Chris Christie forgot Crucial Apology to Waiting Truckers Posted by DC Cargo Mall on January 20, 2014

The George Washington Bridge, most traveled on bridge in all of the U.S., which stretches from New York to Fort Lee, in New Jersey, has been the subject of scrutiny thanks to Chris Christie.

It was a foggy day when thousands of cars and trucks lined the bridge lanes, only to be stuck there for hours due to a shut-down allegedly schemed by Christie.

According to NJ Governor Christie, his highest ranking employees, specifically Anne Kelly, had betrayed him by executing this negotiation to have the bridge closed without his knowledge via an email to Port Authority's Executive David Wildstein stating "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." David's reply? "Got it."

One month later the bridge stopped in compliance with Kelly's request. The request was believed to have been a revenge attempt at opposing authorities to Christie's campaign.

The shamed and blamed governor has been desperately offering apologies via hours in conference, devoting his remorse towards the citizens of Fort Lee in specific. One elder woman, stricken by a heart attack, had an ambulance coming for her via the G.W. Bridge, as none were in her immediate small town of Fort Lee. It couldn't make it to her on time. She died in tragic preventable circumstances. He states that it was all a mistake and that he had been blind-sighted over the course of the entire negotiation, and could not have kept track
over his 65,000 employees.

Democratic Leaders question whether he is only embarrassed from discovery or of truly misplaced blame, but still lack of organizational skills.

There is a group of hard-working individuals though, that he has failed to express remorse to. The truckers. The truck drivers that day were had to pay $50 for the privilege of riding the traffic-stricken bridge and wasted out on precious time, money, and overall peace of mind.

The truckers were on their way to deliver products and failed to show up on time, letting down countless companies, beyond their control.

We're waiting for an apology, Mister Governor.


*Save more time in trucking by loading with quick and high quality cargo securing equipment from DCCargoMall.com.

How Safety Equipment Will Save You Money on Insurance Posted by DC Cargo Mall on November 04, 2013

Everybody knows that insurance policies are based upon your personal possibilities for, well, failure. 

Perhaps it isn’t your fault. Handicapped, or at the highs and lows of age can affect eligibility for a cheaper plan. However, whether to choose to insure or not is never (and should never be) the question. It is how. How do I save my well-earned trucking bucks, without ‘wasting’ too much on a process that I may never and hopefully will never need to make use of?

Well, other than factors beyond your control, such as age or disability as mentioned above, there are factors so within your reach that to neglect taking advantage of their glaring opportunity’s presentation is reason for banging one’s head against the wall in regret.

Say if you are not one prone to accidents. Your sleeping patterns are religious and give you enough shut-eye to clock in good road time, but never allowing for a desire to close your eyes during trip. You follow direction with ease, and know your routes confidently. You’ve never run a red light and respect the other truckers and motorists on the road beside you. You’ve got a good general background that you can be proud of.

There’s just one problem. But it isn’t minor. Your straps were out of date one time. A winch was broken another. You got caught at inspection and points went up on your record to your detriment and disappointment. But more than that, whether caught or not, the danger this imposes to you is a great one, and just one accident due to failure to properly secure your load is (if not fatal) an exorbitant rise in your insurance fees and a monthly bill to remind you of the harsh reality.

The company you work for will send you a warning and give you three to days to call in and appeal. If you’re lucky, they’ll be more personable and tell you that you’ve got time to improve.

So here’s how to avoid your insurance fees rising the easy way:

1. Simply- Monitor your speed. Are you zooming it up when no cops are in sight and you want to deliver a load more quickly, you’re excited to get home, or simply taking advantage of the fact that it seems you are the only vehicle on the road? Here’s our advice: DON’T. The amount of time and money you waste if you DO get caught is worse than the alternative of patience exercised. And NOT getting caught…but crashing? Well, you tell me. How much time, and money are you saving then?

 2. Load safe. It’s quite basic. Learn your safe loading rules and regulations until you can recite them like a pro. Hey, it can’t hurt. Oh, and preaching is worth nothing without practice. Keep those straps tightened right. Make sure your chains and tracks aren’t rusted or cracked. Get tarped in difficult weather. Be prepared for anything! Even in the event of an accident that was not your fault, your load will not contribute to the injuries by shifting unevenly or falling loose.

3. Pay close attention to signs. One number interpreted wrong and your truck goes under a bridge that is half its size. That’s the end of your truck, perhaps your career, and hopefully not but likely your life as well. 

Load Smart, Stay Safe, and Save More!

Foreign Trucking Danger Exaggerated by Authorities Posted by DC Cargo Mall on October 28, 2013

Language can sometimes be a barrier if the one you speak most is not shared with the country you live, and truck in.

The sign that tells you the upcoming bridge will slice off the top of your truck, the sign that lets you know you’ve entered Boise, Idaho, the sign that warns you from trespassing, in fact, every sign, is in English. If you’re lucky, some signs are number or picture oriented, and others have words but translation as well, not necessarily in your language though.

Then there are directions. Your dispatcher has probably explained your route and loading details in his main language, and if it isn’t yours, you can either understand or find a translator, or, it seems- just have a nice (confused) day.

Well, say it’s a good day for you, and your dispatcher explained things in your native tongue. The signs you pass are mostly either basic enough, numbered, or translated.

But then you must go through inspection. You’ve got to fill out forms, and answer questions.

Some of the questions seem too complicated, you get flustered, and too nervous to show any weaknesses to the officer for fear that he will classify you as unfit and unsafe to maneuver the roads as a non-fluent English speaker.

Since 1936, FMCSA and its predecessors have interpreted the rule (Section 391(b)(2) of 49 Code of Federal Regulations) that an ‘Interstate driver must be able to read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records,’ to mean a required amount of a minimal level of English fluency to drive a commercial vehicle in interstate commerce.

Being that it is only minimally required, states administer CDL examination in foreign languages without fear for compromised safety. No studies or statistics have shown a connection between greater language fluency and fewer accidents. That’s why it’s unfair for inspectors to enforce subjective standards in the name of safety.

Due to the gray area, of what classifies as ‘insufficient’ in the language or not, inspectors in some states have taken advantage of this vague interpretation and cited perfectly fit drivers as unfit.

‘It should be up to the Motor Carriers to determine fluency during the hiring process, and states can continue to govern language requirements on their commercial driver exams.’ Most proclaim.

“People are missing out on the real safety issues at large and it’s a pity to concentrate on something that has no evidence of danger to our people. In fact it threatens the unemployment rate, and it threatens businesses in need of truckers, when hard working foreign truckers are sufficient but pulled out for exaggerated reasons!” Says Eien McBire, a 3rth generation trucker, 2 of whom, he says, were from out-of-country.

“My grandpa Frank and grandpa Lenny were both truckers, and yet they were not from round these parts. The right people need to be trusted more.”

So what are the real issues that need be concentrated on?

“Common sense, and statistically proved safety measures.” Says McBire.

“That means that if people are simply speeding, loading neglectfully, using old securing material, not using the proper straps or chains, ignoring red lights when they think they can get away with it- they are putting everyone else in danger including themselves and their loads. That needs more concentration. Stop looking at your foreign neighbor down the road for accusations. Look inside your own van for freight safety checkups, and at your own mile meter. That’s an easy way to change the world one truck at a time, right there.”

Lessons Learned from a Recently Collapsed Bridge Posted by DC Cargo Mall on July 01, 2013

With the recent bridge collapse scare Washington has suffered earlier in May, only 15 days following the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis, FMSCA regulators have woken up to the shock and the media is still buzzing about it.

It has forced the World and America in particular, to question the cause, and for what measures are necessary to execute future prevention.

The question has been posed: Is it the weight of oversizetrucks and truckloads? Misinformed load-limit signs? Faulty inspections? Bridge constructional failure? Expired infrastructures?

In the case of this Steel Warren Truss Bridge, built in 1955, that held about 77,000 vehicles a day, it is mind-boggling at how this bridge has suddenly collapsed from a single truck…what was the straw that broke this enormous camel’s back?

Apparently though, the bridge had just been inspected twice last year. This led Washington state officials to believe the preliminary indications that the bridge running over Skagit River was not structurally deficient and fell because of the impact of the truck striking its support beams.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee told an afternoon press conference in Mount Vernon that the probable guess is that the truck had crashed into a couple of the bridge’s girders at a high speed, causing it’s consequential collapse.

Looking in the State’s bridge report records, this bridge had not been listed among the ‘Structurally Deficient’ – a title given to bridges that are not capable of carrying their intended loads due to its infrastructure.

It had though, been listed under ‘Functionally Obsolete’, meaning that it’s structural standards have expired and no longer work for the truck measurements and vehicle weights of today’s advancing society.

It was only in 1974, that the Federal-Aid Highway Act Amendments established the bridge formula as law, along with its gross weight limit of 80,000 pounds (36,000 kg). Being that the bridge was created before this law, its structure was not made for the elevated capacity limit that modernized laws allow.

The four-lane interstate connected Seattle and Vancouver, Canada as its main traffic line. The NTSB stated that they would conduct an inspection, further researching the cause, covering the entire 1,111 foot span of the bridge, including its substructure, deck, superstructure, and even underwater.

One could blame the bridges faultiness, but statements saying that newer, more competent bridges would have survived the same blow, were made.

The trucker was not actually one prone to mishaps and risky-business. Upright and honest as they come, William Scott cooperated with authorities, had not been arrested, and was backed up by his wife.

"I spoke to him seconds after it happened.” She relates.  “He was just horrified. He gets safety awards, safety bonuses ... for doing all these checks, for hiring the right pilot cars and pole cars,"

The tragedy, although not resulting in any fatalities, brought down two other vehicles with it, in its 40 foot plunge into the freezing cold waters of the Skagit River. The victims were rescued and brought to the hospital where they were treated for shoulder misplacement and similar injuries.

It’s surprising to learn that as many as 150 bridges collapse in just a year’s time, with many not receiving so much media attention. About 1,500 bridges collapsed between 1966 and 2007, and most of those were the result of soil erosion around bridge supports.

In special cases involving unusually overweight trucks (which require special permits), not observing a bridge weight limit can lead to disastrous consequences.

Inspecting trucks before and after loading, keeping up-to-date in quality loading equipment like tie-down straps and chains, staying informed about constantly evolving load limit laws, reading bridge capacity signs carefully, understanding the histories of each bridges infrastructures, staying on National Network Roads whenever possible and extra-vigilant driving are all small ways to successfully prevent a grand occurrence of repeat disaster like this one.

                                                                STAY SAFE!