Aggressive truckers beware!: Operation "Safe Ride" sweeps SWFL
By WINK News
Story Created: Oct 24, 2007 at 5:17 PM EDT
Story Updated: Oct 24, 2007 at 6:13 PM EDT
Southwest Fla. - If you drive down I-75 in Southwest Florida, chances are you've experienced commercial trucks speeding, or driving aggressively. Relief may be in site. Right now, troopers all over Southwest Florida are looking for those types of truck drivers. The Highway Patrol calls it Operation Safe Ride.Dump trucks and big rigs are involved in 8% of all crashes, but 13% of all fatalities.George Smyrnios, and every other available trooper, is patrolling highways through Thursday, trying to stop aggressive truck drivers. He tells WINK News, it is not hard to spot dangerous truck drivers. "They drive very aggressively, in and out of traffic. They're heavy on the brakes, they pass on the shoulder. They put everybody at risk," said Smyrnios.Smyrnios also said that aggressive driving is not a legal term that will warrant a ticket."Evidence of aggressive driving, such as following too closely will allow a trooper to pull you over," Smyrnios added.Citations for that kind of driving cost around $100, but tickets can drive up other costs for those who have a Commercial Driver's License, or CDL."It would not only affect their insurance, but the ability to get insurance and some can even lose their Class-A CDL forever," said Smyrnios.In some parts of the state, the Florida Highway Patrol is using planes to spot aggressive driving.The saturation enforcement goes through Thursday evening.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Execution
Extradition imminent for accused trucker
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
MONMOUTH - A North Carolina truck driver accused of killing another man with a hammer will be extradited to Tennessee in the next few days, Warren County State's Attorney Chip Algren said Tuesday.
David McCoy, 41, of Shelby, N.C., has been charged with first degree murder by prosecutors in Nashville where the killing of Marvin Davis, 41, occurred. The Nashville warrant for McCoy's arrests was issued Tuesday.
Davis' body was discovered Sept. 2 east of Monmouth along U.S. 34 near the Cameron exit.
McCoy, who is being held on $1 million bond in the Warren County Jail, appeared Tuesday in Warren County Circuit Court with his attorney, David Reid Clark of Monmouth. McCoy waived extradition before Circuit Judge David L. Vancil.
McCoy is an over-the-road truck driver who was working for a trucking company that had an office in Monmouth.
Authorities believe Davis was killed in Tennessee.
According to Metro Police in Nashville, Davis and McCoy were together at an East Nashville truck stop late Aug. 31 or early Sept. 1. The two allegedly got into a fight, and Davis was killed when he was struck in the head with a hammer.
According to The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, police used a Global Positioning System in McCoy's semi to confirm his location during the time of the murder. He later traded his semi for a newer one, but the newspaper said police found Davis' blood in the old truck.
The story also states McCoy is claiming self defense because Davis had a knife. Police have reportedly recovered the hammer in McCoy's truck but not the knife.
The Warren County charges against McCoy will be dismissed upon extradition.
GateHouse News Service contributed to this report.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
MONMOUTH - A North Carolina truck driver accused of killing another man with a hammer will be extradited to Tennessee in the next few days, Warren County State's Attorney Chip Algren said Tuesday.
David McCoy, 41, of Shelby, N.C., has been charged with first degree murder by prosecutors in Nashville where the killing of Marvin Davis, 41, occurred. The Nashville warrant for McCoy's arrests was issued Tuesday.
Davis' body was discovered Sept. 2 east of Monmouth along U.S. 34 near the Cameron exit.
McCoy, who is being held on $1 million bond in the Warren County Jail, appeared Tuesday in Warren County Circuit Court with his attorney, David Reid Clark of Monmouth. McCoy waived extradition before Circuit Judge David L. Vancil.
McCoy is an over-the-road truck driver who was working for a trucking company that had an office in Monmouth.
Authorities believe Davis was killed in Tennessee.
According to Metro Police in Nashville, Davis and McCoy were together at an East Nashville truck stop late Aug. 31 or early Sept. 1. The two allegedly got into a fight, and Davis was killed when he was struck in the head with a hammer.
According to The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, police used a Global Positioning System in McCoy's semi to confirm his location during the time of the murder. He later traded his semi for a newer one, but the newspaper said police found Davis' blood in the old truck.
The story also states McCoy is claiming self defense because Davis had a knife. Police have reportedly recovered the hammer in McCoy's truck but not the knife.
The Warren County charges against McCoy will be dismissed upon extradition.
GateHouse News Service contributed to this report.
Moment of Silence
Trucker plays chicken with a train, loses his wings
(The following story by Teresa Stepzinski appeared on the Florida The Times-Union website on October 25.)WAYCROSS, Ga. — Which came first, the chicken truck or the freight train?Better still, why did the chicken truck try to cross the railroad tracks in front of a train early Wednesday?The answer came with a bang in a 1:36 a.m. collision that spewed frozen chicken wings for about a block around the railroad crossing at Plant Avenue and Isabella Street in downtown Waycross.The truck driver and train crew all were uninjured. The crossing and intersection were closed until 8:30 a.m. for the investigation and cleanup.The trucker, James McGuire, 59, of Lima, Ohio, was driving a 1999 Freightliner truck pulling a trailer packed tight with frozen chicken wings. The truck had been eastbound on Plant Avenue, Waycross police Lt. Tommy Cox said.The train driven by engineer James Hudson, also 59, of Fitzgerald, was traveling south. The railroad crossing at Plant and Isabella is marked with warning signs, Cox said.The truck cab cleared the crossing, but the locomotive sliced the trailer in half, sending wings flying, he said.The demolished trailer came to rest about 100 feet down the tracks from the point of impact, police estimated.Police cited McGuire for failure to yield at a railroad crossing, Cox said.Officials at CSX Transportation didn't return a telephone message seeking comment about apparent damage to the train or tracks.
(The following story by Teresa Stepzinski appeared on the Florida The Times-Union website on October 25.)WAYCROSS, Ga. — Which came first, the chicken truck or the freight train?Better still, why did the chicken truck try to cross the railroad tracks in front of a train early Wednesday?The answer came with a bang in a 1:36 a.m. collision that spewed frozen chicken wings for about a block around the railroad crossing at Plant Avenue and Isabella Street in downtown Waycross.The truck driver and train crew all were uninjured. The crossing and intersection were closed until 8:30 a.m. for the investigation and cleanup.The trucker, James McGuire, 59, of Lima, Ohio, was driving a 1999 Freightliner truck pulling a trailer packed tight with frozen chicken wings. The truck had been eastbound on Plant Avenue, Waycross police Lt. Tommy Cox said.The train driven by engineer James Hudson, also 59, of Fitzgerald, was traveling south. The railroad crossing at Plant and Isabella is marked with warning signs, Cox said.The truck cab cleared the crossing, but the locomotive sliced the trailer in half, sending wings flying, he said.The demolished trailer came to rest about 100 feet down the tracks from the point of impact, police estimated.Police cited McGuire for failure to yield at a railroad crossing, Cox said.Officials at CSX Transportation didn't return a telephone message seeking comment about apparent damage to the train or tracks.
Drivers Health
DRIVERS' HEALTH * USA - Depression and the Long Haul Trucker
A long-haul flights truck driver is not a stranger to sleep deprivationUSA -Depression Off.blogspot -October 24, 2007: -- Even local drivers deal with the problem of small rest, many are working 70 hours a week... Sleep deprivation is the main cause for heavy truck accidents, to as high as 40% of all crashes... The constant attitude of many motor carriers of the "you've got to the freight there," is a tremendous burden for the long haul truck drivers... Although Federal regulations require a driver, with 10 hour break after 14 hours, 10 hours often work out to be only 5-6 hours of sleep per actual day... Several years, I decided to keep a log of actual sleep time I received every day. Over a period of six weeks, it was apparent that I actually only "sleeping" an average of 4 hours per day. Twenty eight hours of sleep in a whole week... And to the problem, a large long-haul flights Trucking is at night...
Labels: drivers' health
A long-haul flights truck driver is not a stranger to sleep deprivationUSA -Depression Off.blogspot -October 24, 2007: -- Even local drivers deal with the problem of small rest, many are working 70 hours a week... Sleep deprivation is the main cause for heavy truck accidents, to as high as 40% of all crashes... The constant attitude of many motor carriers of the "you've got to the freight there," is a tremendous burden for the long haul truck drivers... Although Federal regulations require a driver, with 10 hour break after 14 hours, 10 hours often work out to be only 5-6 hours of sleep per actual day... Several years, I decided to keep a log of actual sleep time I received every day. Over a period of six weeks, it was apparent that I actually only "sleeping" an average of 4 hours per day. Twenty eight hours of sleep in a whole week... And to the problem, a large long-haul flights Trucking is at night...
Labels: drivers' health
Trucking is a Career not a job
Ports of L.A., Long Beach eye labor-free plan to ban older trucks
Officials for the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will formally consider next week a new clean truck plan that would ban most trucks that currently operate in the ports. Absent from the new plan, however, are previous proposals supported by the Teamsters that called for all truck drivers to be company drivers and would have prevented most companies from entering the port.
Both ports’ officials announced Thursday, Oct. 25, that their governing commissions would consider a new clean truck program in meetings this week. The proposed plan would be implemented in three phases that would ban all trucks with pre-1989 engines by Oct. 2008, and would mandate retrofits on 1994 through 2003 truck engines by January 2010. By 2014 only trucks with engines that meet or exceed 2007 model year California emission standard standards would be allowed.
The plan would restrict port entry by Aug. 1, 2008, to trucks that have registered with the ports and are equipped with a RFID tag providing truck-specific information to port officials.
The Port of Long Beach released a statement saying the plan would “reduce port-related truck pollution by approximately 80 percent over a period of just over five years.”
“The proposed tariff moves our air quality goals forward next year with a progressive truck ban schedule that is not only consistent with the anticipated requirements proposed by the California Air Resources Board, but actually achieves even more emissions reductions in an accelerated timeframe,” said Geraldine Knatz, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.
Officials with the Port of Los Angeles are scheduled to consider the plan at their commission meeting on Thursday, Nov. 1, while the Port of Long Beach plan is set to be consider on Monday, Oct. 29.
The proposed plans don’t address a previously proposed plan that banned all trucks not driven by employees of companies that were licensed concessionaires. The controversial plan was backed by the Teamsters Union, which has made recent efforts to boost membership at ports in L.A. and Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and in New Jersey.
Both ports were lobbied heavily by retailers and trade associations concerned about the proposed plan’s cost increases, port drivers and union officials wanting to organize employees and residents surrounding the ports concerned about heavy pollution from dirty, older drayage trucks and incoming ships that burn large amounts of sulfur-heavy oil.
OOIDA has expressed concerns that long haul truckers will get shut out of the twin ports and other ports throughout the country, and drivers could be forced to pay third-party drayage drivers at the port gates.
The proposed concessionaire system contained several provisions that appeared to give large companies an upper hand against owner-operators, including an application system that would rate applicants in part by financial assets and number of employees.
That plan also included a raising of container fees to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to replace trucks and older engines.
Port officials left the door open to later adding other pieces to the clean truck program.
“While we are still working on the broader Clean Trucks Program components, this tariff shows our commitment to advancing the air quality goals we set forth in the Clean Air Action Plan approved by both port boards last November,” Knatz said.
– By Charlie Morasch, staff writercharlie_morasch@landlinemag.com
Officials for the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will formally consider next week a new clean truck plan that would ban most trucks that currently operate in the ports. Absent from the new plan, however, are previous proposals supported by the Teamsters that called for all truck drivers to be company drivers and would have prevented most companies from entering the port.
Both ports’ officials announced Thursday, Oct. 25, that their governing commissions would consider a new clean truck program in meetings this week. The proposed plan would be implemented in three phases that would ban all trucks with pre-1989 engines by Oct. 2008, and would mandate retrofits on 1994 through 2003 truck engines by January 2010. By 2014 only trucks with engines that meet or exceed 2007 model year California emission standard standards would be allowed.
The plan would restrict port entry by Aug. 1, 2008, to trucks that have registered with the ports and are equipped with a RFID tag providing truck-specific information to port officials.
The Port of Long Beach released a statement saying the plan would “reduce port-related truck pollution by approximately 80 percent over a period of just over five years.”
“The proposed tariff moves our air quality goals forward next year with a progressive truck ban schedule that is not only consistent with the anticipated requirements proposed by the California Air Resources Board, but actually achieves even more emissions reductions in an accelerated timeframe,” said Geraldine Knatz, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.
Officials with the Port of Los Angeles are scheduled to consider the plan at their commission meeting on Thursday, Nov. 1, while the Port of Long Beach plan is set to be consider on Monday, Oct. 29.
The proposed plans don’t address a previously proposed plan that banned all trucks not driven by employees of companies that were licensed concessionaires. The controversial plan was backed by the Teamsters Union, which has made recent efforts to boost membership at ports in L.A. and Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and in New Jersey.
Both ports were lobbied heavily by retailers and trade associations concerned about the proposed plan’s cost increases, port drivers and union officials wanting to organize employees and residents surrounding the ports concerned about heavy pollution from dirty, older drayage trucks and incoming ships that burn large amounts of sulfur-heavy oil.
OOIDA has expressed concerns that long haul truckers will get shut out of the twin ports and other ports throughout the country, and drivers could be forced to pay third-party drayage drivers at the port gates.
The proposed concessionaire system contained several provisions that appeared to give large companies an upper hand against owner-operators, including an application system that would rate applicants in part by financial assets and number of employees.
That plan also included a raising of container fees to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to replace trucks and older engines.
Port officials left the door open to later adding other pieces to the clean truck program.
“While we are still working on the broader Clean Trucks Program components, this tariff shows our commitment to advancing the air quality goals we set forth in the Clean Air Action Plan approved by both port boards last November,” Knatz said.
– By Charlie Morasch, staff writercharlie_morasch@landlinemag.com
And other News
Carmel mayor: Ban truck traffic on Keystone
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Oct 25, 2007 12:26 PM CDT
Carmel seeks Keystone truck ban
Mayor Jim Brainard wants to limit truck traffic on Keystone Ave.
He made the proposal before the Carmel City Council.
The proposal goes along with the planned renovation of Keystone Ave with roundabouts replacing stop lights.
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HEADLINES
Father charged with allowing 10-year-old to drive truck
Colts offer chance to win Super Bowl XLI rings
Police look to neighborhood for clues in Broad Ripple stabbing death
Cheney visiting Indianapolis for American Legion speech
Panel urges Bush to drop nuke waste plan
Legislature hopes to cut back on number of foreclosures in Indiana
Missing woman found dead in her Broad Ripple apartment
Police find bomb making materials in Carroll County home
IU scholarships offer new opportunities
Phil Scott/Eyewitness News
Carmel - Detours may be ahead for truckers who want to drive through Carmel. The mayor is proposing banning large trucks of five roads through Carmel neighborhoods. The biggest section is Keystone Avenue from 96th north to US 31.
What has long been a quick way for truck drivers could become the wrong way. It would mean no more semis in the mix along Keystone Avenue's 4.2 miles through Carmel, if Mayor Jim Brainard's proposal wins City Council approval.
Mayor Brainard explained. "We have a problem on Keystone Avenue with cross-country trucks blowing lights. It's a constant problem and those who have lived here know that and we see it every day."
Earlier this year, Brainard announced a plan to rebuild the Keystone corridor. Minus the big rigs, Mayor Brainard envisions Keystone's stoplights giving way to roundabouts. Landscaping and sound-proofing morph the highway into a parkway.
That sounds like a kinder, gentler Keystone to Pat Lovett, who's spent two decades within earshot of 18-wheelers.
"Sometimes when they're engine braking to slow down, the rap - rap - rap is annoying," said Lovett. "And I'm looking forward to them not being on Keystone."
But the project's not quite ready for a green light. Several drivers and representatives of trucking companies appeared at the Carmel City Council meeting Wednesday night to express their concerns. They listened cautiously, along with their attorneys. The ban on trucks weighing over 16,000 pounds would allow exceptions for local deliveries including mail carriers, construction equipment and materials and heavy box trucks.
One driver says he can live with detours on other trips, but disagrees with the mayor's premise that truckers pose a safety risk.
"I have seen many of my neighbors, in SUV's and bigger cars than I drive, run red lights and I feel more in fear of them than I do the trucks."
Mayor Brainard says he's targeting interstate truck drivers. A committee will now study the ban and make sure local businesses remain free to drive around town. The whole council could vote on it as soon as November 19th.
var wn_last_ed_date = getLEDate("Oct 25, 2007 1:26 PM EST"); document.write(wn_last_ed_date);
Oct 25, 2007 12:26 PM CDT
Carmel seeks Keystone truck ban
Mayor Jim Brainard wants to limit truck traffic on Keystone Ave.
He made the proposal before the Carmel City Council.
The proposal goes along with the planned renovation of Keystone Ave with roundabouts replacing stop lights.
if (document.layers) {document.write(''); document.close();}
coreAdsCreate('wnsz_20', 'loc', '100');
HEADLINES
Father charged with allowing 10-year-old to drive truck
Colts offer chance to win Super Bowl XLI rings
Police look to neighborhood for clues in Broad Ripple stabbing death
Cheney visiting Indianapolis for American Legion speech
Panel urges Bush to drop nuke waste plan
Legislature hopes to cut back on number of foreclosures in Indiana
Missing woman found dead in her Broad Ripple apartment
Police find bomb making materials in Carroll County home
IU scholarships offer new opportunities
Phil Scott/Eyewitness News
Carmel - Detours may be ahead for truckers who want to drive through Carmel. The mayor is proposing banning large trucks of five roads through Carmel neighborhoods. The biggest section is Keystone Avenue from 96th north to US 31.
What has long been a quick way for truck drivers could become the wrong way. It would mean no more semis in the mix along Keystone Avenue's 4.2 miles through Carmel, if Mayor Jim Brainard's proposal wins City Council approval.
Mayor Brainard explained. "We have a problem on Keystone Avenue with cross-country trucks blowing lights. It's a constant problem and those who have lived here know that and we see it every day."
Earlier this year, Brainard announced a plan to rebuild the Keystone corridor. Minus the big rigs, Mayor Brainard envisions Keystone's stoplights giving way to roundabouts. Landscaping and sound-proofing morph the highway into a parkway.
That sounds like a kinder, gentler Keystone to Pat Lovett, who's spent two decades within earshot of 18-wheelers.
"Sometimes when they're engine braking to slow down, the rap - rap - rap is annoying," said Lovett. "And I'm looking forward to them not being on Keystone."
But the project's not quite ready for a green light. Several drivers and representatives of trucking companies appeared at the Carmel City Council meeting Wednesday night to express their concerns. They listened cautiously, along with their attorneys. The ban on trucks weighing over 16,000 pounds would allow exceptions for local deliveries including mail carriers, construction equipment and materials and heavy box trucks.
One driver says he can live with detours on other trips, but disagrees with the mayor's premise that truckers pose a safety risk.
"I have seen many of my neighbors, in SUV's and bigger cars than I drive, run red lights and I feel more in fear of them than I do the trucks."
Mayor Brainard says he's targeting interstate truck drivers. A committee will now study the ban and make sure local businesses remain free to drive around town. The whole council could vote on it as soon as November 19th.
Truckers World Post
Mack 'Re-ups' for Share the Road Program; Provides Tractor 10/25/2007 Mack Trucks, Inc. will again serve as a primary sponsor of the American Trucking Associations' Share the Road program next year, according to Kevin Flaherty, Mack senior vice president of sales. Designed to enhance the safety of America's roadways by teaching car drivers how to safely drive around large trucks, Share the Road delivers life-saving messages to hundreds of U.S. cities and reaches millions of motorists annually. The program uses as spokespeople a group of professional truck drivers with exemplary safety records. These drivers conduct safety demonstrations for local media, students, community leaders and highway users in cities around the United States as a way to deliver the program's life-saving messages about potential blind spots, safe following distances, truck stopping distances and the like. 2008 will mark Mack's eighth consecutive year as a Share the Road sponsor. In 2005, Mack provided the ATA with a Vision model highway tractor that has served as the centerpiece of Share the Road events throughout the country. The company is now replacing this truck with its current highway flagship model - a Mack Pinnacle, equipped with a variety of the latest safety technologies and spec'd to meet the EPA's fuel-saving Smartway standards. "We are very grateful to everyone at Mack for their tremendous support," said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. "As the founding sponsor, Mack was the first company to financially back Share the Road. Their decision in 2005 to also provide a truck took the program to another level. And now they're stepping up again, not only by continuing to provide funding, but also in giving the program a beautiful new Mack Pinnacle model to use in spreading these life-saving safety messages."
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