Death of Tow Truck Driver: Hit and Run Culprit Caught

We at Berrier Insurance, commercial truck insurance specialists, were just as stunned as everyone else when we heard the news of one of our local boys being killed. March 21 at about 4:15 a tow truck driver was killed by a hit-and-run vehicle on Interstate 80 near Newcastle. The news shocked our entire community, and worse there were no leads as to who may have done it. It seemed that 30-year-old David Garfield Robinson Jr. killer would get away. However, thanks to a chance encounter police have now arrested 25-year-old Christopher Michael Keller.

Chance Encounter Leads To Hit-Run Arrest - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento

Commercial Truckers Take the "Leap"

Learn about the lore of February 29th with Berrier insurance, commercial truck insurance specialists. With 2012 comes the gift of an extra day: 24 hours for our calendar to catch up with the sun—and for us to catch up on DVR recordings. This is because a year isn't really 365 days, in fact our planet actually takes 365 1/4 days to revolve around the sun. These six additional hours each year add up to an extra 24 hours over four years, at which point we add a day to our calendar. Without leap day, annual events would slowly shift seasons—eventually, we'd be celebrating Christmas in July. However the system still isnt perfect. While the calculation of 365 1/4 days for the Earth to lap the sun is close, the true figure is actually about 11 minutes short of that, and this tiny miscalculation caused a day of discrepancy every 128 years. In 1582, it was ruled that leap year would be skipped three times every four centuries to fix the snag. While Feb. 29 may feel like your average day, its once-every-four-years status has long linked it to myth and lore.

• Hundreds of years ago people thought that messing with our months would throw Mother Nature for a loop. Farmers worried that the change would lower crop yields and sicken livestock. In fact, a Scottish saying declared that "leap year was never a good sheep year."
• Those born on Feb. 29 are called "leaplings" or "leapers." Legal permissions like getting a driver license or drinking alcohol are granted on whichever day a particular region deems official. Most U.S. states test leaplings' patience by making them wait until the 1st.
• Four hundred years ago, women weren't allowed to propose marriage to men… except on leap day. While the source of this switcheroo isn't 100 percent clear. folklore traces the tradition to fifth-century Ireland, when St. Bridget supposedly complained to St. Patrick that gals were sick of waiting around for their procrastinating men to pop the question. Patrick consented to a leap day role reversal and, by some accounts, also declared that men who declined the proposal would be fined!

Truckers take the leap today and call to get your free quote from Berrier Insurance for all of your commercial truck insurance needs!!

Stronger Emission Regulations On Commercial Trucking

Uh-oh sorry guys, we hate to be the bearer of bad news but Berrier Insurance, commercial truck insurance specialists, just had to share the latest news about the EPA granting the federal government the ability to tighten emission regulations.

Federal government now wants to regulate commercial trucks and RV's in a similar way to passenger cars in attempt to decrease emissions. Commercial trucks and buses must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 percent and overhaul engine design starting with models built in 2014. Most operators will need to spend thousands upgrading their rigs or buying new vehicles, as you can imagine not everyone is happy about this. With thousands already invested into their trucks, most owner operators fear that they won’t be on the roads much longer. In recent years the trucking industry has been feeling the chains of regulation tightening around them making business harder to manage and keep afloat financially. A group of California truckers contending the regulations has filed suit to block them. Even so, these regulations have the support of the large and powerful American Trucking Association.

Commercial Truck Leaves Family Suspended on Bridge: The Amazing Rescue

Berrier Insurance, commercial truck insurance specialists, would like to thank the amazing Fire Fighters Police Officers and especially the Navy Seabees for their bravery and quick action. We would like to share their story of bravery with you.


A mother and her two daughters were rescued from their car left teetering on a California freeway bridge after a gravel truck had hit them in the northbound lanes of U.S. Route 101. The rescue was a joint effort of the fire department and a team of Navy Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion.

The truck rear-ended the car then plunged into a creek bursting into flames, killing the California trucker, while the BMW struck the bridge’s railing and sat suspended on the edge of a 100-foot drop into the creek with Kelli Groves and two daughters, ages 10 and 10 months, trapped inside.

The Navy Seabees happened to be passing by the scene in transport of a forklift from Fort Hunter Liggett where NMCB 3 had finished a pre-deployment certification exercise in mid-December. Equipment Operator 1st Class (SCW) Frankie Cruz, Construction Mechanic 2nd Class (SCW) Michael McCracken, and Equipment Operator Construction man Clinton Roberts of NMCB 3 along with Construction Mechanic 2nd Class (SCW) Shawn Legg, Construction Mechanic 2nd Class (SCW) Benjamin Mead, and Construction Mechanic 3rd Class (SCW) James Winters from the 31SRG.

"As the fire department was cutting the car to get the family out, it kept on slipping over the bridge and faced a 100 foot fall," said McCracken, the forklift operator. "I talked to the fire captain in charge and he was excited to hear that we had an extendable-boom forklift just 200 to 300 feet behind the wreck and he said to go get it." The Seabees off-loaded the forklift to stabilize the car so rescue crews could use the Jaws of Life to extract the mother and her two young children.

An hour later family was pulled out of their demolished car and hospitalized. "The mom and two children are all alive, and we had a hand in it," said McCracken. "That is the biggest thing that I got out of it." "We were just in the right place at the right time,"

Once again thank you to every one who had a part to play in this rescue from Berrier Insurance. To read more on this story visit: SFGate Article

Attention Commercial Truckers!: Important Change in CDL Requirements

Have a Commercial Driver License? Doesn’t matter if you are currently operating or not, this new law applies to you. If you have not self-certified as an "interstate" or "intrastate" driver by 2014 you could be pulled off the road and have your CDL revoked. How do you know which one to register as? If you plan on trucking outside of your state or if the load you are hauling originated out of state or is headed out of state, then you will be required to self-certify as an interstate commerce driver. If you do self-certify that you’re operating as interstate commerce, then your medical data, or medical examiners certificate, will become part of your driver record. If you self-certify as an intrastate driver, no medical records are required and you will simply receive a "U" restriction on your license. Either way you are required to go into a DMV office after January 30th 2012 and register as one or the other. The following video further clarifies this new Federal requirement.

Commercial Tow Truck Driver Bitten By Police Dog

A police dog sniffing for illegal drugs chomped the arm of a commercial tow truck driver, who had been hired to tow a vehicle suspected of containing hidden compartments full of drugs. The driver was not seriously injured, having been released from the hospital with only a few bandages.

The department would not release the canine's name, saying the matter remained under administrative review. "Right now we're looking at the conditions that were present and the dog's temperament," Capt. Mark Gagan said. "I would mention that in the past few days, this dog has helped the narcotics unit seize 4 kilos of cocaine and arrest an armed felon."

Why the dog bit the tow driver remains a mystery. Drug traffickers often modify cars to hide large amounts of contraband in door panels, the engine compartment or other spots. "They were raising the car to search under the engine block," Gagan said. "While the tow operator was raising the car, the dog walked away from the vehicle and approached the driver and two undercover officers."

The incident happened in Richmond California, about 7 p.m. in the Police Department's rear parking lot.

Police would not comment on the narcotics investigation.

Source: Tow Industries Week

Truck Insurance Specialists Report: Tiger Truck Stop

Last year Berrier Insurance, truck insurance specialist, blogged about Tony the Truck Stop Tiger and got a lot of response, most of it negative. Animal activists made their options loud and clear so much so that we removed the post entirely. Despite never having stated whether we were in support or against the removal of Tony from his home we felt that the visceral responses, and even a few threats, were reason enough for us to remove the post. Now a little over a year later Tony has made headlines again. State officials have revoked the permit allowing to keep the Bengal-Siberian mix and are prohibited from issuing a new permit. Tony will be allowed to stay in his current home until the owner's permit expires in December, but then he must be relocated and place into the custody of either ALDF or an accredited animal sanctuary. To read more visit Free Tony the Tiger or Tiger Truck Stop.

Tow Truck Insurance To Relocate 91-Year-Old Steam Locomotive?

In Adair Park, North Lakeland Florida, on November 1st there was quite a sight to witness as two heavy rescue trucks were used to lift a train clear into the air, I bet when they were shopping for tow truck insurance they never thought they were going to be doing something like this.

A 91-year-old 111,000-pound steam locomotive was lifted into the air by two tow trucks and placed it onto a trailer so it could be delivered for restoration and then relocated to a museum in Newton, N.C. It was a bittersweet day for people who grew up with the train as a dozen residents took pictures with cameras and phones, but people were glad to hear the locomotive will undergo a $1 million restoration and placed in a museum.

Officials at the Southeastern Narrow Gauge and Short Line Museum had expressed interest in the locomotive a few years ago, after it was decided that the train had to be moved from the area because of a deal between the city and Lakeland Regional Medical Center, which has plans to expand south as part of a future major renovation. The museum was the only business to make a bid on the train when the city decided to sell it. “We were fortunate to find someone to refurbish it and not turn it into scrap metal,” said Bob ­Donahay, assistant parks and recreation.

Number 50 is a standard gauge mogul that was built by the American Locomotive Co. in 1922. It was used for many years by the Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation to haul phosphate rock. In 1958 it was taken out of service in and then donated to the city of Lakeland in 1961. It’s expected that the locomotive will be restored in about eight months, and in the coming years, there is hope that the museum will raise enough money so the locomotive can run again.

If you think you will be lifting a train into the air contact Berrier Insurance for a fast free quote on tow truck insurance!

I-80 Serial Killer??

The baffling disappearance of a Reno man while traveling along Interstate 80 in northern Nevada has some lawmen considering a chilling possibility -- that a serial killer might be prowling Nevada roads, picking off unsuspecting victims. The investigation has led some lawmen to suspect that a killer, or killers, working as long-haul truck drivers are prowling that lonely corridor up north, carrying out what might be thrill-kills.



Truck drivers responded in a big way, offering ideas about the mystery trailer in the freeze frame. Anyone with information about any of these cases is asked to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office. Thanks to those who have responded, we appreciate our trucker friends a lot. Stay alert and please report any suspicious activity, you guys are on the road a lot and have seen a great many things, we know we've heard the stories.

Get a free quote for commercial trucking at berrierinsurance.com or call one of our experts at 530-823-8000. We can offer you the lowest and most comprehensive coverage for your trucks, business, or personal autos!

Retreading Technology

Snider Tire Inc. has produced its first retread at its sixth Michelin Retread Technologies (MRT) retread plant, this one located at its headquarters in Greensboro, N.C. Snider Tire became an MRT franchisee in May 2009 with two MRT retread plants and has opened or acquired four additional MRT plants during the past two years.

The Greensboro plant showcases the latest MRT process technology, which is unique in the retreading industry, according to John K. Snider, president and CEO.

MRT is the only retreading process using X-ray casing inspection, he said, adding that MRT is also the only retreading process using laser shearography nondestructive inspection on 100 percent of casings.

The MRT process uses patented curing technology that provides highly consistent results from tire to tire.

Its PLCcontrols have touch screen interfaces to reduce operator error and maximize consistency for fleet customers.

“Snider Tire and MRT retreads are a great match for our customers,” Snider said. “Since we started in 1976, our people have always been focused on providing our customers the best possible products and services to help lower their operating costs.”

“Snider Tire has long been recognized for the quality of its people and service to the fleets,” said Francois Corbin, COO of Michelin Americas Truck Tires. “With its latest MRT plant, John Snider and his team will help us continue to improve the quality and consistency of MRT commercial truck services for fleet customers.”

“Combining Snider Tire’s service with MRT’s advanced retread process and products will be a great complement to the franchise network,” Bill Guzick, vice president of business development for Michelin Americas Truck Tires, said. “Michelin’s commitment to fleets is that they will never be out of reach of Michelin-certified service and products, including quality retreads. Snider Tire is a key component in that customer promise.”

After 14 years of operations, the Michelin Retread Technologies Network has 44 franchise members with 78 retreading plants in North America.

Snider Tire is one of the largest commercial tire dealers in the United States. It provides new truck tires, MRT retreads, and a broad range of services through its 42 locations for local, regional, and national commercial fleets.

Don't forget to check out our site, its just had a facelift! We specialize in commercial trucking insurance including tow truck insurance! That's not all we do though, we can also get you coverage for your motorcycle, ATVs, personal auto, and boats! Visit us at BerrierInsurance.com and call us for a quick free quote at 888-472-4915.

Good choice, Bad choice: gas station options

When you’re on the road, the grocery store is closed and there’s no civilization in sight, a convenience store may be your only choice for dinner. If you’re looking for protein, look beyond the hot dogs for something a little healthier.

Good choice: Pemmican Beef Jerky

Badchoice : Ball Park Hot Dog

Calories and Fat: One Ball Park hot dog has 180 calories and 15g of fat, compared to a serving of Pemmican Beef Jerky at 80 calories and 0.5g of fat.

Difference: Hot dogs are a popular gas station food because they’re cheap. That’s because they’re filled with cheap, mechanically processed meat. Not only are hot dogs made of cheap animal parts, they’re filled with preservatives like sodium nitrate. Per serving, each dog has 100 more calories and 14.5 more grams of fat than beef jerky. Hot dogs also pack 40mg of cholesterol and 5g of saturated fat compared to beef jerky’s 25mg and 0g. And when you need a protein punch, beef jerky gives 13g of protein while a hot dog only has 5g.

We know its tough to be out on the road our trucker friends, but we're here to make things a little easier for you. We dont just offer insurance we offer peace of mind and security for those "oops" moments. In the time it takes you too gobble down that bad choice hot dog we could get you started on the right path for insurance. Call us at Berrier Insurance 888-472-4915 for your FREE commercial truck insurance quote! You can also go online to our recently revamped site at Berrierinsurance.com

Trucker blows up like a 'balloon' after falling on air hose

Today, another reminder that real life is not like a cartoon: A New Zealand truck driver says his body blew up "like a balloon" after he fell onto a compressed air hose, which pierced his buttock and forced air into his body, in a situation that was surely much more horrifying than when this sort of thing happens to Wile E. Coyote.

Steven McCormack was standing on his truck's foot plate Saturday when he slipped and fell, breaking a compressed air hose off an air reservoir that powered the truck's brakes.

He fell hard onto the brass fitting, which pierced his left buttock and started pumping air into his body.

"I felt the air rush into my body and I felt like it was going to explode from my foot," he told local media from his hospital bed in the town of Whakatane, on North Island's east coast.

Today, McCormack is OK after being treated at a hospital, where doctors determined that the air forcing its way into his body at 100 pounds a square inch did not enter his blood stream, but it did divide his muscle from fat.

What a random accident! We really hope he had good insurance lol
You could get a free quote for commercial trucking insurance at BerrierInsurance.com or call one of our experts at 888-472-4915. We can offer you the lowest prices and most comprehensive coverage for your trucks, business, or worker's compensation, just in case you fall on an air hose :)

CA Trucker Busted for Cross Border Marijuana Smuggling

A truck driver was sentenced Monday to nearly 22 years in prison for hauling about 10 tons of marijuana that was smuggled through a sophisticated cross-border tunnel, one of the largest marijuana busts in U.S. history.

Carlos Cunningham, 28, acknowledged carrying 19,400 pounds of marijuana in his trailer when he was arrested Nov. 2 at a weigh station in Temecula, southeast of Los Angeles.

"That is an extraordinary, remarkable amount," said U.S. District Judge Larry Burns. "It's enough to fill a house."

U.S. authorities later seized 16 tons in a San Diego warehouse where the tunnel ended, and Mexican authorities reported seizing nearly five tons on the Mexican side of the tunnel, bringing the total haul to more than 30 tons.

Later in November, U.S. authorities found another cross-border tunnel inside a warehouse of the same San Diego industrial district, leading to seizures of nearly 21 tons of marijuana on both sides of the border. Cunningham was not charged in connection with that passage.

U.S. investigators suspect that both tunnels were overseen by Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, whose leader, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, is that country's most-wanted drug lord. They were lined with rail tracks, ventilation and lighting.

Burns sentenced Cunningham to 21 years, eight months in prison for conspiring to distribute marijuana, more than two years longer than what prosecutors recommended. He said he would consider reducing the punishment if Cunningham continued to cooperate with investigators.

"It is not a secret that Mr. Cunningham is cooperating with investigators," the judge said.

Prosecutors alleged in a court filing this month that Daniel Navarro was "the transportation manager and distributor" for both passages and they identify him as Cunningham's boss. Navarro has pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with the second tunnel.

Cunningham, of Oceanside, told authorities that he was being paid $10,000 to drive the trailer from the San Diego area to Los Angeles, according to court records. When he pleaded guilty in January, he admitted hauling large loads of marijuana on "multiple occasions" in July, August and November.

"I'm sorry, your honor, for what I've done and I really regret my decision," Cunningham told the judge.

His attorney, Gretchen VonHelms, said Cunningham's role was limited to driving the limited distance in Southern California.

"He was essentially a chauffeur," she said.

Cunningham pleaded guilty to drug charges in 2002 and 2006. In 2002, he was accused of smuggling 110 pounds of cocaine. In 2006, he acknowledged driving with 38 pounds of marijuana in a secret vehicle compartment in California's Imperial Valley.

Another driver, Jose Guadalupe Hernandez, pleaded guilty earlier this month for conspiring to distribute nearly 14 tons of marijuana in connection with the second tunnel discovered in November. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June.

If you're a legitimate trucker located in California, Arizona, Oregon or Nevada, contact us for a fast truck insurance quote today 888-472-4915. We'd love to help you save money on your truck insurance while protecting your truck with an "A" rated carrier.

Company makes diesel with sun, water, CO2

A Massachusetts biotechnology company says it can produce the fuel that runs Jaguars and jet engines using the same ingredients that make grass grow.

Joule Unlimited has invented a genetically-engineered organism that it says simply secretes diesel fuel or ethanol wherever it finds sunlight, water and carbon dioxide.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based company says it can manipulate the organism to produce the renewable fuels on demand at unprecedented rates, and can do it in facilities large and small at costs comparable to the cheapest fossil fuels.

To read more about this fascinating article visit thetrucker.com and don’t forget to get a free quote for commercial trucking at berrierinsurance.com or call one of our experts at 530-823-8000. We can offer you the lowest and most comprehensive coverage for your trucks, business, or personal autos!

New DOT Proposal Allows Mexican Trucks into the US

Obama plans to admit Mexican trucks to drive US highways and roads as a starting point for negotiations intended to resolve a longstanding dispute between the two nations. The proposal aims to satisfy the obligations of the US under the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), while also prioritizing the safety of products transported across the border.

In 2009 Congress blocked the cross border truck safety pilot program with the Omnibus Appropriation Act. Since the US is not currently meeting its NAFTA obligations to allow a pilot program of Mexican trucks to enter the US, Mexico has placed retaliatory tariffs on many US goods, including fresh produce items entering Mexico. Given the economic impact on the fresh produce industry and the damage caused to US-Mexico trade, United Fresh contends that the crisis must be resolved urgently.

However when the U.S. Department of Transportation's revealed its plans for opening American roads to Mexican trucking companies, the proposal met with the ire of U.S. truck drivers. Expressed concerns over jobs, safety and environmental regulations being met, and crime trafficking are being brought to light.

The new DOT proposal includes a five-step process for any Mexican carrier seeking to operate inside the U.S. There will be an application process followed by a vetting procedure that would require both the Dept. of Homeland Security and the Dept. of Justice to sign off on the carrier.

Initially, a limited number of carriers would be allowed into the program, DOT said, to allow for proper program oversight. However there is still great concern that questionable trucks and sketchy wheel-men will slip through the cracks.

"It will take substantial effort on the part of the Obama Administration and Congress to work through the concepts in this proposal and create a final agreement acceptable to all parties," Director of International Trade Policy Doug Goudie said

Read more about the new DOT proposal in the New York Times and make sure you and your truck are properly insured. Berrier insurance offers the best rates on commercial truck insurance! Contact us and we will give you a free truck insurance quote over the phone at 888-472-4915.