Stupid Trucker File

https://www.facebook.com/pepincountysheriff/

Keep filling 'till it's FULL!

From the Pepin County, Wisconsin Sherriff's Facebook page. Links provided:

On Thursday, September 7, 2017 at about 9:30 am, the Pepin County Sheriff's Office contacted the Northwest Region State Patrol requesting assistance with a potential motor carrier violation. The Pepin County Sheriff’s Office had report of a disabled semi unit on USH 10 near the Pepin/Pierce County Line west of Durand. The semi unit had left St. Paul, Minnesota at approximately 7 pm on September 6th destined to deliver its load to a location in Neenah, WI. At about 8 pm two tires blew out on the semi-trailer where it became disabled. The driver contacted a tire repair service to respond to the scene to replace the tires. The repair service was not able to lift the trailer in order to change the tires due to its weight. The following morning a second repair service attempted to change the tires. That service contacted a heavy tow truck operator to lift the rear of the trailer to allow the tire changes. The tow operator contacted the Pepin County Sheriff's Office to advise them of the obvious overweight issue. Pepin County Deputies then requested a State Patrol unit to assist. Sergeant Wm. Berger responded to the scene to assist.
The initial tow truck was not able to lift the rear of the trailer so a second, larger 50 ton rotator tow truck responded and was able to lift the rear of the trailer to change the tires. Due to the extreme flexing of the frame and the potential for a catastrophic failure of the trailer frame system extra blocking and jacks had to be used to support the center the trailer while it was being lifted. The unit was eventually weighed on a set of the Wisconsin State Patrol’s portable scales. The unit had a gross weight of 165, 900 lbs. The legal gross weight of the unit was 80,000 lbs. All of the tires on the semi-tractor and trailer, with the exception of the steering tires, were significantly exceeding the tire manufacturer’s maximum tire weight rating. Some of the tires were carrying more than double the allowable weight allowed by the tire manufacturer’s rating. The driver was issued a citation for failure to place the required emergency warning devices for a stopped vehicle in the area around the disable semi unit. The unit was partially in a traffic lane for over 10 hours without anyone contacting law enforcement or placing the safety devices. The company was issued a citation for an 85,900 lb. axle group overload. The bond amount for the overweight citation was $20,287.86. A second citation was issued to the carrier for exceeding the tire weight ratings. Nine other axle weight warnings were issued along with 12 out of service violations for exceeding the tire weight rating limitations. A final warning was issued to the driver under the Federal Safety Regulations for Reckless Driving. The unit was escorted approximately 4 miles where it could be safely offloaded.

Sheriff Joel

https://www.facebook.com/pepincountysheriff/photos/a.306473489529597.1073741828.301718476671765/847396752103932/?type=3&theater

My Lesson Learned at a Railroad Crossing

bchauvette.smugmug.com

Sometimes, you learn the hard way. As mentioned previously in this blog, in more than 30 years of professional driving, I have gotten three citations in a truck, two for speed and one for an illegal turn. 

The one for the turn came as a result of not paying attention at a rail crossing in 1983. I had been driving professionally for only a couple years, was in rural South Carolina and had made a wrong turn. In an effort to get "squared away", I saw a large lot off to the left at a cross street. There was a railroad track running parallel to the highway, and in my hurry to get turned around, totally missed seeing the no left turn sign. On top of that, I didn’t notice how high the grade was that the track was on! Proceeding into the turn across the tracks, I heard the landing gear of the trailer skidding on the pavement and went hard to the brakes. It was too late and I was high centered across the track! The trailer was loaded and the landing gear raised as high as it could go, I was screwed and there was no way I was getting off that track without help.

Thankfully, there was a little store right there with a payphone (remember those?), so I was able to call the police and get any oncoming trains stopped.  Out comes a South Carolina Sheriff's Deputy and he chewed me out quite a bit before proceeding to write that ticket.  He pointed out to me that the reason for the no left turn sign was the high grade of the track.  Turned out there were no trains scheduled to come through and a tow truck came out and got me off the track.  It was a very embarrassing afternoon!  The situation could have been a lot worse though, we all need to be aware at railroad crossings.  These days, the penalties for DOT regulated drivers are much more severe for railroad crossing violations and your CDL will be at risk.  See the current info from the FMCSA website below. If I remember correctly, my ticket cost me about $60.00, but in 1983, that wasn’t cheap.
Civil Penalties

Violating the new FMCSA rail crossing rule can result in Federal civil penalties of up to $2,750 for drivers and up to $11,000 for employers who allow or require drivers to operate CMVs onto a rail crossing without having enough room to clear the tracks completely without stopping.

Disqualification

CDL holders convicted of violating State traffic laws concerning the failure to have sufficient space to clear the tracks completely without stopping must be disqualified for at least:

• 60 days for a first offense
• 120 days for the second offense in a 3-year period, and Railroad-Highway Grade Crossing Handbook—Revised Second Edition
• 1 year for a third offense in a 3-year period.

- See more at: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/rail-crossing/highway-rail-grade-crossing-safe-clearance#sthash.7gELHx3Q.dpuf

Cheese Head Truck Driver and the Indiana State Trooper

flickriver.com

Cheesehead Driver and the Indiana State Trooper

In over thirty years of professional driving, I’ve gotten three citations (in a tractor trailer).  Two were for speed and one for an illegal U turn (never saw the sign).  Unfortunately, one of those citations came as a result of meeting an Indiana State Trooper.

One Sunday afternoon about 1992, I was running south down I-65 in Indiana with a multi-stop load headed for Ohio and West Virginia.  Back then, in Indiana and several other states, they had a split speed limit, 65 MPH car and 55 MPH for trucks.  Traffic was fairly heavy, but the flow was smooth with everyone cruising at about 65 (of course in the left lane several were driving as fast as they could).  Back in those days, radar detectors were not illegal in trucks and I always ran with one.  Well, suddenly my detector alerted and I looked over in the oncoming lanes and noticed an unmarked blue high performance IROC Camaro, driven by a trooper.  I saw his brake lights come on, but wondered how he would be able nail me with all the traffic I was in.

Sure enough, he came up behind me and put the lights on!  I pulled off on the shoulder and waited, observing a "giant" struggling to get out of that small car.  He had to put both legs out sideways, both feet on the ground to raise him up out of that thing. He had to have been at least 6 foot 5 or better.  He then reached back in, grabbed his Smokey Bear hat, put it on and came walking up to the tractor.  With a big wad of tobacco in his mouth, he asked if I knew how fast I was going and I replied that I wasn’t sure and just going with the flow as not to impede traffic.  In a very annoyed and loud voice, he replied  “Boy!, you ain’t s’pose to go with the flow of traffic, you s’pose to be doing 55!”  “ I’m going to write you up for 65 MPH and do a Level One inspection on you!”  Jeeze, I thought, this guy must have swallowed too much of that tobacco juice, what set him off? So I sat there for 45 minutes while he crawled all over that truck looking for more stuff to write up.  What a great afternoon. With the cost of a lawyer, it was more than $500.00 to keep that ticket off my record!

You won’t believe the rest of this story, but I swear that it is true.  Later that week, on the return trip to Wisconsin, I was on the same route.  It was Wednesday or Thursday, traffic was light and I was running by myself.  I came up over a small rise on the highway and my detector lit up a warning. The same trooper in the same Camaro was sitting in the median and had a dead spot-on reading on my truck!  I had my cruise set at 62 MPH and my heart had to have skipped more than a few beats.  I looked at him and he was glaring right at me.  I must have been within his tolerance, or he just didn't feel like trying to get out of his car, as he let me go by!  You can bet your life that every trip through that area afterwards, I was a very good boy!

Chicago Cops and the Ambulance Chaser

chicago.citysearch.com

Here's another great post by Ken Skaggs in his Driver Story Magazine Blog. You can link to his site below or in my side bar. He has some very interesting posts on old Chicago corruption!

Chicago 1981: I had been an ambulance chaser for a while and was already popular with most of the cops in 16th district. But this one incident will always stay etched on my mind because I was beaten for no reason. It worked out in the end because I got the car, but only thanks to a good friend. I can’t remember the cop’s name, and even if I did I wouldn't tell you.

I didn't always chase with a tow truck, I was usually in a car, but on this day I happened to be driving one. I was just cruising around, listening to a police scanner, when I came upon an accident. In fact, I saw it happen. It was on Montrose, between the Edens Expressway and the viaduct- a head-on collision.

Since I was right there and a witness, i jumped out of my truck and made sure everyone was OK. They were relatively unharmed, and the driver at fault (always my favorite to get, because then you can usually get the other car too) asked me to tow his car before I could even suggest it. Of course, I said yes, and waited for the cops to come and fill out their report.

I was standing there with the driver when the cop’s pulled up. Now, in most cases, I’d tell the cop I would “take care of him” if I got the car, but in this case I thought I’d try to get the car without talking to the cops- big mistake.

One of the cops motioned me to the side and said I couldn’t tow this car, that he already had a guy on the way. I said I knew this guy, and he already said I could. The cop insisted I leave the scene immediately, but I remained, and told him I knew my rights, as did the driver, and I was a witness as well. Again he insisted I leave before he arrested me for solicitation. I assured him I would “buy him lunch” but that just pissed him off.

The cop then grabbed by beeper off my belt and smashed me in the head with it a few times. I blocked most of his blows, and that just infuriated him even more. He slapped the cuffs on me and put me in the backseat. As I sat down, since I was handcuffed and couldn’t block, he smacked me a few more times with my now-broken beeper, then dropped in on the squad-car floor at my feet.

I sat there for a while, stunned at what just happened, and tried to figure out what I did wrong. Like I said, I knew most of the cops, but I didn't know this clown.

Just then, a good friend, and fellow chaser showed up. Now this friend (who shall remain nameless) was a very well connected chaser who had been at it for a generation- in fact, he was the guy who took me under his wing early on and taught me the ropes when I first started.

I watched from the squad-car as he shook hands with the cop, and made casual conversation. It seemed like forever before I could get his attention. Finally, my good friend noticed me in the backseat of the cop-car. He said, “Hey, why do they have you in here?”

I answered, “This cop just beat the crap out of me because I wouldn't leave- and I was a witness.”

My buddy told the cop I was “cool” and that he should let me go. The cop opened the door and took the cuffs off me, and apologized, saying he didn't know.

I wound up towing both cars, paying the cop $100 ($50 each car), and made a new “friend” at 16th district.

Click here to link to driverstorymagazine.com

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How to Fight a Speeding Ticket and Win!

national motorists association

Great information published in Driving Freedoms Magazine put out by the National Motorists Association www.motorists.org website. The NMA Foundation is
a non-profit organization dedicated to finding innovative ways to improve and protect the interests of North American motorists. You can help support their cause and join for free, as I have, at the link provided below. By the way, I do not advocate speeding. If all speed limits were set to the 85th percentile, as they should be, there wouldn't be a need or incentive to speed. It's just that so many municipalities, local and state governments depend on income from citations, limits are set ridiculously low as to increase revenue! Professional drivers need to protect themselves, your license is needed to support your family!

Complex Case Means Many Opportunities for a “Not Guilty”
by Ralph Robinson, NMA Virginia Member
My story picks up after my  original hearing for a speeding ticket (allegedly going 61 mph in a 45 mph zone). At that hearing in December 2011, the district judge wouldn’t let me question the officer, testify on my own behalf or submit documents into evidence. So, I was surprised when he suddenly announced that he was transferring my case up to circuit court, saying that a circuit court judge would be better equipped to handle a complex case like mine. The first judge never even ruled on my guilt or innocence. The facts of my case have all the elements of a classic NMA ticket-fighting story: substantial errors on the ticket, an illegally posted speed limit, an inexperienced officer and an overzealous prosecutor. But I had done my homework and was prepared to represent myself. So when the circuit court judge called my name and asked for my plea, I confidently replied, “Not guilty, your honor.”I jumped right in and asked the judge if I could make a motion or if I should wait until later in the trial. The judge said it depends. I told him I wanted to move for dismissal because the officer had listed the wrong city and state statutes (neither of which was a speeding statute) on my ticket. I pointed to two other similar Virginia cases in which tickets were dismissed due to incorrect statute citations. The judge acknowledged the errors and the other cases I cited but denied my motion to dismiss.The prosecution then presented its case. The officer used narrative testimony from start to finish, which included the usual information: his location (wrongly) his use of visual estimation of my speed and confirmation using the radar unit. The prosecutor didn’t ask the officer any questions. The judge, above the prosecutor’s persistent objections, allowed me to cross examine the officer. (The prosecutor objected more than 50 times during this 45-minute proceeding.) Under my questioning, the officer admitted he didn’t have the requisite 24 hours of radar training.
He didn’t even know if was necessary. The prosecutor objected again. I asked what other cars were on the road near mine at the time of the stop. The officer didn’t remember.I asked if he had checked the area for possible sources of electrical interference before using the radar unit. He said no. I asked if the officer had used the radar unit in constant-on mode or instant-on mode. He didn’t know. The prosecutor continued her objections, but the judge overruled her. I then made a motion to dismiss based on the officer’s lack of training. The prosecutor objected again, but the judge said he would take the motion under advisement. It was now my turn. I stated that the posted speed limit was illegal since there was no engineering study on file with the appropriate authorities. To support my claim I submitted a letter from the city highway engineer along with the relevant section from the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
(Neither the judge nor the prosecutor had heard of the MUTCD.) The prosecutor objected and
said my statements were hearsay. I pressed on and cited Virginia statute regarding authority to change speed limits. I said the city could not use this statute in this case since no one knew which agency put up the sign and whether or not there was ever a traffic engineering study done. Nonetheless, the judge wouldn’t consider my research since I didn’t have any expert witnesses to back it up. I was done and the judge presented his verdict. He noted the complexities of the case and said I knew more about traffic ticket issues than most attorneys. Finally, the judge noted the many questionable factors in this case but ultimately found me not guilty. While I never found out what tipped the scales of justic my way, I believe my preparation was critical. I
took the time to research the statutes and case law. I knew the system was set up to work against me so I wasn’t deterred when the prosecutor objected to everything I said or did.
Finally, I read the NMA E-book, “Fight That Ticket”, and it greatly helped me every step of the way!
Click here to link to www.motorists.org

Not This Way!

Road Rage: Off Duty Cop Goes Crazy

ken skaggs

Very entertaining, true story written by Ken Skaggs about his Chicagoland trucking adventures back in the 80’s & 90's. If you have driven truck long enough, you've certainly ran up against some wacky cops! I remember my own encounter with a Chicago patrol cop. Thanks Ken and a link is provided to his blog below. You can also link to his “Driver Story Magazine” site in my sidebar:

December 2, 2010 by Ken Skaggs -  This is probably one of the weirdest things that ever happened to me. This is coming from a guy who was an ambulance chaser in Chicago for several years. I’ve seen a lot of crooked cops in my chasing days, but this guy really made an impression on me- He had absolutely no self-control, and his badge was his power.

It’s kind of hard to talk when you have your foot in your mouth, but I can still type! I once said “I simply don’t get tickets”. And I really meant it. I figured if I always did everything according to the law, I would never get another ticket. But I was wrong. No matter how hard I tried, I still did something illegal every once in a while. Sometimes a traffic light will turn red faster than expected and I would wind up going through a red light. Or someone parks in the street and I have to cross a solid yellow line to pass them. I like to think that common sense says that you have to bend the rules sometimes. I mean, what would you do if you stopped at a red light and it never turned green? Eventually you would have to go through that red light.

Well anyway, this is what happened- One sunny day, during heavy afternoon traffic, I was waiting to turn left in a left turn only lane, on a four lane divided highway. The two oncoming lanes of traffic were stopped for a long time, blocking the intersection so that I couldn’t go. Every time a few cars would inch forward, the next cars would pull forward and block the intersection so that I still couldn’t go.

I sat there for about four minutes and then I realized that if I was going to get across, I would have to just pull out and make someone stop. It was the only way, so I did. The car that I cut in front of had plenty of room to stop and so he did. But, as I went across the intersection, I could see a lot of activity in that car, so I looked closer. The driver was punching his dashboard and shaking his fist at me with a red face that looked about to explode! He was screaming some obscenities at me, but I couldn’t hear him because my truck was loud. I thought to myself- he actually thinks that I slowed him down, when in reality he had to stop anyway.

So, as I continued, I looked in my mirror and saw him following me! He made a right turn from the left lane! And he was driving to his left, over the yellow line about a foot, where I could see him in my mirror. He was still wagging a finger at me and talking as though I could hear him. And he stayed right on my bumper.

I didn’t know what he was going to try to do. Maybe he just wanted to talk to me, or maybe he was really going to do something crazy. I didn’t know. I wanted to call the police, but my cell phone was out of reach. So I started taking mental notes of some details- He was by himself. An older guy with white hair, driving a green Ford Escort, two door hatchback. I wrote his license plate number down.

Well, I wasn’t too scared of a Ford Escort while I was driving a Kenworth T-600, but at the same time, I didn’t want him to find out where I was really going. So, I pulled into a big parking lot with a few truck drivers standing around. If he was going to try to start some trouble, I wanted some witnesses. I turned my truck around so that I was facing the road. I wanted to be sure I had a way out. I grabbed my cell phone and tried to continue driving forward and out of the parking lot.

Then, he got out of his car and ran in front of my truck with arms flailing, stopping me. What if he would have pulled out a gun right then? I might have run him over, I really thought my life was in danger. He ran up to my door on the drivers side, so I quickly locked it. He stepped up on my gas tank and screamed at me to “get the f&*$ out of that truck right now!” I let the clutch out and started driving. I slammed on my brakes to try to shake him off the side of my truck, which it did. I let the clutch out again and dialed 9-1… Just then, two police cars pulled up very quickly. I was so relieved!

I stepped out of my truck in time to hear him yelling at the officers, “give this S.O.B. a ticket for failure to yield, I’ll sign it”! And the officer replied, “Yes, sir.” This guy was the police officer’s boss! It turns out that he is not only a cop, he is the traffic supervisor!

He then proceeded to lecture me on failing to yield, his loud red face in mine, with spit popping out on every “p” he popped! I tried to tell him that he would have blocked my way if he continued. And that blocking the intersection is the real problem, if you look at the big picture. But, every time I opened my mouth, his mouth made a louder sound than mine. I was not able to get a word in, at all. He signed the ticket in the officer’s book and then he was gone.

His subordinate was a nice enough guy though. I explained to him that his boss was going to block the intersection. And he could plainly see that the intersection was still being blocked and other cars were cutting in front of people so that they could get across, just like I did. The officer agreed with me that the real problem with this intersection is the fact that cars always block it. And he vowed to start enforcing it! I hope he really meant that. His professionalism restored my faith in mankind, despite his boss.

I was soon on my way with a ticket in my hand and a court date on my calender. I went back to the intersection a few days later and took some pictures for court. I wanted to be able to show the judge that the real problem was the cars that block the intersection.

The judge dropped the charges when I explained it to him. (Whew!) And “road rage with a badge” never showed up. I was afraid he would be there and the judge would take his side. But I got lucky.

I can’t imagine how someone like that got to be a traffic supervisor. They should demote him to traffic school student, and promote his subordinate to traffic supervisor. He must have received his promotion based solely on his years of service because he surely didn’t have the knowledge or the self control to be a police officer, or especially a traffic supervisor. Maybe he was just having a bad day. Or maybe he really just hates trucks. I guess I’ll never know unless I meet him again. And I hope I never do.

I wonder if he woke up the next day realizing that he was wrong? I doubt it.

He probably thinks he taught me a lesson. Actually he did. But not the lesson he was thinking. What I did learn from this incident is that just because someone is a traffic supervisor, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he understands traffic.

CLICK here to link to Ken Skagg's Driver Story Magazine

City Red-Light Camera Vendor Under Scrutiny - Chicago Corruption!

theexpiredmeter.com

Ahhh! Good old Chicago-land corruption! Every little Podunk town in Arizona has these cameras, not only for red lights, but speed traps as well. All in the name of revenue collection from travelers not familiar with the area. It’s sickening to watch the locals drive like a-holes all over town and slow down where they know the cameras are! And you wonder why there is a demand for radar detectors? "Chicago has reaped over 300 Million in fines since 2003!" Article written by and thanks to David Kidwell of the Chicago Tribune. A link to their site is provided below:

Prompted by a Tribune investigation into allegations of wrongdoing in Chicago's red-light camera program, an Arizona-based firm has disclosed it paid a $910 luxury hotel tab for the city official in charge of its contract and failed to tell City Hall about the ethics breach for two years.
Lawyers for Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. said the firm disciplined the executive vice president involved and sent him to "anti-bribery" training after the incident, but did not report the violation to the Chicago Board of Ethics until this month, after the newspaper's inquiries.
The company also acknowledged to the newspaper it did not disclose internal allegations about ties between the city official and a Redflex contractor who received more than $570,000 in commissions — $1,500 for each of the 384 cameras the company installed in Chicago.
The company said an exhaustive probe by an outside law firm found no evidence of an inappropriate relationship, although neither man was questioned in the probe. Both men told the newspaper they've done nothing improper.
The disclosures add to a growing list of questions about Redflex, including its relationship with John Bills, the man at City Hall who oversaw the company's biggest U.S. contract from its beginning in 2003. The Tribune previously disclosed that after retiring from the city last year, Bills went to work as a consultant for the Redflex-funded Traffic Safety Coalition.
That group, run by a political ally of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, backed the mayor's successful push to expand the city's camera program to target speeders. The Emanuel administration now has the authority to pepper half the city with cameras that could tag speeders in school and park "safety zones" for tickets as high as $100. And Redflex is a top contender for the new business.
The stakes are huge — the business could be worth tens of millions of dollars to vendors, and the city has already reaped more than $300 million in camera fines since 2003. Emanuel is counting on up to $30 million in revenue next year from the new speed cameras, which the city hopes to begin testing late this year.
Redflex describes its Chicago camera contract as the "largest enforcement program in the world" and holds it out as a model in efforts to expand across the country.
A spokeswoman for Emanuel said late Friday that the mayor ordered the corporation counsel to review the allegations "that occurred before he took office" and the matter was also reported to the city inspector general's office.
"If true, the city will pursue all remedies, including permanent debarment of Mr. Bills and Redflex from ever doing business with the city of Chicago on any current or future contracts," said spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton. "The mayor has zero tolerance for this type of misconduct — from an employee or contractor — and will act swiftly and harshly whenever abuse is uncovered to protect Chicago taxpayers."
Many of the questions about the Redflex success in Chicago revolve around the friendship between Bills, who was the $138,000-a-year managing deputy commissioner for the city Transportation Department, and Marty O'Malley, who was retained by Redflex as its Chicago liaison at the outset of the red-light program in 2003.
The two men told the Tribune they were longtime acquaintances whose families lived in the same Southwest Side neighborhood near the St. Bede Catholic Church years ago. They said neither of them knew what the other's job was until they met in their official capacities with the fledgling Chicago program — Bills on one side as the overseer of the city contract and O'Malley on the other as the Redflex customer service representative.
Both Bills, 51, and O'Malley, 72, said their relationship played no role in O'Malley's hiring and in no way influenced Bills' management of the contract. Both said their friendship grew while working closely together on the program for nearly a decade.
Redflex general counsel Andrejs Bunkse said Thursday that the company was unaware the two men knew each other before O'Malley was hired. He said, "I do not know," when asked whether Bills played any role in O'Malley's hiring.
But in an Aug. 24, 2010, letter to the board of directors of the company's Australian parent company, a Redflex executive raised questions about Bills' relationship with O'Malley and said O'Malley's involvement in the program was unnecessary. The Tribune has obtained a copy of the letter, which alleged myriad internal problems at the company.
It also alleged Bills received "nonreported lavish" hotel accommodations "directly on the expense report" of Redflex Executive Vice President Aaron Rosenberg.
"This alone would nullify our contract arrangement with Chicago," the letter said.
Bunkse said the company was rocked by the serious allegations and the board of directors ordered an outside investigation by the Chicago law firm of Quarles & Brady. He said the three-week "deep-dive" probe included employee interviews and an extensive review of company expense reports. The investigation discounted most of the allegations in the letter, Bunkse said, with the notable exception of the one-time hotel tab for Bills.
Bunkse further cast doubt on the letter by claiming the executive wrote it while under investigation by the company for substantial abuse of a company expense account.
Rosenberg was warned by Redflex's top executives "that this was a potential conflict of interest issue and a violation of company policy and a follow-up event would result in his termination," Bunkse said. "And we put him through anti-bribery training."
Click here to link to the Chicago Tribune

The Long Arm of the Law - Cool Sites from The Kim Komando Radio Show® & Web site

mountvernonnews.com

Effective January of this year, you all should be aware that interstate truck and buss drivers are prohibited from using hand held cell phones while driving!  The potential fines are in the thousands!  I'm sure that some troopers in the more unfriendly states will be targeting truck drivers in the future, so be aware!  Everyone also needs to be aware that the authorities have the power to retrieve your cell phone use records from  the providers.  See the link to Kim Komando's site below.  If you are involved in any serious accident while using a cell, it could be the end of your career or worse.  Hands free devices are not covered by this law, but my company, Ryder Integrated Logistics now prohibits any cell phone use while driving.  If we are caught, the consequence could be termination.

The long arm of the law - Cool Sites from The Kim Komando Radio Show® & Web site:

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