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18
Feb
Dumb (Proposed) Laws – SB3098
Vanity. It’s what makes something look good on the outside, but there is no guarantee what is on the inside isn’t completely revolting. A recent bill introduced in the Illinois Senate, SB3098, is exactly that. From a distance, the bill […]
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16
May
Doubles Troubles
There’s old expression called “getting the cart ahead of the horse”. In the modern world, the horse represents the truck, and the cart is the trailer. It’s always a bad situation when a non-motor vehicle leads the power unit. Legislation […]
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14
Jun
Nuke the HOS Rules
Once upon a time in the olden days, a builder finished a house and looked on it with pride. The house was square, level and plumb. All the mechanical systems were run for optimum efficiency. Fast forward 50 years and […]
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11
Jan
Hurry up and wait, wait, wait, wait for it
The day of reckoning is almost here. Oh wait, it’s not. Or maybe it is…what is going on with the federal medical merge program for CDL holders? Until this week, all CDL holders nationwide were required certify to their home […]
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13
Apr
From the Mouths of Truckers
Everybody likes a list. Not everybody wants a list of things to do that make their life more difficult, but a neatly laid out list of tangible items makes things easy to understand. After nearly 31 years on the air […]
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06
Apr
Dumb Laws
“Hey! You wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?” The answer is “no”…no you don’t. That would be dumb. You may very well consider the person who asked you the question to be dumb. You could even pose […]
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07
Nov
Employee Classification Act
Legislation is always a double-edged sword. In any given bill, there are good reasons behind the writing
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27
Oct
Isolationism
Nobody likes to be alone. In a world with a million ways to connect to others through social networking, cell phones, and computers, studies show people feel isolated now more than ever. Clubs, teams, and associations are difficult to build and maintain because isolation keeps people at bay. Isolation occurs because somewhere along the way, one has forgotten to learn how to trust others. Many problems facing the trucking industry and truck enforcement are caused by isolation…the good news is there is hope in community.
Shortly after the Illinois Truck Enforcement Association began, a local truck officer called with some questions. There’s no shame in that…truck enforcement is a complicated endeavor and the ITEA exists to help sort it out. The interesting part of the conversation came when the officer said why he was asking the questions.
Apparently there was a new judge hearing truck cases in the officer’s courtroom after the old judge was transferred. For several years, the officer had truck cases up before the old judge and he had the justice convinced his enforcement methods wer correct. Now with a new judge, the officer began second guessing his enforcement methods. Fortunately, the officer was in fact doing things right by the law.
What was really happening was the officer was out doing his own thing and was not involved in the truck enforcement community. His network of other truck officers was limited. He did not have authoritative places to go to seek information to make solid decisions. Shortly after the conversation, the officer joined the ranks of the ITEA and successfully passed through the ITEA certification process.
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15
Sep
Warnings
Everybody wants a warning. Nobody wants to pay fines. When police officers stop motorists for traffic violations, the conversation invariably turns to whether or not the officer will issue a warning for the infraction instead of the citation. Sometimes the request turns adversarial when the driver pleads the wrong way for the wrong reason. Whether the violations happen in cars or trucks, the same story occurs. This week we will look at the warning ticket system and how it pertains to commercial vehicles.When it comes to overweight violations, police officers have a statutory mandate to follow. In 625 ILCS 5/15-112(b), the General Assembly has legislated that police officers “shall” require the driver to legalize the load. In the event a police officer chooses not to cite a driver for an overweight ticket, he still must comply with this directive. To issue a written warning and not require the load be made legal weight could put an officer in a position of liability if the truck crashed further down the road. Would it make sense for a police officer to document a drunk driver on a warning ticket and then let the motorist continue on his way?
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08
Sep
Breaker 1-9
Nothing evokes the personification of American trucking like the word “convoy”. The movie, the song, and the CB handles have lived on for decades in this country since the popularity of the industry reached an all-time high in the mid-1970’s. On Saturday October 6th, 2012, the Illinois Truck Enforcement Association is partnering with the Special Olympics/Law Enforcement Torch Run to bring the World’s Largest Truck Convoy to Illinois. Illinois joins twenty-two other states and four Canadian provinces hosting this event. The ITEA is calling you to action…step out and make a difference!Hey – did you notice the economy of the United States is a huge mess? Everyone is in this together. No one – regardless of occupation, social status or faith values – has been able to avoid the fallout of this crisis. Charitable giving has seen a decrease in giving as well, but ironically the margin is small compared to what has happened to the economy as a whole. As times goes on, the scholars will study this phenomenon and explain why a nation on the brink of bankruptcy continues to give selflessly. Maybe the answer is simple as…Americans are generous. For all the global negativism America receives about its decadence, a study comparing the philanthropic nature of the USA would be a welcome relief.
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