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Live Streaming Trucker

This live-streaming trucker crashed when a four-wheeler entered his lane

Trucking isn’t like any other profession. Truckers don’t get to go into an office and sit behind a desk for eight hours — they have to risk their lives on the road, rain or shine.

And with that comes a certain level of danger. According to Dolman Law, somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000 crashes involving large trucks happen per year. Around 4,600 of these are fatal.

I say this to make the point that trucking is not a walk through the park. Yes, you’re simply sitting behind the wheel for hours and hours each day, but one small incident can have serious consequences. This trucker/Twitch live streamer learned that the hard way.

OTR_Penguin, a truck driver, swerved away from a four-wheeler in the wrong lane and crashed his truck

On December 14th, a popular eSports account re-posted a video of a trucker who crashed his truck. That truck driver was OTR_Penguin, who actually live streams during much of the time that he’s on the road. The driver had posted the video to Twitch a day early.

And it may pay off to post this clip.

In the video, OTR_Penguin can be seen driving normally on what looks like a two-lane expressway. With a double-solid line, there wasn’t much need for concern from the driver. Unfortunately, most of the time that CDL drivers get into crashes, it’s not their fault. That held true here.

A pickup truck is seen entering the frame and appears to be a bit too far toward the middle of the road. They continue to drift into the opposite lane to the point where the semi-truck driver has no choice but to move out of the way, where he catches some grass and begins to shift into the grassy knoll. The truck hits a couple of trees before eventually tipping into its side.

Some have been quick to blame the truck driver.

This simply does not make sense. Semi-trucks are not only longer than most trucks but they’re less maneuverable — you can’t just swerve over and return to your original position too quickly without risking a crash. Momentum is not on their side. All things considered, the driver in this scenario handled things pretty well.

Some companies do keep cameras in their trucks, but if this one doesn’t, it’s a good thing he was live streaming.

Independence Avenue Bridge

This bridge is notorious for causing semi-trucks to crash

Getting into a crash is a truck driver‘s worst nightmare. Even if the driver themself isn’t injured, there’s a good chance another person involved in the crash will sustain injuries. In fact, it’s estimated that semi-trucks are involved in over 4,000 deaths per year in the US. It’s nobody’s fault; simply the reality of driving a 12-ton vehicle with much smaller four-wheelers on the road.

But not all crashes are deadly.

In fact, there is a location in the United States that causes crashes multiple times per year without any deaths. That location is the Independence Avenue Bridge in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Independence Avenue Bridge causes multiple crashes per year and the city doesn’t know how to fix it

If you’re a trucker who is unfamiliar with the Independence Avenue Bridge, you need to get familiar with it. The Kansas City location seems to cause multiple crashes every year. Each time, it’s the same story — a trucker thinks their truck can make the clearance and it just can’t.

I can’t find specific statistics on how many crashes there have been, but a quick google search of “Independence Avenue Bridge” will reveal a plethora of articles detailing crashes at that location.

Last week, the bridge took another victim, slicing off the top of a semi-truck despite a 12-foot clearance sign. Here’s a video of that.

You can even see the truck begin to stop as the driver realizes that it’s too short.

Again, this is not an isolated incident. If you want, you can take a deep dive into that Twitter account — it exists for the sole purpose of documenting anything crash-related that has to do with the Independence Avenue Bridge.

Steps are being taken to help drivers avoid the Independence Avenue Bridge’s trap

Thankfully, this is an issue that Kansas City officials are working to fix. After decades of trucks crashing, you’d hope they’re looking to do so. Thankfully, it looks like changes are on the horizon, according to KMBC. Here’s what they said.

“The city has said that as long as the bridge has been there, trucks have been hitting it. As KMBC reported in June, Kansas City is working with Kansas City Terminal Railroad, which owns the bridge, to install a warning system with plastic tubes to let truck drivers know if they can clear it before they get to it. When a truck hits the tubes, they make a loud warning noise.”

Hopefully

Women in Trucking

The trucking industry is “getting a lot better for women truckers”

When you think of the stereotypical trucker, what comes to mind? Answers may vary to an extent but generally speaking, you’ll think up a tough-looking man who might be rough around the edges. Perhaps a similar profile to that of a construction worker or any other profession in manual labor.

Oh, and most importantly — you’re probably picturing a man.

And rightfully so. After all, women only make up 24% of the transportation industry, with just 7-8% of truck drivers being women.

Trucking isn’t where it needs to be for women, but it’s getting better

There are a couple of reasons why women don’t get into trucking.

For starters, they’re not necessarily encouraged to enter the field; recruiters generally target men. And again, this makes sense — nearly 93% of CDL holders are men, so why would companies be targeting an empty audience?

Then there’s the issue of safety for women.

This is something that is being spearheaded by organizations like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which recently spoke on issues regarding women in trucking at the Women In Trucking Association’s Accelerate in November. Administrator Robin Hutcheson referenced findings in a federal study that surveyed over 500 truck drivers. She called these findings “disturbing and unacceptable.”

And the sad reality here is that you don’t need a study to confirm its results. Anyone who has spoken about the issue with a woman in trucking will have heard more than a handful of stories. These often range from derogatory comments to full-blown sexual assault.

It’s being addressed, but there’s still a long way to go.

Experienced women in trucking, however, do report a much safer environment than in their earlier days in the industry. Take Connie August, who spoke with Quartz, as an example. Here’s what the 49-year-old trucker said.

“From when I started to now, I have to say the whole trucking industry atmosphere has gotten much more agreeable—a lot better for women truckers”

Desiree Wood, president of Real Women in Trucking, mentioned that trucking is actually a very good option for women without a degree. She references other options for these same women, including being a stripper, bartender, or cocktail waitress. Compared to those, trucking is a promising career option, Wood says.

Trucking is a solid industry, women just have to be careful with the companies that they work with.

Electric Truck, Tesla

Elon Musk’s Tesla Truck Just Ran 500 Miles With Over 81,000 Pounds

Remember the whole electric truck thing? Yeah, well… it’s actually happening. After years of talks and countless claims by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, it looks like the company is finally springing into action and rolling out some effective electric trucks.

Earlier this week, Musk tweeted about a 500-mile trip performed by an electric truck.

If true, this is the most impressive trip by an electric truck to date.

Elon Musk and Tesla just began an electric truck empire that he plans to expand

Tesla is releasing two trucks. One will cost $150,000 — that’ll get you 300 miles on a single charge. The other is $180,000, which will drive you 500 miles. This is presumably the semi-truck used for the trip referenced in this tweet.

And this is the start of a plan to produce 100 trucks by the end of the year. By the end of 2024, Musk wants that number to grow to 50,000. For the drivers who are tired of paying $4.00 per gallon, this will be good news down the road. Granted, those prices won’t stay consistent, but if electric semi-trucks are normalized, gas won’t be a concern for anybody anymore.

Elon Musk and Tesla were not the first to complete electric vehicle deliveries

Believe it or not, Tesla was not the first to get going with electric semi-trucks. In fact, Volvo may have snuck its way ahead of Musk with its subsidiary company, Renault, which has already “implemented electric trucks for delivery” for Coca-Cola.

Musk doesn’t plan to implement his until December 1st. Here’s the timeline given by CDLLife.

“Musk’s tweet comes just days ahead of a planned delivery event to be held December 1 at the Tesla Gigafactory located east of Reno, Nevada. December 1 is the planned date for PepsiCo to begin to accept a delivery of 100 Tesla Semis that the company pre-ordered in 2017.”

Trucking, Gas Prices

Here’s Why 91% Of Trucking Companies Could Shut Down

It’s a bad time to be an owner-operator in the trucking industry, as gas prices don’t look like they’re coming down anytime soon. After a couple of years of a booming economy for OOs, it may be time for some of these drivers to settle down and drive for a big company.

It’s simple, really — gas prices continue to surge and OOs pay out of pocket for these expenses. While the larger trucking companies can take on expenses like this, it leaves OOs earning lower pay than they would like. With other expenses on their budget, profit margins are looking low for many of them.

But it’s not just OOs. In fact, some would consider OOs pretty lucky, as they’re still making really solid money. But small trucking companies are not and as gas prices continue to surge, we’re starting to see more and more of these companies shut down.

91% of companies are at risk of shutting down due to high gas prices

I just said smaller companies are at risk — so let’s define what a smaller company is. South Carolina Trucking Association CEO Rick Todd defines it as a company with “six or fewer” trucks. Perhaps even more terrifying — companies of this size account for 91% of trucking companies, according to Todd via Fox News.

If you’re a company driver, there is good news here.

The good news is that you won’t have trouble finding a job; at least not in the immediate future. There’s still a major shortage of truck drivers and even though you likely will not have the same available CPM rate, there are plenty of high-quality companies out there thriving like Whiteline Express, which continues to increase its pay for over-the-road drivers.

But for more than a handful of companies, profits are not high enough to do this. A lot of the same companies that are advertising 75-80 cents per mile for company drivers will not be able to offer those same prices. Actually — scratch that — they won’t even exist anymore.

A lot of these companies are shutting down with no warning, too. Look at Freon Trucking, a company that filed for bankruptcy after failing to pay their employees for weeks. Apparently, the company owes up to $16,000 to some employees. And Freon wasn’t even a tiny company — their company had around 25 drivers. This is the unfortunate risk you run when you drive for a smaller company in 2022.

If you’re a company driver, be careful out there. Until the economy, and specifically gas prices, stabilize, only jobs at large companies are safe.

Trucking Strike

Employees Are Saying Freon Trucking Isn’t Paying Them

If you’ve been in the trucking industry for a long time, you’re likely familiar with a few sketchy companies. Even though the industry can be sturdy and reliable, there will never be a shortage of scammers or irresponsible employers.

This week, a new company may have just been exposed in this light.

According to KGET, double-digit employees joined together to stand outside of Freon Trucking and demand pay that has been missing. There have been other issues too — one driver said that he had to pay his own money for a new tire in order to get back home in his truck. A few drivers found themselves stranded on the highway, as the company did not pay for their gas. Here are all of the details that we know about this situation.

Freon Trucking recently filed for bankruptcy, but have they already done too much damage?

Prior to this week, Freon Trucking has a totally clean record. According to Bakersfield Now, the company has had no prior cases filed in the past eight years. So what gives?

It seems like the company has totally fallen apart, allegedly trying to spread a small number of trucks among 25 drivers. An employee named Joel Juarez said that sometimes the drivers will be paid and sometimes they won’t. He continue by detailing how much the company owed him and others. Here’s what he said.

“I have a couple colleagues that haven’t been paid over a good few weeks even months, two months I heard the most. It’s been for a couple of my colleagues it’s been over $12,000, $16,000 that have been owed. As for myself I’m owed $2,000 which is a little bit but still I need that money to pay my bills. Take care of the stuff at home. You know I have a family to take care of.”

Apparently, the company promised to pay back workers for lost wages before realizing that the bank had frozen their accounts.

Many trucking companies are struggling right now, but this is not a good look for Freon Trucking.

Pilot Flying J

Trucking: Pilot Flying J Is Releasing a Unique Thanksgiving Meal

The trucking industry has more than a handful of perks. You don’t have to sit in an office and you get plenty of alone time. It’s currently a driver’s job market, so you can really earn your worth at the right company.

Still, there are also a few downsides to the profession.

The most notable, perhaps, is the lack of consistency in your schedule, especially if you’re an Over-the-Road driver. Oftentimes, America’s truck drivers are out working during national holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the 4th of July. It’s not ideal, but all drivers know this going in.

Pilot Flying J is releasing a unique Thanksgiving meal for drivers that can’t be home for the holidays

Thankfully, some trucking-adjacent companies are looking out for drivers. One of those companies is Pilot Flying J, which has been making a handful of moves to make truck drivers happier, including a project that will launch the re-haul of hundreds of locations across the country.

This time around, Pilot Flying J is giving drivers a Thanksgiving Meal during the holidays. Here’s what it will look like, according to PRNewsWire.

“Pilot Flying J’s new Thanksgiving entree includes a delectably sweet, brown sugar-glazed ham, made-to-perfection mashed sweet potatoes, and classic cornbread stuffing.”

Pilot Flying J will be selling this meal all through November and December, giving out special deals near the end of the year. Anybody with the myRewards Plus app will be able to get 25% off of this meal from November 21-27th. They’ll also extend their 10-cent gas discount through the end of December.

Green Goblin, Maximum Overdrive

This Man Recreated the Green Goblin Truck From Maximum Overdrive

It’s Halloween time. In the trucking industry, that means… well, almost nothing. Still, it’s a fun time to look at some of the spookier things in the industry — and what better to remember than a blockbuster horror movie involving a semi-truck?

That’s right — I’m talking about Maximum Overdrive, the 1986 Stephen King film starring Emilio Estevez.

The film featured a possessed truck that chased after the protagonist and other characters. The movie received terrible ratings, though it was extremely memorable for many. Apparently, it was memorable enough for one man to make a recreation of it.

A man recreated the “Green Goblin” semi-truck and brought it to the Guilty by Association Truck Show last year

In October of last year, a man named Nate Lawrence showed up to the Guilty by Association Truck Show with a Green Goblin truck. Granted — it wasn’t THE Green Goblin truck — but it was a near-perfect recreation of the antagonist of Maximum Overdrive.

According to Land Line, Lawrence is an expert in the field. He has spent years building haunted houses and movie sets across the United States for years. The Green Goblin truck came naturally.

The truck quickly became a favorite at the show, drawing audiences from all around. Apparently, some people traveled to Missouri from as far as Omaha, Nebraska for the sole purpose of seeing the Green Goblin truck.

“I had a fan come up and tell me they drove all night from Omaha, Neb., just to see the truck. And another hundred people have told me this truck is the reason they came to the show. There are a lot of beautiful trucks here, so for somebody to say that it’s really humbling.”

As of a year ago, Lawrence also planned to recreate the school bus from the very same movie.

American Truck Simulator

This Trucker Plays American Truck Simulator While Parked

The trucking industry is one of the older industries in the United States but remains one of the most unique. What other job allows you to travel across the country for a living?

For many, the tough part about trucking is how monotonous it can become. Sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle for up to 11 hours a day can be treacherous, no matter how patient of a person you are. For this reason, some truckers are extremely active outside of their normal driving position of a vehicle.

Some, however, really love trucking. Like… a lot.

This trucker plays ‘American Trucking Simulator’ while their truck is parked

In order to be a truck driver, you have to enjoy driving. Heck, most normal people enjoy driving but still — there’s a limit for most. For some, it’s a couple of hours to another state. For others, it’s a normal work day for a truck driver. Some push the limits and drive up to 70 hours a week in their truck.

Either way, being a CDL driver can be exhausting. Logically, you want to find a unique hobby to do in your free time… right?

Not u/BlueJDMSW20 on Reddit. Here’s what this user posted on Reddit, captioned “Anyone else play Truck Simulator when the truck is parked?”

American Truck Simulator
Truck Driver plays American Truck Simulator during their free time. (Photo Credit: Reddit r/Truckers posted by u/BlueJDMSW20)

That’s right, they’re playing American Truck Simulator. On a break. From trucking.

If you’re looking for answers on why somebody would want to do this, you’ve come to the wrong place. You’d think after countless hours of driving, the last thing you’d want to do is drive a truck virtually. But hey — to each his own.

A few replies seem skeptical of the hobby as well, with one user replying to the question by saying “f*ck no.” Another user said, “I drive enough IRL (in real life) no need to do it virtually when I’m off.”

Though it’s an undeniably strange hobby, American Truck Simulator is actually a great way to familiarize yourself with the mechanics of a truck. It’s not a perfect game, but it can help new CDL drivers get a good feel for the tricker parts of driving a 70-footer.

Pilot Truck Stop

Trucking: Pilot Just Upgraded 8 of Their Truck Stops

Pilot is clearly trying to cement itself as the premier truck stop destination in the United States. The company is currently planning a $1 billion remodeling project across 400 Pilot and Flying J locations. Here’s what the press release said about it:

“The three-year $1 billion New Horizons project marks the company’s most significant investment in store modernization to date. It will fully remodel more than 400 Pilot and Flying J travel centers and make additional upgrades at several more locations across the country.”

This is good news for truckers that work for companies in the Pilot/Flying J network. That means you, Whiteline Express drivers.

These are the upgrades that Pilot has already made to 8 truck stops

The upgrade plan is already in effect, with eight truck stops getting first dibs on this expansion plan. According to Yahoo!, here are the locations and what is upgraded at each spot, respectively.

  • Altoona, IA: Upgraded restrooms and bathrooms, an expanded deli menu, and new Cinnabon kiosk
  • Boonville, MO: A new breakroom for team members, new kitchen to serve guests their favorite homecooked meal, and four self-checkouts
  • Florence, SC: New kitchen for team members to prepare an expanded menu of fresh food and grab-and-go cold items, fully remodeled Wendy’s, and four self-checkouts
  • Gordonsville, TN: Brand new restrooms and showers, newly remodeled Dunkin’ Donuts
  • Hope Hull, AL: Newly added deli with grab-and-go options, an expanded beverage selection, and new Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J service center
  • Joplin, MO: Upgraded food and beverage selections, fully remodeled Wendy’s, and four new self-checkouts
  • Palmdale, CA: Brand new location featuring a full deli with freshly prepared pizza, homestyle meals, and grab-and-go options, Subway, Cinnabon, four self-checkouts, five shower rooms, 55 truck parking spaces, 142 gasoline fueling positions, and 7 diesel lanes with biofuel, DEF, and high-speed pumps for quicker refueling
  • Pontoon Beach, IL: Fully remodeled restrooms, bathrooms, showers, kitchen, and Cinnabon kiosk

What hasn’t been mentioned so far is the entirely new addition in Palmdale, California. The location will feature a full deli, five showers, a Subway, a Cinnabon, five showers, 55 truck parking spots, and more. Unfortunately for Whiteline drivers, this is not in our area.

Pilot is offering 25% off at a few of their new locations. These locations include Hope Hull, AL, Joplin, MO, and Sullivan, MO. The company is also offering a 10-cent gas discount and three free drinks per week to professional truck drivers if they use Pilot’s myRewards app. This is an extension of their Driver Appreciation benefits.