The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released a federal mandate requiring all truck drivers to electronically document driving hours, but so far the administration has not released a plan on that requirement will be monitored. There are fewer than five months until the deadline for all truckers to switch from paper to electronics, and the mandate is supposed to go into effect and be enforced […]
Commercial Truck Insurance Illinois
Three Tips for Lowering Your Semi-Truck Insurance Rates
If you’re a new owner operator, you might be looking at an annual bill of between ten and sixteen thousand dollars. Gaining experience and keeping your driving record clean could help it fall between nine and twelve thousand dollars, but that still leaves you with a large bill. While a good driving record with few claims is the best way to keep your insurance low […]
Commercial or Owner Operator Truck Insurance Illinois: Will That Shortcut Save Fuel?
When deciding between two possible routes, most people will favor the one with the shortest distance. However, unless the difference in distance is extreme, the shortest route isn’t always the best for the commercial or owner operator truck driver. Some obvious reasons for this are traffic congestion, speed limits, and whether the route goes through an area full of controlled intersections. Such a shortcut, which […]
Commercial or Owner Operator Truck Insurance Illinois: Truckers Rally Against the Coming ELD Mandate
Industry experts anticipate that the upcoming ELD mandate will result in negative repercussions for professional drivers. Some claim it will put an unnecessary burden on small trucking companies, and may even increase rather than decrease the number of accidents. While many carriers are grumbling about the new law, two drivers are taking matters into their own hands, hoping to squash the new rule before it ever […]
Illinois Commercial or Owner Operator Truck Insurance Provider Discusses Driverless Trucking
Automation has displaced many traditional jobs across the country and it is now taking aim at the trucking industry. Does this mean the commercial or owner operator truck driver will go the way of the assembly line worker? Fortunately for truckers, their work is more complex than assembly line work, and the effect of autopilots on the airline industry shows that humans will stay in […]
Blind Spot Detection Tips for the Commercial or Owner Operator Truck Driver
If you’ve been a commercial or owner operator truck driver for any length of time, you’re likely aware of your rig’s blind spots and should know how to change lanes and make turns without endangering the traffic around you. While this is important, an awareness of the blind spots of others on the road is equally important. One rule that works most of the time […]
How Commercial or Owner Operator Truck Drivers Can Prevent Underride Accidents
Underride accidents involving a car going under the trailer of a semi truck are often fatal. The car’s windshield and pillar structures are too flimsy to resist the shearing forces that occur when they collide with the bottom edge of a semi’s trailer. Because of this, the survival prospects for the driver and passengers of the car are grim. Although underride guards are mandated for […]
Three Tornado Myths Best Ignored by Owners or Commercial Truckers
Most tornado’s strike from March through June and occur in the late afternoon. However, they’ve been known to occur during every month of the year and during any hour of the day, including night. This means the commercial or owner operator truck driver shouldn’t let his guard down in the mornings, evenings, or later in the summer. If a big thunderstorm can hit, so can […]
Three Reasons Commercial or Owner Operator Truckers Have Night Vision Problems
The commercial or owner operator truck driver’s occupation can take its toll on night vision. Long hours on the road over the years expose the trucker to harsh lighting, a poor diet, and lack of exercise. On top of these are the inevitable effects of getting older. Over time, all of these factors diminish your ability to see at night. If you are starting to […]