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.

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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

You guys are out there on the road a lot, and you really can make a difference thank so much to those of you who have helped those in need. In return we do our best for you, 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.

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.

Driver Monitoring Systems?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is taking a close look at whether on board driver monitoring systems are an effective way to improve safety.

The agency is mid-way through a multi-year research project designed to measure how well drivers respond to feedback from systems that track lane departures, impending collisions and fatigue, among other indicators. The research also will produce the largest continuous collection of naturalistic driving data ever undertaken, said Olu Ajayi, a research statistician at the agency, in an article describing the effort.

It is not clear at this point what the agency might do with the information it gets from this study. Nothing in the record indicates it intends to write a rule concerning such technologies, and in any case it will be at least two years before the research produces any insights.

The Technology:

In the study, 270 trucks from three volunteer carriers will be equipped with an onboard monitoring system, DriveVision Pro by Transecurity. The system integrates safety technologies such as forward collision and lane departure warning with driver observation systems designed to detect fatigue or inattention, and provides immediate feedback if the truck is at risk. Data from the device also is fed into a management information system to help with driver coaching.
Transecurity is a commercial spin-off from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which conducts safety research for a number of clients, including FMCSA. It was created in 2006 by a team led by VTTI director Thomas Dingus.

Ajayi said in an interview that researchers will use the system to establish a baseline of the drivers' performance without any intervention, and then compare that to their performance while the system is responding. In a subsequent stage the researchers will see if any improvement can be sustained without the system responding.

Specifically, the study is intended to determine if driver performance improves with feedback from the system, and the comparative effectiveness of immediate versus management feedback. Researchers also want to know if they can use the system to determine a driver's risk potential.
Other goals are to see if any driver improvements can be sustained over time, and to gauge driver reaction to the system.

Potential Negatives:

An inkling of what some drivers will say came from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which said in comments to the agency that there are significant negatives attached to this kind of system.

Onboard monitoring systems can penalize drivers for defensive maneuvers, and they can be distracting, the association said.

On the other hand, the carriers that already use these kinds of systems have found significant benefits. C.R. England, for example, uses lane departure, forward collision and headway warning, as well as a stability control system that president Chad England described as "the biggest winner in safety technology as far as I am concerned."

At this point, the agency is preparing to gather information from the drivers who will participate in the 18-month field test. The agency last week asked for comments on this phase of the project (June 24 Federal Register). The study is scheduled to be completed by August 2013.

This was originally posted by Truckinginfo.com so what do you guys think? Is this going to be a good thing or a bad thing for trucking. We can certainly see how this may make an impact when shopping for insurance. Depending on how testing goes insurance companies may look at this as a way to save money both for them and for you.

An accident can happen anywhere and at any time. To make sure you are properly covered contact us at Berrier Insurance and we will review your commercial trucking insurance with you. We can offer you the best rates on commercial auto insurance and provide detailed answers to any of your questions about insurance. Call us today 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

Summer is the Most Dangerous Time for Teen Drivers

Summer's here and the time is right for putting away the phone while driving.

On the day she graduated from college in May 2008, Jacy Good's car was struck by a tractor-trailer that had swerved to avoid a young driver who had run a red light while talking on his cell phone. Her parents were killed. She barely survived and lives with serious injuries.

"This probably won't happen to you but it happens every day," Good told a group of teenagers gathered at Walt Whitman High School in suburban Washington, D.C., yesterday. "Watch out for each other."

The students were there to sign a "no texting" pledge and learn about a truck's "No Zone" at the event hosted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. A truck for the "No Zone" demonstration was provided by FedEx Ground.

"This is the time of year when fatal crash rates among teens almost doubles," FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro told the students.

The statistics are compelling: each day in May, June, July and August, an average of 16 teenagers die in a traffic accident, compared to 9 per day in other months, said Sandy Spavone, executive director of the National Organization for Youth Safety.

And teenagers are much more likely to be in a crash than adults are, said CVSA Executive Director Steve Keppler. More than a quarter of the people killed in crashes involving large trucks and buses are between 16 and 25 years old, he said.

"We want to get these kids into the right (driving) habits right out of the gate," Keppler said.

CVSA has put together a truck education program for teenage drivers. The Teens & Trucks curriculum covers such basics as the differences in handling characteristics between trucks and cars, and how to drive in the vicinity of a truck.

Few high-school driver education programs have a truck component, so CVSA and its partners in this effort, the Arizona Trucking Association, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and American Trucking Associations, have disseminated the curriculum to about 500,000 students in 47 states and 8 Canadian provinces, Keppler said.

The program, whose goal is 1 million students, is funded in part by an $85,000 grant from FMCSA.

After the students were given a "No-Zone" demonstration by Maryland State Police First Sgt. Robert Mondor, they lined up to sign the pledge that they would not text while driving.

"Life is all about decisions, choices and consequences," Ferro told them. "And every trip you take in a vehicle matters and requires sound judgment and your full attention. In a split second your life could be negatively impacted forever."

The message was made immediate by Jacy Good, and by Laurie Kelly of Takoma Park, Maryland.

Kelly, whose 23-year-old son was killed in a distracted driving crash in May 2010, told the students that everything they know can change in an instant. "Being over-confident means that you are unsafe," she said.

Originally posted by www.truckinginfo.com

An accident can happen anywhere and at any time. To make sure you are properly covered contact us at Berrier Insurance and we will review your commercial trucking insurance with you. We can offer you the best rates on commercial auto insurance and provide detailed answers to any of your questions about insurance. Call us today 888-472-4915.

Roadchecks

Truck and bus safety inspectors will be on the road night and day during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 72-hour International Roadcheck on June 7-9, checking vehicles and their drivers at inspection sites along major highways across North America.

In addition, roving patrols will inspect vehicles and drivers traveling other roadways.

Since its inception in 1988, the roadside inspections conducted during the annual Roadcheck have numbered more than one million. It also has provided for the distribution of educational literature and safety events to educate industry and the general public about the importance of safe commercial vehicle operations and the roadside inspection program.

With the recent increased attention on driver hours of service and electronic on board recorders, this year’s Roadcheck will emphasize checking driver logbooks and underscore to drivers the importance of maintaining their logbooks, taking breaks, preventing fatigue, and driving without distractions. Also, Roadcheck 2011 will include added emphasis on finding carriers of household goods who may be operating under the radar by using improperly marked rental vehicles and/or operating as a property carrier rather than a HHG carrier.

First posted on TruckersNews.com

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