GOBBLE GOBBLE
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Posted:Nov 27, 2008 4:30 pm
Last Updated:May 15, 2024 12:32 am
1766 Views
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL ON BLACK FRIDAY..... WE ARE GOING TO HAVE THANKSGIVING ON FRIDAY WITH EVERYONE (FAMILY) CAUSE SOME OF OUR FAMILY HAD TO WORK ON TURKEY DAY..BUT WILL BE BACK ON FRIDAY IN PHOENIX AND AT THIS TIME HAVE NO IDEA IF GEORGE IS LEAVING ON SATURDAY OR NOT ... WAITING TO SEE
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Majority leader in Washington state goes to bat for truckers
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Posted:Nov 22, 2008 7:01 am
Last Updated:Nov 24, 2008 7:20 am
1786 Views
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Already cash-strapped trucking companies in Washington state were dealt a blow in late September when they received a letter from the state’s Department of Labor and Industries announcing that workers’ compensation rates would likely go up in 2009.
However, several state lawmakers ‒ including Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-24th Dist., have vowed to fight against the workers’ compensation rate increases, which she said could put some struggling businesses under if they are approved.
“With this economic crisis we are in and when you have an industry, for instance, the timber communities in this state‒ it’s very tenuous at best,” she told Land Line Magazine on Friday, Nov. 21. “If we keep raising their taxes, how in the world are they going to stay afloat when they are barely hanging on now?”
Kessler, who is majority leader in the House, said she spoke with Gov. Chris Gregoire about the rate hikes on Thursday, Nov. 20, and said she told her “this is a really bad time to be raising rates.”
“The governor said she would look into this because she agrees she’s not looking to make things harder than they already are for businesses right now,” she said.
Elaine Fischer, a Labor Department spokeswoman, told Land Line in early November the agency is sitting on a $1.6 billion budget surplus. Kessler said the actual amount may be as high as $3 billion.
While the state agency is proposing an across-the-board 3 percent increase for all businesses, the rates would be higher depending on a specific industry’s risk factors. Considered high-risk industries, both trucking and loggers’ workers’ compensation rates would go up well above 3 percent.
“They (L& are touting this as a 3 percent increase, but I think it’s disingenuous to say that because it’s really not,” Kessler said. “Trucking and logging operations are areas that will be hit harder than others.”
Kessler said one of her arguments against the workers’ comp increases was that they could “compound the already accelerated job loss we are feeling here in Washington state and across the nation.”
“I told the governor that maybe with such a healthy reserve and with the large unemployment rates we are facing and the fact that we might not have as many claims as in previous years, do we really need to raise them at this particular time,” she said.
Kessler said she will follow up with the governor next week. She regularly meets with Gregoire as part of “three-corner meetings,” along with the Senate majority leader and the speaker of the House.
OOIDA member Sherrie Bond of Chehalis, WA, met with Kessler earlier this week about the workers’ comp rate increase proposal. Bond also met with the Washington Forest Protection Association, a trade association representing private forest landowners in Washington state, which also opposes the increases.
Sherrie and her husband, Bob, have owned a log-hauling company for more than 40 years in Washington and have taken an active role in fighting for the rights of truckers.
Bond said she is committed to fighting the proposed workers’ compensation rate increases even though it may be too late to help her struggling business. She plans to meet with as many lawmakers as will listen to her in the next few weeks because the rates are scheduled to be approved in late November.
“When it comes to this industry, I always say there are those who hunt to feed everyone, those who gather to share the bounty, and the hyenas who come in afterwards, clean the bones and praise themselves for being such great hunters,” she told Land Line recently.
Washington state businesses are urged to contact Gov. Chris Gregoire’s office to express opposition to the workers’ compensation rate increases. Click here to send a letter to her office.
‒ By Clarissa Kell-Holland, staff writer
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Proposal would triple vehicle license fees in California
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Posted:Nov 22, 2008 7:00 am
Last Updated:Nov 22, 2008 2:50 pm
1894 Views
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Anyone who licenses a car or truck in California will see big price increases if new proposals are adopted.
The Los Angeles Times reported that some lawmakers are proposing to triple car and truck license fees to make up for a state budget shortfall expected to be $28 billion during the next year and a half.
The increase for a $25,000 vehicle would be $336. The higher fees would generate an estimated $6 billion a year.
It is not clear whether Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would support the plan
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Yes, (West) Virginia, there is a ticket quota
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Posted:Nov 22, 2008 6:59 am
Last Updated:May 15, 2024 12:32 am
1801 Views
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A report released this week by the auditor for the West Virginia state legislature is confirming what truckers have known for many years ‒ that, yes, ticket quotas are alive and well in the “Mountain State.”
The 55-page report was titled “Legislative Performance Review of the West Virginia State Police.” In it the state auditor took the state police to task for policies requiring officers to meet a specified number of traffic ticket citations each month or face disciplinary action. Also highlighted in the auditor’s report was the fact that West Virginia does not have a statewide policy for imposing ticket quotas.
OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer told Land Line Magazine on Thursday, Nov. 20, that the audit report in West Virginia confirmed a scenario that truckers know “all too well,” which happens in various states and municipalities across the country.
However, he said he has noticed a significant increase in the number of state and local police departments that have stepped up their enforcement efforts as a way to “boost their revenue sources” as they face budget shortfalls because of declining economic conditions.
Spencer said it is important to point out that even though West Virginia reported increased enforcement efforts, the rate of fatal road accidents did not change significantly.
“This report confirms what we have known for a long time: These ticket quotas do not correlate with improved highway safety,” he said.
The report also states the WVSP is “more focused on road law, as opposed to criminal investigation.”
One trooper told auditors that murder investigations and traffic citations are counted equally, so that if officers spend too much time following up on criminal investigations and are low on their minimum number of “contacts” for the month, “they tell you to go out and write citations.”
‒ By Clarissa Kell-Holland, staff writer
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What is OOIDA?
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Posted:Nov 18, 2008 7:16 pm
Last Updated:May 15, 2024 12:32 am
1758 Views
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I GET THIS QUESTION ALOT FROM PEOPLE SO HERE IS SOMETHING TO EXPLAIN IT....
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the international trade association representing the interests of independent owner-operators and professional drivers on all issues that affect truckers. The more than 160,000 members of OOIDA are men and women in all 50 states and Canada who collectively own and/or operate more than 240,000 individual heavy-duty trucks and small truck fleets.
Operator Independent Drivers Association has been fighting for the rights of professional truckers against government and unscrupulous carriers.
Since 1973, the Association has actively advocated the views of professional truckers through its interaction with state, provincial and federal government agencies, legislatures, the courts, other associations, and private businesses to advance an equitable environment for commercial drivers. OOIDA is active in all aspects of highway safety and transportation policy, and represents the positions of professional truckers on numerous committees and in various forums on the local, state, provincial, national and international levels.
What has OOIDA accomplished?
HERES A FEW THINGS
OOIDA has made great strides during the past 35 years, but we believe the biggest accomplishments are those yet to come.
In the 70’s, new member benefit programs were added to provide big fleet prices and benefits to small-business truckdrivers. Helping truckers to trim costs and maximize per-mile revenue was (and continues to be) a priority.
OOIDA worked throughout the 70’s to bring the problems of professional truckers to the attention of lawmakers in Congressional hearings. These hearings resulted in the creation of the leasing regulations that still exist today.
Additionally, in 1974, and again in 1979, OOIDA was instrumental in getting mandatory fuel surcharge programs for truckers put in place.
During much of the 80’s, OOIDA worked towards gaining fair tax treatment from individual states. Lawsuits were filed against many states that set up discriminatory tax plans toward owner-operators and millions of dollars were ultimately returned to business owners.
OOIDA also regularly fought attempts by the US DOT to strip the rights of truckers at random roadside stops and inspections.
OOIDA’s strong lobbying efforts paid off in 1982 when nationwide uniform truck size and weight limits were established by Congress through the Surface Transportation Assistance Act. Later, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) froze the weight of longer combination vehicles and limited them to routes that were allowed by the states.
Beginning in the early 90’s, OOIDA challenged the abusive practices of the Tennessee Public Service Commission toward drivers. A few years later, OOIDA (and all drivers) won this battle and the Tennessee PSC was abolished.
In the mid-90’s, OOIDA was able to convince lawmakers that individual states should decide speed limits—not the U.S. Congress. OOIDA pushed for this change in the law with the help of the National Motorists Association, and over the objections of the American Trucking Association. Still today, you will not find another organization that fights for uniform speed limits or the abolishment of split speed limits for truckers on a consistent basis.
After the ICC was dissolved, OOIDA fought hard to preserve protections for owner-operators and our efforts paid off as the ICC Termination Act included provisions to retain the truth-in-leasing regulations, allowing truckers to settle carrier disputes by filing a civil suit.
In recent years, OOIDA attorneys have been focused on stopping the many violations of the leasing regulations that occur in owner-operator leasing contracts. OOIDA continues to file more lawsuits against motor carriers and several states in order to fight unfair and illegal treatment of drivers, violation of lumping laws, and private right of action, as well as double taxation.
OOIDA continues to work on a number of important trucking issues as lawmakers consider highway programs for the next several years.
We are fighting efforts to eliminate all regulations that currently apply to transportation brokers as has been proposed by the Bush Administration. We believe there should be far greater oversight…not less.
We continue to push for creation of more rest areas through any and all means available.
We are opposing efforts to turn our interstate highways into toll roads while pursuing opportunities to allow truckers to offset their increased costs for fuel, etc., through all available means.
We are fighting efforts to divert highway tax money to non-highway related purposes.
We are encouraging lawmakers to pursue a remedy to all of the lost time of drivers in the loading and unloading environment, and how this situation contributes to non-compliance with the rules, and highway safety.
OOIDA is also pushing for comprehensive mandatory training for entry-level drivers--the kind of training that will teach new drivers to be safe and to comply with the rules—the kind of training that will ultimately elevate the caliber of people seeking to enter this industry as drivers.
OOIDA fought hard against the DOT's Mexican truck pilot program, and was instrumental in getting the funding cut off for the project.
We are proud of our record of effective representation for the professional trucker. As we grow we will continue to fight for our members' best interests in new and more powerful ways. THATS OOIDA SAY NO TO CHEAP FREIGHT AND IF YOU OWN IT A TRUCK BROUGHT TO YOU  
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Lessons learned from Minnesota bridge collapse
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Posted:Nov 18, 2008 7:09 pm
Last Updated:May 15, 2024 12:32 am
1748 Views
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Federal officials are calling for the bridge inspection process to change following the release of an NTSB report that cited design flaws and inadequate load capacity as contributing to the collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis in August 2007.
The collapse killed 13 people and injured 145 during the evening rush hour on Aug. 1, 2007.
The National Transportation Safety Board issued its final report on Friday, Nov. 14, declaring that a design flaw during previous modifications plus the weight and placement of construction equipment created the perfect storm that led to the collapse of the Interstate 35 span.
“We believe this thorough investigation should put to rest any speculation as to the root cause of this terrible accident and provide a roadmap for improvements to prevent future tragedies,” NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker stated in the board’s report.
U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, D-MN, who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the future of bridge inspections must change to prevent future tragedies.
“Inspectors will now have to go back to the design of the bridge itself, to review the engineering documents,” Oberstar stated.
“They can no longer assume that the bridge was properly designed.”
NTSB officials said the inadequate design of the bridge’s gusset plates, while the responsibility of the designing firm, were not detected by state or federal transportation officials in previous reviews of the 40-year-old I-35W bridge.
Oberstar said there are 740 bridges of similar age and design in the U.S.
Oberstar filed a bill in the House of Representatives following the bridge collapse, calling for the federal government to spend $1 billion and revise the way structurally deficient bridges are prioritized for repair or replacement.
The bill, HR3999, passed the House overwhelmingly but was stalled on the Senate floor prior to the recent federal election.
Congress and the Barack Obama administration will have the task of addressing the nation’s aging highway and bridge infrastructure as committees, including Oberstar’s, set out to write the next large-scale transportation due in Congress in 2009.
In the meantime, current U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters directed the Federal Highway Administration to revise its training materials and inspection procedures and to work with the states to improve the design process.
“All of us in the business of transportation safety have an absolute responsibility to ensure that the right lessons and the right conclusions are drawn from this terrible incident,” Peters stated.
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Tester at West Plains, MO, driving school sentenced for fraud
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Posted:Nov 18, 2008 7:08 pm
Last Updated:May 15, 2024 12:32 am
1747 Views
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The tester for a West Plains, MO, driving school was sentenced Monday, Nov. 17, for his role in a conspiracy to provide Somali and Bosnian nationals with CDLs that they didn’t earn.
The Springfield News-Leader reported that Orbin Dale May, 66, was sentenced to one year and a day in federal prison without parole for his role in the scheme. May admitted that he gave incomplete or inadequate driving tests at the South Central Career Center Truck Driver Training School and fraudulently certified that applicants had legitimately passed the driving tests.
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Early and absentee voters include long-haul truckers
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Posted:Nov 4, 2008 4:17 pm
Last Updated:May 15, 2024 12:32 am
1762 Views
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If early or absentee voting is any indication of how big the truck vote will be, it’ll be record-breaking.
OOIDA member Danny Schnautz voted early in his home state of Texas with only a 20-minute wait. Schnautz said he always votes early.
“I have a voting record that indicates I’ve not missed a vote (even small elections) for a long time,” he said. “We’ve had a busy political year. We did much candidate work throughout 2008 starting a year ago and ramping up in the primaries in February and March.”
Schnautz reports he “walked for candidates many, many days; attended many events in evenings; hosted one large event (about 60 attended) for a candidate; and helped at many others since then.”
Schnautz has long been involved with the process of voting. His wife, Celessa, is presiding judge for Precinct 534 in Harris County on Election Day.
“I am the precinct chair for Precinct 534 and always decline the Presiding Judge position ‒ but this year, being a big year, my wife said she’d do it,” said Schnautz. “I’m one of her clerks. She has nine slots total available, has seven filled, probably can’t fill the last two ‒ hard to get people involved.”
Clark Freight Lines in Pasadena, TX, will operate without Schnautz on Election Day.
“I’ve never missed work for this but since she’s doing this, then this year I thought I’d miss a day of work for it,” he said.
OOIDA Life Member Paul Sansoucy of Carroll, OH, took care of business two weeks ago when he cast an absentee ballot.
“The state sends the ballot to the local polling location, and it was up to me to pick it up early,” he said. “But I couldn’t do that as I was on the road.”
Tomblin said he had to request a special arrangement, and the state begrudgingly made an exception to send the ballot to his home in Huntington so Tomblin’s wife could FedEx it to a location where he could pick it up.
“I am glad the state made an accommodation for me because I would not be able to vote otherwise,” said Tomblin, who thinks this is an option truckers need to have, instead of it being a special exception made by the state.
Florida’s huge response to early and absentee voting has captured national headlines in the days preceding the big election. OOIDA member David Sweetman of Tallahassee, FL, voted two weeks ago by absentee ballot and reports his wife voted early.
DuWayne Marshall, OOIDA member from Wisconsin, voted absentee and found his state’s process “very convenient.” He said he sent the request and came home about 10 days later to find the ballot waiting for him.
“I filled out it, my wife signed as my witness, and I dropped it in the mail,” Marshall said, who said he almost always uses the absentee ballot to vote.
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Homophobia, prejudice & attitudes
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Posted:Nov 4, 2008 4:13 pm
Last Updated:May 15, 2024 12:32 am
1859 Views
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There is no single definition for the term ‘homophobia’, as it covers a wide range of different viewpoints and attitudes. Homophobia describes hostility or fear of gay people and homosexuality, but it is not limited to this specifically. For example someone might be called homophobic if they dislike gay people; or if someone is violent towards a gay person they could also be described as homophobic.
A 2007 report by UK gay rights organization Stonewall found that gay people in the UK experience more extreme homophobia as young people than as adults. The research found that two thirds of young gay, lesbian and bisexual pupils had experienced direct bullying in Britain’s schools. 92% of young gay people had been subject to verbal abuse, and 41% has been physically assaulted.
A 2008 survey found that 66% of gay and lesbian people would expect to face barriers due to their sexuality if they wanted to run as an MP in the UK. One in five lesbian and gay people in the UK said they had experienced bullying in the workplace as a result of their sexual orientation.
In 2005 a gay man was killed every two days in Latin America because of his sexuality. In Brazil, where the government launched a campaign against homophobia in 2004, 2,509 gay men were murdered between 1997 and 2007.
In many African countries, such as Zimbabwe and Zambia, homophobia is legitimized by governments, and gay people face persecution and violence from police, employers, hospitals and community organizations. In South Africa, the law has been changed to improve rights for gay and lesbian people, however it remains to be seen whether social attitudes towards homosexuality have really improved in that country.
In India, lesbians are stigmatized more severely than gay men, as there is huge social and family pressure for women to get married. India’s traditional family-oriented culture provides no space for open discussion of sexuality. Gay and lesbian people are subject to harassment and persecution from police and government agencies.
In Iran in 2005, two men were executed for alleged homosexual activity. President Ahmadinejad demonstrated the Iranian government’s attitude towards homosexuality in a speech in the US in 2007, when he claimed that there were no homosexuals in Iran.
So it could be worse.. Just let people do what they want and what they feel like doing as long its not murder and are not involved.
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The Best Sexual Positions: The Top 5 Mistakes Most Guys Make
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Posted:Nov 4, 2008 1:39 pm
Last Updated:Nov 8, 2008 3:06 pm
2349 Views
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One of the many challenges men have is to decide on what positions to use when getting booty. The biggest fears are that the woman will get bored with the "same old, same old" and as a result lose interest in sex. So the question becomes, what are the best sexual positions?
The best way to explain this is to talk about what NOT to do. With that in mind, I'll now talk about the top five mistakes guys make when it comes to sexual positions, so that way you won't continue making them.
Position Mistake 1: Imitating anything seen in a porn movie. This is probably the biggest reason that guys fail with sexual positions. Inexperienced guys think porn is a good model because they see studs banging beautiful broads, andÖ well, they just don't know any better. The problem is that sexual positions in those sorts of movies are meant to display a good scene for viewers, not to maximize pleasure for the actors.
And in fact, one of the WORST positions for clitoral and vaginal stimulation is when the woman puts her ankles on your shoulders. With her pelvis bent back that far, she can feel pain in her cervix if you push in too far. Plus it's a position that puts pressure. (If you ever have a chance to go behind the scenes and watch the making of an adult movie, you'll see how quickly the mood gets killed when the actress keeps having to stop the scene to go to the bathroom!)
Position Mistake 2: Trying too hard to keep your weight off the woman, in any position. To a woman, sex is a way to get closer to her man. She loves it when he leans on the underside of her thighs. So here's a tip for you to try... Next time you're having sex with your woman (while you're engaged in actual intercourse, that is), get more of your weight on her. You see, during sex, almost every woman enjoys feeling her man's body pressed hard against her.
So how much weight should you put on her? Make it enough so that after you come, and the sexual frenzy dissipates, your woman will tell you that she feels like she's being smooshed. Of course, do this within limits! If you're on top off her grinding her pubic bone for too long, it can feel painful for her.
But the bottom line is that many, many women like to be pressured by at least some of the man's weight. So save the gentlemanly sex for the royal family's women!
Position Mistake 3: Letting the woman do all the work when she's on top. For virtually every woman, sex is mostly a passive activity. So by being the motionless beta male, you destroy the whole purpose of sex for her, which is to open herself up to you penetrating into her body.
Position Mistake 4: Being a wimp. A lot of guys have read too many "Men are From Mars"-type books and think women like it if you ask permission for everything and let them take the lead. Be the alpha male instead and just "do it." Flip her over, move her here and there. Be aggressive and even toss her about like a rag doll when you want to change positions, and... she'll LOVE it! And don't worry about it. If something is going on that the woman doesn't like, she'll let you know.
Position Mistake 5: Thinking the trickier positions are better. You don't need to be upside down, hanging from a lamp, and doing something crazy. Just be normal. An old standby like the missionary (man on top, woman lying on her back) can be the best sexual position.
Tricky positions are just frustrating for everybody and often kill the mood because there's too much "where should I put my arm?"... and not enough "let's just have fun exploring."
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relationship???
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Posted:Nov 4, 2008 1:36 pm
Last Updated:May 15, 2024 12:32 am
1680 Views
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I'm sure you've wondered why there are some women who have longer, happier relationships with the men in their lives than others? You've probably attributed it to the men (they had all the great qualities), or the attraction between them (it was true love), or they were simply compatible (they were "meant" for each other).
The truth is, there are no rules in the dating game. Everything happens spontaneously. You can't say you're in love, but you just feel it in the gut. I'm sure you've felt this before with a man in your life, and that's the easy part - most women know how to get into a relationship. The tricky part is in keeping the relationship growing.
Many women tend to take along some hurts from previous relationships. And when they see these hurts about to resurface in their present relationship, they do everything in their power to fix it and keep it from "getting in the way" again.
The problem is that men do not take all this fuss very well. They see you as making such a big deal out of a little problem, and no amount of convincing, explaining, and arguing can make them see things the way you do. Needless to say, this disagreement can escalate until the relationship falls apart.
Here's how to keep your emotions from getting in the way of a good relationship:
1) Establish a deeper emotional connection with your man. It's easy to fall in love with a guy with just his looks, but it takes a deeper emotional connection to make a relationship last. Focus on his good attributes and learn to appreciate them, diverting your attention from any gnawing issues you might find.
2) Understand your man better - go the extra mile and try to be in touch with his interests and beliefs. This makes your relationship more interesting, and it opens the doors to a more giving (and forgiving) setup with him. He'll appreciate the fond attention, and will be more likely to reciprocate your efforts.
3) Don't give in to him too easily. When a guy tells you that he'd like to get involved in a deeper relationship right after the first date, don't fall into the trap. Firstly, rushing into a relationship will make him lose interest in you in a heartbeat, and the relationship will end just as quickly. Set your terms and tell him what you're expecting in a relationship. Whether he gets motivated or shies away, you rid yourself of a great deal of emotional trauma.
4) Keep communicating with him. The more the two of you talk about yourselves, the better your chances of establishing a deeper connection with him in all aspects of the relationship.
Don't waste your time looking for Mr Perfect. Relationships don't simply fall into place - it takes a lot of work on the part of both you and your man. So next time you feel that deep attraction for your man, make sure you do your part - if you do, chances are he'll do the same, and the relationship will only get better from there.
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HELLO TO ALL..... I AM IN ....
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Posted:Sep 23, 2008 4:19 pm
Last Updated:Sep 23, 2008 7:24 pm
1837 Views
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I AM IN PHOENIX AND LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO STAY AT WHILE HUBBY IS ON THE ROAD AND I HAVE 2 DOGS ONE BIG HUSKY 49 LBS AND ONE TACO BELL 4.6 LBS....LOOKING FOR A 2 BEDROOM CAUSE WE HAVE A CO - DRIVER WE HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR...
THANK KRIS AND GEORGE
AND IF ANY GUYS WANT TO PLAY YOU HAVE TALK TO THE HUBBY AND SEE WHAT HE SAYS... THATS THE RULES...PEACE
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