Letters to the Editor

Reading the July 15 article titled “Carriers Say Wheel Covers Cut Fuel Costs By Making Vehicles More Aerodynamic” raised a flag with my safety sense. Working for a fleet safety firm, we conduct fleet inspections and compliance review audits for carriers looking to improve/maintain their safety performance and scores for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.

The two highest costs for most trucking companies are fuel and driver labor (not always in that order). When it comes to fuel, most industry companies find relief through surcharges, which allow them to bill shippers for pump prices above a baseline per-gallon cost.

Local permits: Perhaps no two words in the world of oversize/overweight permitting cause more consternation to carriers and local officials.

I am writing to you as a satisfied customer of Pilot Flying J, and I wanted to express my opinion — and what I believe is the feeling of the majority of Pilot customers — concerning issues within the Pilot organization.

Authorized carriers come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from a truck or two to an operation of thousands. Each business model is different, a model that is shaped to fit the products they haul and their customers. This model also is tailored to give the company flexibility.

The Boston Marathon bombing showed American courage and spirit as exemplified by the marathon runners, spectators and the first responders, who, rather than running away from the bombing scene, ran directly into it to help the injured.

I am enclosing a copy of the letter I recently sent to the several congressman about the federal hours-of-service rule.

The broker/3PL is filling an unmet need, and that is, they provide simplicity, speed and convenience. It’s not too far-fetched to think that progressive LTL carriers can provide this unmet need, but they first have to understand what the customer wants and how to fulfill it.

I have been feeling a calling to do what I can to help stop and raise awareness against human trafficking in some way, and today I came across an organization called Truckers Against Trafficking.

Ya gotta love it that the royalty in Washington, D.C., is so out of touch with the American people and the business world. The bureaucrats in Washington have never sat in a truck, and yet they are the ones telling me how to drive my truck.