safe as new tires. Under Inflated tires are unsafe, regardless of whether they've been retreaded or not. Link to Tim's comment
Blair Blakely • Yet another example of media slanting stories to fit their own beliefs and agenda.
The primary cause of the fatal accident was not the 'piece of retread truck tire' in the road, it was the car driver's inappropriate responce to the hazard.
1 Does the police officer inteviewed have the training and knowlege to diferentiate between a piece of tread from a recap or a first run tire?
2 Would this story have gotten the same ink if it was a cardbpoard box rather than a piece of tire ?
A recent study I read showed that of all the pieces of tire gathered from a section of roadway and analized by a testing lab, the percentage of rubber from recaps and first run tires was evenly represented according to their use on the roadway. Of course this study was funded by some retreading association, so.....
The primary cause of tire failure is underinflation (heat).Link to Blair
  Read more: http://www.kypost.com/dpps/news/region_northern_kentucky/retread-tire-failure-leads-to-deadly-northern-kentucky-crash_7429808?goback=%2Egde_134135_member_152179019#ixzz24ZKyMz00

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/I-bet-this-wasnt-retread-134135.S.152179019?view=&gid=134135&type=member&item=152179019&trk=eml-anet_dig-b_nd-pst_ttle-cn

Study Abroad, Mormon Style - Afraid of a Mormon President?

http://mormonhaven.com/

Afraid of a Mormon President? This is a re-post from a few months ago, an interesting read about the real lives of Mormons, especially now that we have a Presidential candidate who is one. As a cheese-head from Wisconsin, I've lived and worked among them for 19 years. Heck, I even married one!
A little off the Trucking subject, but,
If you've ever wondered what happens on a Mormon's two year mission, this is a very accurate and informative article published in the New York Times.  I moved from Wisconsin to Salt Lake City in 1993 and really didn't know anything about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons).  I am now married to a wonderful woman who was raised a Mormon (as her entire family was), although I was raised Catholic and still consider myself one.  There is a lot of misinformation out there and I have have found that living in Salt Lake City, knowing and working with many Mormons over these 19 years has been fantastic! They are just as hard working and family oriented as any group of people I've known and I admire them greatly, Dan
Click on the link to read the article.

Study Abroad, Mormon Style - NYTimes.com:

'via Blog this'

Driving the Winnebago Via - Rookie Drives an RV Motor Coach

Ezra Dyer

The New York Times' automobile blogger Ezra Dyer learns about the pleasures and pitfalls of mobile living with the Via, an R.V. based on the platform and powertrain of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van.

By Ezra Dyar, published in the New York Times, 8/28/2012 Link to their site follows:2013 Winnebago Via, cooling its shoes in Wilmington, N.C.

WILMINGTON, N.C. — After five minutes of wrestling with the electronic parking-meter station, I had my receipts to place beneath the windshield wiper. A roving meter maid would see that I had paid for my spot. And the spot next to it. And the one next to that, thus answering the question, “Where do you park a 25-foot Winnebago Via motor coach?” I’ll take spaces 113 through 115, thanks.

This year, the 2013 Via served as transportation for the annual family trip to the beach. We rented a house, but I figured the Winnebago in the driveway would serve as my oasis of solitude, a respite from the perpetual activity in the house. It also would serve as a sort of mega-sport utility vehicle, toting much of the luggage and assorted detritus to fill the six-bedroom rental.

At first blush, the Via seems unfathomably huge and ponderous; it may have only four seat belts, but its rear luggage compartment is bigger than some hotel rooms I’ve stayed in. Within a couple of hours on the road, however, I was throwing it into corners like the overgrown Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van it was.

The steepest part of the learning curve concerned the lack of a rear window and, consequently, a rear view. Like any good truck driver, I conditioned myself to rely on the huge outside mirrors, which provided ample sight lines down the Via’s flanks. They were abetted by side cameras that commandeered the navigation screen whenever the turn signal was activated. Had I inadvertently crushed the Hyundai hanging by my bumper, I would have had no excuse.

Though my comfort level grew as I drove, there was no forgetting that this was a massive conveyance. By subtracting the passenger and cargo capacity from the Via’s 11,030-pound gross vehicle weight rating, I deduced that the Via’s curb weight was around 9,600 pounds. And with the humble output of its turbodiesel three-liter Mercedes V-6 engine — its 188 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque are less than half that of a new diesel-powered Ford pickup truck — I figured testing the Winnebago’s 5,000-pound tow rating might be a bridge too far. But I needed to get a 4,000-pound boat to the coast, so I hooked up the trailer and stepped back to ponder my 50-foot-long, 14,000-pound vacation behemoth. Go big or go home? I say go big and drive your home to a different home.

Burdened by seven tons of boat, passengers and cargo, the little V-6 huffed its turbocharger and resolutely propelled the Via down the highway at the speed limit of 70 miles per hour. Granted, I wasn’t crossing the Continental Divide, but I had to conclude that the Sprinter was an absolute beast. Over 130 miles of boat towing, the Via averaged 11.5 miles per gallon, which struck me as pretty decent, all things considered. Winnebago claims the Via can creep toward 20 m.p.g. when unburdened by a trailer. On-the-road dynamics would seem a low priority for a vehicle that counts “decorative backsplash” on its list of standard equipment, but the Via was actually quite pleasant to drive.

As for making the Via my seaside man cave, I lost the desire. The rooftop-mounted air-conditioner took a while on a 93-degree summer day to cool the interior. Still, I could appreciate that the Via would be quite the launchpad for a couple eager to explore the country. There are twin beds in back, which can convert to a king; a power-slideout living room; as well as cabinetry and appliances befitting a vehicle with a Mercedes badge on its crossbar grille. The refrigerator could run on propane or electricity, so I used it for overflow beer storage without firing up the onboard generator, a nice convenience.

Which brings me to my major beef with the Via. Its 3,600-watt Cummins Onan MicroQuiet generator could stand to be better isolated from the chassis, perhaps by sound-deadening material or vibration-absorbing mounts. The generator is not terribly loud from the outside, but when one is relaxing in the rear living area, the vibrations course up through the floor, making it sound as if junior were mowing the lawn right outside the window.

Many Via drivers will avail themselves of power ports at recreational vehicle parks, thereby eliminating the need to run the generator. Though I’m not a rugged individualist in the Thoreau mold, I’d want to head off the grid in the Via to a place I’d have all to myself. And in those environments, I’d be reliant on a generator that might spook the mule deer.

But if its generator is loud, the Via’s exterior graphics are louder. Granted, slews of R.V.’s embrace tasteless graphics. This vehicle had full-body paint, a $5,166 option, which consisted of a taffy swirl of color that looked like it could have been the logo for one of Vince McMahon’s old XFL teams. I understand that a canvas this large could come across as bleak and brooding in monotone, but what’s wrong with a little old-fashioned two-tone or some discreet stripes? Why does every R.V. graphics package look like it was created by Pauly D’s tattoo artist?

At $136,539, the price of my tester R.V. reflected a base sticker of $125,045 along with $11,494 worth of options. People are invariably shocked at the price of R.V.’s, but $136,000 doesn’t strike me as out of line for a well-wrought, 25-foot-long mobile abode riding on a Mercedes chassis. On the latter subject, I went to the Mercedes Sprinter Web site and priced out the bare chassis, which came to more than $41,000 all by itself. Add that power-slideout living room, air-conditioning, heating and plumbing systems, a kitchen and bathroom, multiple TVs, a 16-foot power awning and a king-size bed, among other bits of equipment, and low six figures begins to look quite reasonable.

Some might delegate the imperative of forward movement to a high-torque Ram, Ford or GMC pickup and the mobile domicile to a trailer, generally a far less expensive proposition than an R.V. Trailers, however, don’t have the cachet of coaches, a point driven home on my final day of vacation.

All week, the Via was parked nose-out in the driveway, the rationale being to dodge any neighborhood ordinance designed to prevent the Cousin Eddies of the world from torpedoing local property values with a permanently stationed 1977 Chalet Festiva Supremo. But even if there’s an anti-R.V. law in place, who is going to complain about a Mercedes in the driveway? The Via, consequently, spent the week with its three-pointed star pointed brazenly toward the house across the street, daring a call to the relevant authorities.

Sure enough, as I packed up to leave, I felt that very challenge approach. The residents across the street pulled in, disembarked from a diesel BMW X5 and began glancing at the Via while talking in low tones. I steeled myself for a conversation that very likely would begin and end with, “You know you can’t park that here.”

A moment later one of them called out, “Excuse me. Hey, is that thing as awesome on the inside as it looks from the outside?” I affirmed that it was, unlocked the doors and let them have a look around. It was a good thing they spoke up, because in a few hours the Via would be out of there, on its way to the next stop of a perpetual vacation.

• http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/28/driving-the-winnebago-via/

You Are Not Safe Online!

Check out this info-graphic courtesy of and thanks to Complianceandsafety.com

Featured By: Compliance and Safety LLC

UPS driver to retire after 36 years and 4.2 million miles of safe driving!

houstonryan.com

Story thanks to Keith McCord of KSL.com in Salt Lake City. Link to their site follows. If you've ever driven across Wyoming in the winter, you know how treacherous it is. This guy has been doing it 5 nights a week for the past 6 years! That, along with an accident free career.

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake's UPS headquarters is getting ready to say so-long to one of its long time drivers.

Get this: Steve Hiatt has driven more than 4-million miles in 3-plus decades on the road, and his safety record is perfect — no accidents or injuries. He plans to retire at the end of the month.

If you drive the stretch of I-80 between central Wyoming and Salt Lake City, chances are you've passed or been passed by Steve's semi. He's been driving for UPS for 36 years, and for the past 6, he's driven the exact same route, hauling many, many packages.

"It's thousands," Hiatt said. "You can put about 2,500 packages in one trailer."

5 days a week, Hiatt makes a 503-mile round trip to Wamsutter, Wyoming. There, he meets up with UPS drivers from Denver. They swap trailers full of packages and return to their base cities.

"He can tell you every exit, every bump in the road — everything," said UPS on-road manager Long Nguyen.

He can tell you every exit, every bump in the road — everything,

–UPS on-road manager Long Nguyen.

"It's a skill factor in knowing those mileposts because sometimes you just don't know where you're at because it's snowing so hard," said Hiatt.

At the end of this month, Hiatt will retire with an impressive record: 4.2-million miles driven — give or take a few — and not one accident, fender-bender or injury.

"He's in an elite club called the ‘Circle of Honor', [which is] all the drivers that have more than 25 years of safe driving. …for him, he's happened to have 35 years," Nguyen said.

That's equivalent to about nine round trips to the moon.

Hiatt credits his safety record to defensive driving, and the safety courses that UPS teaches all its drivers. Always anticipate what the other motorists *might* do, he says, and be ready for the unexpected. Steve will retire on August 31st, on his 39th wedding anniversary. He looks forward to travelling with his wife, and not in a big rig.

"…looking forward to going places where it's warm in the wintertime," Hiatt said.

So, if you've ever gotten a package delivered to your front porch by UPS, chances are Steve Hiatt played a big role in getting it there.

Keith McCord, Anchor/Reporter KSL 5 News Weekends

Keith McCord began working for KSL Television as an anchor in February 1981. He is currently an anchor on the weekend edition of KSL News. Keith also works as a reporter for KSL's Noon, 5:00, 6:00, 6:30 and 10 o'clock newscasts. Full Bio » 

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=21855671&nid=148&title=ups-driver-to-retire-after-36-years-and-42-million-miles-of-safe-driving&s_cid=queue-7

The Packer president's MVP

Packer President Mark Murphy, Margaret Meyers, NFL Commissioner  Robert Goodell
Behind the scenes article courtesy of and thanks to the Marinette Eagle Herald. Link to their website follows:

August 18, 2012 By JODY KORCH
EagleHerald sports editor

GREEN BAY - Margaret Meyers' timing was perfect when she started with the Green Bay Packers 33 years ago. Her Aug. 1 retirement couldn't have been timed any better, either.

In between, she carved out a remarkable behind-the-scenes career with one of the NFL's oldest franchises.

Since June 25, 1979 - her first day with the Packers - Meyers has worked with seven head coaches and has seen generations of players come and go.

A 1968 graduate of Marinette High School and town of Stephenson resident, Meyers (formerly Margaret Lund) recalled accepting another job through Job Service. "And they called me and said 'I think you might want to go for this interview,'" she said.

She went to that interview, conducted by Bob Harlan, and was hired by the Green Bay Packers for an office job that included, among other responsibilities, writing shorthand and working the switchboard.

"When I first started I was hired to work with (former business manager) Tom Miller," Meyers said.

She also assisted a coach's secretary with game planning. She helped with statistics and assembling playbooks.

In 1982, Harlan was the team's player negotiator.
"He asked me to assist him with player contracts," Meyers said.

For 20 years, Meyers typed player contracts. That included contracts for former Packer legends Brett Favre and Reggie White.

Meyers was on hand to watch Reggie sign his free agent contract with the Packers, a moment which catapulted the franchise to the top and directly led to the highlight of her career.

"Nice guy," she said of White. "Very nice."
She got to know Favre during his early years with the club.
"He was a kid and loved the game," she said. "I'll never forget the press conference when he retired. I actually got to shake his hand."

Meyers also worked with former Packers' general managers Tom Braatz and Ron Wolf and with Mike Reinfeldt, a former chief financial officer and vice president of administration.

In recent years she served as executive assistant for Packers' President/CEO Mark Murphy. She kept his calendar, planned his appointments and took notes at board meetings and subcommittee meetings.

"He was a joy to work with," Meyers said. "He's just a very genuine person, which I love about him. It was a hard decision to retire because I loved my job and I loved the people I worked with."

After 17 1/2 seasons with the team, Meyers earned the first of two Super Bowl rings.

"My biggest memory is Super Bowl XXXI," Meyers said. "Knowing how hard it was to get there after all those years, absolutely New Orleans is my biggest memory."

Meyers won't forget the day she retired, either. A reception in her honor at Lambeau Field attracted 250 people, including the entire staff and the board's executive committee. Harlan and Murphy spoke on her behalf. So did NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who just happened to be in town during his visits to all 32 NFL training camps. Goodell presented the longtime Packer employee with a crystal football.

"Very nice," Meyers said of the commish. "I've met him before here for a shareholders' meeting. He just congratulated me for retiring."
During her career, Meyers saw the NFL grow exponentially. When she started, the Packers had about 50 employees. That number has swelled to more than 200, not including game day personnel.
"Back then we didn't have a marketing department," Meyers said.

In the offices of NFL teams, there is no offseason.

"Most people just don't know what is behind a team," Meyers said. "For years people would say, 'So, do you work in the offseason or are you off?' People had this misconception. The offseason is a busy time for all of the other departments as we prepare for next year."

Her least favorite day in the NFL may have been Dec. 19, 1983.

"When Bart Starr was let go, to see him go, that was difficult," she said.

Her husband, Keith, has been retired for 10 years. They have a daughter, Debbi, 41, a son, Jeff, 38, and three grandchildren.

"I wanted to do that (retire) when I'm young," the 62-year-young Meyers said. "I didn't ever want to feel that I waited too long. We hope to travel some. I hope to learn how to golf. Do a little more volunteer work."
At last month's shareholders' meeting, Meyers was recognized by Murphy and received an ovation from the nearly 13,000 in attendance.
"At my party I said when Bob hired me, I'd have never thought I'd be standing here after 33 years with this organization," Meyers said.
Link: Marinette EagleHerald

Milwaukee Gas Station Robbery - The New Normal!

westorlandonews.com

In November of 2011, my wife and I were able to take a few days and fly back to Wisconsin during Thanksgiving week. The most economical airfare had us flying into Milwaukee, which worked out well as we got to spend a couple days with my brother and his wife and then drive up north to Crivitz. Although after being born, raised and spending my first 29 years in Milwaukee, I consider Crivitz my adopted “hometown”, having lived there 12 years, and any trip back to Wisconsin has to include some “actually most” of our time there.
Anyone who has grown up living in Milwaukee would know that the city, itself, has had a troubled past. There have been distinct neighborhoods that were settled by different ethnic groups. For instance, a lot of Polish immigrants settled on the south side, Italians more on the eastern part of the city, etc. There were German, Irish, Jewish neighborhoods, you name it, Milwaukee had it. 
In the 1970’s a federal judge ruled that the Milwaukee public schools were segregated and African American students were not being given equal opportunities to receive a quality education. His “brilliant?” plan of recourse? He ordered that students start being bused all over the city, from north to south, east to west to achieve a “balanced” mix of ethnicity in every school! Students were forced to spend enormous amounts of time riding around in buses all over the city to get to class. So began the “white flight” exodus from the city to the suburbs which has been going on for more than 40 years. Most of the rest of the country outside of Wisconsin would be shocked to know what Milwaukee homeowners pay in property tax, much of which goes to support the failed public school system! Now, most all of the system is in ruins and responsible parents that do not have the means to leave are almost forced into paying for private school educations for their kids. My own brother and his wife felt they had to do this with all three of their daughters (and it was a financial struggle!).

My point in the preceding is that a lot of the city has been in a downward spiral with many areas not safe to be walking around in at night “some, you better stay away even during the day!”.  A lot of crime, violence, drugs and gangs are the newer norm. Gas stations and takeout pizza joints in many neighborhoods have cashiers behind bulletproof glass with a sliding tray to pass items through. Not everything is that bad, some areas of the city have been rebuilt and revitalized, like the downtown area, but much of Milwaukee is not in good shape.

I spent a couple years as a gas station attendant and about 12 years as a franchised gas station operator from the late 60’s to early 80’s in Milwaukee. During that time, I was robbed twice, once with a knife and once with a gun. Two of my employees were held up. I was also involved in a knock down, no holds back street fight with some punk one night at the station (that’s another story). The thing is, it was a big deal back then when you were robbed. Police came from everywhere, business stopped, and you put everything on hold while they investigated.

So from that long winded perspective, I began my day on Sunday, November 20, 2011. My wife and I awoke at my brothers house on Milwaukee’s northwest side that morning. Our plan for the day was to leave for Crivitz (a 3 hour drive) while listening to the Packer game (of course, the Packers won!), go to my buddy’s house and get to Shaffer’s Resort for their amazing chicken that evening. If you’ve ever had Shaffer’s chicken, you know what I’m saying, my mouth waters at the thought. See the link for the John Shaffer story below.

Packing our stuff into the rental car, we decided that we needed to bring a lunch along so that we didn’t need to stop during the game, which started at noon. Just so happens, one of my favorite all time sub shops “Suburpia” from back in the 70’s is still operating with a store at 108th and Bluemound Drive. So, we decided to drive down there, pick up a couple subs to eat on the way north. As, I wasn’t happy with their drink menu (Pepsi), I decided to stop at the Citgo gas station on 104th and Bluemound to get a couple bottles of the “real thing” (Coke) to take with us.

So, I turn into the station and park the car. After asking Mary what she would like to drink, she hesitated and I said to come in and look. We entered the station, chose our drinks and as we turned to go to the cashier station, the door burst open and a uniformed police officer came storming in. The cashier, who looked to be of Indian descent with a strong accent was engaged in a casual conversation on the phone with someone as he was taking payment from a customer. The police officer looked at him and asked if he had just called in a robbery. I couldn’t believe it as he nodded his head yes and waved the officer to the side while he stayed on the phone and continued working the cash register! As the stunned cop stood there, a couple of other squad cars came screaming into the station with tires squealing, looking for suspects. Meanwhile we were standing next to the first cop when he just lost it, loudly stating something to the effect “ Sure! I’ll just stand over here in the corner while you do your business and when you get a minute, we’ll talk!” I was half expecting to hear some racial comments come out, but he refrained from doing that, although I wouldn’t have blamed him! He was kind of muttering something under his breath and I could see the anger in his face. There had just been an armed robbery! The dumb ass cashier just continued taking money and talking on the phone, so I gave him our cash while looking at the cop and shaking my head. The other two cops came storming in and I can only imagine what took place afterwards as we turned and got the heck out of there!

Seeing what those officers went through that day sure gave me more reason to be happy I don’t live there anymore. I left that city in 1981 and have never regretted it! Of course, I have some good memories of good times and there are many good people living there. Having lived in Salt Lake City for the past 19 years, comparing the two cities, the good people of Milwaukee deserve so much better! To really see how bad a city can get, click the link to the Detroit post below. It's an unbelievable scene of desolation and waste!
Link to the Shaffer story:
Tribute to John Shaffer and his Chicken
Link to a post on the city of Detroit:
Detroit - A Dead City!

Wrong Way Jabin & His Mexican Adventure with Ammo Update!

infotel.ca

This an update. The original post on this guy can be found at the link below.
Mexican Judge Cuts Ammo Charge Against US Trucker
By JUAN CARLOS LLORCA Associated Press
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico August 23, 2012 (AP)
A Mexican appeals judge on Thursday significantly lessened the charge against a Dallas truck driver who says he made a wrong turn into Mexico with a trailer full of ammunition, a decision his attorney said may result in a fine or community service instead of a potential 30-year prison sentence.
Jabin Bogan, who has been held in a maximum security prison in Veracruz since late April, is now only accused of possession of ammunition instead of a heftier trafficking charge that the judge dismissed. The lesser charge carries a maximum of six years in prison if convicted, though Bogan's attorney, Emilio de la Rosa, said he has advised his client to plead no contest so he can push for his release.
"We've given this guy back 30 years of his life," de la Rosa told The Associated Press.
Carlos Spector, Bogan's El Paso, Texas-based attorney, said they will follow de la Rosa's advice so that Bogan can be sentenced within four to six weeks. De la Rosa says he expects Bogan to be sentenced to between two to three years in prison. Mexican law allows for prison terms under four years to be exchanged for community service or a fine, he said.
"This is a positive sign that the reform in the Mexican judicial is working," he said. "They looked at the facts and did not take pressure, because if any case could have been politicized, it was this."
Bogan was arrested less than 100 feet from a giant billboard that reads, "no more weapons." The sign, inaugurated by Mexican President Felipe Calderon two months before Bogan was caught, was made out of seized high caliber rifles and ammunition.
During the inauguration speech, Calderon blamed lax U.S. gun laws for the flow of weapons into Mexico.
"Mexico needs your help... the best way to do that is by stopping the flow of assault weapons into Mexico," Calderon said.
The judge's decision comes two months after testimony from Mexican customs agents contradicted prosecutors' claim that Bogan had 268,000 bullets hidden under the floorboards of his 18-wheeler's trailer when he was arrested April 17 after crossing from West Texas into Juarez. Agents testified in June that Bogan was trying to make a U-turn back into the U.S. when they found the ammunition bundled on top of wooden pallets inside the trailer.
Since then, Bogan's lawyers and family in the U.S. have cried foul, claiming the ammunition charge was too hefty for what they claim was an honest mistake.
"I'm just rejoicing in the moment, to know that my son is soon going to come home," said Aletha Smith, Bogan's mother, at a press conference Thursday afternoon in Dallas.
The 27-year-old Bogan had made two deliveries in El Paso, Texas, and said he was supposed to drive to Phoenix to deliver assault rifle ammunition to a wholesaler there when he got lost. He said he took a wrong exit on the freeway and drove toward the border, where he said a law enforcement official told him to continue driving across the bridge. Bogan said that when he realized he had crossed into Mexico, he attempted to turn back, but the layout of the traffic lanes prevented him from returning without first crossing into the truck inspection area in Juarez.
De La Rosa said surveillance footage taken at the border crossing shows Bogan blocking several lanes of southbound traffic for more than half an hour while trying to maneuver his 18-wheeler back to U.S. soil.
Mexican prosecutors alleged he tried to clandestinely smuggle bullets commonly used by drug cartels. Their request to impose both possession and trafficking charges against Bogan was rejected.
A message left with prosecutors was not immediately returned Thursday.
Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchan in Dallas contributed to this report.
Previous Post:
Trucker Jabin Bogan's El Paso Odyssey

Reasoning for HOS Rule Changes a "Sham", says Dan England

Very interesting and important talk given by Dan England on fight against the Feds proposed changes to Hours of Service and lawsuit. Article, thanks to Todaystrucking.com and a link to their site follows:

Posted: Aug 22, 2012 04:45 PM | Last Updated: Aug 23, 2012 12:20 AM
DALLAS, TX. — Dan England, chairman of the board, C.R. England, put it simply in his presentation to Commercial Vehicle Conference (CVOC) attendees. "The reason why these issues are so important to us, and why we need to act on them, is because they impact the costs of what we do."
He was talking about the incoming and current onslaught of regulations.
The regulators don't understand the costs and their impact, England said.
England, who is also chairman of American Trucking Associations (ATA), spoke about the hours-of-service rule, and ATA's recent challenge to the proposed rule changes.
He pointed to current HOS rules in relation to statistics showing that the number of truck related fatalities, accidents, and injuries has decreased, and "is far better than other motorists."
"And so with this kind of performance, you ask yourself 'why is the government wanting to come forward to change the hours-of-service rules?' It just seems to defy reason, and the reason that it does is politics; it's all about politics."
I think it's very clear that the current administration is beholden to certain interest groups, he said, labour being one of them.
And the reasoning being used for these changes is a "sham," he said.
"Historically, the agency has used a figure of 2.2 percent of accidents that are caused by fatigue, if they continue to use that same percentage that they used back in 2005, 2006, they wouldn't be able to make their case. They are now using a fatigue percentage of thirteen."
He said the FMCSA is using associated factors in their argument. "In the agency's judgement, if a mildly fatigued truck driver is traveling on an unfamiliar road in bad weather, and a crash occurs after a passenger car swerves immediately in front of the truck, truck driver fatigue alone caused the crash.
"This is the kind of reasoning being used by the agency to justify these changes. Even using that sort of flawed reasoning, the benefits in terms of reduced accidents would not outweigh the costs of the additional burdens placed on us by having to run more trucks to do the same amount of work, hire more drivers for the same amount of work — the math didn't work out for the agency. "
The agency went one step further, he said, and tried, in essence, to place a value on human life. "What they are trying to do is to decrease the mortality rate and then come up with a number that reflects that number in the mortality rate.
England explained that the agency said that if the 2011 rule goes forward, 95 percent of drivers would have no more than 7.8 minutes per day, and 85 percent of drivers would have 36 seconds more sleep per day. "Now, they say if we reduce the hours of work, it will automatically go to more sleep. And more sleep reduces mortality among the drivers. So they figured there would be a $170 million in savings if 10 percent of drivers slept 4.8 extra minutes per night. Another $20 million in savings if drivers got 14.4 additional seconds per night."
"Does this make sense to you," England asked a chuckling audience.
"This is the kind of reasoning we're dealing with here, and this is why our lawyers are feeling pretty confident about fighting these hours of service rules."
More from England's talk later this week.
— JR
http://www.todaystrucking.com/reasoning-for-hos-rule-changes-a-sham-says-dan-england

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Truck Brakes Don't Fail by Themselves!

bobsgarageandtowing.com

Nice piece published by Jim of truckinginfo.com on July 11. If you haven’t read it, he's got info you should know about. Link to their site follows:
7/11/2012
On the Road Blog by Jim Park, Equipment Editor

Over the past week, two trucks crashed as a result of their inability to stop on hills. In both cases, the mainstream media reported that the trucks' brakes had failed. That illustrates what the mainstream media knows about truck brakes.

Two well-publicized truck crashes, just a few days apart and both in the Akron area of Ohio, are being blamed on brake failures. Initial reports in the media say that the trucks' brakes 'failed', allowing them to careen out of control down hills.

In the first case,driver Christopher Burgess steered his out-of-control truck through a shopping plaza and across a city street before driving over an embankment into the Cuyahoga River. Police say Burgess died when his truck struck a tree before overturning and sliding into the river. Burgess is being hailed as a hero for not striking anyone on his high-speed ride through town. Residents say Burgess gave his own life while insuring no one else was hurt in the crash.

Police are investigating the crash to determine if and why the truck's brakes failed allowing it to careen out of control through town.

In the other incident, which was captured on a gas station security camera, a truck exiting I-77 south at Waterloo Road careened down the ramp and attempted to make a left turn onto Waterloo Rd. The truck appears to run through a red light at the intersection before overturning during the maneuver and coming to rest on its side in front of the gas station.

The driver, Elvis Reyes Barcelo of Houston, Texas, told police at the scene his cargo shifted as he tried to turn left, causing the truck to roll over.

Armchair Quarterbacking

In my experience writing about truck brakes for the past 12 years and having driven air-brake equipped trucks for 20 years prior, truck brakes don't fail. They can malfunction, or heat up and cease to work properly, but to imply the brakes failed is an inaccurate summation of the problem.

Were there to be some interruption to the truck's air supply, the spring brakes would apply, providing some stopping force -- about the equivalent to 60-psi brake application. That would certainly be enough to stop the truck under normal conditions, assuming the brake system was in good working order.

Had the brakes become overheated due to dragging or prolonged application, they would be in less than optimum condition, and because of the expansion of the brake drums because of heat, adjustment would be extended to or perhaps past the maximum brake stroke length. Brakes stroking beyond their adjustment limit become dramatically less efficient, thus reducing stopping power.

If the brakes were beyond their adjustment limits to begin with, hard application would heat the brake, causing the drum to expand and rendering them even less effective.

Or perhaps the automatic brake adjusters had been manually adjusted too often, and the mechanism was simply unable to maintain proper adjustment. That type of brake malfunction is well documented in a National Transportation Safety Board report on a collision between a dump truck and four passenger cars in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania in 2003.

There, investigators found that a mechanic had manually adjusted the automatic brakes adjusters so many times that the clutch mechanism had worn out, causing the automatic adjuster to 'unadjust' each time the brakes were applied. When the driver descended a hill and made multiple brake applications, he unadjusted the brakes to beyond their effective stroke limit, leaving him bereft of braking force.

I'm not saying that's what happened in either of these crashes, but it seems like a possible cause in the case of the dump truck.

As for the crash at the gas station, judging by the speed at which the truck comes down the freeway off ramp in the video, I say it's likely he didn't plan his stop soon enough and rolled over while trying to turn at too high a speed. That his load shifted during the maneuver isn't surprising, but that would have happened as a consequence of the high-speed turn. It likely wasn't the primary cause of the event.

We'll Never Know

We will probably not hear anything further about either of these crashes because they were relatively minor in nature. The media rarely follows up on such stories, and police seldom release investigation details to third parties. Unlike airplane crashes where there is always an investigation, these routine type of crashes are investigated and reports filed, but that's about as far as it goes.

It's too bad, because a lot can be learned from crash investigations, and the results can be very instructive. I thought it was interesting that the NTSB investigated the Glen Rock crash, but they had a situation on their hands with poor understanding of automatic brake adjusters, which is a well-known problem that gets very little publicity. Thus, I think the Board wanted to make an example of that crash as lesson to industry in brake maintenance.

There could well have been a mechanical problem with the above-mentioned dump truck crash, but I doubt it was simply a failure of the brake system. In the gas station crash, it looks to me like a case of bad judgment on the driver's part, or perhaps a brake adjustment issue.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=77471&news_category_id=124