Missing Teen Found by Trucker

SPARTANBURG, SC (WSPA/WFMY) - A 13-year-old girl who met a man on the Internet weeks ago went missing Monday and was found by a very alert truck driver in South Carolina.

Alexandria Brooke Cagle, 13, went missing Monday after meeting a man on the internet who drove hundreds of miles to North Carolina to meet her, according to WFMY-TV.

Cagle, who is from the Burlington, NC area, was found near Spartanburg Wednesday with the man after being reported missing on Monday.

A towtruck driver, Beano Francis, was listening to a radio station when he heard a description of the car the pair might be traveling in.

A woman claiming to be the brother of Francis emailed WBTV on Thursday saying Francis lives in Shelby, NC and was driving to a Carmax dealership in Raleigh when he heard the radio information.

The next day, Francis was driving on I-85 on his way to a Carmax dealership in Greenville, SC when he saw a car matching the same description.

"Snap, soon as that car passed me, I mean he was right beside me, soon as he got beside me, I looked and I was like, that's the description. But when he passed me, and I saw West Virginia license plates, I thought this could be what I heard," Francis told WSPA-TV.

Francis followed the car as he directed authorities to it by cell phone. Police then found Cagle, who is from Alamance County near Burlington in North Carolina.

Tyler Ross Cole, 18, is facing charges of felony kidnapping, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and felonious larceny, WSPA reported.

Read more and view photos: http://www.wect.com

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Trailer Skirts: A Proven Fuel Saver

In tight economic times drivers are trying anything to save a few dollars, one trend that is catching on and has been proved effective are trailer skirts. Designed to streamline the trailer and reduce drag, this system provides an average 7.4% fuel savings at highway speeds. Freight Wing, one of the industry's largest suppliers of trailer side skirts now has about 10,000 units on the road with sales up threefold over the past year.

Currently trailer side fairings available in three types of material: aluminum, plastic, or fiberglass. Each has its strengths and its fans. The skirts effectiveness depends upon ground clearance, the closer to the ground the better savings. In SAE track testing, Freight Wing found its older-style aluminum fairings with 16 inches of ground clearance yielded a 4% fuel savings while its new Aeroflex product that rides just eight inches off the ground delivers a 7% fuel savings.

When skirt shopping, there are many things to consider, including weight, ground clearance, durability and ease of installation and repair. Some systems consist of multiple panels, which make repairs easier and less costly than replacing the entire system, but may break apart and look flimsy at highway speeds. Once you've installed a system, its suggest inspecting trailer fairings as part of the normal trailer inspection process, looking for loose fasteners and damaged brackets. For the most part, trailer fairings should be worry-free.

In addition to using the trailer skirts some drivers are also switching to low rolling resistance tires and reducing top speeds to 62mph, showing a collective 8.94% improvement! With fuel prices rising each month every little bit helps the pocket. Added up the money saved by switching to more efficient methods can pay for its self in about a year.

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1 in 3 Trucks Too Dangerous for Roads - Is Yours?

We continually work with our trucker clients to find ways to make them safe on the road, so when we found this article it surprised us. According to the California Highway Patrol 1 in 3 trucks are too dangerous for the road, based on 2010 inspection records. In fact, in the first nine months of this year, the Banning facility -- considered the main hub for commercial trucks heading into or out of California -- have recorded 38,879 equipment violations, 13, 724 traffic citations, 2,734 driver violations and 582 driver license problem that included revoked or suspended licenses!

You can read more of this article on NBC's website. We hope that all you truck drivers will be safe out on the road! If you have any questions about commercial truck insurance, or want to see if you are covered properly, call us toll free at Berrier Insurance 888-472-4915.