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Miss Impala has contributed to 182 posts out of 3925 total posts
(4.64%) in 1,596 days (0.11 posts per day).
20 Most recent posts:
I was reading the Newsletter from May 2011, very good newsletter Ellen! I particularly thought the article (Driver Safety - Is Testosterone a Factor?) very interesting!
I like the fact that we are not all cookie cutter people and that there is a recognized difference between men and women. Not always, but generally.
That is why many women are caretakers and men tend towards riskier employment. I can accept that difference and still be a woman in riskier profession. That is one of the reasons I joined WIT.
I see it as the same concept as the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program or a program that I heard Bill O talk about once where kids were taken out of the Bronx and sent to the country to camp to learn about the rest of their world!
Mentoring is a huge way to open up doors of opportunity for others that would have no idea what is available and what they can actually do. For trucking, that is me and you. By letting women know, yes this is a risky job, but so is the commute you take everyday to and from your desk, or wherever you may work. You can with knowledge and training, become something you never dreamed before.
As stated in the article, we all have testosterone. But we have a bit less than men, guess what? Does that not make us actually much more tougher to move outside our comfort zone than it is for men? It does! Which tells me that women are stronger when they are able to overcome that fear and step up to the plate. So celebrate! You can do it! One for the girls, zero for the boys! Girls rule, boys drool! Giggling...
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Here is one of our very own members of WIT featured on www.im-safe.com. Susie tells how just by acting bigger and louder you can scare off a would be attacker.
http://www.im-safe.com/blog/resources/
Look under----> Criminal Attack Foiled by Blinds
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
I sent ya an email. Who did u train with? Have u been able to land anywhere yet?
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Welcome aboard Ella! Glad to see ya hear. We are also on Facebook as well. Thank u for contribution to helping all of us be better drivers!
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2011/May11/050211/050511-02.shtml
Final rule on learners’ permits takes aim at CDL fraud
By David Tanner, Land Line associate editor
A final rule issued Thursday by the FMCSA calls for new standards for CDL and commercial learners’ permits. In addition to creating new entry-level standards, the rule also aims to cut down on CDL fraud.
The proposal would require a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holder to meet virtually the same standard requirements as those for a CDL holder, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
“It will enhance safety by ensuring that only qualified drivers are allowed to operate commercial vehicles on our nation’s highways,” regulators stated in the final rule submitted to the Federal Register on Thursday, May 5.
OOIDA supports efforts to improve driver training requirements, including graduated licensing and apprenticeship programs.
“OOIDA believes that such a program would allow new truck drivers to gain controlled exposure to progressively more difficult driving experiences as they move through a series of licensing stages, resulting in better trained and more safety-conscious drivers,” Association President and CEO Jim Johnston stated in comments to FMCSA’s proposed version of the rule in 2008.
Under the final rule being issued, all CLP holders must pass a test requiring knowledge in 20 general areas. These include pre-trip inspections, maintenance requirements, safety systems, backing, basic maneuvers, communications, speed, stopping distance, placarding, and “the effects of fatigue, poor vision, hearing impairment, and general health upon safe commercial motor vehicle operation.”
The final rule also tackles fraud in third-party testing. The regulations will require all third-party testers to maintain a bond that can be used to pay for retesting of students who lose their CDLs because of fraudulent activity by the testing facility. The regulation also mandates annual on-site inspections of testing facilities and weekly reports on testing activities.
A provision in the final rule to require testing to be done in English only is aimed at cutting down on CDL fraud, as well. The specifically prohibits the use of interpreters in the testing process.
The final rule on CDL testing and learners’ permits takes effect in 60 days, and states must be in compliance by July 8, 2014. Petitions for reconsideration are due within 30 days. The docket number is FMCSA-2007-27659.
Copyright @ OOIDA
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
This is an email I received from a very dear friend that is head of HR for the lower Texas and Louisiana Correctional System. She received it from her contacts. I thought I should share this.... Angel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I would like to share some information I received yesterday with you and you are welcome to pass it along to whomever you think should hear it.
I met with one of our customer’s safety consultants yesterday in McAllen. Last week one of their chemical trucks was heading to a facility in the McAllen area when he saw a car at high speed followed by a truck with flashing red and blue lights following it approaching from behind. It was early morning and still dark, he thought it was a high speed chase and slowed down and moved over to get out of the way. The car pulled in front of him and stopped and the truck pulled alongside the driver’s door and stopped. Several men got out dressed in police uniforms and swarmed him. One came through the passenger’s side door and attacked him and demanded his money and wallet. He fought off one individual but was then hit in the eye with a beer bottle. He was beaten and robbed then his attackers left. He attempted to call 911 but had no service in that spot so drove down the road a little further and stopped another truck and asked for help. He was bleeding from the head and face badly but the other truck did stop and call 911 for him. Help arrived and he will be fine.
The ensuing information from law enforcement should be shared as this is at least the 4th known incident of this nature happening in the McAllen area. There are 2 more cases similar to this one where police impersonators pulled over commercial trucks then beat and robbed the drivers. The other case was a little different. In that one an attractive woman was standing on the side of the road with a car, she appeared to need help. When a driver stopped to render aid he was ambushed by a group of men hiding in the brush on the other side of a fence. He too was beaten and robbed.
These incidents happened on populated roads but away from any businesses or homes and when it was dark outside (early morning).
The DPS shared this with our customer:
1) The impersonators are wearing basic police clothing that is easily replicated, not DPS uniforms.
2) A true unmarked police car will never pull anyone over, an unmarked car will call in a marked unit to pull you over.
3) Real law enforcement will not pull in front of you to stop you. They may pull alongside but will end up behind you when pulling you over.
4) If you are being pulled over in an area with no one around turn your flashers on and proceed to an area with more people around.
5) You should avoid ramming or attempting to run over your assailants as this could provoke them to use weapons against you or could disable your vehicle keeping you from reaching an area with more people.
6) If you are unable to avoid being stopped call 911 and lay your phone down, loudly ask questions that will give clues where you are and who has stopped you, car/truck description, any information you can say or get will be heard by the operator and given to the cops now headed your way.
7) Travel in convoy when you can and if one vehicle is stopped all should stop.
Law enforcement is stepping up its efforts to put a stop to this, they will be pulling everyone over, asking lots of questions, and ticketing everyone. This means you should check your vehicles for lights, mudflaps, properly secrured loads, ect. You should also be driving safely and observe all the traffic laws.
This series of incidents occurred in McAllen but you should be aware it is probably happening all along the border. Be aware of your surroundings and be prepared.
Thanks,
Brad Tabor
QHSSE Coordinator Texas Gulf Coast
Weatherford ¦ 210 S Carancahua St Suite 500¦Corpus Christi¦Texas ¦ 78401
bradley.tabor@weatherford.com¦ www.weatherford.com
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
The expense does not address the issue, which is driver behavior. I can still if I choose be working the dock and call it sleeper berth time. I feel that the money can be better spent on driver education and analyzing risky behavior and taking pro-active measures to monitor those drivers. Why spend so much money on trying to monitor everyone instead of those who have a track record of snubbing their noses at the HOS.
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Attention OOIDA Members,
We need your input!
Comments are due on Monday, May 23, 2011 relating to the proposed rulemaking requiring EOBRs on all commercial vehicle operators who keep records of duty status. In particular, FMCSA is seeking comments on whether these devices can be used to harass drivers.
Please take a moment to complete a brief survey on your experience with EOBRs by clicking on the link below. Your input is very important as we finalize our comments to FMCSA.
http://surveygoldplus.com/s/997E742A1B3544C8/139.htm
Thank you for your time
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
That is true rqatwju21, but keep in mind... Schools are designed to you thru the test, just like Drivers Ed. After that, who you train with, out in the real world is the next step. You will be begin to make money, but you will never stop learning. So don't expect to step out from school thinking they have taught you everything you need to know. They will do the best they can, but you will only retain so much, the rest comes for the school of real life and experience. Watch others, don't be afraid to ask questions. If they are snots to ya, ask someone else!
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Sorry girl! Changed jobs back in November and this new is kicking my arse! So have not been on. Hoping to change that and get more involved. Look forward to hearing from you as well!!
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
I had a home-made one of these and love it!! Good idea Susan. There is a thread that I started called: Product suggestions and ideas for life on the road...
You may want to put it there as well?
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Edited by Miss Impala on May 2, 2011 at 01:37 AM
I am so excited for you ladymidnite! It is an exciting time in your life! And I did not have kids, but I did exactly as your doing. I tried to keep it as simple as possible, because you don't need to be worrying about whether you pipes are frozen in Montana, while your sweating your arse off in Florida! LOL.... By keeping your life simple, you keep your stress levels low. Keep that in mind when making decisions. For example, in decisions of mail. Do you have someone reliable that will sign for things? Will you actually get all of your mail? I did not, so at first I got a PO Box at Post Office that had a truck parking spot out front. Then I found the UPS Store!! Awesome!! Because all you have to do is say, hey! I am going to be in SLC on such and such date, please mail my mail to this motel. It is the little things that begin to pile up that cause the most stress. By managing that pile, you help manage your stress. If you have any questions, don't hesitate!!! We are here to help ya girly!
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
I know as a trainer and even when I was attending truck driving school, there are individuals that do drive truck with the psychosis mentioned. Let me say I am not a medical professional of any caliber, but I was in the medical for 10 years and the bulk of it dealt with the psychaitric side.
First of all, I think the delusions and hallucinations will be a disqualifying factor. Second of all, the meds and what you do when your "in" your psychosis will be a huge factor. For example, if you hear voices, but are able to still function and differentiate between your voices and real people, then are less likely to have a problem. But if you have a history of being violent or acting upon the suggestions of the voices, then you might not be able to drive. Any medication you take will be suspect. For example if one of the meds you take make you drowsy, you will have to have a history of treatment on this drug that shows you can drive and perform a safety sensitive job while on the medication. What it boils down to, is you will need to have an established history with a doctor showing that your psychosis is under control whether on medication or not. So it comes down to talking to your doctor about whether he would be hesitant to pass you on a DOT physical or if he would support you the whole way.
With the new regulations coming in, you will then have to get DOT physical from one of the "approved" DOT doctors and it makes passing that physical harder because now you have to deal with someone who has no idea about your history. Now say you have your psychosis under treatment, the meds are allowed and you have a history of managing it. It can be done, at the present.
Now, you did mention that you have never been "diagnosed". So that indicates to me, that the level of psychosis is not where you can't function in normal everyday life. You have to accept responsibility and honestly ask yourself, did at anytime in the past would I want to hurt myself of someone else? If the answer is no, then you have every right to pursue this career change. But once you get the health insurance and are able to start treating it, you must disclose to the doctor each and every time that you drive a truck. So any medication you start will be under that premise. You may have to take off of work for approx 2 weeks until therapeutic levels are attained and your reaction can be guaged. There are many meds you are not supposed to have or take unless you have a doctors Rx. But you can drive and take them with a Dr. prescription. They will show up in the UA, but if you have a prescription your fine.
But there many drugs that companies are now refusing to hire drivers that take these meds. For example, Chantrex to stop smoking. I was once told by my company that even though my dr prescribed me Bonitrol to lose weight that I could not take it. It was grounds for termination as it was of the amphitimene class. Obviously if your taking the really heavy stuff like Lithium, Thorazine or any of those types of drugs, you are likely not going to be passed by the doctor let alone be hired by a company.
So what it boils down to, is what does your current doctor say now? That will determine your next step. If he thinks you don't represent a risk to yourself or others and he thinks you can do this without medication, then you should. But be responsible. Because I will tell you, the stress and pressure that comes with trying to not only learn a new job and a new lifestyle will cause some psychosis full rein. You might get worse. You and your doctor will have to talk very seriously about this and what you will need to do if you were to have a major episode. I know that this is convoluted, but mental illness is convoluted, so the responses will be as well.
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Hey Bob, heard at MATS at the S2W you were interested in couples for your next challenge. Was wondering if you might also consider teams? My co-driver and I are both females, but not a couple... LOL! What we are really needing help on is forming exercises that can be done while lying down (with the top bunk down) or standing in the sleeper while the truck is moving. We usually are not in an area conducive to exercising (safety, no showers etc.) or we are constantly moving down the road. What do you think?.... Angel
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Edited by Miss Impala on Apr 5, 2010 at 07:35 PM
With only one month of driving, you will likely need to start with a company like CRST or SWIFT or Schneider that will either send you out with a trainer or send you back thru a school's program again. Problem is, there are hiring freezes everywhere and slow hiring cycles right now due to the economy. Or if you can hang with no benefits, start looking for someone that might be interested in training you like an O/O that wants some extra help or a co-driver. Be careful of that situation though as it can be dangerous. Be very sure of them before committing. Good luck!
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Alright! That is fantastic! We will surely gain more!
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Awesome idea about the cash advance time limit!
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Very good article! Well thought out...
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Thanks! I had heard they had gotten rid of the exemption, so I was wondering.. Thanks!
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Here is a list of some suggestions, or maybe I should say a manifest... hehehe
1. NO SMOKING IN ALL AREAS OF THE TRUCKSTOP UNLESS WALLED OFF! I can't go into a truck stop where smoking is allowed. I am allergic, but my boyfriend will end up on a ventilator due to it. We don't mind there being smoking allowed in restaurants, but it needs to be like the Sinclair in SLC,UT. The smoking section is completely enclosed room. But don't assume that just because we are truck drivers that we smoke. That would be like assuming just because someone drives a van that they are pedophile!
2. increased lighting in parking lots
3. increased patrol by local police
4. either hand-held shower heads, or shower heads that spray a stream in a single focused stream instead of raining down a mist in a circle around your body. You end up washing your hair in just half of the spray because of placement. Fans like what Pilot has, and the red heat lamps to turn on when cold.
5. rooms sort of like the way showers are set up, but instead contain simple gym equipment. treadmill with a tv, weights, exercise bike with a tv. Then you can either use your shower coupon to use the facilities or maybe pay by the hour. But you want private, women don't want to be working out in front of guys, make it personal. They can have 2-3 rooms that provide these and make money to take care of the equipment.
6. Better food choices, not only restaurant, but fast food. I drive team and the only time we have time to actually sit down for a meal is between loads. Stop serving salads and salad bar with iceberg lettuce. Offer a much better lettuce like romaine, spinach, leafy greens with actual nutritional content. TA actually offered the Grilled Cajun Catfish, it use to come with a California Medley (actual vegetables) then they changed it, now unless you want to pay more for actual vegetables, you get the soup and salad bar. Sorry, but the soup and salad bar don't do you any good if they contain things like potatoe salad, coleslaw, iceburg lettuce, all creamed soups, pudding, etc. I know they want to put things on the salad bar that people will actually eat, but we need healthier choices. But even if they offer grilled chicken or fish with an actual vegetable instead of corn or mash potatoes. And give us the option to be able to get the vegetables steamed without oil or butter. Fast food places like Subway right now are only offering about half the time spinach instead of iceburg lettuce.
Myself, I don't like the lounge areas, it increases loitering by homeless, peddlers, and lizards. But a lot of drivers do like them.
8. Fans in every shower, better exhaust fans to clear the humidity. No closet showers, teams can use just one shower, but we can’t if the shower room is too small.
9. Truck stops already sell products at a very high cost, so I purchase supplies at Wal-Mart and keep extra supplies as well. But they do need to have supplies for when you accidentally run out, especially things like AZO for those emergencies when you get a bladder infection, Pamprin or Midol, Pepto-Bismol, Imodium, basic emergency care products like band-aides, and Neosporin.
10. Massage or Chiropractic services. Though they do need to make it a bit more private, behind a screen it is very hard to relax to be able to get the most benefit of your treatment. I don’t think there are enough women drivers for someone to make it to provide a Nail Salon, but maybe the Massage, Chiropractic or Salon/Barbershop vendors might do a dual duty by becoming nail technicians.
11. Either make the dining room do double duty, which I love as long as it is non-smoking or set up an area either in the lounge or separate to accomadate those that want to get out of the truck and surf the internet on their laptops. I just spent 6 hours inside the Petro in the very back of the restaurant going online etc. It was very relaxing, the waitress's got a really good tip. But there are never enough electrical outlets. I team and even when I solo, I want to get out of the truck without having to pay for a motel. This gives me time to decompress.
Member Id#: 10736-D
Success is getting what you want, but Happiness comes with appreciating what you get!
Come and join my circle of friends at Facebook -----> Angel Grider
Edited by Miss Impala on Jan 23, 2010 at 07:04 PM
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